Rumor: Mass Effect 3 to Feature Four-Player Co-op

Posted 06/17/2011 at 12:28am | by Nathan Grayson

4

Comments

Print

Hold the phone (or omni-tool or Android that's an actual android or whatever); multiplayer in BioWare's single-player space epic? During the series' grand finale – after many wonderful years of solitary bliss? This could be a recipe for disaster. Don't go into a Krogan berserker rage just yet, though. If early reports are anything to go on, BioWare's not trying to make this the next Gears of War or anything like that.

Both Eurogamer and CVG have caught wind of Mass Effect 3's best-kept secret, and – thankfully – it won't be barging in on any of your single-player sessions. Instead, it's being described “standalone” and rounded out with “competitive elements.” Apparently, it'll be most similar to other games' Horde modes, in which you kill everything in sight before it kills you. Which is just like every other shooter ever, except different because it has waves!

Don't expect another 40-hour space odyssey here, though. BioWare's only including “a handful” of levels, and it's banking on replay value to keep things fresh. So, why now? Why put this particular cherry on top of the sundae after all these years? CVG's source explained:

"Mainstream penetration is a major goal for Mass Effect 3, and those high up feel online co-op is the answer they're looking for. EA's keen to push the multiplayer side of the game to help spread word of mouth – so it's not just going to rehash stuff from the campaign. It's going all out."

We're sure it'll be nice for a bite-sized shootout snack here and there, but from where we're standing, this still sounds like “Multiplayer sells. Therefore, let's put it in every game!” Granted, EA's track record in this area isn't actually too terrible. Most recently, Dead Space 2 served up a side-helping of downright competent multiplayer action alongside a creepy crawly solo campaign. Besides, it could be worse. It could be cooperative planet mining.