On the Subject of Mass Effect 3's Multiplayer: It's Co-Op

Essentially revealed yesterday via a pair of magazine covers, BioWare has gone ahead and taken the extra step of extra-super-duper confirming the fact that Mass Effect 3 will have a multiplayer mode, and even was nice enough to provide a few details on how the whole thing works. Awfully nice of them, no?

Multiplayer comes in the form of a four-player cooperative mission suite, in which players will each choose a character, and combine forces using their own unique "weapons, powers, and abilities to devastating effect as they fight together to liberate key territories from enemy control." The multiplayer mode is not tied directly into the single-player campaign story, it sounds like, but it will have some kind of unspecified effect on the single-player mode and its progress (just not in the main storyline).

Intriguingly, the multiplayer mode comes as but a single piece of a larger puzzle known only as "Galaxy at War." Playing around with the various aspects of this mode will allow players to augment Shepard's Galactic Readiness level, but again, will not directly tie into the main storyline, nor is it even required to get the game's optimal ending.

While we await more word on what all this Galaxy at War craziness entails, sit back and rest assured knowing that cooperative play awaits, and is totally optional. And if you were one of those people holding out for a 32-player Shepards vs. Shepards death match mode, take your sickness elsewhere and never come back. We don't take kindly to you types around these parts.

There are so many games that I have to play before this comes out. It might as well be years away.

I like this idea

Sounds....err, cool.

Sounds preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetty sweet.

Co-op side missions that influence the campaigns outcome seems cool to me.

Why is co-op better than competitive?

It's pretty much exactly what I was hoping for when the co-op rumors started swirling around. I wonder if that British dude in the trailer is gonna be one of the characters.

Expected as much and I'm pleased though pvp multiplayer would be nice too :)

It would have been insane if it turned out to be death match. The really horrible "why on earth would you even think of doing that" insane.

THANKS FOR RAPING THE CORPSE THAT WAS MASS EFFECT BIOWARE...

Not really, it sounds fun. This is about what I expected.

32 player Dm or nothing! :)

On a more serious note this sounds awsome, the part about the multiplayer being 100% optional that is. That 100% can be argued tho as i suspect it will be the same shit as Assassins creed where you need to farm multiplayer to get 100% achievment/trophyscore.

A mode dependant on cooperation? What, are we living in a civilized society now?

@Pie said:

Why is co-op better than competitive?

Because cool kids hate competitive multiplayer.

Sounds good to me. I'm left wondering though, will there be some sort of narrative to this, how about dialogue or choices?

It is horde mode in the Mass Effect universe! Imagane taking on a Reaper after every 10 waves! Yes!

And so many people freaked out over this.

Seems cool.

@Dustpan: I hope there is something like that. The Old Republic has a co-op dialog system where player controller party members get to choose their own dialog when the opportunity presents itself. It'd be a shame if ME3 multiplayer didn't have that, especially seeing how BioWare already knows how to do it and dialog options are a huge part of the ME/BioWare experience.

I love this community so much for not FREAKING OUT about how this proves "casuals" are ruining video games and going all "fuck EA/Bioware". Maybe that'll come later. But right now, you are all so beautiful to me. Thank you. <3

This will be good.

@Groundings said:

It is horde mode in the Mass Effect universe! Imagane taking on a Reaper after every 10 waves! Yes!

I would love this feature if it turns in to this.

Meh, I could take it or leave it.

Sounds funecesaary!

Bout time Garris got his armor repaired.

I like the fact that it doesn't seem to matter in the slightest.

Co-op was the right choice and not competitive multiplayer.

Sounds fine. They could do a competitive multiplayer mode too if they wanted. Just make a character, and then choose three abilities and two weapons from all the classes.

@White_Silhouette said:

@Groundings said:

It is horde mode in the Mass Effect universe! Imagane taking on a Reaper after every 10 waves! Yes!

I would love this feature if it turns in to this.

Hell, it practically already exists during a side mission in Mass Effect 2 where you take on endless amounts of robots to get back to your ship.

Sounds good. Pretty much what I expected. The mechanics in ME aren't exactly balanced for a competitive game in my opinion. I think this will do just fine.

This could be awesome.

Co-op? NOW you're talking! Competitive mp for Mass Effect is a stinky idea.

Now that I know what it is, I'm pumped. Sounds like fun.

I wanted competitive. Now I'm never going to see this content. Fucking stupid friends who don't play anything other than Fifa, Call of Duty.

32 shepard deathmatch! I'm in. I don't even need to read this article I'm so in.

Sounds good to me. I'm actually really excited. So much for the horde mode people were speculating.

Leave it to Bioware to take what very, VERY easily could've been a negative and set it up as a positive. This is an agreeable development.

It looks interesting! I really want to try it.

I could see a (Reapers / Cerberus) vs Alliance Deathmatch, but like I always say to my friends, much prefer a co-op horde style mode. However, this sounds like it could be much more. 

I read the Galactic Readiness level in co-op goes towards single player. Alex is saying it isn't? Who's right?
 
I also hate the idea that the ending will just me based on a readiness level. So do everything, get best ending. :\

My brother and I are gonna rock this hard. Is it 1-4 players or do you have to have 4? If you only have 2 are the other characters just bots? Questions.

Sounds like they could've spent more time on the core game instead. Maybe make sure all the PC keyboard shortcuts worked properly this time, like they did in ME1, for example. Of course, maybe they had time to do both! (I'll be shocked though)

While I'm glad that there will be some type of co-op component, did anyone really believe that ME3 would have competitive multiplayer?

A great company doing multiplayer in a game and doing it both tastefully and in an interesting way that doesn't hurt the rest of the game. Shocker. Sadly, there were only about three of us who had any faith before this announcement.

32 Shepards on 32 Shepards with each person using their own unique Shepard? Gosh dang it Alex...I know you were being derogatory and sarcastic, but that actually doesn't sound half bad...just for how ridiculous it would be. DLC?

If I can play as a Volus Adept I'm 100% down with this. I AM A BIOTIC GOD.

Is it me, or does the whole Galactic Readiness sound a whole lot like how the ending of Fable 3 worked?

Shepard.

I want a stand-alone game that's nothing but Shepard on Shepard arena death match violence.

And Wrex should be the announcer.

Eh, even if they're making every effort to reassure us, the idea of multiplayer intruding on my Mass Effect story in anyway still doesn't sound great to me, even if it's minimal.

"Success in multi-player will have a direct impact on the outcome of the single player campaign, giving players an alternative method of achieving ultimate victory against the greatest threat mankind – and the entire galaxy – has ever faced."

I don't really want to see a flashing "JOIN FRIENDS NOW" button while I'm looking at the map in my Normandy. And just the fact that Mass Effect is now another game where multiplayer is required to experience everything doesn't sit well with me, regardless of whatever achievements/bonuses/etc. will be tied in.

It can still be done well, but I'm still wary about the fact that every game has to have multiplayer now.

Who's that Turian next to Shepard and Liara? It's not Garrus, his face looks totally normal.