If you follow other sites on the Internet that write about games in far greater quantity (if not necessarily quality--BOOM...*drops mic* *feedback*) than our little video game website, you may have been following the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer saga in a bit more of a step-by-step fashion than we have chosen to cover it here. In short: multiplayer for Mass Effect 3 has been rumored, debunked, rumored again, debunked again, and then rumored again more times than the existence of Shenmue 3, to the point where even if you cared about Mass Effect 3 having multiplayer, you have likely just given up and opted to wait for an actual confirmation from someone.

Good news then (maybe?): Multiplayer has been confirmed.

Specifically, it's been confirmed by dueling magazine covers in the latest issue of OXM, and Australian PC mag, PC PowerPlay. Of course, given that no one actually has either issue of either magazine in hand, we don't actually know what any of this multiplayer nonsense equates to. All we do know from the vague, cryptic descriptions either magazine chose to give is that the mode does tie into the main story campaign in some manner or another. I'll just go ahead and pull the starter cord on the rumor engine and say co-op campaign. I mean, it makes sense, right?

We'll get all the juicy details when the aforementioned magazines hit store shelves, and someone on NeoGAF inevitably scans all the feature pages and plasters them into a thread, thus spreading said information across the many news sites and blogs with similar, yet not entirely the same commentary, followed by similar, yet not entirely the same comments, ranging from enraged exclamations of derision, to excited, gleeful yelps of joy. Eventually the commenters will tire themselves out, both the rage and the joy will trail off, and the Internet will grow quiet for a single, fleeting moment before, like the Big Bang itself, a new rumor of multiplayer in something--maybe in Darksiders II or something--sparks the Internet's energy anew. Circle of life, or whatever.

If you follow other sites on the Internet that write about games in far greater quantity (if not necessarily quality--BOOM...*drops mic* *feedback*) than our little video game website, you may have been following the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer saga in a bit more of a step-by-step fashion than we have chosen to cover it here. In short: multiplayer for Mass Effect 3 has been rumored, debunked, rumored again, debunked again, and then rumored again more times than the existence of Shenmue 3, to the point where even if you cared about Mass Effect 3 having multiplayer, you have likely just given up and opted to wait for an actual confirmation from someone.

Good news then (maybe?): Multiplayer has been confirmed.

Specifically, it's been confirmed by dueling magazine covers in the latest issue of OXM, and Australian PC mag, PC PowerPlay. Of course, given that no one actually has either issue of either magazine in hand, we don't actually know what any of this multiplayer nonsense equates to. All we do know from the vague, cryptic descriptions either magazine chose to give is that the mode does tie into the main story campaign in some manner or another. I'll just go ahead and pull the starter cord on the rumor engine and say co-op campaign. I mean, it makes sense, right?

We'll get all the juicy details when the aforementioned magazines hit store shelves, and someone on NeoGAF inevitably scans all the feature pages and plasters them into a thread, thus spreading said information across the many news sites and blogs with similar, yet not entirely the same commentary, followed by similar, yet not entirely the same comments, ranging from enraged exclamations of derision, to excited, gleeful yelps of joy. Eventually the commenters will tire themselves out, both the rage and the joy will trail off, and the Internet will grow quiet for a single, fleeting moment before, like the Big Bang itself, a new rumor of multiplayer in something--maybe in Darksiders II or something--sparks the Internet's energy anew. Circle of life, or whatever.

damn. only my first try.

multiplayer in me3. probably something that could work that id never use.

I'll bet 100 bison dollars it's tower defence multiplayer. :P

After I kidnap the queen of course.

I love Alex.

I could go for a coop campaign in ME3. Not really interested in deathmatch or whatever though.

I would say I don't want multiplayer in my Mass Effect, but I also said that about Assassin's Creed, and that turned out to be really cool.

[Edit] I went and actually read the article thoroughly instead of skimming through it, and a co-op campaign would make sense. For some reason whenever I hear "multiplayer" I automatically assume it's competitive.

Shepard...

I am making enraged exclamations of derision!

5th :D

Oh well multiplayer no multiplayer makes squat of a difference to me.

We'll get all the juicy details when the aforementioned magazines hit store shelves, and someone on NeoGAF inevitably scans all the feature pages and plasters them into a thread, thus spreading said information across the many news sites and blogs with similar, yet not entirely the same commentary, followed by similar, yet not entirely the same comments, ranging from enraged exclamations of derision, to excited, gleeful yelps of joy. Eventually the commenters will tire themselves out, both the rage and the joy will trail off, and the Internet will grow quiet for a single, fleeting moment before, like the Big Bang itself, a new rumor of multiplayer in something--maybe in Darksiders II or something--sparks the Internet's energy anew. Circle of life, or whatever.

if not necessarily quality

Nope, sorry.

hmmmmmm.

Nice, this game will be ace!

because thats exactly what I want out of my story focused RPShooter

  We'll get all the juicy details when the aforementioned magazines hit store shelves, and someone on NeoGAF inevitably scans all the feature pages and plasters them into a thread, thus spreading said information across the many news sites and blogs with similar, yet not entirely the same commentary, followed by similar, yet not entirely the same comments, ranging from enraged exclamations of derision, to excited, gleeful yelps of joy. Eventually the commenters will tire themselves out, both the rage and the joy will trail off, and the Internet will grow quiet for a single, fleeting moment before, like the Big Bang itself, a new rumor of multiplayer in something--maybe in Darksiders II or something--sparks the Internet's energy anew. Circle of life, or whatever.

Thanks EA. This series really needed multiplayer.

I'm guessing co-op, or Horde mode.

Anything more substantial would be very surprising.

Get back to the NBA 2K12 review Alex

I'd love to be able to eat my own words on this in a few months if I'm wrong, but if this multiplayer fucks with how good the single player is in anyway I will be royally pissed, and EA will know about it.

Whatevs...guess it will be cool to see some co-op stuff, but I'm not too big on competitive. Uncharted is the only one I really keep playing MP in...nothing else has interested me.

Fuck this

Oh okay.

Hmmmm.... I hope it's Coop and not competitive. Since the partner AI is generally poor anyway a Coop mode could only improve the game. Competitive multiplayer however I don't think can fit at all because it's simply not that sort of game.

I'm hoping it's not based on the arena junk in the first game's DLC, if it has a decent/interesting twist that will be cool. Co-op is something people might appreciate as well but there's no way it can be 'full' singleplayer co-op type stuff so really... who cares about separate co-op missions that last 20mins or horde mode 'yet again'.

My mind is still kinda focused on Skyrim though, no thoughts on ME3 other than I look forward to playing it, but it's in march so I try and put it away in it's dark hole in my head :)

Confirmed: Mass Effect 3 is RUINED FOREVER.

the previous statement was sarcasm, but I figured I might as well get it out of the way before it gets posted seriously.

@adoggz said:

because thats exactly what I want out of my story focused RPShooter

This. Millions of times.

I predict a cooperative wave-based survival mode.

That is one horribly photoshopped cover. WTF is up with Shepard and Liara's faces?!

It's totally gonna be 100% the same as Star Wars: Rebellion.

I'll wait for a price drop when Mass Effect 3 is released. I'm a huge fan but I'm not spending $60 for a package with a portion I will literally never touch.

I hated the idea of it until I gave my old X-Box to a buddy and got him into Mass Effect. Now it's more "fuck it, why not?".

It was like a given thing, but still wondering how this going to work out.

God do I ever hate when people cry about multiplayer being added to a previously single player only game.

Whatever. If the multiplayer is bad I will just ignore it. The probably great campaign will out weigh any potentially bad multiplayer.

Thanks Bioware for taking the time and money to develop a feature most fans of your game don't want and won't play.

Here's a free tip for developers: tacking on a multiplayer component to your primarily singleplayer game is not a good way to "combat" used game sales.

Sigh. First Dead Space, now this. I guess no-one can really pass judgement until they've played it, but all the same, the thought of it doesn't seem appealing to me.

I've said it before. As long as it doesn't detract and take dev time from the single player then they can go ahead and add whatever they want.

Literally could not give more of a shit than I currently do.

Bioware should have made a regular KOTOR 3 and made Mass Effect an MMO instead.

They will learn some day.

If it's just co-op, fine I guess. Kinda weird and nonsensical, but fine. If it's yet another generic multiplayer shooter lazily slapped onto an EA game, then that's gonna start to bother me.

At least the true benefits of the EA multiplayer pass reveal themselves. If I have zero interest in this game's multiplayer, boom there goes any reason to buy it new.

You know what game had multiplayer. MGS4. You know what I didn't play but still had an amazingly fun time with the game anyways? MGO.

I have faith that Bioware won't fuck up the game with this. It's not campaign multiplayer for certain so it won't impact the "proper" game and considering how big their studio is its highly likely the co-op/competitive whatever part of the game is being made by one of their second teams or partner studios thus neither taking resources from the development of the main game either.

Yeah it smacks of box ticking but I dunno, I just don't think Bioware are the sort of company who would do that.

This has to be the most pragmatic news post I've ever read.

Ugh...

Well queue a shitstorm of people overreacting before even knowing what it is.

I guess EA has to put something behind that online pass.

Its soul purpose is so that the game will now come with an online pass. Thus enticing more people to buy the game new. Fuck you EA. I don't even care if it's good, because I will always live in the knowledge that less time was spent making the single player campaign awesome so that they could add in some tacked on multiplayer component.

RAGE RAGE RAGE!