If you’re hoping to learn how Mass Effect 3 unfolds when it finally arrives early next year, be careful on these here Internets over the next few days.

Some Xbox 360 owners have been playing with a near-final version of the updated dashboard (expected to be released later this month), and somehow a beta version of Mass Effect 3 showed up on the dashboard.

“Microsoft has advised us that through human error at their end, content which was meant for internal beta testing was flagged incorrectly and released to individuals who had signed up for the beta of the Xbox Live dashboard update,” said producer Jesse Houston on the official forums.

The file has since been taken down, but not before users starting mining it for information, including BioWare’s decision to give players three new options to customize their playstyle: Action Mode, Story Mode, RPG Mode. The specifics of each are still being tweaked, revealed Houston, but as it stands, Action Mode removes conversation options, Story Mode makes combat very easy, and RPG Mode is what we’ve all been playing all along.

“We want to stress that these features are still in the early stages of development and will receive considerable iteration and refinement,” said Houston. “These modes are designed to give players an even finer degree of control over their game experience than ever before.”

The beta also allowed users to pull up critical story details about how Mass Effect 3 plays out, and while some details are old or not final, there’s enough out there that you should be wary about it.

“We urge fans not to read them if they want to experience the purest form of the story in Mass Effect 3,” said Houston.

If BioWare follows past patterns regarding leaks, we should have more official details on all of this in the coming weeks.

If you’re hoping to learn how Mass Effect 3 unfolds when it finally arrives early next year, be careful on these here Internets over the next few days.

Some Xbox 360 owners have been playing with a near-final version of the updated dashboard (expected to be released later this month), and somehow a beta version of Mass Effect 3 showed up on the dashboard.

“Microsoft has advised us that through human error at their end, content which was meant for internal beta testing was flagged incorrectly and released to individuals who had signed up for the beta of the Xbox Live dashboard update,” said producer Jesse Houston on the official forums.

The file has since been taken down, but not before users starting mining it for information, including BioWare’s decision to give players three new options to customize their playstyle: Action Mode, Story Mode, RPG Mode. The specifics of each are still being tweaked, revealed Houston, but as it stands, Action Mode removes conversation options, Story Mode makes combat very easy, and RPG Mode is what we’ve all been playing all along.

“We want to stress that these features are still in the early stages of development and will receive considerable iteration and refinement,” said Houston. “These modes are designed to give players an even finer degree of control over their game experience than ever before.”

The beta also allowed users to pull up critical story details about how Mass Effect 3 plays out, and while some details are old or not final, there’s enough out there that you should be wary about it.

“We urge fans not to read them if they want to experience the purest form of the story in Mass Effect 3,” said Houston.

If BioWare follows past patterns regarding leaks, we should have more official details on all of this in the coming weeks.

GG Microsoft.

Who in their right fucking mind would want to play Mass Effect without the conversations? That's the whole reason to play the game!

Also: GJ Microsoft, you idiots.

Why would anyone play Action Mode : /

Great, nothing better than a good leak *cries*

That sucks. Avoiding spoilers for a game that hasn't been released should be much easier.

Remove dialog options? Nonsense!

Welp this is not good

Read a little bit of the leak and yeah... REALLY hope they make some rewrites. Still interested, though.

GG Humans. The Reapers have already won.

woah\

Lol action mode.

Action mode sounds like the stupidest thing ever.

I'm not sure why someone would want to spoil this for themselves. I will avoid all mass effect 3 threads/discussion until I have beaten the game.

A crackerjack job, Microsoft. And what's the point of Mass Effect without dialogue or story? The action isn't that good.

The fact that they are even considering putting "Action mode" in worries me about the game's direction.

Spoilers:

The Giant Skull Reaper from the end of two was YOUR FATHER.

“These modes are designed to give players an even finer degree of control over their game experience than ever before.”

Give players a finer degree of control by taking away part of the experience? Either by taking out the best part or making the combat a cake walk? Jesus. Just make a fucking game and quit trying to please EVERYONE.

Skyrim... I want you so bad right now.

Assuming direct control.

It wasn't even the updated version of the dashboard this was leaked to as that's not released yet (for beta testing), however accounts that have signed up to beta test it have been flagged as such ready for when the dashboard is pushed to these users.

Oooh story mode is gonna be useful for subsequent playthrough that I want to see specific dialogue options in. Action mode sounds kinda silly. Does it just take the neutral option each way through, or do you pick an alignment? Guess we'll find out later on.

@laserbolts said:

I'm not sure why someone would want to spoil this for themselves. I will avoid all mass effect 3 threads/discussion until I have beaten the game.

Because there are assholes on the internet who want to ruin other people's enjoyment of these things. You may remember them as the people posting Persona 4 and Deadly Premonition endgame spoilers all over the Endurance Run comments.

Wait, who would ever want to play Mass Effect in "Action Mode"? Anyone who cares about the franchise cares about it because of the dialog options and the choices involved. This just seems like some sort of ill-advised feature trying to attract the Call of Duty crowd even though it's the final installment in a trilogy.

Man, Microsoft are the leakiest bunch of leaks that ever leaked.

All of you are saying Action Mode sucks, which it very much will but I'm not going to play it on that and everyone who's sane will play it in RPG mode anyway, so why complain about it? Oh yeah, this is the internet and whenever something comes up that people think sucks they'll rail against it because they can.

No link to read all about the Spoilers?! Where do I get all the dirty little secrets!?

Man these kind of design changes to please the masses is really making me look forward to this less and less.

I'm blaming Brad. No one loves spoiling Mass Effect for people more.

Payback for going on PS3.

God fucking damnit, Hamburger Helper strikes again.

@victorferreira128: Don't say that! This is like, the only game I want next year. Bioware will not fail me.

Sometimes I'm really in to leaks, but considering that this is the finale of a series I've put so much time into, I don't want to know a thing. I remember how devastating it was when I read MGS4 spoilers one day before release. It was even more devastating when they turned out to be true.

Ocelot was faking it? Big Boss is still alive? DUMB.

Shut the gates. Shut the damn gates.

The three modes doesn't sound like a completely terrible idea. I know people are going to jump on it, but if some of the games I owned had a watch mode, I'd have finished a lot more games

Action Mode makes me depressed..... 
 
Why go into a Mass Effect game if not to make those choices that impact the game, why even play a Bioware game if not for the rich story. 
 
Action Mode sounds like it was made for the FPS gamer, "All I want to do is shoot shit, and TOO MUCH TALKING" which makes me said that Bioware would sacrifice their trademark of their games for those people. 

Action Mode, let's remove all of the gameplay options that make ME3 stand out and emphasize the one part of the game that doesn't stand up under close scrutiny.

Stupid, Stupid publisher.

'Xbox, Spoilers' /betterwithkinect (Read the spoilers when they first appeared on the BSN, still hyped for the game)

@drhans said:

Also, I think the different modes are a good idea. I'll play RPG mode like everyone else, but the Story Mode sounds just fine. The combat was my least favorite part of ME2. My wife would probably play on Story Mode, while I have a co-worker that would definitely prefer Action Mode. Nothing wrong with opening up the game to new people who might have been a little scared off by the conversations or the action.

The conversations are the fucking conceit of the game. They're what make a Bioware game a Bioware game. If you don't care about that, you don't have any fucking business playing Mass Effect at all.

Story mode is a fine addition because it's Bioware putting their best foot forward and understanding that many people want to play their story-based RPG for the story, not for their okayish Gears of War-lite combat. Action Mode is Mass Effect for people who don't like Mass Effect, and makes you wonder just how important those dialogue choices are going to be when you have a mode that strips them out completely and allegedly (if Bioware is to be believed) still works.

I, for one, want to read the leaked stuff. But I can't find it anywhere. One of the reasons is people treating us like children. If you DON'T want to be spoiled, don't read about it. Simple as that.

I want to read what was leaked and set my expectations accordingly. Does anyone have any links?

@DaBuddaDa: Are you serious?

I'll avoid this like the plague. March can take its time getting here as far as I'm concerned.

Action Mode is just mind-boggling.

@Lukeweizer said:

“These modes are designed to give players an even finer degree of control over their game experience than ever before.” Give players a finer degree of control by taking away part of the experience? Either by taking out the best part or making the combat a cake walk? Jesus. Just make a fucking game and quit trying to please EVERYONE. Skyrim... I want you so bad right now.

Yeah! God damn people who don't have dozens of hours to invest in an RPG like some of us do wanting to play ME3! Who the hell do they think they are? Play it the way the way we want or not at all! Fuck Bioware, trying to let players enjoy the world many of us have spent countless hours in and fell in love with! God dammit I hate when people different than me are happy!

@BoG: Oh, I know, dude. ME is probably my favorite series of this generation, I'd be really depressed if they fucked up the ending.

Still, if it's any consolation, there's stuff in the press that contradict certain things that are in the leak, so it may be a very old draft. Not much to go on, but...

Un-fuzzing-believable. With months to go before ME3's release, this will make the internet a minefield for gamers. Wonderful.

@NegativeCero said:

@DaBuddaDa: Are you serious?

I'll avoid this like the plague. March can take its time getting here as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah, dead serious.

Someone at microsoft is filling a box and leaving the office as we speak, while bioware employees are throwing egs and tomatoes at this poor individual while shouting insults about his/her mother. And the culprit knows it is deserved.

Action mode, more like retard mode.

Action Mode, let's remove all of the gameplay options that make ME3 stand out and emphasize the one part of the game that doesn't stand up under close scrutiny.

Stupid, Stupid publisher.

Action Mode? Fucking seriously?

I am less and less excited about Mass Effect 3 the more I know about it.