New details for BioWare’s upcoming third installment in the epic Mass Effect series were recently revealed, and now, director Casey Hudson, has given us some info on ME3’s combat while talking to Game Informer.
The major overhaul the combat got in Mass Effect 2 over the first installment was received very well by critics and most of the players, and BioWare intend on keeping it that way. “If you look at the way Mass Effect 2 was received by fans and critics – given the huge, sweeping changes we made – I think there’s reason to believe that the formula we arrived at was right. Now, I think there are tweaks we can make to that,” Hudson said.
The improvements, though, will be very subtle, and only those who were very familiar with the combat system of Mass Effect 2 will notice them, says the article. The game will have ‘enhanced cover mechanics.’ Shepard will able to be peek around corners better (not elaborated), and will also be able to roll from cover to cover.
Ladders will be scattered throughout levels, to make other parts of areas accessible. Which means dungeons and levels will obviously have branching paths, something which Mass Effect 2 desperately needed.
The AI, according to the article, will be much more ‘aggressive.’ “They have very specific roles on the battlefield, and those roles – like chess pieces – work together a lot better because they have unique tactics,” Hudson explained.
He also pointed out that with the huge shift in the gameplay style in ME2, it was obvious that the game would be compared to Third Person Shooters around the world. “We realised that because we have shooter combat, we inevitably will be compared with the best shooters in the world. So we have to get to that level… Now, with Mass Effect 3, we’re able to complete that evolution with improvements across the board.”
Mass Effect 3 released on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this holiday.
