Mass Effect 3 to be
Shepard's last
appearance
In BioWare's Mass Effect
universe, Commander
Shepard has enjoyed a
distinguished career, but if
it continues beyond next
year's Mass Effect 3,
gamers won't be seeing it.
The developer confirmed
for PC Gamer earlier this
month that it won't be
returning to the
protagonist of the Mass
Effect trilogy after the
third game's release.
"After this, Commander
Shepard's story is
complete," producer
Michael Gamble told the
site. When asked if that
meant Shepard definitely
won't be in future Mass
Effect games, Gamble
responded, "Correct."
That doesn't mean the
Mass Effect universe is in
danger of going away.
BioWare CEO Dr. Ray
Muzyka told PC Gamer
that the studio has
"ambitious plans to
continue this franchise,"
and is looking at Mass
Effect 3 as an opportunity
to make an entry point for
newcomers to the series.
Set for release on the PC,
PlayStation 3, and Xbox
360 on March 6, Mass
Effect 3 sees planet Earth
under siege. The attackers
are the Reapers, a race of
heavily armed sentient
spacecraft that were
central to the plot of the
first Mass Effect. The
return of the Reapers to
the series was concretely
revealed in Arrival, the
last installment of
downloadable content for
Mass Effect 2.
In Mass Effect 3, players
will once again take on
the role of Shepard, who
is now on the run from
the shadowy pro-human
organization Cerberus. To
save Earth, Shepard must
travel the galaxy trying to
rally support from alien
civilizations with varying
degrees of sympathy.