BioWare has released a new batch of Mass Effect 3 trailers, and we're breaking them down one at a time, hoping to glean every last bit of information we can about the game before its release next month. To finish things off, we've peeled apart the Integrated Storytelling trailer, which provides a look at the plot and moral choices we'll fin in Mass Effect 3.
The story details hinted at here are hardly unfamiliar. We can see some of the larger plot points we all knew were coming: the invasion of Earth, a massive orbital showdown between Alliance ships and a the Reapers, Commander Shepard looking like a badass, etc.
The specific example of branching should be likewise familiar to anyone who's played through the first two games in there series, but there's an interesting twist. The example that's on display has quite a bit more moral ambiguity than most choices in the past games have utilized. When Shepard picks the Renegade option and orders the Asari commander to assist him, she's so off-put by his unflinching attitude that she evacuates her ships and you're left to fight alone. Nothing too surprising there. But when Shepard opts for the Paragon dialogue choice, his polite request convinces the Asari to help him, and she orders her ship to clear a path to the temple… only to have it shot down a few seconds later, presumably killing everyone on board.
It's hard to tell if that sort of ambiguity will shine through in the rest of Mass Effect 3's story-altering decisions, but it's intriguing to know that BioWare has made a concerted effort to make your decisions less simplistic than in the previous games.
Mass Effect 3 is out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on March 6 in North America and March 9 in Europe.