Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware that the Mass Effect 3 demo went live on Valentine's Day. While the multiplayer portion of the demo wasn't yet available to me (I've yet to play BF3, sadly), I had a sit-down with the single-player portion of the game, which showcased some of the new mechanics we'll be getting a glimpse of come March, and I've gotta say, I was rather impressed. 

As promised, the title allowed players to choose between Story Mode, Action Mode, and RPG Mode. A huge fan of the original, I played through the demo on RPG mode.

The first thing I noticed was that the graphics for ME 3 have received something of an overhaul. Everything looks just a little bit more realistic now, with more detailed character models, better backgrounds, and seemingly more fluid animation. Basically, everything just looks newer and shinier, and that's a good thing. 

Character creation is more or less the same affair as it was in the previous games: you can choose from a number of different preset appearances and tweak them to craft your ideal Commander Shepard. Another feature I enjoyed and that I hope makes the final cut was that it allowed me to select relevant details of Shepard's past from the previous games.

Anyway, the Mass Effect 3 demo starts Shepard off at a military base on Earth, having been relieved of active duty as a result of his or her actions during the Arrival DLC. It doesn't take very long for things to go straight to hell, with the Reapers bringing down their full wrath on Earth. The mission, while it seemed rather short, was simply to escape alongside Captain Anderson, fighting off hordes of beefy, rather disturbing new enemies known as Cannibals; they're fully indoctrinated Batarians who, unlike husks, were capable of using weapons. It was also my first experience with the Omni-Knife, a one-hit-kill armament used by holding down the melee button while in close combat range. It's as awesome as it sounds.  

Anyway, the second mission in the Mass Effect 3 demo puts Shepard, along with series favorites Urdnot Wrex, Liara T'soni, and Garrus Vakarian onto a Salarian-controlled world, trying to retrieve a fertile Krogan female from a Salarian Laboratory; both Mordin Solus (ME2) and Captain Kirrahe(ME1) make an appearance. Given how many old favorites have a cameo, it seemed almost custom-tailored to foster excitement in anyone who's played the previous titles, with some of the most-loved characters diving into the fray. It worked. 

A routine diplomatic mission, things quickly go south when Cerberus attacks, determined to kill the female and prevent the Krogans and Salarians from allying with one another. Naturally, things don't go so well for them.

The mission showcased the new skill tree (with every skill having two branching paths you can take in order to customize how a skill functions). It's a welcome addition to the game, and a welcome departure from Mass Effect 2's skill system, which, I'm sorry to say, felt more than a little limited. Mass Effect 3's inventory system was more or less the same. Sorry to all you folks who enjoyed the oft-intense inventory management of the first ME; it's not making a comeback.  

My one gripe with the demo is that they apparently nixed the hacking and bypass mini-games. Shepard now simply puts his / her omni-tool to a door or computer and poof! it opens. Aside from that, though… the Mass Effect 3 demo is a marvelous taste of what we can expect from the actual title, making the wait all the more agonizing. Luckily, we'll get to take a look at the multiplayer demo once it unlocks for everyone next week.

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