Mass Effect Unveiled At E3 Mass Effect is the first in a trilogy of squad-based SF action role-playing games in development for the Xbox 360 and will be the main focus at E3 for the Canadian developer BioWare. "We've been pretty secretive about the game so far, but at E3 we'll reveal the first look at actual gameplay in Mass Effect," Hudson said in an interview. The demo will show off an innovative real-time combat system that's played in a third-person format with state-of-the-art virtual actors. Players will be in command of an upgradeable main character and have a choice of specialty-class skills that will offer a variety of tactical advantages in combat. The combat system will feature swappable characters during battle and a range of special attacks or healing abilities that players can set up before combat begins to plan strategies for battle. The story of Mass Effect takes place 200 years in the future, during the pioneering of the universe, with characters forming squads of adventurers struggling within a sprawling galactic community threatened by a legendary agent gone rogue. "The demo also shows off some cool new innovations in combat and character interaction," Hudson said. "What will probably be the most exciting aspect of the demo is just seeing what has become possible in a sci-fi RPG with the latest technology. We've worked very hard over the last couple of years building features that will take our role-playing games to the next level—the E3 demo is really the first time anyone will see all of those things together at once. It's been extremely exciting to see the results!" Mass Effect is due this winter or in early 2007. —Casey Lynch