Mass Effect 3 demo coming next month

By Fred Dutton Published 18 January, 2012

Play through BioWare sequel's opening sequence.

A demo for forthcoming action RPG sequel Mass Effect 3 launches on PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live on 14th February, developer BioWare has announced.

The taster lets you play through the Reaper's initial assault on Earth - a sequence which kicks off the game.

It will also showcase the title's new multiplayer mode. Those who've activated an online pass for Battlefield 3 get early access to that portion of the demo, with general population allowed in from 17th February.

"We are excited to be able to give gamers an expansive demo that will put them right on the front lines of this all-out galactic war," commented executive producer Casey Hudson.

"The entire scale of the game is bigger than anything we've ever done. With its intense action, deep customisation and raw emotional power, Mass Effect 3 will deliver a spectacular action RPG experience to fans of the series and newcomers alike."

The full game arrives in stores on 6th March.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (35) Latest comment 4 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • natec87 #1 4 months ago

    Honestly not sure whether I'm interested in this. Really looking forward to it but do I wanna play through an opening I'm only going to play through again in March?! And have the same awe-inspired feeling as I would playing it through the first time. Made the same mistake with Enslaved. Think I might actually have to pass it up, sadly.

  • anomagnus #2 4 months ago

    As much as i'd love to, i'd never play a demo of ME3. I want the full expereince for the first time on the 6th!

  • pedrohasashi #3 4 months ago

    Cannot wait for the full game...

  • nic_forsyth #4 4 months ago

    xbox live, only for gold members, no doubt. tsk.

  • WeakOrbit #5 4 months ago

    They should have a demo of shepherd awkwardly trying to woo (Female/Male/Geth) character of choice in the middle of a heavy firefight.

    Seeing as it's Valentines day.

    And i'd only play the demo if it was set in an alternate universe where shepherd was a Elcor.

  • CFacto #6 4 months ago

    "Entry to that portion of the demo is restricted until 17th February to those who've activated an online pass for Battlefield 3."

    I think I know what this means but it reads as "if you bought Battlefield 3, you will be punished with late access". It amused me, anyway.

  • Slikz #7 4 months ago

    Mass Effect is too good for a demo.

    EA, can you focus on getting that SSX demo out, please, ffs.

  • Vortex808 #8 4 months ago

    I'd love to play it, but not sure if I should.

    I may just wait for release- It's going to be a real test of willpower!

  • jonbwfc #9 4 months ago

    OK hold on. They have that deal where if you play through the Kingdoms of Amalur demo, you get free stuff in Mass Effect 3, right? And the same in reverse, so if you play through the ME3 demo, you get free stuff in KoA.

    But KoA is due out Feb 10th (according to Amazon) whereas the ME demo isn't out until Feb 14th. Plus they've already stated the free stuff is only really useful at the start of the game.

    isn't that a bit... broken?

    Jon

  • MisterCraig #10 4 months ago

    I'll be skipping the demo in favour of playing through the whole thing together., but the demo is good for the newcomers though.

    Also, I'm totally nervous for this game and really hope it delivers!

  • Darren #11 4 months ago

    A demo... for the PC... from EA?!?!?

    Goodness me, miracles do happen after all! :cool:

  • Nisa #12 4 months ago

    Weird one this, do they really think there are people who are leaving their 'to purchase or not to purchase' decisions to a swift demo playthrough? I knew I'd be buying this ten minutes into Mass Effect 1.

  • jetsetwillie #13 4 months ago

    @nic_forsyth yup that elite few that can afford £30 a year.

  • Rens11 #14 4 months ago

    Post deleted at 17:59:14 18-01-2012

  • gillri #15 4 months ago

    Post deleted at 16:00:45 18-01-2012

  • kangarootoo #16 4 months ago

    @jonbwfc

    My interpretation of a previous article was that you had to play through both demos in order to get stuff for both games (i.e. if you only played through one demo, you wouldn't get any extra content). I may be wrong in that though.

  • metallicorphan #17 4 months ago

    I want the Kingdom of Amalur stuff from the demo,but don't want to play the demo,i don't want anything spoiled

    is a Mass Effect 3 demo even needed?,we all know what its about and we all know whether we want the game already

  • Velios #18 4 months ago

    I'm so happy that this is out on the PC right away :)

  • BillMurray #19 4 months ago

    I really wish there was a way to transfer over 360 saves to the PC platform. ME3 is the only reason I've been hanging onto my 360 because of my previous saves.

  • Douche #20 4 months ago

    Will try the multiplayer portion - won't be trying the single player as the game will be a day one for me anyways. Looking forward to this very much.

  • Cosquae #21 4 months ago

    @Darren Only because they released the demo through Origin and want PC players to join.

  • Spuzzell #22 4 months ago

    Steering WAY clear of this, I haven't even read anything about ME3 for months just in case of spoilers.

    Which made the happy couple of weeks when EG were actually putting plot points IN THE HEADLINES of articles even more welcome.

  • marmaduke #23 4 months ago

    Any word on whether we can use our own Shepard in the demo? And what about our own Shepherd?
    Edited by marmaduke at 18/01/12 @ 16:17

  • vibroguy #24 4 months ago

    Dont think I will bother with the demo. Pre-ordered and have booked 3 days off work to play this on release, think pre-playing levels will just spoil the experience for me

  • Kanjin #25 4 months ago

    Only playing it if you get to be Blasto.

  • nic_forsyth #26 4 months ago

    @jetsetwillie, can't see it taking off at prices like that.

  • roughsleeper #27 4 months ago

    I'll use the Demo to test play as every class in every configuration possible and have a blast with the weapons and powers. I'll also make the ugliest character I can and use it as my avatar!

  • Gunship #28 4 months ago

    A demo wouldn't normally be needed, but since the poor changes they made going from ME1 to ME2 (which they are likely to amplify going from ME2 to ME3) and the completely awful changes they made going from DA1 to DA2, you'd be unwise to buy this title blind.

  • freethinker101 #29 4 months ago

    Demos are allways a good thing, for Bioware and EA. While there are those that will pre-order. A demo may sway people who are waiting for a review and push the pre orders up. It may be a marketing stratergy, but at least the end user can benefit as well.

  • Bremenacht #30 4 months ago

    pew

  • penhalion #31 4 months ago

    They really should do what Deadspace did i.e demo a made up area that just showcases the graphics and gameplay style while giving nothing away.

    To play through the beginning of a game is kind of a huge spoiler for anyone wanting to get the full experience.

  • Psych0Mantis #32 4 months ago

    The Mass Effect 2 demo was my introduction to this franchise, and after playing it twice I was underwhelmed and couldn't see what all the fuss was about. I picked up the game anyway and it is one of my all-time favourites, the demo was in no way indicative of the final game. It will be good to see how the controls etc have changed, but a game like this takes hours to savour so with or without the demo this is a Day 1 purchase for me. Can't wait!

  • apoc_reg #33 4 months ago

    Demo's for RPGs just dont work.... they do for shooters though so may try it... or rather I would if I liked shooters....

  • Chompy #34 4 months ago

    I resisted ME2, then couldn't put it down once I picked up on the cheap.. Can't say I'm excited for this though..

    It looks a bit, well.. Shit.

  • asho #35 4 months ago

    YES I will be playing it to make sure its still fab because I cant wait till comes out, although I dont like this kinect shit and hope no gameplay or anything else has suffered by making sure its kinect ready and all that shit.
    Edited by asho at 19/01/12 @ 21:02