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Mass Effect 3, Battlefield 3 Launch Dates Announced

Posted by Soulskill on from the no-really,-take-your-time dept.

Electronic Arts used their E3 press conference to show off a number of upcoming games and provide release dates for a few of them. BioWare's Mass Effect 3 is due out March 6th, 2012, at which time Commander Shepherd will return to defend earth from the Reapers. Battlefield 3 is closer to launch, currently planned for October 26th, with a beta in September. Some new video clips of the game are available. Star Wars: The Old Republic got impressive new trailers, but not many hard details (though they did talk about raiding not long ago). Gamespot's liveblog of the event has more information about the various presentations, including snippets on Need for Speed: The Run, FIFA 12, The Sims Social for Facebook, and Curt Shilling's Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which is planned for next year.

37 comments

  1. Oooooooo! I can't wait! by ThePromenader · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I see that my 'disable ads' option is gone... has this changed for article content too?

    --

    No, no sig. Really.

    ThePromenader
    1. Re:Oooooooo! I can't wait! by rwade · · Score: 0

      Oh -- I just noticed that too. Was there some announcement about that?

    2. Re:Oooooooo! I can't wait! by keith_nt4 · · Score: 1

      I noticed the ads as well. I didn't think there was any dip in reputation or whatever so I thought it odd. Guess it isn't just me. Sorry about the off-topic.

      --
      "UNIX is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity." -Dennis Ritchie
    3. Re:Oooooooo! I can't wait! by ThePromenader · · Score: 1

      I was referring to the point that this 'article' reads like an ad (and tried to link it to the 'no ads' feature) - perhaps I wasn't clear, sorry.

      --

      No, no sig. Really.

      ThePromenader
  2. Great, there goes my weekend. by Kenja · · Score: 1

    Going to take at least a saturday to recover my old ME1 & ME2 save games from my old gaming system.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    1. Re:Great, there goes my weekend. by enderjsv · · Score: 1

      I had the unfortunate experience of having to play 2 without my save file. It really irked me to find out a certain character I saved in the first game was dead in the second one because of this. I don't see why they don't give you the option of setting up the things you did in the first game for those players who don't have their save file. Is it really a big deal if someone lies and setups their data inaccurately?

    2. Re:Great, there goes my weekend. by Luckyo · · Score: 1

      The point is that it sells games. ME1 sales had a pretty nice spike right before ME2 was released, probably because of save import feature. There really was very little in term of other reasons for it, and it was very visible (and advertised).

    3. Re:Great, there goes my weekend. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      For what it's worth, there is a saved gamed editor so you can change your newly-created ME2 save to reflect what you want.

      I think that the game doesn't provide you with an interface to edit things is because (a) they want you to play the first game, (b) they don't want to offer spoilers to those who start playing with ME2, and (c) there's a heck of a lot of choices to make, many of them mundane.

    4. Re:Great, there goes my weekend. by nedlohs · · Score: 1

      Surely they just want to charge you extra for Genesis?

  3. Which FPS to get? by Laz10 · · Score: 1

    From what I have read BF3 will be micro payment hell, where you have to pay real money to get each and every weapon upgrade.
    Call of duty 3 looks like it will have a monthly fee to play online without a handicap.

    Finally a chance to kick my FPS addiction?

    1. Re:Which FPS to get? by rwade · · Score: 1

      Where did you hear that exactly?

    2. Re:Which FPS to get? by Lord+Crc · · Score: 4, Interesting

      From what I have read BF3 will be micro payment hell, where you have to pay real money to get each and every weapon upgrade.

      Sure you're not confusing it with the completely unrelated Battlefield Play4Free, modelled after Battlefield Heroes but with the BF2 engine and maps?

    3. Re:Which FPS to get? by tophermeyer · · Score: 2

      Call of duty 3 looks like it will have a monthly fee to play online without a handicap.

      No handicap. The Elite subscription fee gets you access to (pretty extensive) online stats tracking and bonus content, but the info I've read is really specific that not subscribing will not handicap you in any way. It sounds like your fear is that there will be weapons/perks available only to paying subscribers, but all the info I've found specifically says that won't be the case. I expect the subscribers will get goodies like weapon and player skins, and possibly deals on the DLC.

      Can't speak for BF 3 though. If indeed they set up a system for paying real world money for weapon upgrades I expect people will freak. One of the early and lesser played XBox titles Chromehounds had that and people hated it.

    4. Re:Which FPS to get? by keith_nt4 · · Score: 2

      I can only assume you meant CoD: MW3, since CoD3 came out six or so years ago for original XBox...

      Also until I really read that some place I'm going to have a hard time believing any developer would cripple their flagship franchise like that.

      --
      "UNIX is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity." -Dennis Ritchie
    5. Re:Which FPS to get? by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2

      Ya I've heard nothing of the "pay for each weapon" thing in BF3. Of course nothing is final till it is out but from the sounds of it it'll be very much like past Battlefield games in the you pay for the game and that is that. Servers are separate, not provided by EA, and are up to individuals to buy from hosting companies as they wish.

      Now I'm sure there'll be DLC, but I can't imagine it'll be as you talk about. In Bad Company 2, the current BF game, there have been two DLC packs. One was fairly cheap, $5ish, and added new weapons and looks. However the weapons were just reskins of existing weapons. It was 100% optional, just for people that wanted it, not needed for gameplay. The other was Vietnam, which was a $20ish expansion pack. That introduced a new game, where you played with new weapons, levels, and so on, but didn't affect the original game at all. You could buy it and play if you wanted, or continue to play the original.

      BF3 sounds similar, doesn't sound like they are going to try to nickle and dime you.

    6. Re:Which FPS to get? by Medevilae · · Score: 1

      [citation needed] Well not really. I haven't heard otherwise, but I'm pretty sure you're full of it.

    7. Re:Which FPS to get? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In fact, it swings the other way. While Activision has announced a subscription service for an enhanced social networking component for CoD (called Elite), DICE has kept rubbing it in that everything in BF3, including a deep social networking component will be free after initial purchase.

      There really is no confusion or doubt that there will be no subscriptions or micropayments for BF3 (and historically, DICE has released DLC for PC for free while CoD charges for DLC on PC.)

    8. Re:Which FPS to get? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he is. I've read a fair amount about BF3 since I first heard about it which was quite a while ago. I don't recall any mention of micropayments, and since this is basically an updated bf2 game that would completely destroy its legacy.

    9. Re:Which FPS to get? by jhoegl · · Score: 1

      Sadly, it is EA...

      They price gouge their customers worse than Airlines.

    10. Re:Which FPS to get? by andb52 · · Score: 1

      They are not doing micropayments for BF3. It is a normal BF game; you must be confusing it with Heroes or something. There will be exclusive preorder content, though.

  4. I like how bioware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    promos their effort in homosexual relationship arcs with fictional characters.

    They certainly have their priorities straight on how to make a real RPG.

    1. Re:I like how bioware by Deus.1.01 · · Score: 1

      Rules and setting means nothing...al that matters is YOU GET A CHOICE TO BANG AN ALIEN CHICK!

      Bioware is ready for the bishojo market.

      --
      My -1 Troll is actually a +1 funny. And my -1 flame is actually a +1 insightfull.
  5. no lan no buy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Subject.

    No LAN, no buy. Argue the usefulness of LAN events all you want, but they exist. Hey, what's that? Quakecon? Go tell them to fuck off and that they don't matter and see what kind of response you get.

    Get on the ball, DICE. No LAN, no buy.

  6. Re:dirka dirka dirka by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    derka allah mohammed jihad.

  7. Mods by Deus.1.01 · · Score: 1

    If battlefield 3 does not deliver tools for modders, Im not interested.

    The battlefield series was more then a game, it was a platform!

    As soon as Forgotten hope 2 appeared is stopped playing vanilla BF2 altogether.

    Its madness to cut the ability to produce free content for your product, but i guess EA/DICE isnt looking for a solid game with longevity anymore.

    Why not call it Battlefield 2011(+n) and be done with it.

    --
    My -1 Troll is actually a +1 funny. And my -1 flame is actually a +1 insightfull.
  8. March 26 of WHAT YEAR?? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0

    I'm amused that a company would announce the release of a game almost 10 months out. I would say that there's about the same chance of the world ending in a fiery conflagration or massive economic meltdown as there is of Mass Effect 3 being released on that date.

    But I guess it's good to have something to pretend to look forward to, even if it's only as a distraction from the Great Depression II.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:March 26 of WHAT YEAR?? by Ephemeriis · · Score: 1

      I'm amused that a company would announce the release of a game almost 10 months out. I would say that there's about the same chance of the world ending in a fiery conflagration or massive economic meltdown as there is of Mass Effect 3 being released on that date.

      But I guess it's good to have something to pretend to look forward to, even if it's only as a distraction from the Great Depression II.

      I'm willing to bet that this announcement will see additional sales of Mass Effect 1 and 2.

      --
      "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
  9. Re:DICE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Old Mutha Hubbard went the the cupboard to give her old dog a bone. But when she bent over, rover came over and gave her a bone of her own. Oh!"

    Oh, wait wrong DICE.

  10. More time for ME2 by keith_nt4 · · Score: 1

    Some how i never quite finished ME2. I was really, really close but had an unfortunate incident involving Ghost. Fortunately I had my saves copied over to drop box. But still haven't taken the time to go back and finish it. Now I apparently have more time then November to finish ME2.

    Now I just have to wait for the inevitible similar announcement about Skyrim. I know it's coming, you know it's coming...

    --
    "UNIX is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity." -Dennis Ritchie
    1. Re:More time for ME2 by MachDelta · · Score: 1

      Really? The climax to ME2 is probably the best part of the whole game.

    2. Re:More time for ME2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Now I just have to wait for the inevitible similar announcement about Skyrim. I know it's coming, you know it's coming.

      I respectfully disagree. I think Bethesda have made too much of a big thing about hijacking Minecraft's release date to delay Skyrim. :-)

    3. Re:More time for ME2 by keith_nt4 · · Score: 1

      Okay one of two scenarios: the inevitable delay until the "first half" of 2012...or they release on time and release a several gigabyte patch with out a couple months of release... Or I'm just cynical... :-)

      --
      "UNIX is very simple, it just needs a genius to understand its simplicity." -Dennis Ritchie
  11. and SSX by calebhoward · · Score: 1

    Ahem... Also, SSX was featured - in fact, the EA presentation led with the SSX trailer, and some discussion of its massive content, et al.

  12. Is this a joke ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Useless !

  13. Broken link in summary by rcuhljr · · Score: 1

    Your Old Republic raiding link is dead.

  14. The Old Republic is vaporware by elrous0 · · Score: 1

    There have been rumors flying around for some time that The Old Republic development is essentially a complete clusterfuck, with no end in sight. Why on earth EA took the great Knights of the Old Republic IP and decided to completely ignore its console roots (KOTOR 1 and 2 sold WAY more console copies than PC) in favor of a PC-only MMO is beyond me. KOTOR 3 & 4 could have been two of the biggest-selling games in 360/PS3 history. Instead they went with a PC-only title that has been in development hell for years now.

    People have forgotten how great the KOTOR series was back in the day, and that's a shame. EA screwed up epically on this one.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.