New Mass Effect 3 Gamescon Trailer Reveals Gameplay

At the Cologne-based videogame exposition, Gamescom, BioWare has unveiled a new action packed trailer for Mass Effect 3. The video features a full one minute and 50 seconds of action infused gameplay footage as Shepard and his crew battle a mob of armored enemies.

In the trailer we see examples of several familiar gameplay elements which remind the viewer that this is a Mass Effect game. The player directs his squad into cover at specific points, an Asari unleashes a familiar biotic technique on an enemy, and the characters engage in a lot of straightforward gun-play.

The strategic focus of using your squad’s abilities in tandem remains in this trailer as well.

However, given the overall familiar tone of this trailer, it does offer the curious viewer two new(ish) gameplay elements. First, halfway through the video, we see Shepard flank and backhand a large enemy with his omni-tool and destroy him. 

This could be redesign of an old ability or an entirely new one; either way, it looks awesome. Second, at the very tail of the video, we see that grenades will make a triumphant return in this third Mass Effect installment after a long exile in the second game.

This gameplay trailer looks quite encouraging. Mass Effect, like it’s predecessors, looks to be shaping up into a pleasant blend of familiar and new elements. Perhaps it leans a bit to far towards the action side of action/rpg, but the re-inclusion of strategic elements like grenades will likely temper this imbalance.