PixlBit

Thanks to a slight hiccup, we get a window into the way you'll be able to play.

With the announcement of Mass Effect 3 getting online co-op multiplayer, it was only a matter of time before news of a beta would emerge, especially with EA’s huge push for beta tests as pre-order incentives. The modern age of beta tests are far different from the Wild West of the PC scene of the 90s and early 2000s, however, and when the Mass Effect 3 beta accidentally got leaked last week BioWare was quick to issue some damage control, reminding people that the version of the game leaked out is in a rough, unfinished state.

It seems that last Friday a Microsoft employee published the Mass Effect 3 beta by mistake, and sent it out to players that had signed up for the beta test for the Xbox Live dashboard update that will be released later this month. A similar gaffe occured over the summer when the entire slate of Summer of Arcade releases were made available all at once for a few hours. The mistake was rectified, but not before screens, footage, and details for the game emerged. Of particular note is the fact that the game will be playable in three different modes: Action, Story, and RPG. Action mode will allow trigger-happy players to experience the combat of the game while giving all decision-making over to the computer. Story mode will focus on the decisions and plot while keeping the combat very easy, while RPG mode will be the blend of action and story that fans have come to expect from the BioWare brand of games.

BioWare plans to release the beta to a wide audience sometime in January, and the game is due on store shelves March 6^th.