The latest episode of BioWare Pulse gives us an in depth look at how the studio crafted Mass Effect 3's lineup of enemies. That means we get our first glimpse at several of the new, rather intimidating baddies that Shepard and company will have to dispatch in order to save the universe.

While Mass Effect 3 will see the return of many of the factions from the first two games — the Geth, the Collectors, and Cerberus, among others — the looming Reaper invasion gave BioWare a lot of leeway to craft entirely new foes. There's the Cannibal, an emeny that resembles several Husks cobbled together into a deformed biomass, sporting a gigantic machine gun arm. Then there's the Banshee, an Asari that's been processed by the Reapers. She's got powerful Biotic attacks that allow her to attack you and buff any enemies in the area.

Underpinning all these new designs is a focus on tactical variety. Some fights will see your opponents taking cover, while others will see them taking up riot shields and charging your position. The lethal snipers from the first game are also back, meaning you'll be forced to stick closely to cover and flank if you'd prefer to keep Commander Shepard's skull unperforated.

BioWare's clearly taken a thoughtful approach here, pulling the gameplay elements that worked well in each of the first two games and combining them into what just might be the ultimate Mass Effect experience. We'll know for certain if the approach pays off when the game launches on the 360, PS3, and PC in early March.