Two female aliens and a human man probably. Whatever the logistics, it’s sick. Either that or I’m not referring to Kirkesque feats at all but rather to the fact that according to leaked beta assets, Mass Effect 3 will allow players to choose from three different playstyles: Action, RPG or Story. The full text from the menus is below but the names are fairly self-explanatory. I certainly wouldn’t want to play a Mass Effect game in ‘Action’ mode, although Mass Effect 2, eh? Improved combat did lead me to believe all traces of RPG had been completely erased and that only guns remained were once there was dialogue. Or not.

Action Mode: “For those who want to emphasize action and combat and minimize story management. Action mode will set automatic replies in conversation and a normal difficulty.” Story Mode: “For those who want to emphasize story immersion and minimize combat pressure. Story mode will set manually-selectable replies in conversation and a minimal combat difficulty.” RPG Mode: “For those who want to explore both realms of story and combat. RPG mode will set manually-selectable replies in conversation and a normal combat difficulty.”

It’s a combat difficult selector, isn’t it? Except it also allows conversations to be automated, which seems rather silly to me. Maybe it’ll appeal to someone else though. I’ve been known not to simultaneously hold all possible opinions.

For a second playthrough, i’d definitely go for an option that completely randomises conversation replies, making Shepard into the least consistent commander the world has ever seen. One minute the smooth-talking debonair commander about town, the next a callous space bastard. Better still, a Malkavian style option in which Shepard has long-running arguments with planets, yelling at them through the window and discussing the finer points of hanar cuisine with the Normandy’s resident pot plant, Laurence Chevalier.

I’ve decided not to post leaked video because if you want it, you can no doubt find it elsewhere and if it’s here it may spoil things for people who cannot resist clicking play. If you must discuss anything you’ve seen, please do be careful about giving anything away. If there’s anything to give away. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t watched any of it.