March 5, 2012March 6, 2012

Mass Effect 3 Available Tomorrow, Download it Tonight

Mass Effect 3 launches in North America in less than 24 hours! We hope you ready to start the war to take Earth back and have secured your copy of the game via digital pre-order on PSN (don’t forget that you’ll receive a bonus weapon and exclusive PS3 theme).

The development team spent a great deal of effort to make sure that those who are just joining us in the Mass Effect Universe are able to jump right into the game without missing a beat. To maximize your enjoyment of the game right away, you can download Mass Effect 3 beginning at 12:01am Pacific Time TONIGHT. Start your download, get some rest, and wake up refreshed — and prepared to launch all-out galactic war against the biggest threat to ever hit Earth.

If you are unfamiliar with the game, the Earth is under attack by an ancient alien race known only as the “Reapers.” They have launched an invasion, leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in their wake. Earth has been taken, the galaxy is on the verge of total annihilation, and you are the only person who can stop them. The price of failure is extinction.

Additionally, the @alliancenewsnet is covering the Reaper attack in Los Angeles live on Twitter. We will be taking refuge at our launch parties beginning at 8:00PM Pacific Time and streaming the events with special guests.

The war to take Earth back has begun! Only you can decide how it ends…

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107 Comments

4 Author Replies

Portstation3
March 5, 2012 at 2:10 pm PST

Garbage game another inferior port by Bioware.
Love all that exclusive DLC for 360.

Thanks but no thanks.
- Jessica Merizan
  March 5, 2012 at 2:18 pm PST
  
  Aside from Kinect functionally, there is nothing different between the 360 and PS3 versions of the game. No exclusive DLC has been announced. =)
StuntF50
March 5, 2012 at 2:15 pm PST

@Portstation3 – EA hasn’t announced any Xbox 360 exclusive DLC (if they did, then it’s slipped by me). The only Xbox 360 exclusive feature I can think of is the Kinect voice commands. And obviously, the PS3 version can’t have that, because, well, it doesn’t have Kinect.

Don’t be a Negative Nancy. Mass Effect 3 looks great on PS3. Play it. It’s a good game.
Vortuminius
March 5, 2012 at 2:16 pm PST

@1
Your loss. If you don’t want to play Mass Effect 3 solely because you see it as an “inferior port” then that’s your prerogative.
Parhibition
March 5, 2012 at 2:22 pm PST

The midnight launch is awesome…for PST users. It’ll be 3 am on the east coast, which sort of defeats the purpose of staying up a little later to get the game earlier. Why can’t it be 12:01 EST?
Richlando
March 5, 2012 at 2:23 pm PST

Really excited for the digital release tonight but 12:01am PST? Doesn’t that kind of suck for other time zones? I mean the game will launch at midnight here in the east coast for the blu ray release so why not as well for the digital? Wish that tidbit had been divulged. There goes my midnight ME3 plans…either way, I bought it, so…it just sucks having to wait until then. Meanwhile on the west coast 12:01am sounds pretty good. Please reply to this Jessica.
- Jessica Merizan
  March 5, 2012 at 2:38 pm PST
  
  We wish we could do a staggered release, but unfortunately we could only do one. Sorry for any lost sleep on our account!
Untouchable_God
March 5, 2012 at 2:25 pm PST

Hey Jessica how big is the download?
Either way already Pre-ordered this from PSN. Can’t wait to play!
Love The Theme BTW just wish it was dynamic. Owell cant Beat Free!
- Jessica Merizan
  March 5, 2012 at 2:43 pm PST
  
  It comes in at around 14GB.
Trieloth
March 5, 2012 at 2:26 pm PST

Thats really cool that they are allowing people to download the game early. Neat idea and it gives more incentive to buy the DL version. Iam very tempted but still need to finish part 2.
Parhibition
March 5, 2012 at 2:26 pm PST

@5 The only thing I could think of was that releasing it at 12:01 EST would mean PST people (and all in between) could technically get it on the 5th (in their time zone), which probably breaks some contract they have with stores that sell the physical copy.

But even releasing it at 12:01 PST means that people in Hawaii will get it on the 5th.
Battlepope190
March 5, 2012 at 2:31 pm PST

“Aside from Kinect functionally, there is nothing different between the 360 and PS3 versions of the game. No exclusive DLC has been announced. =)”

Yeah, totally the same. How about that framerate on PS3? LOL!
whatisdelicious
March 5, 2012 at 2:31 pm PST

“Aside from Kinect functionally, there is nothing different between the 360 and PS3 versions of the game. No exclusive DLC has been announced. =)”

Nothing different except being 10fps lower than the 360 version. Digital Foundry already did a feature on it. It’s a lackluster port by fact, not opinion.
Richlando
March 5, 2012 at 2:32 pm PST

@8 It doesn’t have to, they could release it by time zones. Some balloon chasers got it early..12:01am should mean every time zone gets it at that time, not asking to be first here and make the west wait 3 hours, what do I care if they get it at the same time the east coast does? I don’t. Let everyone who preordered get the d/l at 12:01am. You think some ppl at Gamestop aren’t letting their buddies get it before midnight? Trust me, they are, happens all the time. I was going to already have to wait on a d/l and install but I would have got to play it before 3am est, now that means tomorrow when I wake up..time to cut off the coffee pot, lol. No all night ME3 for me..
fathead170
March 5, 2012 at 2:32 pm PST

heres a idea knock the price down to 55 or 50 since we all are surrendering our trade in rights meaning we get less for our money. think about it
bakerarmy
March 5, 2012 at 2:32 pm PST

@ Jessica

I am glad it is getting released at 1201 instead of when the store updates.

As far as the Kinect functionality…. I think it is BS, the PS3 supports Bluetooth headset and all the kinect is using is voice commands. There is now reason PS3 shouldn’t have voice commands also.

I have a official PS3 7.1 headset, it would be more realistic using a headset or Bluetooth ear piece giving commands. The kinect has got no advantage for this feature

Why don’t we get any love?

Can’t you also buy back the rights to ME1 and rerelease it for PS3?
C_Y_P_H_E_R
March 5, 2012 at 2:36 pm PST

Talk about escapists…lol.
JKar275
March 5, 2012 at 2:36 pm PST

@Jessica: Can you confirm that the PS3 version of ME3 will NOT have the same problems (spoken dialog’s audio frequently missed the last few words; Shepard getting stuck at the edge of maps; PS3 freezing during game) that ME2 had?

I still enjoyed ME2 on the PS3 but I was VERY DISAPPOINTED by Bioware’s FAILURE to fix these problems by releasing a patch.
MP_is_for_Chumps
March 5, 2012 at 2:38 pm PST

Hey Baby,

Could you tell us how ME3 pushes PS3’s hardware in comparison to the technically inferior xbox 360?
Parhibition
March 5, 2012 at 2:38 pm PST

@11 I’m with you, I think it should be 12:01 EST, too (read post number 4), but the point is they probably *can’t* release it earlier, for whatever legal reasons. If PSN could release it that early and isn’t, then that would be pretty annoying.
BlooodyCow
March 5, 2012 at 2:38 pm PST

No thanks. I refuse to support developers who don’t release a full game. Day one DLC that is a big part of the Mass Effect universe? yeah, no thanks.
You guys just joined Capcom in the used game bin.

@Jessica Merizan
“Aside from Kinect functionally, there is nothing different between the 360 and PS3 versions of the game.”
You are not fooling me and others with that BS. The PS3 version is noticeably inferior to the 360 version in-terms of graphic and frame-rate.
BLINDAO2
March 5, 2012 at 2:39 pm PST

Sweet does this mean we can download MLB for Vita tonight as well?
Portstation3
March 5, 2012 at 2:39 pm PST

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/23/mass-effect-action-figures-include-me3-dlc/

“The bundled DLC is only available for Xbox 360 and PC.”
JH-FallenReaper
March 5, 2012 at 2:40 pm PST

Hey, Jess, remember a few weeks ago i posted that i didnt like Mass Effect 2 on your demo post., well i gave it another chance and i liked it alot i played for 4 hours straight and i never play that much on a single player. Just because of you ill get Mass Effect 3. Good Job.
- Jessica Merizan
  March 5, 2012 at 3:12 pm PST
  
  Aw, thanks!
MP_is_for_Chumps
March 5, 2012 at 2:42 pm PST

@ 1

LOL my @$$ off at your PSN name :D
JKar275
March 5, 2012 at 2:44 pm PST

@13: I’ve played the Xbox 360 version of the ME3 demo’s single-player using Kinect voice commands. It is pretty cool & fun to use – until I realized that there is no on-screen indicator (except for the 3 powers that you choose to map to your controller) that indicates when a power has finished cooling down. I found myself frequently yelling a voice command to get one of my squad members to use a power & they couldn’t use it because their previouly used power was still cooling down.

If Bioware fixed this problem (by including some type of on-screen indicator that shows when Shepard’s & squad members’ powers are ready to be used) with the Xbox 360 version’s Kinect voice commands – it would be a MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE.
bakerarmy
March 5, 2012 at 2:46 pm PST

Don’t be fooled by Kinect Functionality.

All they are using it for is a USB powered Microphone

The reason no one has called them out I can’t figure out.

Oh I know, MS is just trying to get hardcore gamers to by Kinect since alot of them don’t dance or play with Elmo.

How much MS pay for that?

No love for PS3
Enigmatech
March 5, 2012 at 2:50 pm PST

I can’t wait to wake up for it to be downloaded on my PS3!

Is there volume control for other player’s headsets in multiplayer?
sparksumadizm
March 5, 2012 at 2:53 pm PST

For anyone wondering, it is most likely priced at $59.99. I bought Mass Effect 2 last year on PSN and it was cool to never have to pop in the disk, but if you’re like me, you like to use your games as trade-ins towards the next good game. I only buy full digital games now if they are on-sale or going through some special promotion, because $59.99 is too much as a starting price, IMO.
Richlando
March 5, 2012 at 3:04 pm PST

@JessicaMerizan You wouldn’t have had to stagger anything. Could have let us d/l it ,all of us who preordered, (preload on Origin similarites?), and then just made the riff/edat (activation key)downloadably available at 12:01am PST.. problem solved.
acwey
March 5, 2012 at 3:18 pm PST

@Portstation3 hahahaha What a troll!! Just read the most nonsensical comment on the other article, now you again. Get a life dude.

The engine for ME3 was designed for the PS3. Go troll the Bioware Forum guys, maybe you’ll learn something.
JH-FallenReaper
March 5, 2012 at 3:22 pm PST

guys stop complaining the framerate and problems arent game breaking ill play any inferior port on my PS3 as long as its playable. Hey it was exclusive to XBOX were lucky it even got ported over.
Loy310
March 5, 2012 at 3:25 pm PST

12:01 Pst!!!!!
Come on Sony get it together, if i could cancel my PSN preorder i would. The next time however, i will not pre order any digital version of any game on the PSN, i would rather go stand up in line and get it at midnight EST like everybody else on the east coast.
And yes consider this a complaint from an unsatisfied customer. This is BS and you guys know it.
Thank you.
mclovinrocks
March 5, 2012 at 3:27 pm PST

I have to thank in so many ways all the people from bioware and Jessica Merizan for allowing us to even get this game has a pre order this ROCKS!!! and plus the facts are I don’t care if this has to be at 12:01am pacific time its AWSOME BOTTEMLINE from my point of view :)
Loy310
March 5, 2012 at 3:30 pm PST

@28 JH-FallenReaper
We are not lucky. BioWare and EA are lucky they have 60 million other gamers to market and sell their product to, not the other way around, so don’t get it twisted.
PS3 gamers that care about ME should have a PC powerful enough to play ME. So even if it was 360 exclusive, the series is still on PC.
R0BIN_LEECH
March 5, 2012 at 3:31 pm PST

I WANT TOO PLAY THIS ON MY VITA!!! COME ON EVERYONE LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!
xaos
March 5, 2012 at 3:59 pm PST

Here’s a maybe esoteric question. If we preordered and are PS Plus members, will this automatically download for us? Not sure if this is something you can even answer, but it would be nice to wake up to ME3 without having to stay up late :)
DMcgee627
March 5, 2012 at 4:10 pm PST

Too bad I cancelled my preorder after hearing about the travesty of an ending.
Bioware will get no money from me for plagiarizing the ending from Deus Ex.
packy17
March 5, 2012 at 4:32 pm PST

@ 34

DXHR wasn’t the first game to have that type of ending. Plus, spoiling the ending of a game for yourself without seeing all the context that leads up to that ending is meaningless. Sure, some of it sounds dumb, but it’ll probably make sense after you, I don’t know, play the game.
DMcgee627
March 5, 2012 at 4:49 pm PST

Not Human Revolution. The first one. The one that came out 12 years ago.
XdarkdriftX
March 5, 2012 at 4:50 pm PST

will my ps+ auto download set up my mass effect 3 psn preorder for me while i sleep or do i have to downloads it myself?
Richlando
March 5, 2012 at 4:57 pm PST

@PlayStation @bioware @masseffect @JessicaMerizan
Regarding the 12:01am PST launch of #ME3 on the PS Store
I still think preorders are a good idea for the PS store.In the future make the d/l available early and the activation available at the time allowed, be it 12:01amPST so your consumers in other time zones don’t feel cheated.Doing it this way would not even be a hard thing to do, games need an activation to run anyway so its a win for everyone, regardless of time zone differences with digital preorder releases. #PS3 #ME3 #PSN #SEN
Mcgnnis
March 5, 2012 at 5:10 pm PST

Am I the only person who couldn’t care less about ME 3? I mean i was blown away by the first ME on PC and then it all started to go downhill. ME 2 hasn’t been able to grab hold of me the way ME 1 did. I wonder how good ME 3 will do. I mean..okay bored talking about it….
FreshRevenge
March 5, 2012 at 5:18 pm PST

+ Mcgnnis on March 5th, 2012 at 5:10 pm said:
Am I the only person who couldn’t care less about ME 3? I mean i was blown away by the first ME on PC and then it all started to go downhill. ME 2 hasn’t been able to grab hold of me the way ME 1 did. I wonder how good ME 3 will do. I mean..okay bored talking about it….

Why comment your negative Trash than? I am very excited about Mass Effect 3, I preorder Mass Effect 3 Collectors Edition and looked on my Amazon account and saw that it was being ship and will arrive tomorrow. I prefer a physical copy of the game!
Death8u4u
March 5, 2012 at 5:21 pm PST

Mcgnnis you are not the only one that doesn’t care about Mass Effect 3. There are over 5 billion people in the world that aren’t even thinking about picking the game up, let alone few millions who know about it and don’t like it. People like myself have high standards for third person shooters (even in RPG format). Playing Uncharted makes me get easily annoyed by sloppy movements in third person shooters. Took 10 minutes for me to realize Mass Effect 3 wasn’t worth downloading the demo. It’s actually get pretty old hearing about it at this point since I still haven’t found out why people are so hyped over it. Story might be good (debatable), but the gameplay is completely mediocre at best.
DMcgee627
March 5, 2012 at 5:29 pm PST

@FreshRevenge To voice his dissatisfaction with the developers ruining another franchise by dumbing it down.
Seems Bioware didn’t learn after what happened with Dragon age 2.
FreshRevenge
March 5, 2012 at 5:33 pm PST

Hey Jessica, are there plans for avatars. At the moment I am still using my God of War avatar but would love to sport a Mass Effect avatar!
kensredemption
March 5, 2012 at 5:36 pm PST

@Portstation3

Tool. All the Kinect does is pick up your voice when you’re making choices, interacting with the environment or ordering your squadmates. It’s a feature that could just be as easily patched into the PS3 version. For the record: The 360 doesn’t have much going for it other than Rock Band 3 and Dance Central. That’s it.
FreshRevenge
March 5, 2012 at 5:39 pm PST

+ DMcgee627 on March 5th, 2012 at 5:29 pm said:
@FreshRevenge To voice his dissatisfaction with the developers ruining another franchise by dumbing it down.
Seems Bioware didn’t learn after what happened with Dragon age 2.

how is Bioware ruining Mass Effect exactly?
FreshRevenge
March 5, 2012 at 5:41 pm PST

Oh please can the console bashing stop?
supvic
March 5, 2012 at 5:43 pm PST

Will buy the inevitable ME3: ‘Complete Edition’ when it releases in 4-6 months from now. Learned my lesson with Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, DiRT3 Complete edition, Homefront ultimate edition and Midnight club LA complete edition among others..
horus299
March 5, 2012 at 5:49 pm PST

When is the first game coming to psn
TriangleOffense
March 5, 2012 at 5:49 pm PST

When you stop putting digital download up for the same price as a physical copy Ill consider it until then Ill pass and snag a retail I can resell later down the line. Im not against digital in anyway, I actually prefer it but not for the same price as a physical copy.

Feel free to explain the reasoning behind this if you think you can justify it.