Mass Effect Society

The soothing sounds of Clint Mansell will accompany BioWare's Mass Effect 3 later this year. Who's that? The longtime Darren Aronofsky collaborator who's scored films like The Fountain, Black Swan and Requiem For A Dream.

Mansell's work can also be heard in sci-fi fodder like Duncan Jones' excellent Moon and the big screen adaptation of id Software's Doom. But his most recognizable work may be "Lux Aeterna," the theme from Requiem For A Dream used again and again as go-to dramatic music.

The composer tells The Quietus "with something like Mass Effect you're more like a DJ, with all these elements."

"You've got the holding pattern, then the big explosion where you need the score to kick in," he explains. "Then you need to take it off on a tangent. You've got all these different elements that change depending on what the player does. You have to figure out an overall symphony, but be able to break it down into component parts. You can bring the pain when required."

Not feeling any pain, it seems, is former Mass Effect maestro Jack Wall. He tells Eurogamer that it was "time for a change" and that he still has a great relationship with developer BioWare.

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Just finished my second playthrough as an infiltrator. Started it off on Hardcore, but then soon realised that it was going to be tough (like on freedom's progress), then got further and decided to tone down the difficulty.

Started my third playthrough as a soldier. I now snipe enemies from afar and shotgun the ones that come close whilst my entire squad is down.

Soldiers are seriously overpowered.

I've never liked playing a biotic. Apart from anything else, it doesn't fit into the story, and so breaks immersion for me.

How do you work that one out?

Okay, so you're playing an adept. You talk to Kaidan, all about his time on Jump Zero, etc. Never a mention that you, Shepard, are a biotic as well - a more powerful one, in fact, since he's only a sentinel. No mention of the fact that you've got L2s or L3s or whatever. Biotics get specific treatment - there is never any mention of Shepard being anything other than an above average soldier. In my view, that means that only combat or tech powers suit the character.

There's a bit more of an excuse for it in ME2, since it's plausible that Cerberus could have exposed Shepard to eezo as they were rebuilding her, but she gets no training as a biotic, so if she wasn't one before she died (which, as I've just pointed out, I don't think fits) then she shouldn't be able to use her biotics reliably.

I've always played through as male apart from once
My one female character looked like someone out of desperate housewives and it just put me off doing it again...

True, but you could have that argument with every set of abilities, ultimately. Shepherd's back story isn't explored for obvious reasons, so Shepherd's real story is always going to be at odds with what happens in the games.

Okay, so you're playing an adept. You talk to Kaidan, all about his time on Jump Zero, etc. Never a mention that you, Shepard, are a biotic as well - a more powerful one, in fact, since he's only a sentinel. No mention of the fact that you've got L2s or L3s or whatever. Biotics get specific treatment - there is never any mention of Shepard being anything other than an above average soldier. In my view, that means that only combat or tech powers suit the character.

There's a bit more of an excuse for it in ME2, since it's plausible that Cerberus could have exposed Shepard to eezo as they were rebuilding her, but she gets no training as a biotic, so if she wasn't one before she died (which, as I've just pointed out, I don't think fits) then she shouldn't be able to use her biotics reliably.

I think I recall Shepard's biotic implants being mentioned actually, not sure where though. In my opinion it's far from impossible that "average soldier" Shepard could have been a biotic. Anyway, it's more fun

Also, I said 'above average'.

Infiltrator's where it's at.

And there was me thinking I'd have a clear run at Mass Effect 2 now that I've finally completed Heavy Rain and AC:B...

Still, good news I suppose, and it'll give me a reason to go back and (try to) get myself a platinum trophy!