While i am looking forward to the game, as i do want to see how it will all end, i am frankly a little worried about the modes thing. Now before anyone gets all 'Dude it's just an option setting' hear me out. Lets say i choose action mode for the lulz. Does that mean that i get the same story i would get if i chose RPG mode? Coz i really don't see how that's going to work from a game play/story perspective?
For example, an significant fraction of the previous two games were devoted to conversation i.e. Thain's loyalty mission, there was no combat in that, it was all talky talk and a QTE of sorts. I liked it a lot, it was a brake from the action that provided a neat counter to the other missions that involved just shooting guys/robots in the face. Samara's mission was the same too come to think of it. This is where the problem lies with the third one. How can you make a game that has this kind of game play where the outcome is only dependent on what options you pick for your Shepherd to say when the 'action mode' makes all the choices for you? If the choice of what to say taken away from the two examples above then what you are left with is basically a cut scene that lasts for around twenty minutes, this is i suspect not what people would call action.
So what can they do? well the logical answer is to get rid of this type of mission and replace it with shooting guys in the face. Maybe they could add in a simple binary choice at some point to let you decide who you will and whom you will not be introducing to the wonders of a shiny new hole in the head but either way it involves simplifying the choices you can make in the game and also limiting the type of missions you can have.
I hope i am wrong, I hope that Biowaire haven't compromised on what made the Mass Effect games so wonderful for lots of us (the story...not the action, that was just a nice bonus) by trying to make it too 'accessible'. Oh well guess i don't have too long to wait until i find out.
