BioWare are generally known for their surprises, and the studio has pulled various tricks on its fans in the past. Therefore, many have been skeptical of the company’s claims that they are absolutely not intending to bring back Shepard for the new installment of the “Mass Effect” franchise. On one hand, it does sound plausible that the character isn’t coming back. On the other, there have been rumors that the studio may want to “revive” him for one final appearance.
There have been some new hints about the game released by designer Jos Hendriks, who teased that space is looking really pretty. He was clearly talking about the space-traveling elements of the new title, as he went on to give more details about this part of the gameplay. According to him, it gave him a feeling of wonder and excitement, and went as far as to say that he would definitely play a full game based on the concept, if one was made.
In addition, the designer gave some hints about the new Mako, which is a new land-based vehicle that appeared for the first time in “Mass Effect 1”. There, however, reception to the vehicle wasn’t very positive, as many fans were critical of the way it handled and performed overall, calling its design clumsy and unintuitive. According to BioWare, the Mako has been significantly improved for the next installment in the series – and Hendriks stated that he was currently doing some exploration in the new vehicle.
He couldn’t share any detailed information, apparently (probably due to NDA concerns), but he did want to reassure fans that the new Mako felt great, and it gave a good feeling when he was using it to traverse across the vast terrain.
Commenters have been pointing out that Hendriks’s statements are interesting, but not just for the obvious reasons. They also reveal that the designer is overly excited about just one aspect of the game, which leads to the question of what fans can expect from the rest of the title. Obviously, BioWare are putting a lot of effort into this production – and it seems that the new “Mass Effect 4” is going to be an amazing experience in every regard.
Of course, the company is also known for hyping up their releases quite a bit, and they don’t always manage to live up to the expectations they set. For example, “Mass Effect 3” saw some mixed reception, mostly due to the way the game ended. BioWare have said several times that they’ve learned from this fiasco though, and will now develop a proper, engaging story that delivers all the way through to the end.