Mass Effect 4 is currently under work (and under wraps) at Bioware’s main studios. Following Dragon Age: Inquisition, it’s the biggest project the company has momentarily, and the most anticipated one too. Mass Effect 4 needs to impress when it comes out, and one way that can happen is by becoming next-gen exclusive.
This should come as no surprise, but Mass Effect 4 does seem to be headed for the new generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony, the Xbox One and PS4. Since Mass Effect 4 has been confirmed to utilize the Frostbite 3 engine, an engine with considerable untapped potential, there’s definitely enough to warrant a current-generation development. In fact, it’s likely that Bioware is working on Mass Effect 4 by designing it for the new generation consoles and the latest PC hardware, with the past generation Xbox 360 and PS3 being a secondary priority. Mass Effect Art Director Joel MacMillan was on scene at PAX East this past weekend, and according to Gamespot, was heard stating the following: “It’s kind of tricky to officially comment on that, but I mean, Gen 4 looks pretty awesome, and Mass Effect’s an awesome looking game”.
We don’t know what exactly Bioware’s definition of awesome is when it comes to graphics, but they’ve been throwing words like “looks great” or “is awesome” for the last few months, so we’re pretty optimistic. Granted, until we see some actual in-game footage or screenshots, we’ll have to take their word on it, but if Mass Effect 4 does manage to look better than Dragon Age: Inquisition (which it should, given the disparity between development periods), we’ll probably be in for a treat. Can the Xbox One and PS4 handle Mass Effect 4? Most likely, yes, Bioware is not known to be pushing the boundaries of graphics, that’s not what the company shines at. They excel at story telling and gameplay, and while these are not mutually exclusive, we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on how Mass Effect 4 will look like. At least we now know the game will follow the Bioware tradition, and will keep core elements such as relationships between characters that aren’t limited to certain sexual orientations or races.
We’re about two months away from learning more solid things about Mass Effect 4, so until then, we’re left with guessing, wishing and imagining. What would you like to see in Mass Effect 4? Do graphics play an important role when it comes to Bioware games, or do you shrug them off in favor of a well written plot and neatly designed gameplay?