Skip to main content

Mass Effect 3: Omega will be BioWare’s longest, most expensive expansion yet

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mass Effect 3 is getting no shortage of promotion more than six months after its release. The game will get a second run at the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 when EA releases the Mass Effect Trilogy Edition in November, not to mention the release of the Wii U version of the game later that month. People still playing the original release, however, still have more to look forward to as EA detailed the next downloadable campaign to continue Commander Shepard’s adventure. Mass Effect 3: Omega will be out on November. It’s pegged to be bigger than previous entries like Leviathan and From Ashes but it will also be more expensive at $15.

Recommended Videos

Omega actually ties in with the Dark Horse-published Mass Effect 3: Invasion comic books written by BioWare’s Mac Walters. Shep and the crew team up with crime lord Aria T’loak, the former chief of the Omega space station, as they try to wrestle control of the station back from Cerberus forces.

Speaking at the New York Comic Con (via Eurogamer), producer Mike Gamble said Omega “double the size” of Mass Effect 3’s largest expansion, placing it in the 8-hour range when compared to August’s Leviathan which lasted for around 4 hours. It’s positively massive when compared to From Ashes, which really only added a brief mission to the game, though the additional character and his influence on the story itself was expansive beyond the content itself.

Omega is one more example of how Electronic Arts is using Mass Effect 3 as a test bed for downloadable content scheduling and pricing. EA released the game charging for downloadable content on day one—From Ashes was only included with the limited edition of the retail game—and its supported it with regular multiplayer expansions like Resurgence, Rebellion, and Earth since. It’s difficult to know how EA’s plans for Leviathan and Omega changed in the wake of the company’s decision to release the Extended Cut content for free in May. That content was given away to ameliorate fans’ opinion of the Mass Effect 3’s ending, which proved so divisive that fans actually started charity fundraising events to have it altered.

40 percent of players paid for From Ashes. With another major retail push for the game in the same month, EA will likely find a comparable audience for Omega, despite the higher price tag.

Anthony John Agnello
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
3 PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (June 13-15)
Dead by Daylight player standing in front of a fire.

After the State of Play last week, followed by all the Summer Game Fest announcements, PlayStation fans have tons of upcoming PS5 games to look forward to. The only downside is we can't play them right now. That's where my weekly PS Plus game recommendations come in to save the weekend. This time around, I wanted to mix things up by celebrating Friday the 13th as well as give you some games to wet your appetites for a few of the more exciting game announcements. I've crammed in a classic multiplayer game, brutal single-player adventure, and cult classic strategy title here to cover as many bases as possible.

Dead by Daylight

Read more
3 new Game Pass games to play this weekend (June 13-15)
The mobile base in The Alters.

If you're a superstitious person, Friday the 13th might be a bad sign for this weekend. While I can't say you won't encounter any bad luck, what I can promise is that you will have more than enough fun with all the new Game Pass games hitting the service. Last weekend's Xbox Games Showcase showed off too many upcoming Xbox Series X games to count, most of which will be day-one Game Pass games when they come out, but we still have a while to wait for games like Keeper and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. All that excitement may have overshadowed the latest batch of Game Pass games, including a fantastic day one sci-fi survival game like nothing else, a delightful co-op strategy game, and the biggest sports game just in time for the World Cup.

The Alters

Read more
I played 9 games at Tribeca Fest. They all need to be on your radar
A character stands in a church in Mio: Memories of Orbit.

Here's a tip for anyone who's trying to scout out the next great indie game: Pay attention to Tribeca Fest. A few years ago, the film festival expanded its modern, multimedia approach to include video games as official selections. In that time, it has showcased a who's who of indie games that went on to become critical darlings. We're talking games like Blue Prince, Immortality, Despelote, and Chants of Sennaar -- all of which went on to become some of the best reviewed games of the 2020's here at Digital Trends. You will always find something truly special at Tribeca Fest.

This year's show is no different. Nine upcoming games were in competition at the festival this year, and all of them are poised to become breakout indies. Because we love nothing more than scouting promising indies, Digital Trends attended this year's Tribeca Fest and checked out what this year's show had to offer. From a stylish beat-em-up to a 90s coming of age tale soundtracked by the likes of Devo, these nine games should be on your radar.

Read more