When I woke up this morning it felt a little like Christmas, because today was going to be my first opportunity to play ‘Mass Effect 3′ via Xbox Live.  A warning for those who wish to keep the secrets of ME3 intact, there will be SPOILERS in this post.  With that being said, my initial response to the game was my admiration for its immensity, in terms of battles and set pieces.  The demo begins on Earth as Shepard and Anderson are made aware that the Reapers have broken through Earth’s outer defenses, and are now raining terror on the populous.  In Shepard’s usual heroic manner he says, “We fight, or we die.”  I stuck to the paragon conversational options, so your results may vary depending on your choices.  As the Reaper ships descended, I was awed by how stunning the graphics looked compared to those of its predecessors.

Another aspect of the game that stood out to me was the tonal difference compared to the previous installments.  ’Mass Effect 2′ had a dark plot, but ME3 feels like the most dire story in the franchise.  Even though I’ve only played around 35 minutes of the game, there is a sense of dread that permeates throughout the entire demo.  This truly is humanity’s last chance; even the Krogan’s future is at stake, as you attempt to rescue a female Krogan from a Salarian base crawling with Cerberus soldiers.  From the two missions that you’re able to play on the ME3 demo, it looks like we’re in for a monumental conclusion to Commander Shepard’s story.  I’m also looking forward to playing the multiplayer mode when the game is officially released on March 6, 2012.  What are your thoughts on the demo, or anything else ME3 related?

-David Griffin (Follow @griffinde on Twitter)