Mass Effect: Andromeda Features Face Scanning Tech to Create Lifelike Visuals; Xbox One, PS4, PC Holiday 2016 Release Confirmed

By Staff Writer

Jun 26 2015, 11:02 AM EDT

Mass Effect: Andromeda is the official title given to the fourth installment in the Bioware third-person shooter series. Along with this reveal, the developer also previewed a grand cinematic trailer as part of its E3 showcase.

Considering how the characters play a major part in the franchise, the upcoming entry will welcome a new host of them, with some great info about the very main player. The game still has a vague release date, although it is being expected to hit stores by 2016.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a quick answer to the craving of fans for the series' action as the third title, Citadel, was only released in 2013. A games article points out certain aspects of the gameplay. For one thing, the character controlled by the player will be assigned to be either a male or a female at the start. A vehicle will also be for use in the form of an upgraded Mako, as the entirety of the Andromeda galaxy is the limit for exploration.

Another feature to note about Mass Effect: Andromeda is that it will be operating through the Frostbite engine. More information has also been revealed from the interview with Ars Technica, where Aaryn Flynn from BioWare pointed out the use of face-scanning technology to be incorporated in the game. However, more confirmation would be needed as to which aspects of the title this capability would be put in.

More on the characters of Mass Effect: Andromeda, Mac Walters, the game's Creative Director, commented that there would be more of them to come, being that this feature is a highlight of BioWare.

He says, "this was going to be a whole new set of characters and a new adventure, and all the great stories we were going to be able to tell because of that and what their journey is going to be like."

Mass Effect: Andromeda will only be arriving for current generation consoles, which would be none other than the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4, together with the PC. There is still no specific date of release, but most current reports suggest the 2016 Holiday season as a window.