Mass Effect Interview
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Q: It's an action RPG. Tell us about the combat system and weapons.
A: Combat in Mass Effect uses a 3rd person shooter style interface - you aim and shoot where you want in real-time. You have a squad of 3 characters (you and two others), and you can give simple orders to your squad with a single button-press on the D-pad, such as sending them ahead to a position of cover or picking a target for them to focus on. Combat also makes heavy use of cover - you just push yourself against a surface and Shepard will take cover against it, leaning to fire around corners or standing up to fire over low objects when crouched.
To ensure that players can make full use of the tactical capabilities of the squad, hitting the right shoulder button will bring up a radial interface where you can order your squadmembers to fire specific attacks at specific enemies. This pauses the game so that you can line up a specific combination attack, and when you release the button your squad executes your orders in real-time.
You switch weapons in a similar interface off of the left shoulder button, setting weapons for all three squadmembers on a single radial interface. Conventional weapons include a pistol, shotgun, rifle, and sniper rifle, plus self-powered grenades that can fly in straight lines to a target.
