The Mass Effect 3 Demo has gone live on the Xbox Live Marketplace, PC and PS3 versions to follow

The demo for Mass Effect 3 is now live on the Xbox Live Marketplace and will be live on PSN and PC throughout the day. The release of the game is set for March 6 in the US and March 9 in Europe for 360, PS3 and PC.

Read on for more about the Demo.

The Demo will feature two singleplayer sections of the game and will also introduce players to the multiplayer element of the game. Most players will not only be eager to play the story, but also to test out the multiplayer, as this is the first game in the franchise to step the online realm. If you have activated the online pass included with Battlefield 3, you can play the multiplayer today, otherwise you will have to wait for the 17th of February.

The download is a 1.76GB file so fans will want to queue it up as soon as possible, especially if you have a slower ISP. There has been no announced time for the PS3 or PC demo but it has been stated to be released today so fans of these systems will have to keep an eye out.

Usually RGPs shy away from having a demo, the scale of the game is usually huge and trying to confine it into a 20 to 40 minute experience can be difficult. However, this demo does have the advantage of combining both single player and multiplayer into one demo, unlike some other games that release two separate demos containing each. The game is now entering the very last stages of production, it was recently announced that the game has enter it's gold stage, signaling that it is completed and the discs can being manufacturing.

For those of you with free Xbox Live accounts, formerly know as silver accounts, they can still download the demo now with no delay and even play the online multiplayer. When you finish downloading the demo, your account will be granted partial gold access until the game releases. This however has caused some confusion among Xbox users, the upgraded access will NOT allow you to play other games online or access premium services, just like if you were a paying member. You are allowed to play the multiplayer modes provided in the demo, but a note on the loading screen suggests upgrading to Xbox Live gold if you want to play in the full game.

Many have cried out against this, stating that the access to play online should be allowed to anyone with Xbox Live, leaving extra deals and perks to those who pay, much like Sony's Playstation Plus service. The first Mass Effect was an Xbox 360 exclusive that was published by Microsoft Studios, the second was only a timed exclusive, and since it was published by EA, could see a release on both Xbox and PS3. Now the third title is coming out, and it seems that Microsoft is trying to pull as many of the fans to their side as possible with the demo, they already have the advantage of people wanting to import their saves for a second time.

The divide has been present for too long and as more time passes, the more that people are going to reject the idea. Could Microsoft continue to charge for playing online in the next generation when Nintendo will also be a real competitor to online play?

You can queue the Xbox demo right HERE.

Source: XBLMP

For news, reviews, previews and updates on your favorite games, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Have something to say? Leave a comment below