Mass Effect 3's definitive ending requires side quests

Executive producer also teases that decisions in Mass Effect 1 and 2 will have big consequences.

Players who just blaze down the "critical path" of Mass Effect 3 will miss out on the best ending, BioWare has revealed.

Speaking to PC Gamer, BioWare executive producer Casey Hudson said those who contribute to the "war effort" will see Mass Effect 3's "definitive" ending.

"If you do a little side quest, or you go off and do a major plot, these things contribute to the war effort. If you just rip straight down the critical path and try and finish the game as soon as you can, and do very little optional or side stuff, then you can finish the game. You can have some kind of ending and victory, but it'll be a lot more brutal and minimal relative to if you do a lot of stuff," he said.

"If you really build a lot of stuff and bring people to your side and rally the entire galaxy around you, and you come into the end game with that, then you'll get an amazing, very definitive ending."

When asked if prior decisions in Mass Effect 1 and 2 would have consequences in Mass Effect 3, Hudson said such actions might "present opportunities in Mass Effect 3 that you wouldn't otherwise have."

"I think a way to think about it is if you made decisions early on, you'll see them affecting this. And the decisions you might want to make that go against those prior things are gonna be harder. Killing the Rachni might present opportunities in Mass Effect 3 that you wouldn't otherwise have, but if you don’t take those opportunities and you try and do something in opposition to that, then it would be harder for you than if you work with it," he said.

Mass Effect 2 was awarded 10/10 by VideoGamer.com in 2010. "In Mass Effect 2, everything is stunning," wrote Wez in his Mass Effect 2 review.

Mass Effect 3 is due for a Q1 2012 release for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.