Mass Effect Datapad:GalaxyAtWarVille
Written by Colby Thursday, 05 April 2012 05:00
If you are one of the few who hasn't finished Mass Effect 3, over the next couple of days Colby will be looking at a few options that are available on the iOS platform that can be used to help boost your Galactic Readiness rating to either supplement your multiplayer efforts, or possibly even replace it all together.
The Mass Effect 3 Datapad is a free app available through iTunes that has several different features that may appeal to those who want to dig deeper into the mythology and lore of the Mass Effect universe. The Datapad application includes a link to the Mass Effect twitter feed, the codex, and a Galaxy at War "game."
The reason I say "game" instead of just game (without the quotation marks), is that it is a game in the same way Farmville is a game. You send a fleet out to accomplish a mission, then once they have completed their mission you are rewarded with credits, which can purchase upgrades for your fleet, and a Galactic Readiness boost to that particular theater of war. All of the basic upgrades can be attained within a few days, but beyond that you'll have to play for weeks on end to get upgrades in the upper tier (the top upgrade in the basic tier is around 16,000 credits, whereas the 
bottom upgrade in the advanced tier is 500,000 credits). If you are dedicated to checking back with your fleets every six hours or so, you can actually make a lot of headway in increasing your Galactic Readiness rating as you move towards the final showdown with the Reapers. Beware, the Galaxy at War feature is only available if you have a wi-fi connection, so don't plan on being able to "harvest/plant" your fleets from just anywhere.
If you're still looking for ways to boost that Galactic Readiness rating without playing multiplayer, check out the Mass Effect: Infiltrator game, but the $6.99 price tag will surely weed out those not yet indoctrinated to the Mass Effect cause. In order to get the boost to your Galactic Readiness rating you'll need to connect your origin account to your gamertag or PSN account, which can be quite a pain.
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