Mass Effect 3 to get the multiplayer that no one asked for

Mass Effect 3 screenshot, courtesy of the game's official website.

Update: 1UP updated their article with information with a tweet from one of the higher-ups at Bioware, who conveyed that the multiplayer will be cooperative instead of competitive. That makes me happy.

Mass Effect games are deep and immersive role playing games where the player takes on the role of Commander Shepard, the head of a starship, which he and his team of well developed characters use to save the world. The plot is rich, and the characters full of grit and compassion.

1UP.com is reporting that Bioware, the game's developer, will be adding a multiplayer component. But why would this game of all games need multiplayer? Shouldn't they be spending those resources working on the singleplayer campaign? All I want to do is finish the story and find out what happens to Shepard and his squad ... like a good book. I want to finish this game like I wanted to read the last Harry Potter novel.

However, it's important to remember that it is Bioware that we're dealing with here. They're generally hard pressed to make a bad decision. So I guess I'll be waiting with not-quite-bated breath.