Lucy Bradshaw, head of SimCity creator Maxis, said an offline, single-player mode did not fit with its "vision" for the urban-planning game.

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Often, the lack of any possible single-player mode was a deal breaker.

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Modders have already enabled single-player mode for the game (or, rather, disabled always-online.) In fact, it appears that the game could run in a very similar fashion with a very similar vision while offline in single-player.

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Offers 2-player split screen with Atlas controllers, or single player with touch mode.

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Also controversial was the suggestion that there would be a multiplayer mode, and that this multiplayer would have an impact on the single-player story which had so far defined Mass Effect.

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For the title's single-player campaign, the game makers at Swedish developer DICE took a cue from the popular multiplayer mode of 2011's "Battlefield 3, " focusing more on open environments, allowing players tactical freedom and giving them more ways to command squad mates.

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The demo will also provide access to the cooperative multiplayer mode, which has been the source of considerable anxiety by devotees of the traditional BioWare single-player experience, but not until February 17.

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