Mass Effect 3 is less than one week away from release in North America - with international release windows following closely behind. As a result, details have been coming fast and furious for the third installment in BioWare’s high-profile action-RPG. This week alone we’ve discovered that the title will provide an estimated 30-40 hours worth of gameplay, include an after-credits sequence, and offer day one DLC, “From Ashes.”

That said, with Mass Effect 3 now firmly in the hands of reviewing press (expect our review in the not-too-distant future), BioWare is starting to lift the veil on the highly anticipated game - allowing outlets to tease some of the finer details. In this case, we’re getting a full-blown video tour of the Mass Effect 3 Normandy.

The video comes courtesy of CVG, who took the time to record a walkthrough of the new (in terms of game design) Normandy. It’s the same Cerberus-made ship from Mass Effect 2 but players will quickly notice plenty of functional upgrades - coupled with flashy new eye candy.

As mentioned, the video does not contain any outright SPOILERS; though, it goes without saying that players who are trying to avoid ANY Mass Effect 3 details should probably avoid taking the virtual tour.

Check out the full video tour of the Mass Effect 3 Normandy below:

Despite slight refinements to the game’s visuals, the Normandy should look pretty familiar to returning fans of the series. However, as mentioned, there are plenty of new areas to explore - as well as improvements to the on-board functionality.

Most notable is definitely the shuttle bay which allows players to upgrade armor load-outs and customize weapons through the “Weapons Bench.” The increased utility of the ship shouldn’t come as a surprise - given that BioWare has long been promising that Mass Effect 3 will add more customization and bring back Mass Effect 1 RPG elements. Other slick additions include the War Room (where Shepard and his team track “Galaxy at War” progress and assets) as well as the memorial wall (which displays deceased team members - pulled from the player’s save data). As CVG points out, there are also two new characters on board, Traynor and Cortez, that allow for same-sex relationships - dependent on whether you play as a Male or Female Shepard.

Mass Effect 3 releases March 6, 2012 for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360.

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Source: CVG