Sweet. Or perhaps not, Mass Effect is weirdly one of those games that becomes yours because there IS no multiplayer. You have your own way of getting through things and completing missions, etc. But the co-op does sound like fun, something to do after you've spent 40+ hours completing the game yourself first.
Oh, yeah I need to finish ME2.
The whole FemShep thing? Well I think it's good that she's out there but the redesign was possibly unnecessary; however, the 18% populace that DO choose FemShep first time around isn't a strong enough group to warrant keeping the FemShep's of yore at the forefront of the last ME game. Beautification doesn't seem worth it, to me. But hey, probably won't even play as FemShep anyway. The thing is, I don't think women in video games is a problem. The reason there is underrepresentation has got to be based around the fact that majority of males make the games for another majority of males. If video games as a form of entertainment was a party, it would be an official sausage-fest.
I mean, Metroid did fine with Samus being a power suit lady that didn't get a load of sexual undertones (although I haven't played any recent ones)...protagonists aren't the problem (and neither are the supporting cast, like Miranda, as you ARE encouraged to pursue romantic relationships) but any characters from Dead or Alive, or Mortal Kombat, etc, where story falls far behind looks and the visual feel of the game, encapsulate the male-centric institution that modern video games are a product of. Sex sells, apparently, so Bioware are fine with slightly appeasing a percentage of their fanbase while at the same time shifting some sexy FemShep limited edition copies and making it look okay. I don't know if it is okay or if it isn't, I won't play as FemShep, and Bioware are clearly trying to make FemShep an equal part of the ME universe.