Mass Effect 3 Characters Compared To Mass Effect 2 Characters
Mass Effect 3 Vs Mass Effect 2
BioWare really went above and beyond with Mass Effect 2. It’s an RPG unlike any other and it takes the sci-fi galactic space opera to whole new heights. The second game in the three-part trilogy has received rave reviews and caused tons of speculation on how the series will potentially end. Anyone who has played the first two games knows that BioWare didn’t pull any of the cinematic or sentimentality punches found in most other games…good people died.
With a few spots on Shepard’s team opening up for new characters in the third and final game, it really makes you question just what sort of team will Shepard get in the last hoorah across the galaxy, and most important, will the Mass Effect 3 characters be anywhere near as cool and as tough as those from Mass Effect 2?
Gathering The Team Was Worth It
In Mass Effect 2 most players will spend about 20 hours gathering resources, teammates and completing loyalty missions in the game. The actual mission itself is kind of straight forward and far shorter than some of us would have liked. Still, with BioWare focusing so much of the game on the journey of finding these characters and discovering who they were, it makes you question if they’re planning on repeating the same thing for the third game?
It was definitely worth the time and effort on the player’s part to recruit some of the baddest fighters in the galaxy, but at the same time it felt like a lot of them were vastly under utilized for the task at hand. In fact, while the entire mission was tasked as a suicide run, the final mission itself seemed a little like a cakewalk given the kind of firepower and Biotic abilities that were at the disposal of your teammates.
It would be a real shame if in Mass Effect 3 BioWare decided to pull a Mass Effect 2 and have Shepard completely restart his quest in searching for his teammates again. However, given the abrupt ending of the second game it definitely leaves gamers with the impression that the third game will pick up shortly after the second game ends, much in the same way that Matrix: Revolutions was a directly connected sequel to Matrix: Reloaded.
If that is the case, then I imagine anyone with a saved game from Mass Effect 2 will reap whatever they sowed concerning team choices and decisions. And as we all know, BioWare has made it abundantly clear that saved games imported into Mass Effect 3 will carry over choices that players made in Mass Effect 2 (exactly the same as it was when importing a saved game from Mass Effect 1 into Mass Effect 2).
So Who Stays And Who Goes?
BioWare has slowly been leaking info on some of the new features for Mass Effect 3, and we do know that new teammates will be making the cut including returning faces from the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, all depending on the choices and decisions you made throughout the choice-heavy RPG.
For those of you who had romantic involvements with Kaidan Alenko in the original Mass Effect as a female Shepard, and taking into account that you didn’t get this guy killed off, he will return to accompany you on your journey in the third game.
Liara T’Soni can also be recruited in Mass Effect 3, although she’s definitely a step backward in terms of power and biotic abilities compared to Samara, the Asari Justicar. Players can choose to recruit Liara, with past relationship choices determining how or when she gets to be on the team.
Tali’Zorah Normandy and Garrus Vakarian are also making a return to the game. Both of these reliable recruits were featured teammates from both Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 and both could potentially die based on the decisions you made leading up to each sequel, which is kind of cool.
Ashley is also expected to make a return in the final game, yet again, based on decisions you made in the first game. She’s in the same boat with Kaidan, and is a very welcome return to the crew if you ask me.
A brand new face will also be joining your crew going by the name of James Vega. He’s a muscle-head with a short temper but more will be revealed on this guy as the game nears release. He definitely looks twice as tough as Jacob and about five times tougher than Kaidan.
Apparently everyone else is still up for grabs, mostly depending on if they lived or died in your exploits throughout the first two games, and they will make guest-spot appearances to help with specific missions and whatnot throughout the journey.
Smaller Team Equals Better Team Or Weaker Team?
BioWare has mentioned that they wanted less subordinates for players to pick and choose from for each mission, as they’re more focused on developing intimate relationships between a smaller cast of characters rather than trying to force players to branch out and recruit a boatload of characters. But how well does this fare for giving gamers an unbeatable crew of hard-nosed fighters?
Based on the information above, the crew does seem far less capable of stopping an intergalactic massacre and more-so fine-tuned for making great daytime soap opera television, with the exception of Ashley and Garrus.
I’m not entirely convinced that Mass Effect 3 will be able to top Mass Effect 2’s excellent roster of die-hard characters, however I do believe that what characters BioWare decides to toss our way will be good enough to save what’s left of the galaxy after the Reaper onslaught.
In closing, though, is it safe to say that Mass Effect 3’s character roster will be as cool as Mass Effect 2’s? Well considering that they’re recycling a lot of old faces and bringing in very few new ones I can hardly say that it’s a yes. But it’s looking like Mass Effect 2 will retain the crown of having some of the coolest sci-fi good guys out there who can kick butts and take names.
References:
https://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_3
All screenshots from Mass Effect 2.
