Post by Mr. Glow on May 3, 2011 5:18:24 GMT 1
So, I've been speculating about what the Mass Effect 3 squad will look like. Anyone care to join me?
I don't know why, but I assume it'll be smaller than ME2's massive army of characters. Hopefully, as less characters means you can have a greater number of conversations and greater divergence in them.
The confirmed roster, as it stands, seems to be:
Ashley/Kaidan (Ashdan?): Two characters, hopefully with different dialogue, likely holding the same role in the plot. Naturally, Mass Effect 1 players or people who chose to romance them in the interactive recap in Mass Effect 3, will be able to continue those romances. (Who knows, maybe players who didn't romance them can strike up a romance in this game?) They both seem to have been promoted to Spectres, too.
Liara: Liara's sort of the great constant of the Mass Effect series. She's always a companion, she can't die, she always ends up in the same spot, and she's always at the very least friends with Shepard. Same as above for continuing your romance. (I'm guessing if you import a save where Shepard never helped her become the Shadow Broker, they just retcon in that Shepard did after you lost control of them post Mass Effect 2.)
Garrus: Another returning companion/romance option. I'm guessing you recruit him on Palaven, and while he's a full squadmate, he'll have slightly less dialogue than Ashdan or Liara, due to the whole dying thing.
"Colonel" James Sanders: No, he's not the sniper from the teaser trailer (I'm starting to think that guy's like the Evony girl. He's in all the marketing, but never appears in the game.) If that picture (the one with the floppy hair and Thane-esque coat) is accurate. I'd say he's going to be a romance option. Judging by the fact he's in the Alliance, you probably get him early on, too. Probably during the escape from Earth which appears to be at the start of the game. (I think Sanders/Ashdan will be your two starting companions, like Jacob and Miranda in Mass Effect 2.)
That's who we know will be on the crew, so let's start speculating about who we think will be on the crew.
Tali: Seems obvious. She has her own (creepy and obsessive) fanbase, was a companion in both games. (I'm thinking you'd meet her when you go to recruit the geth.)
Wrex: Yeah, he can die, but so can Garrus. He's also the most popular non-romanceable character outside of Joker. (On the speculation side, it seems pretty obvious you'd meet him on Tuchanka. One thing I was thinking about is how BioWare said who you recruit for your squad will change the finale. What if when you met Wrex, he offered to come with you? You could chose to add him to your squad, or leave him with his people. If you took him, maybe with his absence, the Krogan armies aren't as effective during the finale, and suffer more losses/fail to protect something (Though maybe if Grunt was made loyal, he's able to lead the Krogan to minimize their loses))
Captain Anderson (I know he's an Admiral now, but he'll always be a Captain to me.): He seems very, very likely to me. Keith David's free to voice him, and the last novel had him quit his job to fight or something (Overriding player choice is always a sign something's up.).
They also had Anderson (Who's had a redesign) as a squadmate during demos of ME3. They told people not to assume anything, saying that he was a placeholder, but BioWare said the exact same thing about Tali in demos of ME2. I'm guessing you pick Anderson up on Mars (The game seems to go Earth (tutorial/establishing mission)-Mars (Linear mission with your first legitimate combat challenge)-Multiple Locations, from what Casey Hudson said in that interview.)
As for previous squadmates, I think a good chunk of the ME2 survivours will return, but only for cameos (Ha, how do they like the taste of their own medicine?!).
I'm thinking that for Mordin, he'd be sort of your guide/ambassador on the Salarian homeworld, replaced by a less interesting, new character (think Urdnort Wreav) if he died. The same could probably go for Samara/Morinth (Who impersonates her mother full time now, or something) on Thessia, and Legion on the Geth homeworld.
For Miranda/Jacob, I'd say they cameo helping you take down Cerberus (Some people think they'd be on the other side, but they quit at the end of Mass Effect 2, if I remember it right.) for one mission.
The DLC characters, we probably won't see again. Which made sense as they were pretty much just in it for the money (in more ways than one.)
Jack and Thane, probably have cameos (probably on the Citadel), due to being romanceable. I'm expecting Thane to die from his boneitis in his cameo. Though Kolyat will not suddenly join up with Shepard, because that would be idiotic. (Seriously, Kolyat's like the Mass Effect universe's version of Denny from The Room)
As for new characters, I'm expecting another romanceable (probably human) female (To balance out the romance options mostly. Femshep would have Kaidan/Liara/Garrus/Sanders, while Maleshep would have Ashley/Liara/Tali/Newfemalecharacter). There's also a lot of talk about side characters from Mass Effect 2 becoming full fledged squadmates. (With Kal'Reegar (Probably a romance for Femsheps in case I'm wrong about Sanders.) and Aria being the least crazy ideas.)
I don't know why, but I assume it'll be smaller than ME2's massive army of characters. Hopefully, as less characters means you can have a greater number of conversations and greater divergence in them.
The confirmed roster, as it stands, seems to be:
Ashley/Kaidan (Ashdan?): Two characters, hopefully with different dialogue, likely holding the same role in the plot. Naturally, Mass Effect 1 players or people who chose to romance them in the interactive recap in Mass Effect 3, will be able to continue those romances. (Who knows, maybe players who didn't romance them can strike up a romance in this game?) They both seem to have been promoted to Spectres, too.
Liara: Liara's sort of the great constant of the Mass Effect series. She's always a companion, she can't die, she always ends up in the same spot, and she's always at the very least friends with Shepard. Same as above for continuing your romance. (I'm guessing if you import a save where Shepard never helped her become the Shadow Broker, they just retcon in that Shepard did after you lost control of them post Mass Effect 2.)
Garrus: Another returning companion/romance option. I'm guessing you recruit him on Palaven, and while he's a full squadmate, he'll have slightly less dialogue than Ashdan or Liara, due to the whole dying thing.
"Colonel" James Sanders: No, he's not the sniper from the teaser trailer (I'm starting to think that guy's like the Evony girl. He's in all the marketing, but never appears in the game.) If that picture (the one with the floppy hair and Thane-esque coat) is accurate. I'd say he's going to be a romance option. Judging by the fact he's in the Alliance, you probably get him early on, too. Probably during the escape from Earth which appears to be at the start of the game. (I think Sanders/Ashdan will be your two starting companions, like Jacob and Miranda in Mass Effect 2.)
That's who we know will be on the crew, so let's start speculating about who we think will be on the crew.
Tali: Seems obvious. She has her own (creepy and obsessive) fanbase, was a companion in both games. (I'm thinking you'd meet her when you go to recruit the geth.)
Wrex: Yeah, he can die, but so can Garrus. He's also the most popular non-romanceable character outside of Joker. (On the speculation side, it seems pretty obvious you'd meet him on Tuchanka. One thing I was thinking about is how BioWare said who you recruit for your squad will change the finale. What if when you met Wrex, he offered to come with you? You could chose to add him to your squad, or leave him with his people. If you took him, maybe with his absence, the Krogan armies aren't as effective during the finale, and suffer more losses/fail to protect something (Though maybe if Grunt was made loyal, he's able to lead the Krogan to minimize their loses))
Captain Anderson (I know he's an Admiral now, but he'll always be a Captain to me.): He seems very, very likely to me. Keith David's free to voice him, and the last novel had him quit his job to fight or something (Overriding player choice is always a sign something's up.).
They also had Anderson (Who's had a redesign) as a squadmate during demos of ME3. They told people not to assume anything, saying that he was a placeholder, but BioWare said the exact same thing about Tali in demos of ME2. I'm guessing you pick Anderson up on Mars (The game seems to go Earth (tutorial/establishing mission)-Mars (Linear mission with your first legitimate combat challenge)-Multiple Locations, from what Casey Hudson said in that interview.)
As for previous squadmates, I think a good chunk of the ME2 survivours will return, but only for cameos (Ha, how do they like the taste of their own medicine?!).
I'm thinking that for Mordin, he'd be sort of your guide/ambassador on the Salarian homeworld, replaced by a less interesting, new character (think Urdnort Wreav) if he died. The same could probably go for Samara/Morinth (Who impersonates her mother full time now, or something) on Thessia, and Legion on the Geth homeworld.
For Miranda/Jacob, I'd say they cameo helping you take down Cerberus (Some people think they'd be on the other side, but they quit at the end of Mass Effect 2, if I remember it right.) for one mission.
The DLC characters, we probably won't see again. Which made sense as they were pretty much just in it for the money (in more ways than one.)
Jack and Thane, probably have cameos (probably on the Citadel), due to being romanceable. I'm expecting Thane to die from his boneitis in his cameo. Though Kolyat will not suddenly join up with Shepard, because that would be idiotic. (Seriously, Kolyat's like the Mass Effect universe's version of Denny from The Room)
As for new characters, I'm expecting another romanceable (probably human) female (To balance out the romance options mostly. Femshep would have Kaidan/Liara/Garrus/Sanders, while Maleshep would have Ashley/Liara/Tali/Newfemalecharacter). There's also a lot of talk about side characters from Mass Effect 2 becoming full fledged squadmates. (With Kal'Reegar (Probably a romance for Femsheps in case I'm wrong about Sanders.) and Aria being the least crazy ideas.)