Dragon Age or Mass Effect

[Freya]

Kaidan was the best. I hate all of you.

[Formalhaut]

I'm watching Babylon 5 with Mr. Carny, and there are so many parallels between it and Mass Effect, you're basically watching an adaptation.

[FFNut]

I loved how fast the battles were in DAII. It kept you on your toes and really made you think of a great setup for cross class AOE.

[Pumpkin]

I loved Tali, Kasumi, and Garrus in ME:2

I like Dog and Leliana in DA:O

[Forsaken Lover]

I loved how fast the battles were in DAII. It kept you on your toes and really made you think of a great setup for cross class AOE.

DA2 def has my favorite battle system in the series so far.

[Wolf Kanno]

Tali died on the Suicide Mission and I didn't even notice until way after I beat ME2. That's how importantshe was to me.

The Internet's obsession with here has always perplexed me.

Probably because she helps sell the Quarian conflict really well, just as Wrex sold the conflict concerning the Krogan. She is also adorable as a romance option, and like Garrus, gets you one of the more amusing conversations from Mordin when trying to get around the biology factor.

Wrex was pretty much the only good character in ME1, thatI can agree with. Grunt isn't nearly as interesting but Grunt is one of 12 squadmates. His lackluster character means very little because Mordin, Jack, Miranda, Zaeed, Thane, Legion and Garrus were there.

To each there own I guess because frankly only Mordin, Jack, Thane and Garrus were really interesting in that group. As well as Kasumi but she comes across like a secret character much like Zaeed. Hell, I felt Garrus was more interesting in ME1 over his ME2 self. Still a great character though.

Zaeed also suffers from being one of the most stereotypical portrayal of a mercenary character I've seen, while he has some amusing dialogue, he never felt like someone I would care to know. Jacob was boring as molasses like Kaiden was in ME1, and Miranda is basically a Bond Girl to Ashley's Aliens Vasquez. You don't see Vasquez type characters in games as much as you do femme fatales like Miranda, so she never really interested me much. In fact the high point of Miranda for me was friend zoning her and seeing her baffled "but I'm perfect!?" look after doing so. I preferred Ashley because she felt more complicated. It was great conversing with her and seeing your dialogue choices really soften her up to make her feel like she had real progression as opposed to Miranda who's pretty chilly towards you even after her loyalty mission.

In all honesty, like ME1, the cast still felt 50/50 for me with me loving half of them and pretty much benching the other half only to take them out to do the loyalty missions.

The plot of ME2 is learning about the Reapers. They're no longer just a race of hostile aliens looking to kill everyone because...uh...... Now they actually have some real substance to them. Sovereign is incredibly overrated, Harbinger reveals more in hsi battle dialogue than Sov ever did. Also Shepard is inexplicably racist against Sovereign, denouncing him as just a machine. That really bugged me seeing as I am pro-geth.

I honestly felt ME1 sold the Reapers and about the only thing ME2 really expands on them is where they come from but their purpose and story are frankly sold to you better in ME1. Hell the whole indoctrination thing alone was a more interesting concept than the Collectors.

Plus, the whole "what to do with Cerberus?" thing was a great element of the plot, too. Choosing whether to work with them willingly or not, learning more about the organization from TIM, EDI, Miranda and so-on. They really came a longway since that random sidequest group in ME1.

While it was nice to see Cerberus, they didn't really expand them anymore for me than ME1 did with their side quests concerning them. They were pretty much the Space KKK in ME1 and ME2 didn't really do much to change that opinion. It was also less fun dicking with them as opposed to the Council in ME1, where pissing them off was half the fun. The Illusive Man (Space Smoking Man anyone?) was just too mellow and passive to make it fun telling him off.

Of anything, playing Renegade in ME2 was less fun than in ME1 since most of your crew are pretty much Renegade characters in their own right, so choosing the option lost its appeal because most of your crew easily backed you up or did it themselves if you didn't take that option.

I'm watching Babylon 5 with Mr. Carny, and there are so many parallels between it and Mass Effect, you're basically watching an adaptation.

I got the same vibe when I played this game. Also kudos for watching a pretty good if relatively unknown space cult classic.

[Night Fury]

Mass Effect. Without a shadow of a doubt.

I cannot wait for Andromeda.

[Formalhaut]

Probably because she helps sell the Quarian conflict really well, just as Wrex sold the conflict concerning the Krogan. She is also adorable as a romance option, and like Garrus, gets you one of the more amusing conversations from Mordin when trying to get around the biology factor.

When I play ME2 again, I'll try out Mordin in combat. I never used him much, I just found him very fragile. But in the story, Mordin was one of my favourites.

I loved Tali and Legion, they really personified the wider Quarian/Geth conflict and made the choices really difficult, because they were both great characters (of course, taking the third option is preferable). Wrex was awesome, and it was a shame that he got less screentime in ME2 and ME3.

Hell, I felt Garrus was more interesting in ME1 over his ME2 self. Still a great character though.

Garrus has a stick up his ass in ME1, and then in ME2 he was cynical. Honestly I liked him most in ME3, where he seemed to have resolved all of his main issues. He's the main support for Shepard in ME3 who just seems tired.

Zaeed also suffers from being one of the most stereotypical portrayal of a mercenary character I've seen, while he has some amusing dialogue, he never felt like someone I would care to know. Jacob was boring as molasses like Kaiden was in ME1, and Miranda is basically a Bond Girl to Ashley's Aliens Vasquez. You don't see Vasquez type characters in games as much as you do femme fatales like Miranda, so she never really interested me much. In fact the high point of Miranda for me was friend zoning her and seeing her baffled "but I'm perfect!?" look after doing so. I preferred Ashley because she felt more complicated. It was great conversing with her and seeing your dialogue choices really soften her up to make her feel like she had real progression as opposed to Miranda who's pretty chilly towards you even after her loyalty mission.

Yeah, Zaeed and Jacob didn't do much for me. Not to mention if you romance Jacob, he dumps you for someone else in ME3 anyway.

The plot of ME2 is learning about the Reapers. They're no longer just a race of hostile aliens looking to kill everyone because...uh...... Now they actually have some real substance to them. Sovereign is incredibly overrated, Harbinger reveals more in hsi battle dialogue than Sov ever did. Also Shepard is inexplicably racist against Sovereign, denouncing him as just a machine. That really bugged me seeing as I am pro-geth.

Honestly, ME2 is known for character development, not the plot. I'm all for character development in games, but I can't think of much that really happened in ME2. We learn something about the collectors. We learn a bit more about Cerberus. That's it.

[Wolf Kanno]

Probably because she helps sell the Quarian conflict really well, just as Wrex sold the conflict concerning the Krogan. She is also adorable as a romance option, and like Garrus, gets you one of the more amusing conversations from Mordin when trying to get around the biology factor.

When I play ME2 again, I'll try out Mordin in combat. I never used him much, I just found him very fragile. But in the story, Mordin was one of my favourites.

Mordin is sadly very squishy but his dialogue is pretty amusing since he's so blunt and matter of fact kind of guy. His best dialogue options are on the ship though.

Hell, I felt Garrus was more interesting in ME1 over his ME2 self. Still a great character though.

Garrus has a stick up his ass in ME1, and then in ME2 he was cynical. Honestly I liked him most in ME3, where he seemed to have resolved all of his main issues. He's the main support for Shepard in ME3 who just seems tired.

I like that fact Garrus struggled with staying in-line as a C-Sec Officer versus his yearning to be a Spectre like Shepherd. I mean in ME1:

Garrus: I need to follow the rules and follow my family wishes but just once I wish I could bust down the door to the perps place and threaten to shoot him in the face if he doesn't give me the answer I want to here.

Garrus in ME2:

*Kicks down the enemy door and threatens to shoot the perp in the face if he doesn't get the answer he wants to here. Shoots perp in face regardless*

Now granted, as a Renegade Shep, I felt like my Shep certainly played a hand in "corrupting" poor law-abiding Garrus into Vigilante Garrus but it also kind of killed the relationship as he was a little less fun to talk to since he lacked conflict and seemed to really enjoy his liberation. Granted I haven't gotten around to ME3 yet so perhaps this may evolve into a really good arc for him. I still love the guy and his recruitment mission is easily one of the high points in ME2.

[Forsaken Lover]

Probably because she helps sell the Quarian conflict really well, just as Wrex sold the conflict concerning the Krogan. She is also adorable as a romance option, and like Garrus, gets you one of the more amusing conversations from Mordin when trying to get around the biology factor.

Meh, I killed the quarians in ME3. I guess I never saw their appeal.

To each there own I guess because frankly only Mordin, Jack, Thane and Garrus were really interesting in that group. As well as Kasumi but she comes across like a secret character much like Zaeed. Hell, I felt Garrus was more interesting in ME1 over his ME2 self. Still a great character though.

Zaeed also suffers from being one of the most stereotypical portrayal of a mercenary character I've seen, while he has some amusing dialogue, he never felt like someone I would care to know. Jacob was boring as molasses like Kaiden was in ME1, and Miranda is basically a Bond Girl to Ashley's Aliens Vasquez. You don't see Vasquez type characters in games as much as you do femme fatales like Miranda, so she never really interested me much. In fact the high point of Miranda for me was friend zoning her and seeing her baffled "but I'm perfect!?" look after doing so. I preferred Ashley because she felt more complicated. It was great conversing with her and seeing your dialogue choices really soften her up to make her feel like she had real progression as opposed to Miranda who's pretty chilly towards you even after her loyalty mission.

You have a very faulty recollection of Miranda's character. She's cordial and nice to you as soon as you get the Normandy. She's only an icy bitch in your first couple conversations with her. She has a whole scene where she levels with Shepard about how she feels utterly worthless because of how she was designed. She can't take credit for any accomplishment because all her talents were coded into her. Or that's how she sees it.

As a clone of her abusive father, one can't imagine what kind of hell it mustbe like to stare atyourself in the mirror everyday and see the face of yourabuser gazing back at you.

Ashley struck me as a bigger racist bitch than Miranda, which is ironic given Cerberus and all. I left her to die on Virmire because, while I found Kaidan boring, I found Ash just plain unlikable.

Also they made Kaidan a whole lot better in ME3.

Of anything, playing Renegade in ME2 was less fun than in ME1 since most of your crew are pretty much Renegade characters in their own right, so choosing the option lost its appeal because most of your crew easily backed you up or did it themselves if you didn't take that option.

That's one of the best things about ME2's squad. Apart from Wrex, everyone in ME1 was a boy scout or girl scout. Wrex was the Token Canderous of the Normandy.

In ME2, your squad consists of:
Two terrorist agents
A career assassin
A career thief
A career merc of the "completely amoral" type
A former black ops scientist who aided in genocide and is all for killing, deception, etc. if it serves a noble purpose
A space paladin/Lawful Neutral executioner
Or potentially her serial killer daughter
A psychotic biotic who you bust out of prison
A genetically engineered soldier who just wants to kill trout.

Tali, Garrus and Legion are the only really good people on the squad. Even Garrus has changed a lot. He was pretty much a goody two shoes like the rest in ME1 but he's gone full hardcore vigilante justice by 2. Garrus had really good character development.

My Renegade Femshep felt most at home in ME2 becauseit made sense. Playing Renegade in ME1 is just you being an immature, xenophobic jackass.

[Wolf Kanno]

Probably because she helps sell the Quarian conflict really well, just as Wrex sold the conflict concerning the Krogan. She is also adorable as a romance option, and like Garrus, gets you one of the more amusing conversations from Mordin when trying to get around the biology factor.

Meh, I killed the quarians in ME3. I guess I never saw their appeal.

They are basically a Sci-Fi equivalent of Jewish people or Gypsies. I found their conflict to be one of the best parts of ME2 since ME1 only dwelled on it once or twice. Not to mention ME2 repainted the conflict since you got a better look at both sides. Sadly, I'm pretty sure I screwed up the mission and the Geth are most likely going to get wiped out in my ME3 file.

You have a very faulty recollection of Miranda's character. She's cordial and nice to you as soon as you get the Normandy. She's only an icy bitch in your first couple conversations with her. She has a whole scene where she levels with Shepard about how she feels utterly worthless because of how she was designed. She can't take credit for any accomplishment because all her talents were coded into her. Or that's how she sees it.

As a clone of her abusive father, one can't imagine what kind of hell it mustbe like to stare atyourself in the mirror everyday and see the face of yourabuser gazing back at you.

No, I remember it pretty well, I just didn't care. I mean when your characters main problem is that they are insecure because they were designed to be perfect just feels a bit self-centered and silly when your other party members are concern with the genocide of their species, being the cause of a species genocide, being hated by the galaxy and removed from your homeland for making A.I., being genetically modified and experimented you whole life to be a sociopathic weapon with psychic powers... the list goes on of characters who have legitimate real problems. Miranda is the equivalent of some rich kid wondering if they got into Harvard on their own merits or if their bully dad payed their way in, while the rest of your party consists of various people from third world nations or connected to the biggest world changing events in the last century. So no, I never felt sympathy for her, her problems feel somewhat juvenile in the face of what Tali, Mordin, Wrex, and even Shepherd were facing at the time.

Ashley struck me as a bigger racist bitch than Miranda, which is ironic given Cerberus and all. I left her to die on Virmire because, while I found Kaidan boring, I found Ash just plain unlikable.

Also they made Kaidan a whole lot better in ME3.

Oh Ashley is a racist bitch in ME1 but if you work with her, you can actually calm her down and make her see how she was wrong. Pulling out a more vulnerable side of her was actually a really rewarding experience as opposed to Liara who wanted to jump your bones five minutes after meeting you. Ashley also shows a more corny side that just made her feel more real to me. You learn her attitude is just a facade she uses to protect herself from ridicule and to help anchor her to what she feels is important but you can change that and it was probably some of the best character development in ME1.

As for Kaiden, I don't think I really care. He failed to really interest me in ME1 and he was so damn uptight it made talking to him a chore so I didn't really hesitate to send him to his death.

That's one of the best things about ME2's squad. Apart from Wrex, everyone in ME1 was a boy scout or girl scout. Wrex was the Token Canderous of the Normandy.

In ME2, your squad consists of:
Two terrorist agents
A career assassin
A career thief
A career merc of the "completely amoral" type
A former black ops scientist who aided in genocide and is all for killing, deception, etc. if it serves a noble purpose
A space paladin/Lawful Neutral executioner
Or potentially her serial killer daughter
A psychotic biotic who you bust out of prison
A genetically engineered soldier who just wants to kill trout.

Tali, Garrus and Legion are the only really good people on the squad. Even Garrus has changed a lot. He was pretty much a goody two shoes like the rest in ME1 but he's gone full hardcore vigilante justice by 2. Garrus had really good character development.

My Renegade Femshep felt most at home in ME2 because it made sense. Playing Renegade in ME1 is just you being an immature, xenophobic jackass.

No, playing Renegade in in ME1 was pretty damn fun cause it was great to get under all of these uptight people's skins. Whereas having a group of renegades in ME2 just felt less rewarding because you could never surprise anyone. It was expected. I just had less fun with the "shoot first, diplomacy later" when you're whole squadron is trying to beat you to the punch. Wrex was fun because he understood Ren Shep and the rest of the cast were trying to get their heads around having such a sociopathic boss, in ME2 the only reason any of them followed you was because you proved to be as ruthless and uncompromising as the rest of them. I just felt like it took too much away from Ren Shep and probably would have been more interesting if I was Paragon to create conflict. In fact I probably did take more Paragon options in ME2 for that reason.

[Forsaken Lover]

No, I remember it pretty well, I just didn't care. I mean when your characters main problem is that they are insecure because they were designed to be perfect just feels a bit self-centered and silly when your other party members are concern with the genocide of their species, being the cause of a species genocide, being hated by the galaxy and removed from your homeland for making A.I., being genetically modified and experimented you whole life to be a sociopathic weapon with psychic powers... the list goes on of characters who have legitimate real problems. Miranda is the equivalent of some rich kid wondering if they got into Harvard on their own merits or if their bully dad payed their way in, while the rest of your party consists of various people from third world nations or connected to the biggest world changing events in the last century. So no, I never felt sympathy for her, her problems feel somewhat juvenile in the face of what Tali, Mordin, Wrex, and even Shepherd were facing at the time.

That's a rather snobbish way to look at things. Her father is an absolute monster, possibly the most evil man in all of Mass Effect. It wasn't just "daddy didn't care", it was "daddy is a psychopath who made me as a vanity project. I have no reason to exist except to feed a sociopath's ego."

The fact is, Miranda has problems but you overblow them. Her problems aren't as big as Tali's or Wrex's? True, that's why she isn't wallowing in them. She's not spending all her time and effort going 'woe is me." She's functioning as a high-level scientist and operative for a group she believes in. She has her own cause she's fighting for. So while her issues are comparatively minor, she isn't actually as fixated on them as Jack or the others. They simply weigh down her feelings of self-worth. She does things, a lot of things, like reviving Shepard for one, but she feels no pride in them because of how she was created.

It's a wholly different situation to the others. Comparing them is apples and oranges and isn't fair to any of them.

[Formalhaut]

I'm going to have to agree with Miranda. She isn't just whiny and spoilt, she has had a difficult childhood with an abusive father, and processing your achievements, knowing that everything you did was because of the talents genetically engineered into her takes time.

She's not an angel, and she does have streaks of spoilt, but she is a complex character, who develops as the game continues. By ME3, she's worked through most of them (especially if you're a paragon).

That's why I find Paragon in ME2 the best, as you basically play combat therapist to most of your crew.

[Forsaken Lover]

I dunno, I think my Renegade Femshep and Miranda got along really well. The way I played my Shep, she was actually a lot like Miranda. The kind of "cold, all business" type of person who softens up a little bit here and there. Like shooting bottles with Garrus or visiting Kaidan and Thane in the hospital. But otherwise? Completely serious and detached. I ain't letting James call his commander "Lola."

But yeah, my Femshep and Miranda were kindred spirits, like sisters. And if they had gone through with it, they could have been more....

But I gotta say, telling Jack to kill that other Praggia survivor was clearly the best thing for her. Look how well-adjusted she was by ME3.

Or they were just lazy and didn't account for what you did in her Loyalty Mission.....

[Formalhaut]

I dunno, I think my Renegade Femshep and Miranda got along really well. The way I played my Shep, she was actually a lot like Miranda. The kind of "cold, all business" type of person who softens up a little bit here and there. Like shooting bottles with Garrus or visiting Kaidan and Thane in the hospital. But otherwise? Completely serious and detached. I ain't letting James call his commander "Lola."

Ugh, James is just... ugh. I was very nice to him, but I played snarky a couple of times with his more obtuse moments.