50 réponses à ce sujet

[thegeenster]

As the title says, I'm very curious to see just who other fans consider the most important member of the ME cast. I don't mean "important" in terms of story (clearly, that's Shepard)... I mean for gaming as a whole.

We all know that the characters who populate the series are some of the richest and most well drawn in all of gaming, and as such we can expect their influence to stretch far beyond the confines of the next DLC.

What will future developers learn from the character arcs of Thane and Mordin, from the wonderfully quirky yet touching bromance of Garrus, from the complex interrelationship between Legion and Tali?

For me, the single most important member of the cast is Liara T'Soni. I expound on this in my blog a lot more, but the gist of it is this:

Liara T'Soni offers players a character rarely seen in the worlds of popular videogames: a big old fashioned science hero. Unabashedly portrayed as having an innate sense of wonder, she is someone who thirsts for knowledge and learning; she is a geek and is completely unashamed of being so.

Far from being a typical video game damsel in distress or one dimensional amazon warrior, I think Liara, and the prominence she holds within the story, is a fantastic model for developers wishing to create better female characters.

She's definitely someone I wouldn't mind my daughter looking up to.

Who do you guys think is the most important from an industry point of view?

[spirosz]

The one Pyjak you were supposed to punch in the face, back on Tuchanka. He ends up running by the laser and goes up the beam, ends up chewing one of wires and yadda yadda, Shepard ends up seeing him and not the starchild, but can't understand a word of Pyjak, galaxy is doomed forever.


What you thought I was going to say Liara?

[Crazyjeffy]

In the mass effect universe I think TIM, Liara, Anderson, and Hackett are all important. Without them the galaxy wouldn'tve stood a chance in hell.

[Mr. Big Pimpin]

The Biotic God.

[LilyasAvalon]

Refund guy.

[DHR107]

Mordin Solus.

Without Mordin you could of never gotten through Horizon. He develops the Anti-Swarmer protection and then aids in all your tech upgrades aboard the Normandy. I'm pretty sure you *have* to recruit him too... Also he is just awesome.

Liara is a good shout, as is TIM. Liara aids in you making sense of what the Prothean Beacon tells you and is generally a wonderfully written character.

Oh: And Shepard

[CptData]

Honest answer?

Liara
TIM
...
...
...
Shepard
Anderson / Hackett
Mordin

Pretty much this. I don't mind it, my qualms are related on a different field ...

[Adynata]

TIM, the fight would've been long over if he had not brought Shepard back to life.
I wouldn't call Liara important, and certainly not most important. She's a typical research scientist, but I wouldn't say her impact is any more significant than some of the other squad mates.

[FRANCESCO84Inn]

Shepard and Liara

[JohnLena]

Anderson.

[LadyofRivendell]

Shepard. Of all the ME characters, Shep is really the only one who could be considered a cultural icon.

No, I will not say Liara.

[Jake Boone]

I'm genuinely curious. Why do people think that Liara is the most important character in The ME universe? Is it because she is the Shadow Broker? Because she got Shepard's body to Cerberus? Or is it the Liaramancers just promoting Liara (this is not an attack on Liaramancers, just one of the possiblities that I thought of)?

Modifié par Jake Boone, 27 mars 2012 - 03:33 .

[Kenshen]

I don't think there really is a clear cut winner here but what Wrex is able to accomplish is pretty amazing. Also while Garrus doesn't do as much as Wrex he still proves to be a best friend to Shep all through the series.

[Kia Purity]

The only reason why Liara keeps getting picked is because Bioware is always pimping her out (and that's annoying) because I feel that the other characters have equal roles to play while Shepard is the center of the story.

[Skullheart]

Walters waifu.

[Made Nightwing]

Kaidan and Ashley, obviously. If they hadn't strayed too close to the beacon, then Shepard would never have had the Prothean's message, and our story would have ended before it started.

[metawanderer]

Wrex. When you first meet him and ME 1 you think he is a dumb, evil brute but as you play through the game, you realize how he is smart, clever, and even when he says the contrary, he still loves his people and his race. If he survived in ME 2, the brief cameo of him on Tuchanka really emphazied Wrex as being a leader like no other Krogan and also shows the friendship between him and Shepard. This is further solidified in ME 3 if you cure the genophage. You truly believe that the Krogans will change for the better if Wrex and Eve survive.   Playing through the series you see that Wrex does not follow the sterotype of most "big, brute" characters, instead you see how Wrex is a truley emotional character with I dare say, a soul?

Modifié par metawanderer, 27 mars 2012 - 05:39 .

[Seloun]

The OP question is from the perspective of the game industry, i.e. not (directly) in terms of the plot or gameplay.

I'd have to say Garrus and/or Tali, given that their roles in ME2/3 were basically a direct result of fan reaction rather than intended by the developers. I'm not sure any of the characters were really groundbreaking, just really well polished (I love Tali, but she's basically Mission + Vette - headtails; this is not to imply that is a bad thing).

I'd argue also that Mordin is a better example of a serious science hero. Liara's not really a scientist as much as an archaeologist; her archetype fits e.g. Indiana Jones more than MacGuyver or Data (nerdy I grant, but again, Indy). She doesn't really solve problems through science. Mordin's narrative on the other hand is focused on a serious problem solved by science and the resulting moral dilemmas (in particular his Loyalty mission from ME2), which are quite applicable for modern day scientists.

I prefer Mordin's narrative arc over Liara's in any case, because his narrative feels more complete (assuming certain paths are chosen) and because I like redemption stories. His work on the genophage defines his character without being overwhelming. He certainly feels guilty about it ("I made a mistake!") but he's rational and goal-oriented enough to find good outlets for it (very salarian trait, really). He did something terrible (but arguably necessary), and you see him work his way through it between ME2 and ME3. Initially it's the work that consumed him, but later he becomes more and more aware of the actual impact of his work, in real terms ("focused on the big picture. Big picture made of little pictures. Too many variables"). It's not an uncommon theme among scientists and inventors involved with military programs (Nobel, Oppenheimer).

Mordin's story also has a proper ending, which as we all know now is important. His life was the genophage; it's only proper in terms of narrative that he dies to cure it. He's lived a long life for a salarian, and accomplished much. Once the genophage is cured, he has no purpose in life, both in story and in terms of the narrative. His death was handled incredibly well and is one of the best examples of how killing off a character in the right way adds to the narrative (in comparison, I thought the Virmire example was incredibly contrived and pointless).

It should also be noted that Mordin brings a definitive opinion on at least one other major moral question: is it moral to use knowledge gained through immoral means? When you question him on Maelon's data, he gives his answer. Is it the 'right' answer? Maybe, maybe not, but it takes a position on the question instead of being ambivalent, and provides a plasible explanation for this stance.

So yeah, Mordin. Solves problems with the power of science, is morally intelligent, and doesn't afraid of anything. I don't suggest we need more Mordin clones (he does a pretty definitive job) but providing a different perspective on real life dilemmas is something science fiction and science fiction games are supposed to do. The real magic of science fiction (so to speak) is that it allows you to re-cast familiar problems in a novel setting to identify the essence of the problem. It's the equivalent of the experiment group and the control group. It's the difference between science fiction and science fiction.

[Seloun]

Wrex is a cool guy, but in terms of novelty he's somewhat lacking. He's basically the 'why racism is bad' example. Grunt is also an example, but his purpose in that regards is diluted by the existance of Wrex in ME1. Wrex does a really good job of being that example, certainly, but it's basically the Klingons in TNG. He was definitely well-written (it's a fine line between making him realistically fit the Krogan archetype while remaining sympathetic) but not necessarily groundbreaking.

[Golden Owl]

Skullheart wrote...

Walters waifu.

This unfortunately....I would go so far as to say by the end of ME3, ME has in some ways feels more like Liara's story than Sheps story.....I am VERY disappointed in her prominance in what was meant to be an RPG with Shep as the protagonist.

[Skullheart]

Golden Owl wrote...

Skullheart wrote...

Walters waifu.

This unfortunately....I would go so far as to say by the end of ME3, ME has in some ways feels more like Liara's story than Sheps story.....I am VERY disappointed in her prominance in what was meant to be an RPG with Shep as the protagonist.

So I'm not the only one who wanted to play Mass Effect 3 and ended playing Liara Effect (or Blue Effect, whatever).

[coles4971]

lol, liara bashing (again)

[mnomaha]

Was going to ask "according to us or bw" but you seem to be on it.

[danteliveson]

coles4971 wrote...

lol, liara bashing (again)

It's always the Miranda fans.

[Nightdragon8]

outside main Protag?

Liara(protected buy plot armor can't go on suicide mission)
Anderson for picking the protag in the begining
Hackett *see above*
Reapers couldn't have a story without them or shoud I put Catalyst child insted?

everyone else is pretty much expendable.