I want to open a little friendly discussion about the Story and Campaign.
This will be about the common points within all the trilogy.
Let's see if we can find some elements which are common (possibly overused) throughout the series.
Fair warning though. This will be long. It may also SEEM like a review, but this is the start of it only, not reviewing the game, discussing it's dynamics for the purpose of structuring speculations.
What are the elements we know?
Stage 1. Commander Shepard. A man/woman who starts from a lower station and rises through a trial to a new position in the midst of a conflict. Where we are introduced to the primary antagonist and the sinister organisation to which they are attached. We also meet the start of a team (2 squadmates) who will join us through the game. One will be a biotic, the other will be of military background. Someone previously unfamiliar will die at the start. A pair of location missions will occur which involves introduction to 2 main classes of enemies we will meet fairly frequently and the combat tutorial for this mechanic throughout. An ancient mystery will be thrust upon us and the story will revolve around both defeating the revealed enemy, solving the mystery and unveiling/confronting the "Big Bad".
ME1: Shepard starts under the command of Anderson aboard the Normandy. He is on trial to become the first human spectre. On a mission to Eden Prime, his trial begins as he investigates the untoward attack on the distant human colony. We are introduced to our primary antagonist Saren Arterius and the insidious (heretic) Geth. With the help of Kaiden Alenko (biotic) and Ashley Williams. On the ground, Jenkins gets killed. In the first portion of the bi-part mission in the colony area we encounter zombie thralls (husks) and then move on to the spaceport portion Geth (agents) to fight. Shepard and his team uncover the mystery of the prothean beacons, one which we will have to pursue to unveil the truth behind and uncover the true enemy (Reapers).
ME2: Shepard starts from the base point of having been resurrected. He is brought back by TIM to see if he is capable of being a leader for a rag-tag band of outsiders. We start our bi-part mission on a Cerberus base under attack by mechs (humanoid and heavy) and are introduced to our 2 inital squadmates Miranda (biotic) and Jacob (ex-military). Wilson dies. We are shuttled to a safe point where we are encounter the illusive man. We move onto the secondary bi-part mission on Freedom's progress where we find out about our second class of enemy - the collectors (lead by the Collector General/Harbinger). We uncover the mystery of what the collectors are doing and pursue this to unveil their aims as operators for the Reapers.
ME3: Shepard starts on Earth on trial and suspended from duty. He faces his trial, interrupted by invasion, he is tested to lead the galaxy in union. We start our bi-partisan mission on earth fighting Reaper invasion forces. People are dying all over the place. In fact the ones we are primarily introduced to die right there at the start. Our primary antagonist (Reaper) all presented straight off the bat. We escape Earth to continue the fight and rally the troops. Part one of our squad has come along; James Vega (Military). We then stop off for bi-part mission #2 on Mars. Here we encounter squaddie 2 Liara T'soni (biotic). Uncover a mystery (the crucible) and meet our second enemy (Cerberus) with a primary antagonist waiting in the wings (TIM) also returning. The mystery will lead us to the source Big Bad (reaper command).
So Shepard is on his way, what happens next?
Contrasting organisations: The white hats and black hats
ME1: White Hat = Spectre. You become a spectre. Black Hat = Saren's geth and Cerberus
ME2: White Hat = Suicide squad (possibly Spectre again). Black Hat = Collectors and Mercenary Leaders
ME3: White Hat = Spectres (again, and possibly Super Galactic Team). Black hat = Cerberus (again) and Reapers
Shepard travels to at the very least 4 key locations to a) recruit squaddies
Uncover mysteries (with foreshadowing in tow) and c) proceed toward resolving the conflict with the main enemies.ME1: Locations = Citadel, Artemis Tau, Feros, Nevaria, Virmire.
a) Garrus, Tali and Wrex recruited on the Citadel (Already present = Kaiden and Ashley), Liara T'soni in Artemis Tau
Artemis Tau - You find a researcher who can make sense of first pieces of the mystery (Eden prime visions). If left til last, this is reiterated upon with more information given regarding the other key pieces.Feros - The cipher for making sense of the mystery is taken from here. You also are introduced to the techniques used by ancient beings for controlling and creating thralls. Foreshadowing indoctrination (or clarifying its capacity if Noveria is completed first)
Noveria - The indoctrination of a key leader in the galaxy, the reveal of the secrets behind the big-bad influence. Allusion toward the secrets of the enemy.
c) [Not much to add]
Artemis Tau - Reveals on the protheans and their struggle against an evil
Feros - Reveals the enemy's strongest tactics (indoctrination) and the limitations of it (Thorian immunity/resistance)
Noveria - Reveals the enemy's strategies and plans.
I admit ME2 was much more fleshed out.
It introduced a more concentrated approach to gameplay mechanics. Separating combat and social elements. Definitely incorporated MOE to a greater effect. So you could almost glance over the repetition of combat. Which was a pleasant replacement for combat gameplay.
Interesting though, with all the stuff available in ME2 we really get spoiled. But the mechanics are still dual bound. Our squaddies act as a questing element. Each has a bi-part mission. As though the entire core plot is written in the style of a serial rather than a single thematic episode.
So each squaddie is a subplot derived from the main plot. You know, protagonist (squaddy), antagonist (their adversary) their thematic enemy. Someone dies in each mission. We solve the mystery and encounter the core antagonist through it. More on that later.
ME2 Locations: Omega,Horizon, Illium, Reaper IFF, Collector Base
a) Core characters which tie into ME3 actually do crop up for recruitment here.
Omega - Mordin and Garrus [Zaeed in DLC]
Horizon - admittedly no recruitment
Illium - Thane and Samara
Reaper IFF - Legion
Collector Base - End game, no possible recruitment.
Omega - Allusions are made to the mystery of the Collectors. Mordin notes their penchant for Organic warfare.Horizon - The collectors are revealed to you directly, with the mystery of their motives leaked through. The mystery of what they are is left.
Illium - This is where it is dodgy. You get core characters (samara and thane) but ONLY through DLC are you given the story-essential intel that the collectors were after shepard's body. They were looking into humans though instead.
Collector ship/Reaper IFF - At the core, this is another example of the bi-part mission system. Compartmentalising the same mission into two tasks. The collector ship reveals the origin of the enemy. Establishes that they were prothean husks. The reveal of the Big Bads influence on his chronies.
Collector base - The big reveal. Resolving the conflict through strategy. The Human Reaper.
c) Omega - Simple tactics reveal. Use of bioengineering as their primary methodology.
Horizon - Tactics and weaponry revealed - (seeker swarms, collector beam, General assuming control)
Illium - Information on the specificity of the collectors selections for harvesting. The motives of the enemy.
Collector base/IFF - Really evident as a conglomerate of the others. Also, the key intel for accessing their base. Technological intel, etc.
Collector base - Their core purpose/motivation revealed. The point of their strategy.
ME3 Relies (IMHO) too much on the Mars mission for exposure. Not that it does too much, but rather the pacing is clustered and reveals along the line are actually absent.
It is fundamentally similar in structure to ME1, uses MOE like ME2 but unfortunately seems to have less content than either. It is a bare-bones draft of elements that exposes gaps in its story. It is more a combat orientated version of the series.
ME3 Locations: Palaven, Tuchanka, Citadel, Perseus Veil/Far Rim, Athena Nebula.
a) Palaven - Garrus [Dignitaries: Adrien Victus]
Tuchanka - ["Dignitary"] Wrex
Citadel - VS
Perseus Veil/Far Rim- Tali [Dignitaries - Legion, Quarian Admirals ]
Athena Nebula - [Bloodthirsty rage at Kai Leng]
Palaven - [insert mystery element here]Tuchanka - This really linnks in with the conglomerate of uncovering the rachni queen. Mostly revision and crucible assistance.
Citadel - Yet again, revision
Perseus Veil/Far Rim - The Reaper code, the synthetic divide and source of the Geth. The quarian homeworld.
Athena Nebula - The Crucible mystery is not revealed, simply elaborated. Reveals come in the form of the persevering mystery of the crucible's primary function. The mystery is essentially a big "red herring". Indoctrination is more strongly alluded to.
And this brings me to how tactics are emphasised as the core enquiry of ME3.
c) Palaven - Reaper ground tactics, reaper forces, reaper indoctrination and mutations.
Tuchanka - Reaper strategum, Reaper weakness, further reaper mutations.
Citadel - Well this is a core location and often rehashes insight into both enemy types. The indoctrination of key leaders. The tactics, munitions and strategy of cerberus. This location acts as the hub for not only the tactics of the enemy but also the central hub of consequences.
Perseus Veil/Far Rim - Mostly untouched by reapers and cerberus. But acts as the only REAL "psychology" crash course of how synthetics and organics are interactive. The Legion mission in the geth hub is an isolated theme point forced late into the series. Yet, this may play the role of mediatory to synthetic perspective.
Athena Nebula - Motives of TIM revealed. Crucible is the holy grail/ McGuffin of conflict. Indoctrination under the knife I guess.
I really have to say, as far as the third game goes, it appears mostly to be missing so many things, but that we are coasted along on Moe introduced via the second game. The themes keep running into one another again, but left in the air or ignored.
Unlike ME2.
Remember earlier I mentioned how the Individual crew member bi-part missions linked to the elements of the overall core theme? Well lets look at that again.
Each has a protagonist (hero/anti-hero) which is the squaddie in question.
Each has an antagonist which the squaddie is in opposition to.
Each has the generic assigned enemy type that acts as the "little BIG BAD's" enforcer.
They're missions will be in 2 locations.
Someone small or inconsequential will die.
We will have a mystery/puzzle/task presented to us to solve the mission.
1. Mordin
Recruited on Omega.
The antagonist are mercs.
People dying of plague.
Task = combat only.
Loyalty on Tuchanka. Main antagonist revealed as his failure - genophage adaptation.
Enemy type = krogan (potentially blood pack).
Dead krogan females.
Task = combat and Decision: Keep/delete data.
2. Garrus
Recruited on Omega
The antagonist is mercs.
Mercs die.
Task = combat and sabotage (choices and interrupts)
Loyalty on Citadel
Antagonist = Fade and mercs.
Mercs die.
Task = combat and decision: let kill or moral highground.
So on so forth..
I think I should take a break for now. Unfortunately, I have been up far too long and I don't want to be too tired at my volunteering post. Luckily some people are familiar with ME there, so I won't be shunned too bad. I can see it now. Giggling incessantly at the term "Admiral vas QwibQwib".
Anywho. I will be editting this later (if this thread survives). Just hoping it helps you create some frame for what to expect while you are speculating on the DLC packs that come out. Maybe make an informed guess at what gaps could be filled or even what to expect.
I have my own opinions on what to expect, and I have my own stance on other aspects of how the series has gone so far, but I would love to hear some constructive (deconstruction/critical thought) going.
And by the way. I have something special to talk about with Indoctrination in mind. Something else I noticed in the elements of the series thusfar.
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