Arlionis wrote...
For a character that was shoved down our throats in all the Mass Effect games it's frustrating to see how not only her progression (if there's any) is almost non-existent but also so and erratic in nature.
In the first game she's a talking codex entry, nothing else. In the second game she was inserted as the "virginal romance option" for male Shepard (which, to be honest, is as creepy as it gets because the whole thing just feels like a reenactment of a middle aged high-school professor taking advantage of some confused, dumb student) and the "development" attempt with her was to shown she was a Geth hating racist even after meeting Legion and finding out not all Geth were the same and, oh, and her whole "daddy issues" complex.
Now my beef is with ME3. I mean, considering that she talked to Legion like you have, considering she knows the motivations of the Geth like you do, considering that all the Quarians know exactly what happened during the Morning War, etc. her prejudice against the Geth "you cannot choose the Geth over my people" (as if the Quarians were in some capacity innately superior to the Geth) is just 100% indefensible.
Now, you can say: "but her racism makes her flawed, and that adds deep to her!" that would be true if that racism/xenophobia were consistent, if during the first part of ME3 she hadn't shown signs of "befriending" Legion or gaining a "new understanding" of the Geth. The emotional and personality "flip-flopping" and that constant and unpredictable shifting of positions show how poorly constructed as a character she is. One example of this would be her voting stance regarding going to war against the Geth in ME3, she votes in favour or against it depending what you said to the admirals during her ME2 loyalty mission, zero personality of her own.
In short, it's a shame that so many development resources were wasted in such a bland character when Miranda, Jack, Samara, and well, any of ME2 cast, would have been more interesting for ME3 as a squad member.
Reading that, it sort of gives me the feeling that you, very early, decided that Tali wasn't a character of your taste, which is fine of course. I'm not a Tali fan myself but I still like her and I think that she is very well written.
In the first game she was very young. She even says that herself on different occasions, both in ME1 and ME3. In ME3 she says to Shepard when talking about "the old days" how young and naive she was and how she's gone from this teenager to a successful Quarian (no matter if she was exciled or not during your gameplay).
She was indeed a "racist" in ME1 and ME2, just like every other single Quarian out there. Quarians don't see the Geth as a proper race until in ME3, if you choose the "happy" option (the Geth and Quarians cooperating). However, if you had spent some time getting to know Tali, you would find out that in late ME2 and in ME3, she actually not only develops a friendship with Legion, but she even admit that she was wrong and the Quarian way of thinking was an outdated way of thinking. This development alone makes Tali a highly interesting character and one of the most "shapeable" characters in the whole series. You can let her be a racist hating machine, or you can help her find peace, or you can even let her die. Shepard has a huge influence on Tali, and that's awesome!
The Quarians do not think they are "superior" to the Geth without a reason. Imagine yourself if humanity was overthrown by technology we created. Imagine everything and more or less everyone you love getting killed or destroyed because of these machines. I don't think you would feel very merciful in those shoes. If Tali was NOT a "racist", her character wouldn't make any sense.
You say "One example of this would be her voting stance regarding going to war
against the Geth in ME3, she votes in favour or against it depending
what you said to the admirals during her ME2 loyalty mission, zero
personality of her own.". I fail to see your point here. Of course Tali's personality is shaped depending on your previous options. That is what Mass Effect is all about.
Modifié par Cataya, 04 juin 2012 - 01:50 .
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