550 réponses à ce sujet

[Linkenski]

Their juxtaposition of writing quality between me1 and me3 virtually makes the VS choice meaningless lol. Ashley is well written and likeable in her own way in ME1. Kaidan is just an average dude who's not interesting. In ME3 Ashley is a ****** and I hate her redesign, but Kaidan is such a bro and has more personality.

Lukas Kristjanson was honestly not that good for Mass Effect but props to him for writing Joker but then again. Joker was never really out of character in ME3. Kaidan and Jacob are ironically similar though. They both seem like nice people but never develop and their arc ends so early. Their romances are terrible.

Chris Helper though? He just took my favorite ME1 character and tore her to pieces. I really wish Chris L'Etoile would've stayed until ME3 was done.

[Pasquale1234]

Huh? Kaidan is an officer with more leadership experience while Ashley is a grunt that doesn't like working with aliens, so sending Kaidan with the salarians makes sense. However, Kaidan is also a better choice for arming the bomb since he is a tech expert. He's just a more valuable asset to the mission and to the Alliance in pretty much every way, and that's without even touching his biotics (which are basically the best in the Alliance). Saving Kaidan is the tactical choice no matter where you send him. The only reasons to save Ashley are emotional reasons.

That seems like a perfectly rational explanation.

But I've always been a bit concerned about Kaidan's L2. He has managed to deal with it thus far, but is a ticking time bomb in some ways. At any given moment, he could be incapacitated by severe headaches, or suffer some other neurological damage due to malfunction of the implant.

[berrieh]

I hated Ash on my first play through, but can appreciate her now. Still, it feels right for her to die on Virmire character, and no one is more loyal than Kaidan, as a LI or friend. Kaidan should live.

[JasonShepard]

Ashley. I genuinely just prefer her character to Kaidan's. Although, yes, her writing did take a severe downward turn after ME1...

 

****

 

In-universe, regarding the various choices on Virmire:

 

The bomb was the priority on this mission, and Shepard needed a tech expert capable of arming it in the field. That was Kaidan. Ashley went with the Salarians - she's a front-line soldier wearing heavy armour, with experience leading squads in impossible situations - ideal for the direct assault.

 

Shepard proceeded to do everything possible to assist the Salarian assault while attacking from the rear.

 

When the bomb was deployed and the final choice came up, Shepard went to the AA-tower. At that point it was clear that someone would be left behind - and given the choice between having someone guarding the bomb until it went off, or someone else defending a disabled AA-tower, Shepard chose to leave the bomb defended. He'd been assured that it couldn't be disabled once started, but he didn't want to take any chances that the Geth might be able pull off some technical wizardry. And he had faith that Kaidan could and would guard the bomb to his dying breath.

 

In the end, if someone had to stay behind, Shepard decided to make sure that the bomb damn well went off, and to simultaneously evacuate as many people as possible (the Salarian squad that meets you at the AA-tower).

 

It was a cold, calculated call. (And I'm usually paragon.) The fact that Shepard had a romantic interest in Ashley did not enter the equation... At least, that's what Shepard told himself when he looked in the mirror.

[Kynare]

Kaidan. For shameless reasons involving romance.

 

"Some people even find my... integrity... annoying!"

"Really?"

[Sir Froggie]

Kaidan. Ashley's character just sort of stagnated. Kaidan actually ended up growing a bit.

[Mordokai]

Kaidan. I actually liked him from the start, whereas I never really liked Ash. No, not even in the first game and she was admittedly at her best in that game.

 

After that, she was just a train wreck. Looking back, I made the right decision, since the two times I actually saved her, she just annoyed me in the one game she lived to the end of it and died at the Citadel the second time, via Shepard's bullet.

 

It's been Kaidan every time since.

[Kynare]

Wow. There's something I didn't really think about, even though.. I mean, I was there. I DO think about how my Shepard would need to build trust with Ashley still, but oddly enough, I never really thought about the Kaidan side of it. The fact that they're already familiar with one another, at least to some extent.

 

They don't really explain how Shepard and Kaidan met. I guess we just assume that they met officially after both being assigned to the Normandy, but I like to imagine that they must have heard of each other before. At least Kaidan might have heard of Shepard, considering he/she's usually renowned for something at that point in time (Torfan, Akuze, Blitz).

 

They may have even occasionally trained at the same facilities while growing up in the Alliance (in field training exercises). Makes more sense as to why they might already be friendly and/or smitten with each other in the first game. *cough* Not a love-at-first-sight kind of person.

[God]

As people have said, Kaidan because he's an experienced and trained officer with unique, specialized skills that are highly valuable and relatively rare (especially with the power his biotics have). As well, he's much more secure, calm, and stable force on the team that is rational and asks questions that are insightful, reflective, and have a particularly informational bent. 

 

Ashley is, besides lacking in every category, a basic infantry soldier. While good in a fight, they're literally a dime a dozen, and I can get one that is more experienced and better trained (and thus more useful). 

 

Sans my well known disgust for Ashley and her politics, philosophy, and ideology, she's just plain not useful compared to every other member of the team. She's far and away the biggest character in the squad throughout all 3 games that's lacking in credentials that are useful. 

 

I know a lot of people here thinks she deserves a chance to prove herself, but speaking as an experienced veteran officer myself, it's not my job to give her that. Ashley has one thing going for her in my eyes: she's dedicated. However, that doesn't mean anything next to a history of tangible results, outstanding skills, and experience that Ashley simply does not have (due to political reasons of course). Any good warrior will have dedication. And I need people who can turn that dedication into combat effectiveness and accomplishing a mission. Ashley isn't likely to do that compared to literally any other character in the squad throughout the games. 

 

Her infantry skills make her a basic every-man for a combat situation, and present little to no strategic value when those skills aren't needed. And as I said, there's other people who can do the job as good as and much better than she can. Namely, every other combatant on the team. Kaidan's abilities and experience put him above her. Garrus is much better. As is Wrex. Tali and Liara don't have the same skills as her, but they at least have other uses that they're better off in. Everyone in ME2 has skills or abilities that Ashley can't match, and the experience and nature to make them a much more effective force. In ME3, all the newer squadmates have distinct skills over her again.

 

Her promotion to Spectre is really only to show humans sympathy (with her specifically getting it do to her past association with Shepard). Kaidan at least has some actual merit to the position (though I'd still say he's not entirely up to the job). 

 

But to stop myself on a tangent, imo, the only reason I can discern where a Shepard would choose her over Kaidan is if Shepard's penis is making the decision. As L2 Sentinel said, emotional reasons are the only truly rational explanation for choosing her.

[themikefest]

I choose Ashley. She killed Wrex for me. Excellent. 

[Chloe Thenab]

Kaidan survived only one playthrough of ME1. He just died again today. I find him utterly boring and slightly depressive.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I prefer Ashley over Kaidan. It just feels right lorewise to me. With Ashley, her surviving leads to her redeeming her family name that was blacklisted due to her grandfather's surrender by becoming an officer and the second Human Spectre. With Kaidan, nothing like that happens. 

[God]

I wouldn't say that's lorewise, just narrative wise.

 

I have Ashley ending up damning her own name more than her grandfather ever did. 

[Han Shot First]

They don't really explain how Shepard and Kaidan met. I guess we just assume that they met officially after both being assigned to the Normandy, but I like to imagine that they must have heard of each other before. At least Kaidan might have heard of Shepard, considering he/she's usually renowned for something at that point in time (Torfan, Akuze, Blitz).

 

 

Kaidan and Shepard seem to know each other fairly well despite the Normandy being on it's maiden voyage. My guess is that like Shepard & Anderson, they served together on another ship (the SSV Tokyo) prior to the Normandy. Maybe Shepard isn't the only person Anderson requested when he was given command of the Normandy.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Kaidan and Shepard seem to know each other fairly well despite the Normandy being on it's maiden voyage. My guess is that like Shepard & Anderson, they served together on another ship (the SSV Tokyo) prior to the Normandy. Maybe Shepard isn't the only person Anderson requested when he was given command of the Normandy.

We know he and Dr. Chakwas have served together as well. Chances are Anderson was given leave to pick the entire crew.

[Han Shot First]

We know he and Dr. Chakwas have served together as well. Chances are Anderson was given leave to pick the entire crew.

 

Adams as well, now that you mention it. Adams states that he served on the Tokyo which is the ship Anderson commanded before being given the Normandy.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Adams as well, now that you mention it. Adams states that he served on the Tokyo which is the ship Anderson commanded before being given the Normandy.

I forgot Adams said that. Yeah, I definitely think Anderson was given the authority to pick the crew. He either chose people he knew were good for the job due to working with them in the past(Shepard, Chakwas, Adams) or by their dossiers(Joker, Kaidan, Pressly). 

[MissScarletTanager]

I forgot Adams said that. Yeah, I definitely think Anderson was given the authority to pick the crew. He either chose people he knew were good for the job due to working with them in the past(Shepard, Chakwas, Adams) or by their dossiers(Joker, Kaidan, Pressly). 

Actually, interesting to note about Joker there; Anderson got him the job with the help of General Invectus because Joker hijacked the goddamn prototype Normandy and flew it through the Normandy's test course crazy well, even while being fired on. You see this in the He Who Laughs Best comic.

 

Anyway, I chose Ashley. Ignoring anything else (future ME's especially) and roleplaying my Shepard, she was the logical choice, especially since in my playthrough's she's the one dismantling the nuke. In that scenario, saving her makes sense since Kaidan, who is far away and fighting off Geth with Kirrahe, still had a chance to survive. You can't survive being at ground zero of a nuclear explosion, but there IS a chance to survive against the Geth (Kirrahe can if you help along the way, after all).

 

Also, my Shepard chose Ashley because of a little sad fact about their backgrounds; Ashley had people waiting for her at home, and Kaidan does not. Kaidan has no family, no SO (unless you romance him), and his only friends are some of the Normandy crew. Ashley has friends among the crew as well, but has the added complication of a large and close-knit family. I would not want to be the commanding officer bringing that condolence letter to her family.

[CaIIisto]

Started off being Ashley originally, then after ME3 it became Kaidan. On my latest ME3 playthrough it's Ashley again.

I've had trilogy runs with both. When all's said and done, for me, it's Ashley. I gravitate towards flawed characters. Kaidan's just too clean-cut, which is why to some he comes off as dull.

[dreamgazer]

Typically, Kaidan.  Better all-around character for several reasons. 

 

CidShep romances Ashley at first, then goes for Jack and never looks back. 

[DuskWanderer]

Kaidan, it makes more sense lore-wise. Though I love Ashley for killing Wrex, I usually do that myself now. 

[elrofrost]

I like both, But usually Ash is left behind. For the simple reason is that she's a grunt In other words, grunt are a dime a dozen. Tech experts are not. Cold calculation. But there you are.

 

I mean, every front line solider (infantry) knows his place.

Also I liked Ash in ME1. By ME3 that scene in the hospital sealed her fate with me.

[God]

I like both, But usually Ash is left behind. For the simple reason is that she's a grunt In other words, grunt are a dime a dozen. Tech experts are not. Cold calculation. But there you are.

 

I mean, every front line solider (infantry) knows his place.

Also I liked Ash in ME1. By ME3 that scene in the hospital sealed her fate with me.

 

Every front line soldier doesn't know their place, believe me.

 

They all think they're me.

[RanetheViking]

I only let Ashley live so I can kill her or kick her off the Normandy in 3 (I still wish there had been a better Renegade option for that). Depending on my mood at the time.

 

I liked Kaidan, though he was a little bit bland and personally I think the Horizon scene suits Ashley better. Kaidan always struck me as a 'big picture' kinda' guy.

[God]

I only let Ashley live so I can kill her or kick her off the Normandy in 3 (I still wish there had been a better Renegade option for that). Depending on my mood at the time.

 

I liked Kaidan, though he was a little bit bland and personally I think the Horizon scene suits Ashley better. Kaidan always struck me as a 'big picture' kinda' guy.

 

I like you.

 

Yeah, I feel much the same. 

 

Practically and rationally, Kaidan is a much, much better option. Narratively and emotionally, Ashley is better, especially if you romance her in ME1. 

 

Then again, the renegade moments in ME3 were kinda restrained at points. BW went out of their way to really stop negative squad repercussions. 

 

I really wanted to see a Miranda/Ashley argument for example. Not a cat fight per se, but an argument over Cerberus, Miranda's trustworthiness, general philosophy, and, if both were romanced, an argument over Shepard at a few points.