Same here. In fact I always though that Zaeed should have been a Batarian instead of a Human; its not like his backstory or character would have changed. Plus it would have given us more alien squad mates instead of another human.
I've seen people saying Zaeed should have been a Batarian and James a Krogan and I really would have loved that. ME3 was missing a Krogan squadmate. 
I've seen people saying Zaeed should have been a Batarian and James a Krogan and I really would have loved that. ME3 was missing a Krogan squadmate.
I agree, James should have been something other than a human, maybe not a Krogan; since we had two already but an alien, maybe a vorcha 
.
I agree, James should have been something other than a human, maybe not a Krogan; since we had two already but an alien, maybe a vorcha
I forgot all about the Vorcha, actually. I'm sure Bioware did too. 
Sad to see they don't even have a proper.. well anything, just used as fodder for Merc stories. And being tortured by Krogan mercs is kinds sad.
Have you seen the Vorcha dad comics? 
http://skoolmunkee.t...e-first-set-was
I think james would have been perfect as a malfunctioning geth prime.
Only when they're on the same stuff as Niftu Call
You do know Hanar move outside of the water by the grace of mass effect field generators, right? Just imagine how easy it is to turn them from semi-flying jelly fish into jelly pudding. Hanar are only good in the water.
An Elcor squadmate would require you to walk the entire game... and still wait up every now and then. And... no one's waiting to hear this:
"Anxiously, enemies on our left."
"Agonizing, I have been shot"
"Gasping, I'm dying"
"Panicking, I need medigel"
That's fun for 2 minutes and then you wanna kill him yourself.
I would imagine that using the Frostbite 3 engine would make including non-humanoid aliens like the Elcor and Rachni easier. The big problem with the non-humanoid creatures is that they take time to animate, but if BioWare is able to use existing animations from other titles that use the Frostbite 3 engine; games like Dragon Age: Inquisition; then the process of making all the animations would be reduced. (In theory at least)
BioWare did say that a big advantage of using a common engine was the ability to share and reuse assets, thus eliminating the time wasted in recreating something that has already been done. Maybe with the extra time saved, the animators can start to incorporate the non-human skeletons into the main 'actor' pool.
Would've rather had this instead of Brutes
Indeed, though the Volus gunners are a bit much.
I have been going over the ME trilogy again, and I just recently noticed a double standard when the narrative discussed the effects of the Genophage and the possibility of Krogan "extinction" vs the utter annihilation of the Rachni species by the Krogan and Council races in the Rachni War.
The Krogan are applauded for their systematic eradication of a sentient species, but the Genophage is decried as evil and heartless by many characters; the majority of which are your companions, who have the most impact of shaping players' view of the setting. Wrex, Mordin, Grunt, and several other squad mates (over the course of the trilogy) all make it a point to say how the Genophage is a death sentence to the Krogan species, but those same characters; Wrex in particular; will scoff at the idea of Shepard sparing the Rachni Queen.
Both the Rachni and the Krogan caused widespread destruction and death during the Rachni Wars and Krogan Rebellions, so its not like the Krogan were more innocent then the Rachni. In fact, descriptions from the Krogan Rebellions have Turian worlds being bombarded by Krogan redirected asteroids, which cause far more damage and destruction to a planet and its population then an invasion would.
So why is it that the Genophage; something that doesn't kill the entire Krogan population; is viewed as this damnable act, and yet the systematic destruction of the Rachni species is something that (almost) everybody in the setting approves of?
From what I can see, it looks more like a case of the near human analogue being regarded higher, or more deserving of life then a non-human analogue.
I don't really care to have an Elcor squadmate, but I would LOVE to go to Dekunna in the next game, as well as Kahje and Irune
I REALLY want to see their homeworld along with the Hanar's and Volus' (especially to see Hanar be badasses in water and see a Volus without a pressurized suit
I don't really care to have an Elcor squadmate, but I would LOVE to go to Dekunna in the next game, as well as Kahje and Irune
I REALLY want to see their homeworld along with the Hanar's and Volus' (especially to see Hanar be badasses in water and see a Volus without a pressurized suit
I would have loved to see all of their home worlds as well, even the Vorcha or Rachni home planet would be interesting.
As far as squadmates are concered, my preferred choice would be either Rachni or Elcor as those are two of my favorite species in the setting; well I also really liked the Reapers and the Collectors, but those were less of a unique species and more of a robotically/genetically twisted zombie. I loved the uniqueness of the Geth in ME 2, but after the Reaper-code upload in ME 3, they became like all the other 'human' aliens of the setting.
I would love Elcor or Hanar as a squadmate. Elcor would be hilarious and maybe a hanar could be dilusional and thinking that he/she/it is Blasto.
I would love Elcor or Hanar as a squadmate. Elcor would be hilarious and maybe a hanar could be dilusional and thinking that he/she/it is Blasto.
I really hope that we don't get such one dimensional, and intentionally comedic squad mate characters.
I want to have more companions like ME 2 Legion; a character that will explore the diverse and 'un-human' alien cultures, viewpoints and ideologies present in the setting. The Rachni, Elcor, and Hanar are pre-existing species that differ not only in appearance to humanity, but also in their culture, society, and values. They should get their time in the limelight, and not as a shallow joke.
People wouldn't have been okay with Vega being portrayed as the Mexican/Spanish stereotype; with him wearing big sombreros, and shouting: "¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! ¡Epa! ¡Epa! ¡Epa! Yeehaw!" Every time he was on screen. Nor would people have been okay with Cortez being cast as the stereotypical, effeminate gay man. Sure those depictions are "funny" but they are cheap, uninteresting (and offensive) caricatures; why would we want the aliens to be portrayed similarly?
you know with Convergent evolution, all the human-like species are actually pretty likely.
I don't see the Hanar and Elcor races/nations having a bigger role due to their smaller military size and such, but i can see a single one or group of them have a bigger role in the story like Saren or Cerberus(pre-ME3). It would be the Leviathans or Rachni who could have a more prominent role on the bigger stage like the Collectors or Geth.
It is the gameplay where they are would be hard to do as a companion, a Elcor would be slow so how would they be able to outrun the many explosions that tend to happen and they would have to use a completely weapon and power system then every else. The Hanar would be a nightmare to do, i'm not sure where i would begin with them.
That said, they could easily work in a non-combat role like Joker, for example a Hanar doctor.
you know with Convergent evolution, all the human-like species are actually pretty likely.
I don't see the Hanar and Elcor races/nations having a bigger role due to their smaller military size and such, but i can see a single one or group of them have a bigger role in the story like Saren or Cerberus(pre-ME3). It would be the Leviathans or Rachni who could have a more prominent role on the bigger stage like the Collectors or Geth.
It is the gameplay where they are would be hard to do as a companion, a Elcor would be slow so how would they be able to outrun the many explosions that tend to happen and they would have to use a completely weapon and power system then every else. The Hanar would be a nightmare to do, i'm not sure where i would begin with them.
That said, they could easily work in a non-combat role like Joker, for example a Hanar doctor.
I agree that the Hanar, Elcor and Volus races; as of the current setting; don't have the military strength or capability to match races like the Turians or Humans, but if the upcoming game is set in the aftermath of the Reaper war, then those 'lesser' species who were ignored for the most part; at least compared to the major Council races; could start to fill in the gaps left by the decimated Turian and Human forces. Not that I want to see an emerging Elcor empire as the focus for the next Mass Effect mind you.
The biggest thing I want when it concerns those three races, is characters with more screen time, bigger, more important roles, and most of all for them to lose (or at least distance themselves) from the "Jester/Funny/Comedic Race" moniker that currently hangs over them. More characters of Barla Von caliber and very, very, very few characters of the Blasto theme.
The Leviathans are an interesting topic for future titles, they are definitely suited for a 'behind the scenes' type role, however I am not sure how willing BioWare will be in having them as big players considering how closely they are associated with the Catalyst, and the fact that they are essentially organic Reapers.
Now the Rachni are actually my favorite alien species of the setting so I hope to see them in a larger, more prominent role in future games. They are the most 'alien' alien so I am interested to see how they will interact with the other races of the galaxy, and I would like to see more of their unique insect-like culture and ideology explored further. Your Geth comparison is appropriate, though I hope that the Rachni will avoid 'pulling a Geth', like how the robotic race did in ME 3's Rannoch arc. Nothing would be more annoying then for the Rachni to slip into the Pinocchio troupe and lose what makes them unique.
Gameplay-wise I agree that playable/companion Elcor or Rachni characters will be difficult to do, but not impossible. Humanoid animations are rather 'standard' for the games; Garrus and Kaiden used the same animations for walking, running, etc; I don't see why a non-human animation, and gameplay mechanic can't be implemented. I mean BioWare said that the benefit of using the Frostbite 3 engine was that everything was interchangeable with other Frostbite powered games, and that it would eliminate having to recreate assets. If BioWare can save time and effort in creating their games, then why can't they use some saved time to work in non-humanoid animations and mechanics?
Lore-wise, just because we only see the Elcor walk doesn't mean that they are incapable of running, or maintaining short bursts of speed, and the Rachni have been shown to take out armored columns with nothing but their claws and acid spit. I mean we can accept Shepard being brought back from the dead, but an Elcor or Rachni soldier is too much?
good points Vortex13, but if citadel government need to fill uniforms the Geth and/or Quarians would be a more logical choice or even the Wrex lead Krogans.
The Volus could really gain power after the reaper war. There is going to be a lot of rebuilding needed and the Volus trade and commerce skill would put them in a prime position to make head way for their race, and maybe even get themselves a seat on the council.
I have been going over the ME trilogy again, and I just recently noticed a double standard when the narrative discussed the effects of the Genophage and the possibility of Krogan "extinction" vs the utter annihilation of the Rachni species by the Krogan and Council races in the Rachni War.
The Krogan are applauded for their systematic eradication of a sentient species, but the Genophage is decried as evil and heartless by many characters; the majority of which are your companions, who have the most impact of shaping players' view of the setting. Wrex, Mordin, Grunt, and several other squad mates (over the course of the trilogy) all make it a point to say how the Genophage is a death sentence to the Krogan species, but those same characters; Wrex in particular; will scoff at the idea of Shepard sparing the Rachni Queen.
Both the Rachni and the Krogan caused widespread destruction and death during the Rachni Wars and Krogan Rebellions, so its not like the Krogan were more innocent then the Rachni. In fact, descriptions from the Krogan Rebellions have Turian worlds being bombarded by Krogan redirected asteroids, which cause far more damage and destruction to a planet and its population then an invasion would.
So why is it that the Genophage; something that doesn't kill the entire Krogan population; is viewed as this damnable act, and yet the systematic destruction of the Rachni species is something that (almost) everybody in the setting approves of?
From what I can see, it looks more like a case of the near human analogue being regarded higher, or more deserving of life then a non-human analogue.
ME1 was about being human and viewing them through human lenses. "Jerks and saints"
ME2 was about understanding the alien as alien.
But ME3 was about turning the alien into the sort of familiar, but not quite human.
(None of this did this stuff as a rule, but it was a big part of what could be communicated in bigger parts of the main story)
Personally, I cured the Genophage for my own reasons, but I noticed what you did, and I didn't like it. I also didn't support the Geth Peace code upload, and had my Shepard more 'Renegade' when talking about it, but I did it nonetheless. And then I just got peeved off and picked Destroy 
I really hope that 'ME4' swings things back again and deals with encountering the alien and (by main storyline) having the accept it as that. ME3 was the furthest extent I can accept human analogue in sci fi, especially considering that ME2 was noticeably more tasteful about it.
ME1 was about being human and viewing them through human lenses. "Jerks and saints"
ME2 was about understanding the alien as alien.
But ME3 was about turning the alien into the sort of familiar, but not quite human.
(None of this did this stuff as a rule, but it was a big part of what could be communicated in bigger parts of the main story)
Personally, I cured the Genophage for my own reasons, but I noticed what you did, and I didn't like it. I also didn't support the Geth Peace code upload, and had my Shepard more 'Renegade' when talking about it, but I did it nonetheless. And then I just got peeved off and picked Destroy
I really hope that 'ME4' swings things back again and deals with encountering the alien and (by main storyline) having the accept it as that. ME3 was the furthest extent I can accept human analogue in sci fi, especially considering that ME2 was noticeably more tasteful about it.
Like you said, ME 1 & 2 were defiantly more neutral about the aliens in the setting then ME 3 was; although ME 2 was the origin of Blasto, but even then it was more of an off handed joke when compared the the running gag in ME 3 which culminated in Blasto's appearance in the Citadel DLC.
ME 3's depiction of the Reaper War was good… if the narrative was dealing with Humans, Turians, Salairians, Krogans, Batarians or Asari (any of the close human analogues). All of those races were shown reacting to the war, we are shown how individuals would cope and deal with the untold devastation; Hanar, Elcor, Volus and Rachni however were not. I know. I know. Trying to cover all the individual members of every single species, and how they all react to the Reapers in a Galaxy-wide community is simply impossible, but there was a very evident human, or human-like bias in the overall narrative. Now, while it's no surprise that all BioWare titles have a strong human preference (the game is made by humans for humans after all), what is telling; or rather disappointing (IMO); is just how much of a human bias that ME 3 has, especially compared to ME 1 & 2.
Consider the fact that even the Salarians, Drell and Batarians; three of the human-like aliens with the least amount of screen time; had more content and varied characters then the Elcor, Hanar, Rachni, and Volus combined:
Now compare that to the Elcor, Hanar, and Volus characters:
Anyway, to make a long story short (too late ), I agree with you SwobyJ. I hope that future games do take a more neutral stance on the 'alien' aliens of the galaxy.
A bit of a bump, but I have noticed the wild speculation going around the forums about the upcoming Mass Effect title being a spinoff set durning the original trilogy. Now, I will be taking the rumors with a big heap of salt until an official conformation is given on the chronological location of the new game, but assuming the speculations are true I really hope that all of development among the alien species is not reset back to square one.
This would mostly apply to the Rachni; which I will admit to having a bias towards, seeing as they are my favorite alien species of the setting; as up until (around) halfway through ME 3 they are considered to be either extinct, or scary space bugs that need to be killed with fire. The build up and ultimate payoff of the Rachni's arch in the original trilogy was disappointing (IMO) but I would much rather prefer ME 3's limited (friendly) interaction with them to have no interaction at all. Now it is true that the (rumored) new timeline could take place between the time Shepard deals with the Geth/Quarian conflict and the detonation of the Crucible, and I would be fine with the new PC interacting with the Rachni as allies against the Reaper threat, but that would be a very brief window to make a new game or series of games.
The Elcor and Hanar wouldn't really be affected by such a time constraint, except in the form of becoming obscure/unimportant species in the face of the Reaper invasion; again. A game set during ME 3 would hopefully explore the contributions that these races made in the fight for the very survival of galactic society as we know it, but judging by their lack of war assets, or notable codex entries in the last third of the original trilogy I'm not sure that such a thing would be likely.
Guest_LOOOOOP_*
Zaeed definitely should have been a Batarian, it's not as if they would have had to change much of his backstory either. I definitely think we could get a Batarian squadmate in the next game.
For Volus/Hanar/Elcor I think it's kind of a push for them to be squadmates as they don't seem like they would be especially great in combat? I guess a Volus could work, and that would be interesting. Maybe a Hanar as well if the engine can make it work. But I think even if that doesn't happen it would be great to see them as crew members on the ship at least, and like kind of the same league as Cortez/Traynor/Chakwas/etc... so they still have quite a big role to play in the story. Would be great to include those races more in the main missions as well, and just see them more frequently around the galaxy. I would love to go to the Hanar homeworld especially (and see more Drell as well).
If this next game is set in the future the Volus should definitely have a seat on the council (if there even is one). I do hope we see a lot of alien diversity with the squadmates and the crew members on the ship as well.
Zaeed definitely should have been a Batarian, it's not as if they would have had to change much of his backstory either. I definitely think we could get a Batarian squadmate in the next game.
I'm with you 100% percent on that. Batarians need to become more then a race of gruff mercenaries that hate humans. I would love to see a companion Batarian like the Blue Suns engineer from ME 2 in Garus's recruitment mission, or someone like Bray, Aria's second in command from the Omega DLC.
For Volus/Hanar/Elcor I think it's kind of a push for them to be squadmates as they don't seem like they would be especially great in combat? I guess a Volus could work, and that would be interesting. Maybe a Hanar as well if the engine can make it work. But I think even if that doesn't happen it would be great to see them as crew members on the ship at least, and like kind of the same league as Cortez/Traynor/Chakwas/etc... so they still have quite a big role to play in the story. Would be great to include those races more in the main missions as well, and just see them more frequently around the galaxy. I would love to go to the Hanar homeworld especially (and see more Drell as well).
If this next game is set in the future the Volus should definitely have a seat on the council (if there even is one). I do hope we see a lot of alien diversity with the squadmates and the crew members on the ship as well.
More than just the Volus, if we look at the races that contributed actual military forces to the war against the Reapers then the Volus, the Vorcha, the Batarians, and the Krogan should all be offered seats on the council.
Technically the Rachni and Elcor should as well, since both had military forces; the Rachni's being (arguably) equal with Krogan ground forces; but the narrative relegated them to Crucible duty, or ignored them.
You seem to be forgetting that a lot of Shepards genocided the living hell out of the Rachni.
You seem to be forgetting that a lot of Shepards genocided the living hell out of the Rachni.
Very true.
I just want any games set either during or after ME 3 to reflect a player's decision should she or he spare the Queen. It's (IMO) the same level of importance as the Genophage or the Geth and Quarian conflict outcomes. I personally expect choices regarding the existence of a sentient species to have more weight then whether Shepard saved Kaiden or Ashley.
If BioWare decrees that a canon is to be chosen, I hope they go with the option that leaves the most amount of varied species alive in the galaxy, as that is the most interesting setting (IMO). Hopefully not by just ignoring the people that chose to kill the Rachni Queen, but by handwaving the Rachni's (for example) survival in less obtrusive ways; who's to say that only one egg was sent out at the conclusion of the Rachni Wars?
If rumors are true, which I believe they are. Elcor, Hanar and every other semi-important race will be doing the same as when we left them.
main problem with having non-humanoid squadmates is the extra effort needed to animate them for all of the cutscenes. I barely know squat about animation, but I think it's fair to assume that it's easier to have a group of humans/quarians/krogansturians/asari/drell etc act out the same cutscenes with dynamic emotions and movements, than a group that also has elcor added to the mix.
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