Add to that in ME3 squadmates talk to each other without Shepard more often and they move around the ship.
Agreed. And to add to that, conversations with your squaddies were more cinematic in ME3 than they were in previous chapters, and given both the subject matter and the backdrop of the potential extermination of all sapient space-faring life...often packed more of an emotional punch.
There are more conversations with your squadmates in ME3 than there are in ME2. How many conversations does Garrus have in ME2 if he's not a LI? Maybe two or three at most before you get the calibrations routine. Thane, Samara & Grunt don't have a whole lot to say either. Compare Javik to Kasumi & Zaeed...it's not even close. Javik has more dialogue than both of those two combined.
Add to that in ME3 squadmates talk to each other without Shepard more often and they move around the ship.
That goes back to the small squad vs large squad dynamic. There are advantages to both. With the small squad it is simply easier to focus on the characters they do have and individually you can give them more dialog, with a larger squad it is harder to to do. There is a reason why ME 2 had almost no squadmate banter. It would have been very time consuming and very expensive to have more squadmate interactions and banter in ME 2. That is why squadmates are chattier in ME 1 and ME 3. Smaller squads are just easier to manage and budget. Also the reason ME 2 was able to pull off having a larger squad is because the game revolved around building and preparing the squad. The squad was the game, the first half of the game consisted of building the squad and the second half consisted of preparing them and getting them loyal. The most meaningful interactions with the ME 2 squad occured during their recruitment and loyalty missions. This is what I feel made ME 2 unique, because going forward I think it is better for ME games to stick with the smaller squad, ME 2 was unique in that the big squad for the most part worked very well for ME 2 though it cost the game interaction and banter outside of the recruitment and loyalty missions.
I agree with the smaller squad size being better. I think somewhere between 6 and 9 is the sweet spot. Any more than that and you probably end up with a couple of the squadmates having a lot less to say than others.
I agree with the smaller squad size being better. I think somewhere between 6 and 9 is the sweet spot. Any more than that and you probably end up with a couple of the squadmates having a lot less to say than others.
I agree, I think 6 is the right number for an ME game and I would go no higher than 8. ME 2 was the exception but you can't make every other ME game about the squad.
There are more conversations with your squadmates in ME3 than there are in ME2. How many conversations does Garrus have in ME2 if he's not a LI? Maybe two or three at most before you get the calibrations routine. Thane, Samara & Grunt don't have a whole lot to say either. Compare Javik to Kasumi & Zaeed...it's not even close. Javik has more dialogue than both of those two combined.
keep in mind that there are 12 companions in ME2, and only 6-7 in 3. How can you say that, in comparison there is ton of interaction especially in their personal quests, you get to know them and help them grow. ive been playing the trilogy right now three times, for the past couple of weeks and am on the third game again (yes i know im crazy, but ive got nothing better atm and have a major mass effect itch).
Javik is like i mentioned only one character in a game with half the amount of companions and will naturally have more scenes than the two dlc chars in me2.
James hardly has anything to say aside from 2 scenes of drama related to that mission he did and n7 thing. Garrus talks about his family and being a leader, kaidan doesnt have much unless you have the citadel dlc. I barely remember anything with Liara aside from convo when you first board the normandy after mars, and then her meltdown after thessia, her little project and some crap about her mom. Even eawares favorite smurfette doesnt get that much. I just dont feel like i really bonded with any of them, aside from kaidan who i romanced in me 1, but thats only because of the relationship in 1 and the interaction in the citadel dlc, otherwise even that one would have felt dry.
That goes back to the small squad vs large squad dynamic. There are advantages to both. With the small squad it is simply easier to focus on the characters they do have and individually you can give them more dialog, with a larger squad it is harder to to do. There is a reason why ME 2 had almost no squadmate banter. It would have been very time consuming and very expensive to have more squadmate interactions and banter in ME 2. That is why squadmates are chattier in ME 1 and ME 3. Smaller squads are just easier to manage and budget. Also the reason ME 2 was able to pull off having a larger squad is because the game revolved around building and preparing the squad. The squad was the game, the first half of the game consisted of building the squad and the second half consisted of preparing them and getting them loyal. The most meaningful interactions with the ME 2 squad occured during their recruitment and loyalty missions. This is what I feel made ME 2 unique, because going forward I think it is better for ME games to stick with the smaller squad, ME 2 was unique in that the big squad for the most part worked very well for ME 2 though it cost the game interaction and banter outside of the recruitment and loyalty missions.
i prefer the games to be focused on the squad and their loyalty to one another. I think its a matter of preference really. Some of us prefer the story to be more character driven, which i also think is where eaware shines, though even that is starting to fade.
oh i forgot to mention EDI and even more with her relationship to joker. To me it seemed like she got to most development, but i suspect its because they were really pushing the whole "syntethic vs organic" and what is life thing. I remember having quite a few convos with her and additional scenes with joker.
Dislike the tiny limited squad of ME3. ME2 may have gone too far the other way but the hacket job wasn't appreciated.
I agree, I think 6 is the right number for an ME game and I would go no higher than 8. ME 2 was the exception but you can't make every other ME game about the squad.
Call it me, but I think that's what the next trilogy is gonna be all about.
Call it me, but I think that's what the next trilogy is gonna be all about.
There are a lot of elements from ME 2 that I hope ME:next incorporates but I don't think they will incorporate the huge squad again. But I've been wrong in the past so anything is possible.
James hardly has anything to say aside from 2 scenes of drama related to that mission he did and n7 thing. Garrus talks about his family and being a leader, kaidan doesnt have much unless you have the citadel dlc. I barely remember anything with Liara aside from convo when you first board the normandy after mars, and then her meltdown after thessia, her little project and some crap about her mom. Even eawares favorite smurfette doesnt get that much. I just dont feel like i really bonded with any of them, aside from kaidan who i romanced in me 1, but thats only because of the relationship in 1 and the interaction in the citadel dlc, otherwise even that one would have felt dry.
I think you're forgetting the conversations that don't take place on the Normandy in ME3. In ME1 and ME2, you talk to people on the Normandy and that's about it. In ME3 a significant portion of conversations take place on the Citadel as well. Vega for example has two scenes I can think of immediately: getting drinks at the bar for normal soldiers and getting his N7 tattoo at the refugee shelter. ME2's characters didn't actually have many per-character dialogues. You say you barely remember anything except 4 conversations with Liara, but 4 conversations is already about as much as an ME2 character got outside of their recruitment/loyalty missions.
There are also things like the final conversation on Earth that often aren't counted as "squadmate interaction" for some reason.
The VS doesn't have much in general, that I agree with. They are the anomaly there, though.
Anyway, for the poll I voted Mass Effect 3, but I'll wake up tomorrow and change my mind to 2. I really can't make up my mind, similar to how I can't decide if Chrono Cross or Resident Evil 2 is my favorite overall game. In the end I feel Mass Effect 3 with all the DLC is the more impressive package than ME2 with all the DLC.
Add to that in ME3 squadmates talk to each other without Shepard more often and they move around the ship.
Some do.
Ash comes out of her room exaactly once. And that may be only if you save the bomb mission until after she's recruited. (her intercomm-Tali conversation is definitely restricted to that)
Dislike the tiny limited squad of ME3. ME2 may have gone too far the other way but the hacket job wasn't appreciated.
Six is still a fine number. It's just with half the companions being potentially dead, some were clearly more favored than others.
Six is still a fine number. It's just with half the companions being potentially dead, some were clearly more favored than others.
Not to mention everyone in ME2 can potentially die which meant that most of the, were going to have limited roles.
Quality > quantity
keep in mind that there are 12 companions in ME2, and only 6-7 in 3. How can you say that, in comparison there is ton of interaction especially in their personal quests, you get to know them and help them grow. ive been playing the trilogy right now three times, for the past couple of weeks and am on the third game again (yes i know im crazy, but ive got nothing better atm and have a major mass effect itch).
Javik is like i mentioned only one character in a game with half the amount of companions and will naturally have more scenes than the two dlc chars in me2.
James hardly has anything to say aside from 2 scenes of drama related to that mission he did and n7 thing. Garrus talks about his family and being a leader, kaidan doesnt have much unless you have the citadel dlc. I barely remember anything with Liara aside from convo when you first board the normandy after mars, and then her meltdown after thessia, her little project and some crap about her mom. Even eawares favorite smurfette doesnt get that much. I just dont feel like i really bonded with any of them, aside from kaidan who i romanced in me 1, but thats only because of the relationship in 1 and the interaction in the citadel dlc, otherwise even that one would have felt dry.
Zaeed and Kassumi had no interaction outside their loyalty missions, an unromanced Garrus has only two conversations outside his mission's before its back to calirbrations, and Legion you get him near the end of the game which is pretty much a waste of a good character. In ME3 characters a frequently interacting with each other on the Normandy and everyone has something to say baout the past mission (granted its not interative) but its prefferable (not ideal) then telling Shpeard to come back latter after every mission.
Six is the right amount for squadmates. It lets you have 3 "pure" classes and 3 "hybrids" for nice combat flexibility.
Six is the right amount for squadmates. It lets you have 3 "pure" classes and 3 "hybrids" for nice combat flexibility.
I'd say 6-8 is a good size 9 is pushing it and 10 would be too much.
Some do.
Ash comes out of her room exaactly once. And that may be only if you save the bomb mission until after she's recruited. (her intercomm-Tali conversation is definitely restricted to that)
IIRC Ash is the only one who doesn't move around Kaidan however moves a around.
Story - Mass Effect 1
Gameplay - Mass Effect 3
Overall Enjoyment - Mass Effect 2
If Mass Effect 1 had Mass Effect 3's gameplay then that would be the best!
NME will be the protagonist running around 'alone', with omnigrams of companions summonable by him. 
See, the reason that I'm so against having more lines of dialogue with one character is simple. I can spell it out in one word. Vivienne. I hated Vivienne. Not just disliked. Not even didn't bring her along. I actually came on the forums and asked if there was a way to kill her off. I hated her that much. To my dismay, there wasn't.
(and sorry to whomever at BioWare that wrote her, but... Yeah)
Take one or two of those characters... You've either got a game that isn't being played to it's fullest or a bored gamer who isn't listening.
Mass Effect 1 still for me. Had Mass effect 3 been given another 6 months development I might think different. Mass Effect 2 was taken down an undesirable development path, but i still appreciate it for some of the characters it introduced.
Mass Effect 3 is my favorite game of all time and the endings didn't bother me at all.
keep in mind that there are 12 companions in ME2, and only 6-7 in 3. How can you say that, in comparison there is ton of interaction especially in their personal quests, you get to know them and help them grow. ive been playing the trilogy right now three times, for the past couple of weeks and am on the third game again (yes i know im crazy, but ive got nothing better atm and have a major mass effect itch).
Javik is like i mentioned only one character in a game with half the amount of companions and will naturally have more scenes than the two dlc chars in me2.
James hardly has anything to say aside from 2 scenes of drama related to that mission he did and n7 thing. Garrus talks about his family and being a leader, kaidan doesnt have much unless you have the citadel dlc. I barely remember anything with Liara aside from convo when you first board the normandy after mars, and then her meltdown after thessia, her little project and some crap about her mom. Even eawares favorite smurfette doesnt get that much. I just dont feel like i really bonded with any of them, aside from kaidan who i romanced in me 1, but thats only because of the relationship in 1 and the interaction in the citadel dlc, otherwise even that one would have felt dry.
That Mass Effect 2 has so many companions works against the game. That is the reason why some of those squad mates don't get a lot of interaction compared to their Mass Effect 3 counterparts. Garrus is probably the biggest example from ME2, but certainly not the only one. The more companion characters you have the more characters you have to spread the word budget between. It guarantees that some of them aren't going to get a lot of dialogue.
You say that James doesn't have much to say in Mass Effect 3, but compare him to either unromanced Garrus or Thane in Mass Effect 2. He has more dialogue and interaction with Shepard and other squadmates than both. You barely remember any dialogue with Liara? You must not have been going to her quarters then, because she gets more dialogue than Miranda, the squadmate that got the most screen time in Mass Effect 2. The only companion character with more dialogue than her in ME3 is Garrus. While Kaidan doesn't get as much dialogue as Liara or Garrus in ME3, he has more content than Garrus, Thane, Grunt, Jack, or Samara had in Mass Effect 2.
If you just prefer the character interaction in Mass Effect 2, I could accept that. People have different opinions. But claiming that Mass Effect 2 had more content is just wrong. Mass Effect 3 had a larger word budget and the squad mates more lines of dialogue than their ME2 counterparts.
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