44 réponses à ce sujet

[Mathias]

My heart goes out to the team developing the next game when it comes to this. The biggest element most people loved about the Trilogy was the characters they fell in love with. Bioware has always been good when it comes to writing characters, but I'm having a hard time believing they'll be able to match or even surpass how great characters like Garrus, Wrex, Liara, Joker, or Anderson were. That's only to name a few. And will they be able to deliver new characters that don't come off as copies of previous ones?

 

They've got their work cut out for them, cause expectations are probably high.

[RoboticWater]

While they certainly have big shoes to fill, BioWare, more than nearly any other game developer, have shown they have sufficiently large feet when it comes to characters. What worries me most is the plot, which is consistently an area BioWare seem to drop the ball.

 

It's easy to look at the faces of characters we've come to love and think there's no way they're topping this but as long BioWare's writers keep things fresh, I can't imagine MENext at the very least maintaining the personality driven stories that the series has become known for. Besides, the new lead writer, Chris Schlerf, did wonders with Halo 4's characters (he did the exact opposite with Halo 4's plot, but that's a conversation for a different time).

[Drone223]

@OP it's simple they don't, the new cast should be judge based on their own merits and flaws rather than be compared to any of the cast from the trilogy.

[KaiserShep]

@OP it's simple they don't, the new cast should be judge based on their own merits and flaws rather than be compared to any of the cast from the trilogy.

 

Unfortunately, that's probably what's going to happen anyway. It's very likely that BioWare will give us a racially diverse cast again, so you know that someone will be the Not-Garrus or Not-Tali to some people.

[Mcfly616]

Besides, the new lead writer, Chris Schlerf, did wonders with Halo 4's characters (he did the exact opposite with Halo 4's plot, but that's a conversation for a different time).

 Word. That plot was ass.

 

 

Which is what I'm worried most about for the next game. The story. I have no doubt the characters will be well done and hopefully better (so long as they don't rehash the same archetypes and background stories in an attempt to live up to previous squadmates). Either way, unlike many other Mass Effect fans, it has never really been about the characters for me. 

[Linkenski]

Not that high when it's all new characters. I think some characters more easily write themselves when they're new and the writers who are assigned to them have completely free reign to go where they please with them. In ME3 a big issue was the handing off old cast to new writers. As much as I liked Wrex in ME3 I could tell he had a new writer and it was also obvious that TIM, Udina and Anderson were not written by the same writers because one was almost nonsensical the entire time, the other lacked the caricatured speech and got the most undeserving death I have seen in a long time, and the third kept saying "Hell" and "god" all the time like a real marine when he used to be more... collected and formal.

 

To be honest ME3 was bad at holding things up to the standard. They cheapened the Geth, they cheapened EDI, Samara, Udina and TIM.

 

At the same time a character like Thane who was handed off to a new writer got exactly the closure I was hoping for right down to the smallest detail. I was very impressed and happy with that. Anderson was also still a very good character, it was just his character "voice" (writing term) and script that was too different and I didn't feel the ME1 or ME2 nostalgia I should've when I was talking to him.

 

I think there'll be a lot of he former staff on this one and I have faith that Schlerf can create some okay new characters even if they aren't funny (because his writing always comes off as "too serious" to me).

 

I think they all know what they're going into and like with all other games they've made I'm also sure they really fight for making the new cast original and unique while keeping the standard.

 

In terms of plot I have great fears especially when, in every interview, with Scherlf or even that Bioware blogpost he heavily emphasises that "characters > plot" and for H4 he outright says "I don't think there's much we can do with plot after H123". I think no matter what plot and charcters should always go 100% hand in hand for every good story. No overfocus on one or the other, just find a balance that feels good. I love characters. They are the driving force of storytelling but they can't be good without a good plot unless you want meandering.

[RVallant]

No, see whoever is writing ME4 needs to NOT consider those characters when they write for ME4.

 

The worst thing they can do is present a Liara/garrus/Tali clone of any type. Strike out, write your own characters, be different, but don't try and fill their shoes, it'll come off as fake and try-hard.

[Ithurael]

No, see whoever is writing ME4 needs to NOT consider those characters when they write for ME4.

 

The worst thing they can do is present a Liara/garrus/Tali clone of any type. Strike out, write your own characters, be different, but don't try and fill their shoes, it'll come off as fake and try-hard.

 

Totally.

 

I absolutely hate it when I see blatant character rip offs.

 

Similarity can be ok, but not a strong correlation. And for god sake. Don't force a rip off character on us!

 

Like, say we get a new drell companion that is a soldier, sniper, and has a garrus like personality. Then bioware makes it seem like he and shep are getting to be best bud. We, the player already know that this character is the same as garrus, we don't need to seriously do this whole song and dance again.

 

Personally, when it comes to characters. I really hope that bioware takes into account the player choices with the characters. And I am not just talking about romance or talking to the npc. No, I mean like the number of times you take them on missions as well what kind of dialog you chose with them too. Then in later installments this will be reflected in save file transfers and new kinds of dialog

 

Long shot..but hope.

[Vazgen]

Comparisons will be made.

Vorcha assassin - "Bring Thane back"

Batarian engineer - "Bring Tali back"

Quarian thief - "Bring Kasumi back"

Any krogan - "Bring Wrex/Grunt back"

 

Bioware should develop entirely new characters with their own backstories and specialties. Hopefully those backstories will be far from the trilogy characters. I don't want to see an ex C-Sec, tortured child, master thief or career assassins.

Instead -

Sniper - quarian scout

Arms master - batarian pirate

Engineer - genetically modified vorcha

Pilot - female turian fighter pilot

Scientist - krogan exile

[InterrogationBear]

 

Personally, when it comes to characters. I really hope that bioware takes into account the player choices with the characters. And I am not just talking about romance or talking to the npc. No, I mean like the number of times you take them on missions as well what kind of dialog you chose with them too. Then in later installments this will be reflected in save file transfers and new kinds of dialog.

Dragon Age does this, sort of. The approval system of DA:I should definitely be added to Mass Effect.

[StealthGamer92]

Comparisons will be made.

Vorcha assassin - "Bring Thane back"

Batarian engineer - "Bring Tali back"

Quarian thief - "Bring Kasumi back"

Any krogan - "Bring Wrex/Grunt back"

 

Bioware should develop entirely new characters with their own backstories and specialties. Hopefully those backstories will be far from the trilogy characters. I don't want to see an ex C-Sec, tortured child, master thief or career assassins.

Instead -

Sniper - quarian scout

Arms master - batarian pirate

Engineer - genetically modified vorcha

Pilot - female turian fighter pilot

Scientist - krogan exile

 

I definitely don't want a Wrex clone but prefer my games to have a character with an attitude like Wrex...did that make sense to anyone? I can't really put my idea here into word's so well.

[Vazgen]

I definitely don't want a Wrex clone but prefer my games to have a character with an attitude like Wrex...did that make sense to anyone? I can't really put my idea here into word's so well.

Grumpy old tough badass?  

[StealthGamer92]

Grumpy old tough badass?

 

That's it(old isn't neccesary though for the new character), and don't forget wise! Thanks.

[tehturian]

A Batarian or 'brotarian' squadmate is long overdue, really. Make it happen Bioware. 

[Nerve-Stim Pro]

Not that high when it's all new characters. I think some characters more easily write themselves when they're new and the writers who are assigned to them have completely free reign to go where they please with them. In ME3 a big issue was the handing off old cast to new writers. As much as I liked Wrex in ME3 I could tell he had a new writer and it was also obvious that TIM, Udina and Anderson were not written by the same writers because one was almost nonsensical the entire time, the other lacked the caricatured speech and got the most undeserving death I have seen in a long time, and the third kept saying "Hell" and "god" all the time like a real marine when he used to be more... collected and formal.

It might have been intentional character development. TIM had nothing more to hide from Shepard and also became more and more indoctrinated. Anderson switched from being a commander in a safe place to being straight in the middle of a warzone. Wrex was now a leader of his people and also things were about to change with the Genophage. Maybe not the character direction you personally liked but perhaps the new writers were not necessarily bad?

[fraggle]

I'm sure they're capable to give us new amazing characters. People will always make comparisons, it's what we do, and not everyone will be satiesfied, but I think they can pull it off.

DA:I has some of the best characters in the whole series imo, and I thought that was nearly impossible.

[Vazgen]

Inquisition also has some old characters - Cassandra, Varric, Leliana, Morrigan, Cullen. What do you think, would the new characters be received as well if those familiar characters were not present? I'm a little unsure. That's the thing that Bioware will need to deal with if "familiar faces" they mentioned will be restricted to rare cameos or don't end up in the game at all (which is what I hope for).

[HydroFlame20]

A volus co-pilot with a backstory hes a smuggler lol or he works below deck, bioware I have faith can deliver on giving us good set of characters plus they have people from DA1 now helping.

[MrMrPendragon]

You just know that there's going to be a lot of "I wish we had ____  back in our team" threads, as soon as the characters are announced.

 

With regards to making comparions, you can't really help it if you're a big fan of the series. It's Mass Effect, and the first things you associate with that word are the characters in that game.

[Mcfly616]

Hopefully nobody from the Shepard saga makes an appearance. Let it go. We can revisit them whenever we want. Time for something completely new and different. A cast of fresh faces. A clean slate. No more being tied to the past.

[Balsam Beige]

Hopefully nobody from the Shepard saga makes an appearance. Let it go. We can revisit them whenever we want. Time for something completely new and different. A cast of fresh faces. A clean slate. No more being tied to the past.

This^

Shepard AND companions story is complete. Not necessary for any of them to make an appearance or even a cameo in MENext. I hope bioware goes this route.

[guntar74]

I'm all for a complete cast of new characters as well. Shepard and company had 3 games to explore their stories and such, time to let some new people shine. Sure mention some characters in passing or codex entries if you have to, but if you are truly trying to move on from Shepards story you gotta let them go.

 

They have such a large pool of planets, races and character types they can choose from, it would be a shame to not take advantage of it.

[MattH]

Grumpy old tough badass?

I'd love a hard ass, takes no prisoners Asari commando. Or a quirky Krogan scientist.
Something that will work in their favour is that their world is aleady created and known, they can flip a lot of conventions when it comes to characters.

[RVallant]

I'd love a hard ass, takes no prisoners Asari commando. Or a quirky Krogan scientist.
Something that will work in their favour is that their world is aleady created and known, they can flip a lot of conventions when it comes to characters.

 

They also have the chance to go one further and pull off the unexpected. A squad-mate being a turn-coat.

 

I thought they missed a good chance to do that in ME3 what with the Reapers and everything. I know Udina technically counts but still!