I find the Hanar to be the most curious.
An entire race that managed to evolve to the point of spaceflight while staying underwater? Their technology must be fascinating!
Also, how are they moving around on dry land? Are they an entire race of natural biotics that use this to move them around?
A Jellyfish shouldn't be able to stand upright on its own.
I actually think that they would have made more sense as an Octopus-like race, similar to the Ceph from Crysis, than as Jellyfish.
Quarians, 100%. And its not because of Tali. I just like their accents, and space nomad culture is just awesome.
You cant feel but the need to help them.
Sadly, the devs turned them into evil organics vs nice geth 
I find the Hanar to be the most curious.
An entire race that managed to evolve to the point of spaceflight while staying underwater? Their technology must be fascinating!
Also, how are they moving around on dry land? Are they an entire race of natural biotics that use this to move them around?
A Jellyfish shouldn't be able to stand upright on its own.
I actually think that they would have made more sense as an Octopus-like race, similar to the Ceph from Crysis, than as Jellyfish.
I think they merely resemble jellyfish and are actually more like relatively sturdy squid or octupi.
A Hanar almost strangled Zaeed so there's that. I doubt a jellyfish would have the strength or control to pull off something so direct. Though Hanar can secret neuro-toxins so maybe their jellyfish inspiration is more than just appearances?
All I know is that I would like to see a serious Hanar character in future titles, and I wouldn't mind them seeing them as a playable kit in the MP; just so long as said kit was treated with a degree of maturity and wasn't the 'joke' class.
Does anyone know how do the hanar move?
Does anyone know how do the hanar move?
I believe that they have mass effect fields (cybernetically installed generators? Natural Biotics?) that allow them to float in the air.
Though given their bulk; Shepard actually struggling against and being shoved by Blasto in the Citadel DLC; makes me thing that they could just as easily crawl across the floor it they needed.
Insectiod aliens (especially the non-humanoid ones) have always been a favorite of mine. From the Tyranids, to the Zerg (minus Kerrigan), and Xenomorphs to the Rachni, nothing quite strikes me as 'alien' as much as this archetype. Maybe it's because of how different the insects are in the real world compared to us, as well as how prolific the various species are. I mean ants are estimated to make up 15-25% of the terrestrial animal biomass on the planet, they have to be doing something right.
(A nice little video with some interesting tidbits)
I like the Rachni because they are the best example of a non-humanoid alien that thrives (narrative railroading notwithstanding) as an interstellar species without being a near carbon copy of our society. The other aliens have a great deal of anthropomorphizing at work in their interaction with the rest of the galaxy; there are some alien elements to each of them, don't get me wrong, but by and large the races like the Asari, Turians, Quarians, and Krogan are just humans in rubber suits.
Hopefully, we will get to see more of them in future titles, as it would be a shame to permanently get rid of one of the few remaining 'alien' aliens in the setting. I mean let's be honest here, BioWare doesn't really have the best track record when it comes to adding in new non-human elements to an existing franchise.
Does anyone know how do the hanar move?
Insectiod aliens (especially the non-humanoid ones) have always been a favorite of mine. From the Tyranids, to the Zerg (minus Kerrigan), and Xenomorphs to the Rachni, nothing quite strikes me as 'alien' as much as this archetype. Maybe it's because of how different the insects are in the real world compared to us, as well as how prolific the various species are. I mean ants are estimated to make up 15-25% of the terrestrial animal biomass on the planet, they have to be doing something right.
(A nice little video with some interesting tidbits)
Spoiler
I like the Rachni because they are the best example of a non-humanoid alien that thrives (narrative railroading notwithstanding) as an interstellar species without being a near carbon copy of our society. The other aliens have a great deal of anthropomorphizing at work in their interaction with the rest of the galaxy; there are some alien elements to each of them, don't get me wrong, but by and large the races like the Asari, Turians, Quarians, and Krogan are just humans in rubber suits.
Hopefully, we will get to see more of them in future titles, as it would be a shame to permanently get rid of one of the few remaining 'alien' aliens in the setting. I mean let's be honest here, BioWare doesn't really have the best track record when it comes to adding in new non-human elements to an existing franchise.
Quarians are my top race. easily the most "developed" race, with an interesting culture, history, capabilities, etc. Their physical attributes are screwy, as they were obviously meant to be closer to turians than humans but Talimancing got that changed. Either way, my favorite race.
Krogan and Turians are just your token "Warrior" races, one being the Spartan style, one being the Bloodlust style. Nothing really interesting for me there.
Salarians....I'm meh. They were the least involved race in the series. They were interesting in ME1 because you didn't see much of them, but then come Mordin and they got creepy (His annoying orange face still freaks me out) and obnoxious.
Geth are essentially automated Quarians, and tied to the latter. As a separate race, I'm not too fond. I fall under the "see them as enemies" camp.
Humans are the usual "omg humans are so special and unique and so much better than you". Don't care.
Asari exist solely to be the token sexy alien ladies. The holier than thou attitude doesn't win them any points.
Drell are just the male counterpart to Asari, designed ground up to be alien sex target for femsheps. Their history and biology seem to be an afterthought.
Volus...seems implausible. That an entire race is physically incapable of anything? How did they survive this long? Are there just no predators on their homeworld?
Rachni, however, I am VERY interested in. The whole "sound as culture" idea has me really intrigued. That they operate on harmony seems unique.
Batarians, literally the only thing that describes them is "Self absorbed slavers." That's all there is to them. Least favorite race. Woulda been more interesting if they looked more like the initial Codex art before Bringing Down The Sky, instead of just "human with jowls" 
Vorchas adaptive ability was promising, but its wasted on their limited intelligence in-game.
Yahg are just "What if Krogan weren't stupid"
Varren are just dogs.
So overally, I'd say Quarians and Rachni are my two favorite ME races, with Quarians taking the cake.
Of the majors, Asari & Turians
As far as minor factions go, the Elcor and Volus
Now that we've seen Volus in multiplayer holding their own, is it possible to have a volus squad mate?
I'd like a Volus Medic.
Powers:
Shield Boost
First Aid
Neural Shock
Medical Drone
Weapons:
Pistol
SMG
Personal Favourite Races Are: (excluding humans)
Lots of Exposure: (These are races I've seen a lot of in the Trilogy)
1) Krogan
2) Quarian
3) Geth
4) Asari
5) Turian
6) Salarian
Minimal Exposure: (Races I've seen little of)
1) Protheans
2) Rachni
3) Baterians
4) Drell
5) Keepers
6) Volus
Howdy all, first post here.
This is a complex question that needs to be more specific. It would help if the OP had indicated what metrics we should use. Aesthetics? Character development? Concept and consistency thereof throughout the series? Originality? Deliverance? Etc?
The different races do not all get anywhere the same screen time and some do not even get the benefit of having a playable companion to chat with; we must inferr our opinion about them via the Codex and interaction with secondary NPCs. On other cases the companion is such an uncommon example of the group it is hard to use it as suitable material to render judgement of opinion on the species.
For example: we interact with 3 Drell, one is an assassin, the other is a would-be assassin and the other is a stealth thief? Are Drell as a species pre-dispised to such roles, is this a coincidence or fruit of Hanar influence? Then there's the Geth. The only Geth we get to interact with (unless "shooting the hell out of it" counts as interaction) is Legion which can hardly be considered a typical member of its kind either in either design, purpose, software or platform. In fact it could be said this character is a subversion of the concept of the group he represents as it was originally presented to us. Wether this was inspired intent or sloppy writting doesn't change the fact the character is a very warped window to make up our views about a whole species.
Then there's the retcons of several species, and the meta-knowledge we have that different people took the helm of design and led into different directions of their original concept leaving us with a puzzle of pieces that don't fit into a coherent whole and who cut your fingers witrh their sharp edges as you handle them.
So that all that in mind and taking into account my personal personal preference for alien Species hinges mainly on how "belivable" they are I'd classified them thus, listing in each category are alphabetical not order of preference.
Note that I have only played the core games with DLC (for ME2 and ME3). I haven't read any comics or novels. I am also limiting myself to species I have actually met in the games. Codex mentions don't count.
- Best Species/Well delivered/Belivable evolution/Coherent/Solid "hard" SF traits
Quarians
Salarians
Turians
To varying degrees all of these races are belivable examples that evolutionary fit their homeworlds of origin, they have recognizable cultures that come off as natural developments and are either original concepts or fit familiar Hard SF niches in a very well executed manner.
Honorable mention: Collectors - as above but exchanging the coherence for a mysterious "secrets best left untouched" vibe, and the exception that the ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL lava lamp effect skirts off "Hard SF" territory. Still visually and thematical impressive, plus a great meme that sticks in your head whether you love it or hate it RELEASING THIS FORM
- Undeveloped Species/Wasted potential/Turned into a joke/Stock characters
Elcor
Hanar
Volus
Sincere Lamentation: some of these aliens had a "wow! this is a Hard SF genre game!" factor in ME1 that went nowhere or was simply perverted for comedic relief.
Clarification: it is not that they're bad concepts but that they were aborted before getting a chance to mature.
Wishful Expectation: I hope there species are revisited and expanded in future instalments, having member companions in your party would be a great.
Badassely: Of course, this doesn't mean I do not want more Blasto! Comedy is fine if it makes me laugh. By all means keep the Hanar SPECTRE agent as long as you don't limit yourselves to it.
- Worst Species/Nonsensical/Fantasy ideas/Science out the door/pandering to hormones or lowest common denominator
Asari
Korgan
T*ts and asses, cleavage, sex, spandex, pole dancers, magical powers, monogenders with vaginas that are really women, grumbling voices, unrestrained agression, shotguns, mary sues, badasses, blue alien chiks and dinossaurs, the planet Arrakis known as Dune complete with Sandworms but without the spice (wait were does "Red Sand" come from, *please* tell me it ain't Tuchanka)...the list goes on, and on, and on. As aliens species go, the worst thing in the Mass Effect franchise. Being so commonplace they cannot be ignored and subvert Mass Effect from Hard SF into gonzo SF territory. Complete jokes with no place in propper SF, we have enough Elves and Ogres in Fantasy RPGs already, thank you very much.
- Not enough data to render final judgement
Drell
Keepers
Leviathans
Rachni
Yagh
The available material and interaction with members of these species when compared to the rest isn't enough to come to a conclusion about the races as a whole.
DIsonorable Mention: Drell Solipsism - there still isn't enough clarifying data to reach a conclusion but the "memory fits" of the Drell are something that doesn't make to much sense. We only get two contradictory examples of this ability and it is made unclear if the involuntary memory events of Thane are commonplace to the species or a result of individual PSTD. If Thane is a normal example of the Drell in this feature then I do not see how this Species could be functional let alone exist, and would relegate them to "Worst Species" or possibily the "WTF where they thinking?" category.
- Unable to render coherent judgement due to multiple contradictions and rectons when taken as a whole
Geth
Reapers
As evidenced by years of debate and discussion in forums these two species, when ME1, 2 and 3 are taken together, lack a coherent concept and presentation. It is also unclear at which point(s) in development the shifts occured or whether some (and which) of the alterations were predesigned or run-of-the-moment. I am therefore unable to make a final judgement apart from saying the final presentation seems like a godawful mess.
- Disonorable Mentions/WTF where they thinking?/Inspired by sleep deprivation or drug use?
Batarians - visual design doesn't really make any sense and looks lazy, same thing for their KILL ALL HUMANS theme and attitude.
Vorcha - why do have stone-age space goblins with shotguns and magical regeneration powers in this game? Is this really the best organic cannon fodder they could throw at us? really?
No Salarians?
- Best Species/Well delivered/Belivable evolution/Coherent/Solid "hard" SF traitsQuariansSalariansTurians
I know that this is mostly about races we *do* like, but I have to say that I have a certain dislike for the Quarians.
In 300 years, they should have had plenty of time to find another dextro-planet. Even if not a planet perfectly suited for their needs, it would have been better to live in closed habitats on a planet's surface than it is to endlessly wander the void on a fleet of disintegrating antique spacecrafts.
Hell, without liveships to worry about, they could have concentrated efforts in space on transforming their flotilla into an entirely offensive armada,
which may have been enough to actually take back their home world.
The entire thing stinks of professional-victim attitude.
I know that this is mostly about races we *do* like, but I have to say that I have a certain dislike for the Quarians.
In 300 years, they should have had plenty of time to find another dextro-planet. Even if not a planet perfectly suited for their needs, it would have been better to live in closed habitats on a planet's surface than it is to endlessly wander the void on a fleet of disintegrating antique spacecrafts.
Hell, without liveships to worry about, they could have concentrated efforts in space on transforming their flotilla into an entirely offensive armada,
which may have been enough to actually take back their home world.
The entire thing stinks of professional-victim attitude.
Yet they didn't. And it's not like they didn't try. For example, Idenna was sent specifically for that mission.
Yet they didn't. And it's not like they didn't try. For example, Idenna was sent specifically for that mission.
As I said, closed habitats even on a relatively hostile planet, are better and safer than living in on antique space ships.
So either they didn't try hard enough, looked for an exact copy of their homeworld, or wanted to use the harsh reality of living on ancient spacecrafts to control the mindset of the next generations of Quarians.
As I said, closed habitats even on a relatively hostile planet, are better and safer than living in on antique space ships.
So either they didn't try hard enough, looked for an exact copy of their homeworld, or wanted to use the harsh reality of living on ancient spacecrafts to control the mindset of the next generations of Quarians.
The exact copy sounds about right. Quarians evolved in a symbiotic relationship with Rannoch. Their physiology reflected that and that's why their health was ruined in exile. The quarians also didn't get help from the Council because of illegal AI research. Activating dormant mass relays was also out of equation. They were not welcome in Council space, batarians and Terminus Systems were not welcoming either. They had to seek out planets elsewhere and did so with ships like Idenna.
I know that this is mostly about races we *do* like, but I have to say that I have a certain dislike for the Quarians.
In 300 years, they should have had plenty of time to find another dextro-planet. Even if not a planet perfectly suited for their needs, it would have been better to live in closed habitats on a planet's surface than it is to endlessly wander the void on a fleet of disintegrating antique spacecrafts.
Hell, without liveships to worry about, they could have concentrated efforts in space on transforming their flotilla into an entirely offensive armada,
which may have been enough to actually take back their home world.
The entire thing stinks of professional-victim attitude.
*clears throat as loudly as possible*
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Ekuna
umm soooo yeah. Why did the Council see fit to declare a near uninhabitable planet in the Phoenix Massing (next to the Veil, far from council space) as one of their own as soon as the quarians told them about it, then forcefully bomb said quarians off of it after the later had politely decided to go through official channels despite the fact that they had been uncerimoniously barred from membership in that said Council? I guess they should have just gotten rid of the "professional-victim attitude" and perhaps they could have stopped themselves from being shot at for daring to try and settle a planet thousands of light years away from any Council world?
Speaking of which, where are you even getting the "professional victim attitude?" After the Council ignores their pleas for help in the Morning War for seemingly no reason (you know, because the asari and later turians didn't just straight up go "whelp sorry but your fault guys deal with it yourself" to the salarians on two seperate occasions when they unleashed the rachni then the krogan), then kicks them out of their political organization and declares them persona non grata in their half of the galaxy for having the audacity to get themselves (but no one else) genocided into an endangered species, they mostly just putter around space being completely self sufficient and not asking anyone for help or interfering at all. They are even kind enough to allow their highly skilled workforce to continue to contribute to the economies and technical knowledge of those Council species whenever they are near their systems as well as through the cultural practice of the Pilgrimage, a practice which results in the fantastic reward of the "dey took r jerbs" attitude that is prevalent against them in those systems.
Now, fair enough if you were simply uninformed on that bit of the lore, but if I didn't know better I'd think you've fallen victim to the same illogical FantasticRacism that everyone in universe seems to participate in against the "suit rats" (seriously, that's like some Iraqi or Syrian walking into a US embassy to give the consulate damning intel on Islamic State, and the clerk tells them "Get lost sand n!gger" and doesn't get fired) because it makes value judgement easier or validates other positions you may hold on in game conflicts. That's actually the only thing in universe I dislike about the species' presentation. They have done practically nothing to deserve their reputation or the horrible treatment they recieve, and so the "racism is bahd" metaphor seems ham fisted and forced even by modern Western standards, let alone 150 years in the future.
*clears throat as loudly as possible*
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Ekuna
umm soooo yeah. Why did the Council see fit to declare a near uninhabitable planet in the Phoenix Massing (next to the Veil, far from council space) as one of their own as soon as the quarians told them about it, then forcefully bomb said quarians off of it after the later had politely decided to go through official channels despite the fact that they had been uncerimoniously barred from membership in that said Council? I guess they should have just gotten rid of the "professional-victim attitude" and perhaps they could have stopped themselves from being shot at for daring to try and settle a planet thousands of light years away from any Council world?
Speaking of which, where are you even getting the "professional victim attitude?" After the Council ignores their pleas for help in the Morning War for seemingly no reason (you know, because the asari and later turians didn't just straight up go "whelp sorry but your fault guys deal with it yourself" to the salarians on two seperate occasions when they unleashed the rachni then the krogan), then kicks them out of their political organization and declares them persona non grata in their half of the galaxy for having the audacity to get themselves (but no one else) genocided into an endangered species, they mostly just putter around space being completely self sufficient and not asking anyone for help or interfering at all. They are even kind enough to allow their highly skilled workforce to continue to contribute to the economies and technical knowledge of those Council species whenever they are near their systems as well as through the cultural practice of the Pilgrimage, a practice which results in the fantastic reward of the "dey took r jerbs" attitude that is prevalent against them in those systems.
Now, fair enough if you were simply uninformed on that bit of the lore, but if I didn't know better I'd think you've fallen victim to the same illogical FantasticRacism that everyone in universe seems to participate in against the "suit rats" (seriously, that's like some Iraqi or Syrian walking into a US embassy to give the consulate damning intel on Islamic State, and the clerk tells them "Get lost sand n!gger" and doesn't get fired) because it makes value judgement easier or validates other positions you may hold on in game conflicts. That's actually the only thing in universe I dislike about the species' presentation. They have done practically nothing to deserve their reputation or the horrible treatment they recieve, and so the "racism is bahd" metaphor seems ham fisted and forced even by modern Western standards, let alone 150 years in the future.
Didn't know about the Ekuna thing, and it makes no sense from many angles.
A. How the hell can a human-like race live on a planet with 4.1 G's? A human weighing 50 kg, will suddenly feel as if he is a... rather rotund specimen weighing 200+ kg. That seems simply unbearable, even if Quarians are more muscular, which they they don't seem to be. (they seem like more or less the same as humans)
B. I really don't see the logic in the way the council acted on Ekuna, unless there is an active policy to make an example out of the Quarians, which seems like an overkill at this point. The entire story seems very strange and makes no sense whatsoever. Or it could have been a cover-up for something else.
C. The Quarians have a large enough fleet to defend themselves against pirates and other Terminus pests. Even if the council didn't help them, perhaps even opening a dormant relay and simply fleeing known council space, or taking over a planet inside the Terminus or otherwise far away from the eyes of the council, would have probably gone better. Even the council probably wouldn't waste resources to actually stage a military action against the Quarians in this situation.
The Quarians could have used the media against the council in such a situation very easily.
D. The Quarians don't really need a perfect planet. Hell, even building an Omega-like structure on an asteroid and leaving in enclosed spaces is better and safer than living on space ships. It would free personal for manufacturing and mining, and free the fleet to concentrate on defense, scouting for a better planet, and perhaps retaking Ranoch. A planet with any kind of atmosphere and resources, is a plus. (a planet does not have to mean a place where the suits come off)
The exact copy sounds about right. Quarians evolved in a symbiotic relationship with Rannoch. Their physiology reflected that and that's why their health was ruined in exile. The quarians also didn't get help from the Council because of illegal AI research. Activating dormant mass relays was also out of equation. They were not welcome in Council space, batarians and Terminus Systems were not welcoming either. They had to seek out planets elsewhere and did so with ships like Idenna.
See D.
To summarize: I think that the Quarians worked very hard to preserve a certain narrative.
Certain truths about the Geth war had to be silenced, and perhaps some not-perfect solutions for a place to live were ignored in order to keep every Quarian desperate and aimed at retaking the home-world because this is supposedly the only acceptable choice.
I don't hate the Quarians as a race, but I don't think that they are the woobies some make them out to be.
D. Suit ruptures are still extremely dangerous, if not fatal. People now working on mining were working on ship engines or other ship-related tasks before. The fleet is freed from what exactly? Flying? In fact, the fleet is currently in much less of a need to defend itself than if they establish a colony. A moving fleet of a huge number of vessels is not a viable target, while a colony allows to plan and execute a coordinated attack.
And we've seen how the Council reacts on them claiming planets. Terminus Systems has a fleet that makes the Council to think twice before antagonizing them. And they won't take kindly to the quarians grabbing a slice of their territory. And dormant relay? The Council has laws against activating them. You want the quarians to breach those laws after creating AI (another law broken) and hope that the Council won't take action? They were willing to bomb them for settling a planet!
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