Dean_the_Young wrote...
But it's really Tali who doesn't make much sense for a 'best of the best' category: she was never implied as being so in ME1, and doesn't exactly demonstrate any such superb skill in ME2, where it's supposed to matter. In ME1 she got Pilgrimage Training: not even actual military training, but enough to take care of herself. And she was legitimately good at being a mechanic. But best of the best? As a specialist? In ME2, her appearances never underscored such a theme, and the only word we have that she's 'best of the best' is that, well, she's in the same group of a bunch of people with that reputation. Which is like saying that if you hang out with football players, you must be a good football player.
Engineer Adams considers Tali "amazing." Coming from the chief engineer of the most advanced starship in the Alliance Navy, that sounds like fairly high praise to me. Obviously, Tali isn't a combat monster, but she's still more of a combatant than most engineers. So I'd say her case for "best of the best" status seems solid. It's at least as good as Thane, Jacob, or Okeer, IMHO. Combine that with the fact that she's already worked with Shepard and is familiar with the Reapers, and I have a hard time imagining what Shepard would be looking for in a "better" techie.
Dean_the_Young wrote...
Naltair wrote...
Freedom's Progress: Hardly a rescue you pretty much work together and then she tends to the wounded while you take out the Mech.
Given how helpless she is in that mission, and how you're pretty much racing forward to save her team (and her) from the big nasty robot... it is rather an underselling of 'action girl' she's supposed to be.
You're rushing to save Tali's team, yes, but Tali herself never seems to be in any danger; she's just busy treating the wounded. That seems fine to me; Tali doesn't have to leap into combat at every opportunity just to prove how badass she is.
Haelstrom: Is a rescue mission but she helps you along the way and the mission was already known to be highly dangerous to begin with.
So what about the 'but'? In ME1, when she was in trouble she was fighting: on Haelstrom, she's holed up in a bunker. That's quite a re-selling of her character, and not for the better.
I agree with you on this one; this is an occasion where they made Tali into the damsel. It makes sense for Tali to be bunkered down, but she should have been an active combatant even so. I liked Haestrom overall, and I don't mind having Shepard rescue Tali again, but Tali should have been doing more than waiting for her hero.
The Trial: You assist Tali in clearing her name, or not, and she fights alongside you every step of the way. Being her "captain" your word has a ton of weight on the outcome but she isn't just some damsel.
'Damsel' is pretty much what she is when she relies nearly entirely on Shepard's advocacy to make her case, and will go meekly along with whatever you choose.
But now I'm back to disagreeing. Quarians are represented by their captain; Shepard is her captain, so he's the one who gets to speak. AFAWCT, Tali's actions would have been exactly the same if the Neema's captain had represented her. But Tali certainly doesn't "go meekly along" with whatever you choose. She says in no uncertain terms what she wants you to do (throwing the trial is HER idea, after all). If you ignore her and present the evidence, she'll express far more emotion about it than I ever saw from her in ME1.
Besides, it's not like Tali is completely passive the rest of the time. She fights with you to retake the Alarei, and is no more or less dependent on you than any other squadmate ever is. It's not like Mordin is planning to fight his way to Maelon all by himself.
In ME1, Tali argued with Shepard. In ME2, not only did her tone change (Geth politics), but she lost that will.
The only time I noticed Tali arguing with Shepard in ME 1 is if you try to defend the Geth's actions in the Morning War. But that's still a touchy subject in ME2, so I don't see much change. If you're complaining about her simple acceptance of Legion, I'd agree. But in my view, that stems from a lack of time and resources rather than a fundamental shift in Tali's personality. Her confrontation with Legion should have been the climax of many such scenes, but wound up being their only real interaction. :-(
Personally, I really liked Tali in ME2, because she was one of the few things that felt a continuation of ME1. She'd gone from being a brash girl on her Pilgrimage to being a young woman learning to command teams. She still seemed like the same person to me, just a little older and dealing with much harder realities. Her presence also continued the Quarian/Geth storyline from the first game, which I found far more interesting than the Collectors. (Though as I said, I wish they'd done more with her and Legion.)
So regardless of just how much her inclusion owes to fan pressure, I'm glad she was there.
Modifié par Ye Olde Gamer, 21 avril 2011 - 09:32 .
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