8 réponses à ce sujet

[nokori3byo]

I'm sure this has been commented on at some length before, but I'd like to hear people's thoughts on why many of the side-quests in ME2 involve some kind of problem in the NPCs' family backgrounds.  First, let's consider the sidequests point by point.

For five of the squad members, the family motif is ver pronounced:

Thane:  NPC's neglect of his son, Kolyat has caused the latter to take up work as a contract killer.  Thane must intervene and take responsibilty for the results of his own poor parenting.

Samara:  One of the NPC's three Ardat Yakshi daughters has become a wanton killer on the run from various authorities.  Tracking down her daughter becomes Samara's raison d'etre as she scours the galaxy, desperate to end the killings. 

Miranda:  Rebels against her controlling father by thwarting a kidnap attempt on her twin sister.  So doing, she also ensures her sister will be able to continue living a normal family life of her own.

Jacob: Estranged from his father due to some undisclosed act of abuse or neglect, Jacob learns that the man he had long presumed dead may in fact be alive and pursues a resolution. 

Tali:  Accused of treason because of actions committed by her father, Tali must return to the Migrant Fleet to protest her own innocence and defend the honor of the family

Among the remaining squad members, the family motif is less pronounced but still present:

Mordin: For his loyalty mission, the Salarian scientist sets off in search of a former student and protege.  While this student is not a direct relation, it is clear that the aging, childless Mordin places great value on father/son like relationships with characters like Daniel and the "favorite nephew" he mentions in conversation with Shepard.

Jack:  The outlaw biotic's return to the research facity--effectively the only home she ever knew--is a poignant attempt to resolve traumatic events in her own childhood.  The unscupulous and cruel behaviour of her guardians has made her a loner and outcast from all groups and organizations (though she can potentially be made a loyal member of the Normandy crew).

Garrus:  The Turian is tormented by a betrayal that effectively caused him to fail as a group leader.  His band of vigllantes was, in a sense, a fraternal organization with Siodis as its Judas.

Grunt:  With no real family to speak of, Grunt is seeking reintegration into krogan society and, more specifically, into the expanded familial group of the Clan Urdnot.

Legion:  Again, Legion is not techically a member of any family, but the title of his loyalty quest "A House Divided" makes the theme of schism within the family unit (in this case, the Geth Collective) very clear.  Depending on decisions made by the player, Legion can forcibly unite this "family."

Zaeed:  Like Garrus, Zaeed was a member of a fraternal group.  For all their backstabbing, the Blue Suns have a strong sense of identity, in the form of the gang mentality displayed in their tatoos.  He is understandably enraged to have been expelled from the group he helped found, by the treachery of his partner.

Kasumi:  We don't know enough about her to say yet, but could there be a Thieves' Guild somewhere on the scene...?

Commander Shepard:  Very much the lynch pin in this scheme, Shepard's own family is in the background (though his mother is mentioned in both games).  In ME2, Shepard himself has become something of a mercenary, wearing the uniform of an organization to which he has no allegiance.
Nevertheless, the success of the mission hinges on his ability to build his team into a solid and loyal unit, free from the schisms and dysfunctionality of the inidividual team members' backgrounds

Arguably, the whole family thing is just a reflection of lead writer Drew Karpyshyn's interest in the theme of family, which can be seen to play a significant role in the ME novels.  It would seem to me that it also closely ties in to ME2's main theme of team loyalty though.

Thoughts?

[Missouri Tigers]

How do you know Shepard wears Cerberus stuff in ME2. He could wear the doctor's outfit that doesn't have the Cerberus symbol anywhere and could use the N7 Armor in combat.

[notphrog]

I like the point OP is making. And the doctor's outfit is still branded SR2 which is a Cerberus ship. And besides, OP doesn't mean literally wearing their uniform. OP is refering to working for/with people he doesn't trust or isn't loyal to.

[silentstephi]

nokori3byo wrote...

*snip*
Commander Shepard:  Very much the lynch pin in this scheme, Shepard's own family is in the background (though his mother is mentioned in both games).  In ME2, Shepard himself has become something of a mercenary, wearing the uniform of an organization to which he has no allegiance.
Nevertheless, the success of the mission hinges on his ability to build his team into a solid and loyal unit, free from the schisms and dysfunctionality of the inidividual team members' backgrounds

Arguably, the whole family thing is just a reflection of lead writer Drew Karpyshyn's interest in the theme of family, which can be seen to play a significant role in the ME novels.  It would seem to me that it also closely ties in to ME2's main theme of team loyalty though.

Thoughts?

It also depends on your back story for Shep though.  Earthborn's are shown just how :f'd up: family matters can be (Earthborn is an orphan background, and I think the default for Sheploo.)

I think though, as for the theme, it fits with the theme of ME2.  You're building a "family" almost, out of your crew.  You need to work together closely to ensure you all survive the mission and deal with the Reaper threat.  Plus, as people, it's a theme we can all grok, for the most part.

For the most part, we all come from families, and none of them are perfect.  So the fact that you can sympathize easily with it makes it more immersive.

[SarEnyaDor]

Going out on a limb here - but if I were about to embark upon a suicide mission, I sure as heck wouldn't be filing my taxes or making sure that that one girl in high school I hated got told off, I'd want to settle accounts with the people closest to me (or with the people who took my family away whatever), hence the family theme in the loyalty missions.

[rabbitchannel]

I agree, but as they are "loyalty" quests in which you help resolve a personal matter, can you think of any possible scenarios that are different? It is difficult to present a situation in which Shepard helps them because she is genuinely concerned about them and where she doesn't stand to profit directly in some way. A family matter is also one that is compelling and undoubtedly of great significance to a character. Gaining a member's loyalty by buying him/her a large, shiny gun would be shallow in comparison.

[GenericPlayer2]

My god this confirms it! ME2 is Jerry Springer in Space!

[Sunnie]

notphrog wrote...

I like the point OP is making. And the doctor's outfit is still branded SR2 which is a Cerberus ship. And besides, OP doesn't mean literally wearing their uniform. OP is refering to working for/with people he doesn't trust or isn't loyal to.

It doesn't stay a Cerberus ship in any of my games. It becomes MY ship when I tell TIM to get bent. Now, I just need to find the nearest galactic Maaco to paint over the Cerberus Symbols!

[Kressida]

SarEnyaDor wrote...

Going out on a limb here - but if I were about to embark upon a suicide mission, I sure as heck wouldn't be filing my taxes or making sure that that one girl in high school I hated got told off, I'd want to settle accounts with the people closest to me (or with the people who took my family away whatever), hence the family theme in the loyalty missions.

^This.

You're going to an area of space that *no one* has ever returned from. I think it is pretty reasonable to assume that a majority of people would want to settle things with their families... either by making amends (Thane) or making sure they're taken care of (Miranda) or correcting past mistakes to their best of their ability (Samara) or settling family business (Tali).

As far as Shepard is concerned, I kinda looked at the DLC Normandy mission as his/her way of tying up loose ends, etc. before going on a suicide mission.