One of the things I like about the conversations with TIM -and I know I've mentioned this before- is that they don't have the feel of someone addressing a subordinate.
Now, obviously, in the previous game you were a person of significance, but it seemed like everyone you talked to was somehow in a higher position of authority. Admiral Hackett outranked you. Udina outranked you. The Council outranked you. And boy did they make sure you were aware of the fact.
Not only that, but
minor characters (such as Anoleis) acted as if you were beneath their notice.
The Illusive Man, however, addresses Shepard as if (s)he
is an equal. It doesn't matter which end of the Karma Meter you're on- in fact, he seems to put a lot of effort into getting you to see things from his perspective if you choose Paragon responses.
He almost never raises his voice, even if you're deliberately trying to provoke him (he will snap at you if you choose the "Never again, you hear me?" option after the Collector Base... but then again so would I, if someone tried to ream me out for making a tough command decision). He defers to your judgment, explains his actions as they pertain to your mission, and moves mountains to ensure that you survive your mission.
As I mentioned in a separate thread, that’s a welcome change from the command structure in ME1, who didn’t seem to give a damn whether you lived or died- so long as they came out on top.
Going back to something Kim said on the previous page, I think on some level he
does care about Shepard. After all, he has stated, repeatedly, that the Commander is the living representation of what humanity has to offer. At the very least, that suggests a healthy level of respect and/or admiration. He constantly puts Shepard at risk, not as an attempt to backstab or remove a potential obstacle from his path, but because he genuinely believes (s)he can handle it.
Hell, Hackett did that, too*- in fact, if TIM were part of the Alliance, there's a chance he'd be accused of favoritism; not of trying to get you killed.
He does try to hold the fact that Cerberus saved you life (and thus you owe him) over your head if you destroy the Collector base, but keep in mind that from an objective standpoint, you just threw away a huge tactical advantage for no better reason than
you didn’t like it.
Even
Garrus gets on your case for blowing it up (though the devs seem to have retconned that, if you talk with him on the Normandy afterward).
*-Note that whenever Hackett gives you side missions in ME1, he tells you it's because they're too dangerous for anyone else; you're the only one he trusts to succeed. And he also has a bad habit of not telling you everything.
Modifié par Ashwraith, 19 décembre 2010 - 10:31 .
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