Tag Archives: Commander Shepherd

The Top Ten Things I Love About the Mass Effect Series

(Note: There are spoilers in this article.)

Finding a video game series that is well thought out and has a fully fleshed out history to its name is a rare thing.  One such series that does so is the Mass Effect “Commander Shepherd” Trilogy.  I don’t know of any other franchise on the same level, but the Mass Effect series sets the bar for how to make a trilogy outstanding.  Though the overall ending presented with Mass Effect 3 left many fans disappointed, that shouldn’t take away from the quality of the games as a whole.

The sci-fi series kicks off with the introduction of Shepherd, the second-in-command officer of a starship called the Normandy who leads a team to save a colony under siege.  Though only one colonist is found alive, he reveals the perpetrator as Saren, a member of an elite and exclusive galactic policing organization (SPECTRE) who’s gone rogue.  In addition, Shepherd comes into contact with an alien artifact that gives him or her a cryptic vision of a cataclysmic event to come.

Those are just the basic plot points that set the stage for a huge epic adventure that takes three games to tell.  Unfortunately, the setup doesn’t do much for telling just how great the trilogy is, so here is my top ten list of what makes the Mass Effect games so fantastic.

10) History/Backstory – The first game introduces players to a dozen different alien races.  While each race has a distinct look that makes them intriguing enough, the game’s developers took the time to establish detailed backgrounds for each and every one of them – even the Elcor and Hanar though they don’t play a central role in the story.  I don’t know of many sci-fi games that would build up a cultural and economic history for alien races who don’t get a lot of screen time, so kudos to the production team.

9) Game-save imports – It is not necessary to play all three games in the trilogy to understand the overall story, but it is recommended if the player wants to make the most of their experience.  There are at least a hundred different characters to interact with in Mass Effect 1 – most of whom Shepherd merely engages in conversation with.  However, supporting characters, provided they survive, will only appear in the subsequent chapters of the trilogy if the player imports a save containing data of what occurred in the preceding installment.  These imports add more depth to the overall story.  For example, saving or sacrificing a seemingly unimportant character in the first game has an impact of on how the second or third installment plays out.

Two versions of Commander Shepherd as created by me.

8) Character Customization – I know that there are other games that allow the player to decide how the main character looks or what their name should be, but the Mass Effect trilogy takes it to another level.  Shepherd’s look is not set in stone from one game to the next, even if a save is imported.  For example, Shepherd dies within the first fifteen minutes of Mass Effect 2, only to be brought back to life by expensive scientific means by one of the trilogy’s more shady characters, The Illusive Man.  Upon his or her resurrection, Shepherd’s appearance can be altered by the player if desired.  Though there is no clear reason given for why Shepherd’s appearance is prone to change between the second and third games, the option to alter the main character’s look is also present in Mass Effect 3.

7) Variety – One of the things I love most about the trilogy is how versatile the story is.  There are so many variants present in the games that you would have to replay them multiple times to experience everything.  Whether you’d like to see Commander Shepherd as male or female, peacemaker or badass, or engage in a relationship with one of the many romanceable crew members available, there is guaranteed to be enough variety to keep the games from ever getting stale.

6) Unavoidable decisions – Since nothing particularly bad happens to any of Shepherd’s squad mates\team members through much of Mass Effect 1, it’s easy to get attached to all of them.  So when a mission to take down Saren on the planet, Virmire, comes around late in the game, the player is forced to make a tough call.  Two squad mates – Kaiden Alenko and Ashley Williams – each come under heavy fire at separate ends of Saren’s complex, and Shepherd can only save one of them at the expense of the other.  While decisions don’t carry as much weight in the second game, there are several in Mass Effect 3 that pack the same kind of punch.

5) Multiplayer mode – In addition to its main story, Mass Effect 3 has a multiplayer mode where up to four players can team up via internet connection for a skirmish against one of the enemy armies present in the trilogy.  In this setting, you can choose to be a human combatant or one of the humanoid aliens present in the main game.  My personal preference is to play as a Quarian Engineer since their sentry turrets come in handy in keeping enemy units from sneaking up behind you.  For the most part, I like doing solo runs though those are mostly limited to easy/bronze mode.  Maybe one day I’ll actually get good enough to make it through a hardcore/platinum mode (which has the toughest units from all four enemy armies coming at you right off the bat) on my own.

4) Personal pratfalls – As much as I love the trilogy for its story, variety, and engaging characters, there are a few dumb things I’ve done at points that made it a truly unique experience.  For instance, I’ve come to learn from a number of games that I suck when it comes to steering a ground-based vehicle.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve crashed a car into something within a video game, but in Mass Effect 1, I somehow managed to drive off the edge of a wide cloud-level platform multiple times.  During my first playthrough of Mass Effect 2, I thought I was doing fine until I undertook the mission to recruit Archangel/Garrus as a team member – I got confused on what I was supposed to be doing and personally gunned him down myself.  In addition, I would often play the second game when I was dead tired.  This sometimes resulted in me jolting awake in front of the computer to find myself holding down the forward arrow key and Shepherd face-planted against a wall.

3) Monsters – No matter the game, there is nothing more jarring than being forced to combat someone you think of as an ally.  Mass Effect 3 uses this premise in spades by pitting Commander Shepherd against monstrous versions of the alien races that players had come to know and love.  While most are easy to take out with the right weapon or skill set, none of them are more frightening than the mutated Asari, or Banshees.  A long-limbed grotesque creature with a distinctive scream and the ability to teleport toward you at a fast pace, any one Banshee can kill Shepherd/the player with one blow if he or she isn’t careful.  FYI, Banshees are also included on my list of video game monsters that terrify me.

2) Romances – Pursuing a relationship in the Mass Effect trilogy is quite the experience in itself.  Between the three games, including the expansion packs, there are a total of 18 characters (or 19 if Aria T’Loak even counts) that Shepherd can get up close and personal with.  Romances are something that greatly add to the versatility of the games.  Shepherd can choose to stay true to his or her love interest from the first or second game or move on with someone else.  In most games that offer character customization, I prefer to play as a female character.  However, I have made an exception with the Mass Effect trilogy in the interest of pursuing a romance with one of Shepherd’s female teammates.

1) Humor\One-liners – The one thing that makes the Mass Effect series truly memorable is its unique wit.  The trilogy is filled with zingers guaranteed to get people chuckling.  Whether it’s Shepherd’s trademark statement for ending a conversation (“I should go.”), a snappy comeback to someone who confuses Shepherd with a very distinctive-looking alien (“Here’s a tip.  Two eyes – human.  Four eyes – Batarian.”), or humorous one-liners such as “I don’t need luck, I have ammo,” there is certain to be one bit of the dialogue in the games that will elicit a laugh.

This video game trilogy depicting the adventures of Commander Shepherd will always hold a special place in my heart, even if there is a forthcoming game to be released in March 2017 that may surpass them.  The upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda will be completely removed from the original trilogy by taking place 600 hundred years later in a separate galaxy and featuring an all-new cast of characters.  I don’t know much of what to expect from this upcoming game.  But if it retains the same elements that made its predecessors so great, I’m sure I’ll find it immensely entertaining.

I hope you all enjoyed this article, and please leave a comment below if you did.  Be sure to tune in next month for my first impressions of the soon-to-be-released Resident Evil 7.

©January 18, 2017

 

My Top Ten Favorite Badass Video Game Characters

My Top Ten Favorite Badass Video Game Characters

In my years playing video games, I’ve come to particularly enjoy games that are action-packed and feature some of the most impressive visuals that I never tire of seeing.  None of these iconic action sequences would be entirely possible without the right character bringing their unique talents to the table.  Whether it’s heroes or villains who are superpowered, highly skilled in combat, or defy the laws of nature, no game franchise would be complet without a character or two who really kick ass.

The list that follows is my top ten favorite badass game characters and what sets them apart.  Please be warned that there are spoilers ahead.

10.  Rhonda Kreske (Dead Rising 3) — (spoiler alert) It might seem odd to have a tough-as-nails mechanic in the #10 slot, but Rhonda is, in my opinion, one of the best things about Dead Rising 3. From the moment she first appears on-screen as the friend, maternal figure, and employer of the game’s lead protagonist, Nick, her winning personality and take-charge attitude make her an instantly likable character.  She quickly proves she can hold her own when a pair of hoodlums dragged her into a shack for an attempt to rape her only to be sent packing by her within minutes.  As if she isn’t awesome enough, to begin with, she acquires a robotic flamethrower arm to replace her own when it’s cut off toward the end of the game.

9.  Galahad (Aveyond series) – (spoiler alert) The fantasy adventure series, Aveyond, isn’t widely known; it’s likely I wouldn’t even be aware of it myself if I hadn’t downloaded a demo of Aveyond 3: Gates of Night and got hooked. Each entry in the series tells a story separate from the others, with up to a 300-year gap in between games.  Only two characters appear in all four Aveyond games in some form — the vampiress Te’ijal and Galahad, the paladin-turned-creature-of-the-night she tricked into marrying her.  Even though Te’ijal’s been a vampire longer than him, Galahad is the most powerful character present in the series.  In Aveyond 4, he appears out of nowhere and single-handedly demolishes a battlefield full of demons that the four playable characters had no hope of beating.

8.  Big Daddy (Bioshock 1 & 2) – The world of Bioshock 1 & 2 is a massive undersea city called Rapture built to be a utopia for humankind. It falls into disarray after the introduction of a highly-addictive drug that grants superpowers.  The main character in Bioshock 1 discovers Rapture sometime after its decline into a monster-infested ruin.  The most dangerous creatures roaming about are each referred to as Big Daddy, hulks in full scuba gear that wield huge drills as weapons.  While they’re not to be trifled with, each of them serves as a devoted guardian to a young, drug-addicted girl wandering about the city.  Each Big Daddy turns deadly if they think their charge will be harmed.  To make things more interesting, Bioshock 2 flips things around by allowing the player to assume the role of a Big Daddy fighting to reclaim the girl who was forcibly taken from him.

7.  Vaas Montenegro (Far Cry 3) — A good rule of thumb, for both the world of Far Cry 3 and real life, is to make sure the island you’re planning to skydive onto isn’t overrun with drug runners and criminals led by a dangerous psycho. The game’s main protagonist, Jason, learns this the hard way when he and his older brother are quickly captured upon landing; the brother – a soldier no less – is killed during the escape attempt.  From there, it is up to the non-combatant Jason to systematically tear down the empire of the psychotic villain, Vaas.  This undertaking isn’t without its perils.  At some point during the story, Vaas shows off his special blend of crazy when he captures the intrepid hero, ties him to a cinderblock, and shoves him into a pit filled with water without warning.

6.  HUNK (Resident Evil Series) — In a game series populated by experienced fighters, soldiers, mercenaries, and the like, it takes a lot to stand out. One character that does is a Special Forces operative who goes by HUNK (Human Unit Never Killed).  He remains the most mysterious character of all in the Resident Evil series.  His real name was never revealed, and his face is constantly covered with a red-lensed gas mask.  HUNK’s character bio states he has a reputation for being the only operative to come back alive from several team-based missions given to him by the corrupt pharmaceutical company, the Umbrella Corporation.  Though his only real appearances are in Resident Evil 2 and the spinoffs, Umbrella Chronicles and Operation Raccoon City (all set in the year 1998), he is presumed to be still alive and kicking and waiting for a comeback.

Top (L-R) Urdnot Wrex, Vaas, Wesker, Big Daddy, Kratos
Bottom (L-R) Alexia Ashford, Galahad w/ Te’ijal, Rhonda, HUNK, Kai Leng
(photo credits at end)

5.  Kai Leng (Mass Effect 3) – (spoiler alert) The Mass Effect series has many formidable villains to its name, but very few with the aptitude of the telekinetic ninja-like swordmaster Kai Leng. Though he is seen standing idly by in one of the opening movie-style cinematics, he shows just how dangerous he is in his first action sequence. He is sent by a terrorist group to assassinate some high-ranking political figures and knows he must slow down the main protagonist, Commander Shepherd, to pull it off.  Toward this end, he drops from the sky onto the nose of Shepherd’s transport shuttle, stabs the engine with his sword while evading fire, and makes a smooth exit when his ride/shuttle comes in to pick him up.  Despite Shepherd’s best efforts, Kai succeeds in killing one of the politicians unless one of two other characters (Thane or Kirrahee) are still alive to stop him.

4.  Kratos (God of War series) — I must admit that I’ve never actually played any of the God of War games, but I’ve seen enough YouTube videos from other players to have developed a liking for the Spartan anti-hero, Kratos. Over the course of the three main games in the series, Kratos personally takes down many of the central figures in Greek Mythology – Gods, demi-gods, and Titans alike – in a quest for revenge.  Kratos’ thirst for vengeance knows no bounds.  He even claws his way out of the underworld – twice – to satisfy his bloodlust.

3.  Albert Wesker (Resident Evil Series) – Of all the villains in the Resident Evil franchise, there is not one that comes close to sharing Wesker’s particular capabilities. Granted superior strength and agility from a genetically-altering virus, Wesker is capable of easily besting the most experienced combatant and can move faster than a bullet at point-blank range.  Even more remarkable is his knack to stay cool and composed in most situations.  One example to the contrary is when an opponent gets lucky enough to stab him in the arm; the look of rage on his face says it all.  My personal favorite fight sequences are when he goes up against his long-standing rivals, Chris and Jill, inside a mansion, or his close quarters battle against Chris and his new partner, Sheva, in a ship’s cargo hold.

2.  Urdnot Wrex (Mass Effect Series) – Kai Leng is not the only character in the Mass Effect trilogy to take down a shuttle, but the brawny alien leader of Clan Urdnot of the lizard-like Krogan race, Wrex, does so in an extraordinary fashion. To save Commander Shepherd from a ship full of mercenaries, Wrex dives through a window and uses his body weight alone to force the shuttle down onto a platform.  He then proceeds to beat the stuffing out of all the mercs on board.  I was a fan of Wrex even before I saw this takedown, but this scene elevates him to new levels of awesome.

1.  Alexia Ashford (Resident Evil: Code Veronica) – If there were any one character who is arguably more powerful than Wesker in the Resident Evil series, it would be the main villainess in Code Veronica, Alexia Ashford. No sooner do Alexia and Wesker come face to face than she transforms into a humanoid plant-like creature and engages him in a fight.  Though the extent of her powers is never fully explored, what little she demonstrates is enough to make Wesker think twice about duking it out.  One of his punches does nothing more than make her stagger.  Alexia also uses her blood as a weapon, which ignites into flames within seconds of being exposed to oxygen.  The game, in general, doesn’t have the best dialogue, but this showdown is spectacular.

It could be interesting to throw all of these characters together for a grudge match, excluding Vaas and Rhonda since they wouldn’t last a minute, and see who comes out victorious. Granted, Kratos has an unfair advantage due to his tendency to come back from the dead until he gets it right, but Kai Leng’s ability to create psionic force fields are a good countermeasure against the determined Spartan.

Feel free to cast your vote on who would win such a Battle Royale in the comments below.  And be sure to tune in next month as I countdown the top ten things I love about the Mass Effect games.

Photo credits

Rhonda — http://i.imgur.com/pc2Dpqy.jpg

Galahad – https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZhWFBZHTKYw/maxresdefault.jpg

Big Daddy – http://www.game-art-hq.com/wp-content/uploads/Big-Daddy-Playstation-Allstars-Battle-Royale.jpg

Vaas – http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/feature/top10s/derangedvillains/Vaas610.jpg

HUNK – http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/residentevil/images/a/ad/HUNK_by_Aikido456.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151218195316

Kai Leng – http://img04.deviantart.net/c018/i/2012/079/4/e/kai_leng___mass_effect_3_by_loraine95-d4tfc2m.jpg

Kratos – http://i.imgur.com/cXg7bMn.jpg

Albert Wesker – http://t08.deviantart.net/YDtgwYw3CNf7stcAACMEvu-6TrY=/fit-in/700×350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre01/f49e/th/pre/f/2012/183/0/9/resident_evil_5_by_lena14081990-d55nyxl.jpg

Urdnot Wrex – http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/1/11/Urdnot_wrex_14_by_johntesh-d4y9jqc.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130216012755

Alexia Ashford – http://orig07.deviantart.net/4ce5/f/2016/020/e/0/alexia_ashford_mutated_first_form__by_thebeast10-d9oo14v.png