Talking about Mass Effect 3 With Spoilers

[Osterbaum]

I'd say his inclusion is bad news for those hoping Jacob returns as a squadmate.

Is someone actually hoping for this? I mean I want the game to acknowledge the fact that Jacob was in your team and that he survived (in the case that he did) etc. so he'd atleast make an appearance. But Jacob was pretty boring, so as a squad mate? No thanks, unless they actually make him vastly more interesting.

EDIT: Bioware did say that some ME2 characters would remain on the Normandy (if alive) but not provide combat support as a permanent squadmate. Mordin for example will still be your scientist but won't join you for ground missions. Except maybe a special one on his homeworld or something. That is how a few of the characters will be handled.

But Mordin and Tali are pretty much the only two characters that would have any business being on the ship without participating in combat. Mordin is the scientist/expert and Tali is the chief engineer. But all the others? Can't really think of anything for them to do. I mean I guess Jacob could do weapons maintenance and Miranda can sit in her office writing stuff but that would be pretty weak. And if they'd put Garrus in charge of weapons and not have him participate in combat? That would piss 99% of people off.

[Kerensky287]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

EDIT: Bioware did say that some ME2 characters would remain on the Normandy (if alive) but not provide combat support as a permanent squadmate. Mordin for example will still be your scientist but won't join you for ground missions. Except maybe a special one on his homeworld or something. That is how a few of the characters will be handled.

I actually found that that strategy worked really well in the DLC missions; using Liara in Shadow Broker was a fun change of pace, and it gives the devs the opportunity to give the player access to abilities that might be vastly overpowered in other situations. In that set of DLC I used my Adept character and spent most of the mission throwing dual Singularities every which way.

[Solid Snake]

And weirdly (yet awesomely) enough, Tali's actually a "permanent" squadmate, despite the fact that she really shouldn't be. Pure popularity propelled her. (Albeit I'm sure there are conditions where she'd abandon your team, like if you totally fucked over the Quarians and supported the Geth.)

Personally I'm getting vibes that Jack, Legion, and Grunt are going to be the ME2 characters who make the transition as permanent squadmates, in large part because Jack and Legion (and Garrus) got "character design updates to ME3" snippets released to the public from Bioware, Jack has nothing better to do and her and James ensure one male and one female human aside from Kaidan / Ashley, and Ashley's redesign reminds me a bit too much of Miranda for me to get a positive vibe. And Grunt, of course, is likely to be the token Krogan. Mind you this is pure 100% speculation but if I had to wage money on the ME2 characters returning as permanent squaddies those are the names I'd gamble on.

(I don't think Jack's popularity truly merits it but I do think several important members of the ME3 team are quite "infatuated" with her.)

I'd actually totally buy into Miranda and/or Jacob sacrificing themselve(s) to rescue you from an early surprise attack by Cerberus. Maybe they'd even customize the death so that it didn't interfere with your potential LI (Miranda sacrifices herself for femshep, Jacob for maleshep, if one or the other is dead whoever's alive does the sacrifice regardless.) Again, pure speculation, but I wouldn't say I'm optimistic that Miranda or Jacob are going to be permanent squadmates this time around.

[Overcast]

What I am trying to figure out is just what they might try with the story. A statistics reboot seems fairly likely, it happens even in sequels to RPG's though I am just trying to figure out how they are going to justify it. The question of recruiting the old members or keeping the new members may be based on what they chose to do after the end, and how they liked you. Maybe they'll just happen to be on the planets where your missions are. I honestly cannot say.

The question of who I'd enjoy seeing back is based mostly on how I felt about their personality because I'm not the kind of guy who felt their usage in combat all that important. I was able to deal with most issues using my abilities alone. I didn't like Jacob, he was a practice in Bioware's inability to make normal people interesting(similar to why I left Ashley to die). Garrus was fine but continued his theme of being a low dialogue creature, only this time I got to watch him become broodier and simultaneously more perverse. I wasn't fond of Grunt since he was a child who had no personal identity, which after Wrex was quite a let down. I didn't much like either Asari, Samara was a one sided knight templar her daughter was a sociopathic monster. Miranda is a neutral area for me, I didn't feel much distaste for her, what with being relatively witty and supporting when I made the renegade options that were for pragmatism. Yet I don't know how they could develop her more. Jack was notable enough, I kinda just want to see her development after understanding the truth of her origins. Thane I kinda hoped died, a part of me wouldn't find it too bad to have him die in the final mission. Reason being is he is a man with quite a past that made him incredibly interesting, and dying saving the galaxy...he deserves that. Tali was almost certainly meant to be the love interest since she was one mess of adorable that even my faggoty self couldn't help but ship with shep. She of course has an unfair advantage as I have a weakness for the unreasonably dorkish. Mordin was to this game on my point as Wrex was in the first one, a person with the degree of veteran knowledge that matched my persona as Shepard, up to the point that he had his own ideals on the world that he could match me on and argue with. Needless to say I loved the guy. Legion was an interesting practice in trying to understand something that isn't human and that was at one point demonized by pretty much the whole of the galaxy. I want to know what might be deeper in that mass of programs.

As for characters before, new Liara is a fucking monster, but in an interesting way. I'd like to see her at least using her newfound power to help what is sure to be Shepard trying to save the Galaxy from itself. Also if Kaiden is back, I reserve the right to call him a whiny bitch before I convert him to my side. Because fuck you Mr. Psychic, I fucking died. I swear if he doesn't become a gay romance next time I won't understand how he could act so stilted.

And Conrad Verner.

[Kerensky287]

Originally Posted by Overcast

And Conrad Verner.

I think you mentioned him in the context of romance options but I am not joking when I say that I 100% hope their "no new party members" thing just means no NEWLY INTRODUCED characters as party members.

Verner just deserves to be a squad member.

You know it, deep down.

Like, I don't even care if he has any abilities or weapons, I just want to hear his dialog all the time in response to all of these genuinely dangerous situations.

Imagine if you could've brought him along to fight the Shadow Broker, who had a special line of dialog for whichever 3rd party member you had at your side! "THANK YOU FOR BRINGING SHEPARD, HIS HEAD WILL FETCH A HIGH PRICE. I DO NOT KNOW WHO THIS OTHER MAN IS BUT I DON'T KNOW MAYBE HE WILL BE SELLABLE TOO."

[Krylo]

A romancable party member.

His special ability is getting credits from crates and shit.

Edit: Also, trufax, Shadow Broker totally ignores Jacob if you bring him with.

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by Kerensky287

I think you mentioned him in the context of romance options but I am not joking when I say that I 100% hope their "no new party members" thing just means no NEWLY INTRODUCED characters as party members.

Nah man, as I said, we already got at least one "newly introduced" character as a party member, this James dude, although Bioware has already specified that James will not be a romantic option for any Shepard, and in fact, no new romances are being introduced in ME3.

...Which is weird, insofar as Bioware has also suggested that it's putting plenty of effort to include scenes and resolution with pre-existing romance options, but whatevs.

Verner does deserve to be a squad member, but I doubt he'll be one. :P

...I brought Garrus with me to the Shadow Broker and all I got was an Archangel bounty reference.

[Kerensky287]

Originally Posted by Krylo

Edit: Also, trufax, Shadow Broker totally ignores Jacob if you bring him with.

Not really, he just sort of goes "Hey, I'll sell Shep's corpse. Also you brought Mr Taylor, neat, I get to kill a Cerberus person." He says the exact same thing (except with names swapped) if you bring Miranda along.

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

Nah man, as I said, we already got at least one "newly introduced" character as a party member, this James dude, although Bioware has already specified that James will not be a romantic option for any Shepard, and in fact, no new romances are being introduced in ME3.

...Bleh, sorry, I guess I misread that then.

Conrad Verner totally deserves to be a squad member though, even if he's just a temporary party member.

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by Kerensky287

Not really, he just sort of goes "Hey, I'll sell Shep's corpse. Also you brought Mr Taylor, neat, I get to kill a Cerberus person." He says the exact same thing (except with names swapped) if you bring Miranda along.

Yeah, but everyone who ISN'T Jacob or Miranda he says something about how they're famous for this or excellent at that or worth money because of this.

With Jacob he's just like "Welp. Cerberus."

Didn't realize he was just as lackluster with Miranda though.

[greed]

Originally Posted by Kerensky287

I think you mentioned him in the context of romance options but I am not joking when I say that I 100% hope their "no new party members" thing just means no NEWLY INTRODUCED characters as party members.

Verner just deserves to be a squad member.

You know it, deep down.

Like, I don't even care if he has any abilities or weapons, I just want to hear his dialog all the time in response to all of these genuinely dangerous situations.

Imagine if you could've brought him along to fight the Shadow Broker, who had a special line of dialog for whichever 3rd party member you had at your side! "THANK YOU FOR BRINGING SHEPARD, HIS HEAD WILL FETCH A HIGH PRICE. I DO NOT KNOW WHO THIS OTHER MAN IS BUT I DON'T KNOW MAYBE HE WILL BE SELLABLE TOO."

I want you to arrive at Earth at like the halfway point of the game get into a thoroughly unsurvivable situation then get single-handedly saved by the heroic leader of the human resistance, who takes off his helmet and reveals Verner, just as much of goon as before, just one able to kill revenants with his cigarette while pirouetting midair.