Let's discuss Mass Effect.

[RJ 17]

And by that, I mean actually discuss it. Not how much you hate it or love it, but specifically discuss things about the series.

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

What's your favorite squad in ME 1? I've gotta say...I don't think I've ever used Kaiden or Ashely. Like, ever...and I've got 7 characters all with multiple playthroughs. Why bother with Ashely when I can use Wrex? Why bother with Kaiden when I can use...anyone else? I dunno, maybe I just like working with aliens better, but I tend to keep Liara in my squad for her biotics, and I'll switch out between Wrex and Tali depending on if I'm on a mission against organics or Geth.

As for ME 2, I tended to mix it up a bit more. Some characters I never used unless it was their loyalty mission...Jacob, Jack, Miranda, Thane. Grunt, of course, makes a kick ass tank, but I also liked Zaaed for his fire bomb. If I wasn't playing a biotic and I needed one, I'd take Samara, if I knew I was going up against the Geth I'd take Tali, if I was going to be fighting organics I'd bring Mordin. Basically just took things on a situational basis.

 

[RKOking226]

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

I'm pretty sure asari and humans can't produce offspring just like how most of earth animals can't unless they have the same DNA.

As for ME 2, I tended to mix it up a bit more. Some characters I never used unless it was their loyalty mission...Jacob, Jack, Miranda, Thane. Grunt, of course, makes a kick ass tank, but I also liked Zaaed for his fire bomb. If I wasn't playing a biotic and I needed one, I'd take Samara, if I knew I was going up against the Geth I'd take Tali, if I was going to be fighting organics I'd bring Mordin. Basically just took things on a situational basis.

I always brought Legion now matter where I went becuase of his humor. My second member was a toss up between Tali (Because she hated Legion so much) and Garrus because I could relate to him to most for some reason.

Other than those 3 the rest of my crew just sat back and told me their background history.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I only played ME2 as I don't have a 360 or PC that can play ME1. I did watch a ME1 movie this guy put together on Youtube though. I had Ashley killed in the choice select comic for ME2 because at one point in the ME1 movie I watched, she said, "everything happens for a reason" and I hate when people say that.

I hated Zaaed because of his loyalty mission so I never used him outside of that. I also hated Jack towards the end because I choose to side with Miranda with a "Jack" issue (which ended up being the right choice) and Jack was a *****. I'd bring Miranda and Garrus on Geth missions because they both had overload. I actually really liked Thane as a character, and I brought him along on quite a few missions (even the suicide mission, he had some skill that was useful). I liked Tali a lot and I also used her on quite a few missions because I loved the drone. I also liked Mordin, Kasumi, and Legion.

 

[CrazyBlaze]

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

I'm pretty sure asari and humans can't produce offspring just like how most of earth animals can't unless they have the same DNA.

Asari are capable of breeding with any race. The childern will appear Asari however. Also traits that are deriable are passed on from the father. So say human's adaptibility is deseriable that trait will be passed on. Also just because Shepard and Liara did it does not mean she was automatically pregnenat. It could be similar with humans where it could take many tries. Or Shepard is shooting blanks.

 

[DustyDrB]

The romance stuff is always kind of an afterthought to me, so I haven't put any thought into child-bearing in the series. What the romances serve as to me are basically just a window to get to know a certain character a little better. It adds a bit of something new to each playthrough, as I might experience a tiny bit more of the story this time by "romancing" whoever. But further than that, it's near the bottom of what I care about in the series.

When it comes to what squadmates I use, I mix it up. I will use everyone multiple times, as I get a great deal of satisfaction from not only exploring the variables in building my character, but my squadmates as well. I want to know how this power interacts with that one. And, story-wise, I want to see how they all react to a given situation. As a result, my first playthrough is far and away my least efficient. I remember having great difficulty on Horizon my first time because I just happened to have not chosen squadmates who were good at taking down armor and barriers.

My favorite squadmate to use is Kasumi, as she's a woman after my own heart. She's the Mass Effect version of a backstabbing thief. Flashbang Grenades are nifty, as well. Miranda is up there as well, since she has a power for pretty much any situation. I don't know who my favorite character is. Probably Liara, given how great her role was in Lair of the Shadow Broker (and how OP Biotics were in the first game).

Kaiden is actually underrated. Neural Shock is a great power, especially on harder difficulties. It can stop a charging Krogan in its tracks and also negate its health regen. And Barrier gives him a great deal of durability.

 

[AD-Stu]

Favourite squads in ME1 vary depending on the mission and my own character build: my soldiers had to take Tali pretty much everywhere to open all the doors, for example. Assuming I don't need someone to do that stuff for me though, I'd probably say either Wrex/Garrus or Wrex/Liara.

Despite having a lot more options in ME2 I found the choices a lot more straightforward - when I had a choice of both teammates, it was usually either Miranda/Garrus or Miranda/Samara based on whether I was going to be fighting synthetics or organics. It didn't seem as repetitive though, since you have to take everyone out at least once on their loyalty mission.

 

[Windcaler]

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

There are a couple things that could explain why. The first and most likely is that Liara just didnt get pregnant. It happens. Sometimes couples get pregnant on the first try, other times they have to try a few or even many times till they finally get one. The second thing is, protection. Liara could have just used something to stop herself from getting pregnant. Third is who says she isnt pregnant? I dont think the game has ever said what the gestation time is for Asari, so for all we know it could take several years till a newborn is born.

What's your favorite squad in ME 1? I've gotta say...I don't think I've ever used Kaiden or Ashely. Like, ever...and I've got 7 characters all with multiple playthroughs. Why bother with Ashely when I can use Wrex? Why bother with Kaiden when I can use...anyone else? I dunno, maybe I just like working with aliens better, but I tend to keep Liara in my squad for her biotics, and I'll switch out between Wrex and Tali depending on if I'm on a mission against organics or Geth.

It depends. I first played the game as an infiltrator (read: sniper) and I took Ashley and Tali, which lead to some really interesting conversations with all the girl talk. Later on I played a soldier and took Liara and Tali so I had a nearly pure soldier/biotic/tech team (which worked awesomely) and they also had a lot of intelligent conversations. Then I tried a pure biotic with Garrus and Wrex.

Of those combinations I think I liked Liara/Tali the most. It was a real eye opener into Asari and Quarian culture

As for ME 2, I tended to mix it up a bit more. Some characters I never used unless it was their loyalty mission...Jacob, Jack, Miranda, Thane. Grunt, of course, makes a kick ass tank, but I also liked Zaaed for his fire bomb. If I wasn't playing a biotic and I needed one, I'd take Samara, if I knew I was going up against the Geth I'd take Tali, if I was going to be fighting organics I'd bring Mordin. Basically just took things on a situational basis.

For ME2 I really only played my infiltrator. Most of the time I took Grunt and Miranda because they synergized the best with my class. Miranda I couldnt stand though, there was just something about her that rubbed me the wrong way. The same with Jack. My favorite characters in ME2 were probably Grunt and Garrus

 

[Scorekeeper]

ME1: Me (Adept), Liara, Tali
ME2: Me (Vanguard), Mordin, Miranda

I really enjoyed biotics in ME1. In ME2, they were nigh useless. I hope they're a lot more useful in ME3.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

Kinky sex usually doesn't end in pregnancy. If you know what I mean.

 

[demotion1]

ME1: Garrus and Wrex
ME2: Grunt. The second one was different every time they all had their uses. Usually Zaeed or Miranda.

 

[endtherapture]

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

Pretty sure they have condoms in the far future.

 

[The Madman]

Rant time!

My favourite part of the entire Mass Effect series as far as 'touching moments' go was in Mass Effect 1 in the scene after you'd been forced to leave a crew member to die and there's a snippet of Shepard sitting off to one side feeling miserable. That was well done and believable, meanwhile the companion coming forward to offer comfort in the form of words is something I can believe. I liked that. It was a moment that actually had some impact and one of those rare situations where the 'romance' in a game doesn't just dissolve into "cure ____ underlying emotional issues and ____ will love you for it!" but instead had more heartfelt interaction between two characters where both have problems and I'm not just playing psychologist to some dumb NPC so I can get some CGI PG-13 sex scene nonsense.

Yeah, I don't like game romances. I think most of them are ridiculous and kinda juvenile. On that note I didn't like Liara either since you've got like 2 or 3 conversations with her before she's already fawning over Shepard like a lovesick puppy. It's nauseating! At least with the other two romance in ME1 it took a while, with Liara is was just BAM, sex. Or at least that's how it's felt to me.

As for Mass Effect 2, never tried any of that games romances. I also didn't like how trying to be friendly to a character ended up being interpreted as 'hitting on' either. I'm playing my FemShep and talking nice with Jack and she's all 'not interested'. Jesus, I was just talking with a crew member, I'm the goddamned Captain of the ship I should be able to do so without having my intentions twisted into something kinky. What's worse Mordin does the same thing, goddamned MORDIN! I don't know if Bioware put that line in there as a joke or what but it annoyed the hell out of me. Creepy bug bastard, just being nice.

All that aside still love the games. Fantastic! Bioware really needs to work on their writing when it comes to 'romance' however. Or at least that's what I'm inclined to think.

Also Wrex was amazing. Mass Effect 3 needs more Wrex, the lack of Wrexage in ME2 was severely disappointing.

 

[Zhukov]

In the first game I basically never bothered using anyone except Wrex and Liara. I brought Tali and Garrus along for the missions relating to them, but apart from that it was little miss blue and the big badass lizard all the way. They were easily my favourites in terms of characterization and they make an effective combat team. Wrex can tank like a champ with his heavy armour, tons of health, biotic barrier, shield boost and regeneration. Having Liara's biotics around ensures the enemy spends more time bouncing off the walls than shooting at you (biotics were hugely OP in ME1).

In the second game I mixed it up according to needs. Garrus was my all-rounder, Jack was along for her ammo ability and crowd control, Tali was great against synthetics, Grunt was useful in close quarters or when I needed something big to hide behind. Didn't use Mordin or Samara much despite really like their characters.

As for the romance thing... eh. I've said this many times before, but find them a bit juvenile. They seem to be there for the sake of nerdy wish fulfillment rather than being an effective narrative element. The only ones I've liked so far are Liara in LotSB and Jack in ME2.

 

[Owlslayer]

Seems like most of the questions asked by the OP have been answered, so I´ll just tell what sqadmates i used the most.
On my first playthrough, most of the time i used Tali and Wrex. One handled the robots and all that fancy dandy tech stuff, and the other just smashed everything to pieces, used his cool Biotic powers and tanked like a ....well, tank. I myself was the same as Wrex, a vanguard. And it was hella fun. And i have to agree, i rarely used any of the Human squadmates i had. Somehow, they didn`t seem as useful, but i could be totally wrong. Both Wrex and Tali had pretty damn interesting history, too, especially what was going on with their whole race.

 

[Steampunk Viking]

Asari are capable of breeding with any race. The childern will appear Asari however. Also traits that are deriable are passed on from the father. So say human's adaptibility is deseriable that trait will be passed on. Also just because Shepard and Liara did it does not mean she was automatically pregnenat. It could be similar with humans where it could take many tries. Or Shepard is shooting blanks.

Asari reproduction is different from other species. Asari copy genetic material and mixes it with their own through nerve attachment to become pregnant, it's very possible that even if someone was shooting blanks, they could still reproduce with an Asari.

On a different note, awesome new trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWjPRsYZlFw

And all your questions answered! (Sort of):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdJb7v6a6EQ

EDIT: Sorry, youtube embeds seem to not be working >.<

 

[RJ 17]

Snip

Actually Liara quite clearly explains that not only can asari mate with and reproduce with any other species, but it's actually expected of them to, what with the whole Pureblood being a derogatory name amongst asari and all. They meld minds with their lovers and combine genetic heritage etc etc and then the asari gives birth to a half-asari, half-whatever. Such as the bartender on Ilium in ME 2 who explains that her father was a krogan, which is why she has a greenish tint and gravelly voice.

But yeah, Legion was my favorite squadmate in ME2...just pisses me off that you get him literally two missions before the end of the game. You spend the entire first game slaughter Geth by the thousands, and finally you get to work with one! You learn that not all Geth worship the Reapers, and in fact that the true Geth aren't viscious, KILL ALL HUMANS robots. They can be reasoned with and talked to. They just want the right to exist the same as everyone else. I'm REALLY hoping the bridges you build with Legion between organic life and the Geth is shown in ME 3.

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

Pretty sure they have condoms in the far future.

Annnnnnnd if you're playing as FemShep? For that matter, I'm pretty certain they don't make condoms for your mind.

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

Kinky sex usually doesn't end in pregnancy. If you know what I mean.

And it normally requires a liberal application of lube. Bow-chicka-wow-wow!

Snip

Yes, obviously I used Kaiden and Ashely on Eden Prime....but I did so under protest!

And yeah, like I said: I mixed it up a lot more when I played ME 2. Other than the few characters I pointed out specifically, I used everyone from time to time. One of my favorite lines in the game is if you take Grunt with you when you're going to pick up Tali. After you get warned that standing in the light will fry your shields, he says "THEN WE'LL FIGHT IN THE SHADE!" First time I heard him say that I literally laughed out loud.

For instance, if you have kinky asari sex with Liara in the first game....shouldn't Liara have a daughter in the 2nd game?

There are a couple things that could explain why. The first and most likely is that Liara just didnt get pregnant. It happens. Sometimes couples get pregnant on the first try, other times they have to try a few or even many times till they finally get one. The second thing is, protection. Liara could have just used something to stop herself from getting pregnant. Third is who says she isnt pregnant? I dont think the game has ever said what the gestation time is for Asari, so for all we know it could take several years till a newborn is born.

That's the thing though. Indeed, with human couples it can take a number of tries before a pregnancy can be achieved. But the way asari procreation is described, it doesn't sound like it's the type of thing that would take more than one shot. The asari blends her entire being with her mate's, fusing minds and genetic heritage and whatnot, taking information from the mate's DNA to fuse it with her own. I suppose it's possible the pregnancy just didn't take, however it just doesn't seem likely to me.

And granted, they are an alien race and we don't know the gestation period. But come on...two years and she doesn't even have a baby-bump? I think that's a bit much.

I think we're all just avoiding the truth: when Shepard died, Liara (if she was the love interest in ME 1) fell into dispair and had an abortion.

 

[Skin]

I will admit that this game broke me. I got up to the part where you had to break the claw with the steam thing, and when I saw I had to do a puzzle, I turned the game off and never played again.

I just don't understand why this game has god damn puzzles. It is not necessary. It is enough hassle trying to win a gunfight with a reticle that is the size of the sun, and the god damn obligatory Mako sections, but these god damn puzzles break up the flow of the game so much. Who the fuck finds that steam puzzle interesting? I will find you and slap you.

I might give it another chance, but the combat is god damn awful. I mean, I can't aim down the scope of the sniper rifle... How fucking ridiculous. I hear ME2 gets much better in terms of cutting out all this random bullshit, so I might give that a try, but I guess I ought to finish ME1 so I can get the carry overs to ME2 and whatnot.

 

[Fredvdp]

I will admit that this game broke me. I got up to the part where you had to break the claw with the steam thing, and when I saw I had to do a puzzle, I turned the game off and never played again.

That's not even a real puzzle. You press some buttons and ten seconds later it's over. The only real puzzle was a tower of hanoi, which is fun and can be skipped.

 

[Skin]

I will admit that this game broke me. I got up to the part where you had to break the claw with the steam thing, and when I saw I had to do a puzzle, I turned the game off and never played again.

That's not even a real puzzle. You press some buttons and ten seconds later it's over. The only real puzzle was a tower of hanoi, which is fun and can be skipped.

Doesn't matter if its real or not. It is a waste of time and totally unnecessary and broke the flow of the game.

 

[AD-Stu]

I will admit that this game broke me. I got up to the part where you had to break the claw with the steam thing, and when I saw I had to do a puzzle, I turned the game off and never played again.

I just don't understand why this game has god damn puzzles. It is not necessary. It is enough hassle trying to win a gunfight with a reticle that is the size of the sun, and the god damn obligatory Mako sections, but these god damn puzzles break up the flow of the game so much. Who the fuck finds that steam puzzle interesting? I will find you and slap you.

I might give it another chance, but the combat is god damn awful. I mean, I can't aim down the scope of the sniper rifle... How fucking ridiculous. I hear ME2 gets much better in terms of cutting out all this random bullshit, so I might give that a try, but I guess I ought to finish ME1 so I can get the carry overs to ME2 and whatnot.

Erm... there's maybe two "puzzles" like that in the whole game, and neither are long. As for aiming your sniper rifle, have you trained in it? The game won't give you access to the scope unless you've got the Sniper Rifle skill (which first time through means you have to be either a Soldier or Infiltrator).