Mass Effect 3 Party Members: A Step Backwards?

[Soviet Heavy]

Don't get me wrong, it's great to see that Garrus, Tali, Liara and Kaiden/Ashley are back on the team. But with only six party members, with whatshisname being the fifth, that leaves only one spot left for the team. I kinda feel like the ME2 characters are missing out. Sure, they'll all be in the game, but I feel their role will be more like Wrex in ME2: there, but not really important.

We know Mordin is back, and they confirmed Jack will show up, but I can't help but feel like they're just going to have one or two specific missions to the character. And the Mass Effect 2 characters won't hang about while I fly around on the Normandy, which is a shame.

Now I'm not ragging on the characters by any means, but I just feel like they could have mixed the two games party members a bit more instead of giving us one new character, one ME2 character, and all the surviving ME1 characters.

However, my fears may be unfounded, since while writing this I forgot about the suicide mission. What if Garrus or Tali were killed? Who would replace them to fill up the six party slots?

 

[Zhukov]

My guess is that they'll use a lot of temporary party members, like they did with Liara in Lair of the Shadow Broker.

In fact, I'm almost certain that's how they'll do it. And that's fine with me. I rather like the idea of getting the old gang back together in time to finish the saga.

Granted, I'll be sorry to see less of Mordin, Jack, Samara and Legion. Oh well.

 

[Stealthygamer]

At least we get Garrus

 

[Something Amyss]

It kind of makes the second game a waste.

I remember all the excuses about how part two was supposed to be boring so it could characterise all the players. But most of the ones we characterised won't return as major players. In the PC/NPC sense.

 

[Mariena]

Shucks, I'm glad the "old gang" is back together. I never really liked any of the new characters. In fact, I found Zaeed and Jack to be so .. loathsome .. I had to get rid of them.

Liara is back for good now, yay ^_^

 

[Bloedhoest]

Liked ME2 a lot, can't stand ME1 ...
Why not a whole new crew? Roughly the same ones sounds boring to me.

 

[Riccan]

Great, I disliked everyone from the first aside from Wrex, yet loved everyone from the second aside from Garrus and the obligatory generic male and female in every Bioware game (in this case Jacob and Miranda).

Fucking Awesome.

 

[Simeon Ivanov]

Because they were going for a more "personal" team ... I'm just glad we still have Garrus and Tali, but I woud've preffered if every character from Mass Effect 1 & 2 could be on your team ... I miss Wrex

 

[wolf thing]

it show that bioware lack balls. they intuduce 13 charcters in ME2 to the point where the plot sufferd, really suffered, and then remove most them and add new one. either there got some great plan or there idiot who can make an over arching plot and story to save there life so they make a game with the same template each time and add fan favorites so no body complains. ill still buy it because i really like the last 2 i just hope the new character are good but they had good characters last game

 

[The87Italians]

I only ever use Garrus and Tali on missions anyway. It would have been nice to fit some new squad members into the spotlight (says the man who REALLY wanted Kal Reeger as a squadmate), I'm just happy they kept Garrus around. Maybe (and this is a big maybe) they'll have older characters on the Normandy, just not for combat.

 

[Phlakes]

It looks like they've just taken the fan favorites, which is a smart move for the more personal approach they're going for. And it's also good that they're making it more personal, with this being the conclusion, there's not much more room to develop too many characters.

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

A lot of slots will be filled by temps for certain planets or missions. Also the sixth slot is most likely reserved for the romance option. (if he/she isn't already there of course)

 

[Loop Stricken]

It's definitely a shame. I wanted so much more Tali/Legion dialogue.

 

[JeanLuc761]

It kind of makes the second game a waste.

I remember all the excuses about how part two was supposed to be boring so it could characterise all the players. But most of the ones we characterised won't return as major players. In the PC/NPC sense.

We don't know how the non-squadmates will factor into the game. Remember, Liara wasn't really a squadmate in the true sense of the word yet her Lair of the Shadow Broker is one of the best DLC's ever to exist. If every single character has a mission on par with that then I don't think there's anything to worry about at all.

It's definitely a shame. I wanted so much more Tali/Legion dialogue.

*SPOILER ALERT*
Legion has been confirmed to have a larger role in Mass Effect 3, and all characters from both Mass Effect 1 and 2 will return in the finale for closure to their character arcs.

 

[Terminate421]

I want Legion to come with me.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

However, my fears may be unfounded, since while writing this I forgot about the suicide mission. What if Garrus or Tali were killed? Who would replace them to fill up the six party slots?

Exactly. Both of them died in my ending, and that's my problem with ME2; I had no say over who died and who lived. Which inevitably resulted in my favorite characters all dying. "Like who you ask?". Well;
Legion
Garrus
Tali
and Thane
What's worse is that no one bats an eyelid when it happens. I think Garrus deserves better than his last words being screams as he's dragged away by giant mechanical flies. So what, because of that I now get two less characters?

 

[vrbtny]

I'm still hanging onto the idea of Captain Anderson being a team member. That would be the coolest thing ever. Seriously, having his voice giving me reassurance all over the galaxy would make the reaper invasion so much easier to bear.

 

[MrMorphine]

Honestly, i find it very disappointing. One of the great joys of the series has been the interesting variety of its characters and the depth and intensity of their characterization. Yes, I understand that this is the last part of the trilogy and that Bioware doesn't want to expand things too much so close to the end. But still, gathering up a crew of colourful characters has been such a large part of the last two games that this has honestly left me a little bewildered as to what will fill up the first part of the game, before the big race to the final showdown against the reapers

 

[Mariena]

I wonder how they're gonna pull it off though. I mean, considering Liara's new role at the end of Lair Of The Shadow Broker DLC..

It does kinda feel like a "Whoops, we made a stupid mistake by introducing so many characters and given very little opportunity to actually get to know them, so no one will feel very attached to them. Let's correct it and introduce our old friends!"

 

[Varrdy]

Personally I think slightly less choice is a good thing. As much as I liked most oft he squadmates in ME2, I found myself using the same few over and over. Garrus is the man and were he to be left out now I would personally sling shit at Bioware's offices. I didn't like Jack much at all but she was still a very dynamic character and well-done.

Anyway, I think a bit of refinement never hurt - look at how much improvement was made with the massive streamlining of the weapons and upgrades in ME2 over ME1.

OK so it can be argued that I am biased because Liara is back in a more permenant role (I am a shameless worshipper of the ground she walks on) but I am cautiously backing this move.

I have to say I respected Wrex a lot. It takes a lot of balls (lucky he has 4!) to do what he set out to do with the Krogan reforms and even if he hadn't, I'd rather like to have him on my side in a ruck. Battlemasters are no pushover and don't forget Wrex was hard enough to take down a Thresher-Maw! That's "well-'ard" in anyone's language!

Wardy