Poll: Was the homosexuality in ME3 handled well? spoliers.

[chiefohara]

This is not a thread on whether it should be there or not.

This is a thread on whether you think homosexuality was handled well in the game.

Did you emphasize with Cortez, or did his story seemed cliched and forced.

Was it brought up too many times? that it felt like the game was trying to make a political point?

Did Kaiden hitting on you seem out of character for him?

Did Bioware handle it well or not? whats your opinion.

Personally, playing as a paragon male shep in a relationship with Liara, the only point that it didn't really work for me was when Kaiden hit on me.... in the first ME game he spoke about a woman in the biotics academy. For Kaiden to go from suspicious of Cerberus behaviour, to actually hitting on my straight male shep was too much a move out of context. Otherwise i thought the stuff with Cortez was handled well enough, didn't seem over the top and his story thread seemed pretty solid. (i didn't follow the relationship path with him, so i can't comment on that)

 

[StriderShinryu]

Though I didn't complete the arc, I was friendly enough to Cortez to be offered the option, and I think it was all handled extremely well.

My only complaint is that Cortez goes from devastated grieving husband to open to someone new perhaps a little quickly. That, however, is nothing to do with him being gay and more about Bioware putting such a full emotional arc into a single game.

 

[Yassen]

Well one thing I think they handled well was not making ALL the companions bisexual like in DA2. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about being bisexual, but all of them? Fact of life, some people are gay, some are straight, and if they're not the same sexual orientation as you, well too bad. Bisexuals aren't actually that common, and making all of them, especially established characters, bi just feels shoe-horned in.

As for Cortez and Samantha Traynor, I actually liked them. I never pursued a relationship with them, but I can see why you would. They actually felt like people and contributed to the plot and mission, Cortez as your shuttle pilot and Traynor as your communication specialist (and one contribution in particular ensures the success of the whole game).

 

[Tragedy's Rebellion]

It was fine, I suppose. My femshep had a pretty realistic relationship with Liara, they talked like normal people and never made a big deal of their relationship. They didn't spam each other with I-love-yous constantly. About Kaidan being bi, well some people change in real life too, so I'm not all too shocked about it.

Cortez was kinda whiny, but that's not because he was gay, so it's a moot point and Traynor was fine too.

All in all I think it was handled well.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

Though I didn't complete the arc, I was friendly enough to Cortez to be offered the option, and I think it was all handled extremely well.

My only complaint is that Cortez goes from devastated grieving husband to open to someone new perhaps a little quickly. That, however, is nothing to do with him being gay and more about Bioware putting such a full emotional arc into a single game.

I dunno, I didn't mind that, it seemed to me more that he was opening up and talking to Shepard and his feelings were getting all confused, so when he next looked at the tape of his husband it overwhelmed him a little bit.

Probably could've been slowed down though.


One thing I did like about Cortez and Traynor was how little was made of their sexuality. It was part of their character but it wasn't their character. They weren't caricatures.
Cortez is friendly and jokey and Traynor is admiring and growing in confidence. The two of them are more fleshed out than Vega, who's one-dimensional, army through-and-through.

 

[Goofguy]

I think it was handled pretty well, particularly with Cortez and Traynor. Kaidan seemed a little too pushy to me, kind of like Anders from DA2. Allers doesn't really count, she wasn't really convincing as a reporter, let alone anything else.

 

[endtherapture]

Cortez was fine.

But Kaidan. No. NO. They retroactively ruined his character. Had he been in love with Shepard for all 3 games without telling me? Without any sign? Kaidan was a bro in 1. He was understandably angry in 2. Most of 3, he was just a good friend, like Thane or Joker. Then he came onto me. IT WAS the worst written moment in the entire set of games (aside from the ending, Udina's betrayal, and Kai Leng) and it took me aback and it was just ridiculous. Kaidan must've known that I was banging hot busty blue Liara in ME3, and that we had history? Why would my Shepard suddenly go for him? SO STUPID.

For that one moment, Kaidan is dying on Virmire next time I play through the game. so badly written and out of place.

 

[kryptondude]

was anythin in mass effect 3 handled well?, a huge stepback from 2in my opinion, and thats without the ending

 

[Tragedy's Rebellion]

I think the problem with Kaidan was that even if you were in a relationship with someone else, he still came onto you, which was kinda strange to say the least.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

It was handled better than in any other game I've played.

Could there still be room for improvement? Yes, but still, progress is progress.

Also, if Traynor hadn't been exclusively lesbian I would have had to have tried very hard to stay faithful to Liara. Don't get me wrong Liara still rocks but damn, Traynor can even make chess sound sexy!

 

[RJ 17]

I think Traynor's was handled perfectly. She's apparently a full on lesbian (as she utterly shot down my MaleShep xD), but she doesn't have to keep reminding you about it. She drops a hint when she bashfully apologizes for liking EDI's voice, but beyond that she's rather coy about it. Next thing you know she ends up in your shower and later your bed, the cheeky little minx.

Cortez, on the other hand, I think was pretty forced. I don't think there's a single conversation you have with him in which he fails to remind you that he's gay. I understand he lost his husband and his personal little plotline is Shepard helping him get over the grief of that. But do we need to hear about it EVERY time you talk to the guy? Can't we talk about something else at least once?

I really think it's more about the fact that I don't like one-track characters like that, character's whose sole defining characteristic is some sort of obsession. It got to the point where I'd really just stop going down there to talk to him because I know all he's going to do is moan about his dead husband. Really I think if they moved his plotline along a bit faster it would be a lot better. 1st conversation: mention that he lost a husband. 2nd conversation: openly grieving about dead husband while listening to a recording. 3rd conversation: has coped with his feelings and is ready to move on (with Shepard if Shepard chooses). 4th conversation: talk about something - anything - else, or expand the relationship with Shepard. Etc.

Edit:

Don't get me wrong Liara still rocks but damn, Traynor can even make chess sound sexy!

It's all about that accent of hers.

 

[burningdragoon]

I think the homosexuality was handled about as well as the heterosexuality. Make of that what you will.

 

[Gorilla Gunk]

Its a Bioware game, so the answer is NO.

 

[370999]

I think the homosexuality was handled about as well as the heterosexuality. Make of that what you will.

this pretty much, though I would see I found the Cortez romance path to be well a tad creepy. Generally it was relatively competently done, not exceptional.

 

[s0p0g]

about as well as any other "romance", i'd say

but the NSCs not really talking about it gave it the feel we should already have today: that it doesn't matter at all whether you're straight or something else

 

[verdant monkai]

I'm not gay so i'm not in a position to give a really valid insight but. I think yes they handled it nicely, no men hit on me (I play man shep) apart from when Kaiden acted a bit gay in the caffe but I told him to shut up an eat his stake.
One of my favourite bits in the game is when you see Cortez in the club.

Cortez: hey commander theirs uh lotta eye candy on the dance floor. *stares at some dude who is doing a really awkward boogey*

Shepard: *stares awkwardly at Cortez, Cortez stares awkwardly back. Shepard turns around and looks at the Asari dancers* "All the eye candy I need is up there".

Basically I could politely refuse when men started to hit on me, unlike in DA2 when Anders wanted a piece of my hairy ass, and my options were. "Lets get to bashing butts Anders" or "f*ck off and die you homo", neither of which I felt were appropriate. On the other hand I dont think there was anyone..... you know camp enough, this could easily be remedied with pink scarf dlc for Cortez.

 

[Murmillos]

Much better then Anders in DA2. That guy wouldn't take a god damn No for the life him.

Cortez, yes always brought up the loss of his "husband" but that loss of love was never directed towards you until you very longly and dedicatedly told that he could replace that loss with you.
I was going to try to stick with Kaiden and finally nail down the bromance with him, but god, he got worse from ME1.

Traynor's was shy and playful. She baited you into making the move; without ever implying that was her intent.
One minute we are talking about chess -- next scene is in the showers.

and 2 play of ME3 is about as much as I can muster - given the craptastic ending. Maybe I can do a 3rd and 4th, get up to the Cerberus base and quit there.

 

[xPixelatedx]

I haven't played ME3 yet, but wasn't the gay romance option a shoehorned in character specially for ME3? Specially, wasn't it the Jersey Shore guy? If that's the case then it was handled very poorly. Realistically (and logically) speaking, for a character like Shepard to up and turn gay, it would have been handled much better for it to be with one of the characters that have been in the series up to this point. There should have been an alien option, as well.