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So.. since we got a thread discussing it's fantasy cousin, Dragon Age, I figured we could use another one to discuss this Sci-fi franchise. I've also heard that there are fans of the series around here, so I thought about flushing them out. As the OP of the discussion I propose a few topics we can start talking about: 1. What was you favorite game of the trilogy? Mine was the original Mass Effect. It was the one with the most elements of RPG in it, like multiple skills, variety of equipment in terms of quality and it was also the one with the most mind blowing revelations. The climax of the plot, when Shepard reaches the Citadel racing after Saren and trying to prevent him from opening the Citadel Relay and unleash Reaper genocide upon the galaxy was what made me fall in love with the series. Not to mention that saving or not saving the Council was imo one of the hardest choices I've ever made in gaming... setting aside my personal grievances for the sake of political stability, and sacrificing human lives in the process... *sighs* 2. What is your favorite race in the series? This is a split for me, see, I have a great deal of admiration for the Asari and the Krogan. The former for being, in some ways, the symbol of acceptance and patience, two virtues I greatly aspire to. The latter for being a representation of the sentiment so many real world cultures of resentment towards the West for using them as cannon fodder and then culling them down when they prove to be too "uncivilized". 3. Who's your favorite character in the series? Garrus, hands down. That lovely turian always had my back regardless of the situation, the way he looked up to Shepard as a mentor, then an equal and afterwards... lover (in my case)... was just peerless. Garrus is the kind of person who will follow you to hell even if he disagrees with either the way the trip is going or the trip itself, he's so friggin loyal to Shepard and her cause. He's the only recurring squad mate that joins you as soon as you reach him in 2, a feat not replicated even by Tali (the other recurring squad mate of the trilogy). In 3, he's the only squad mate that recognizes the exact moments Shepard isn't doing so well. He was also the most fun male romance option imo =3... the whole awkwardness was so cute in him ^^. 4. What was the series highlight in your opinion? For me, it was Virmire in Mass Effect. The talk with Sovereign brings a chill down my spine until this very day, the monstrous rasping artificial voice... the arrogance of the way he addresses Shepard, a being it perceives as an insignificant grain of sand in the hourglass.. it felt so intimidating, almost like talking to an evil deity. The choice beetween Alenko and WIlliams was also the first time I felt in the boots of a military commanding officer. 5. And, everyone's favorite: The trilogy's ending. What did you think about it and what option did you choose? Three years ago I was ranting up on the internet... signing petitions.. engaged in vicious debates over how crappy the ending was... how they could have done this? Nowadays, having matured a bit, I see that the concept behind the ending wasn't all that bad: "Be careful with what you create, it may be your destruction" // "Sentient achines are inherently alien and superior to organics in every way, conflict is inevitable, and said conflict will spell the doom of the organic life" were pretty deep things to have as the main theme behind the series, a hell lot better than the shitty attempt at eco conscience analogy that Drew Karpyshyn was trying to make with the whole dark energy buildup around the galaxy... at least in my opinion. What the ending lacked was presentation, it felt (and surely was) rushed... almost as if the devs at BioWare thought like this: "Shiiiiit, we got less than a month before the game goes gold and we haven't done the ending yet... oh fuck it, who cares? The rest of the game is awesome so let's just pick some loose ends to tie in and call it a day"... that's the only way I rationalize Shepard being hit by a stream of molten metal accelerated to a fraction of the speed of light (Reaper's beam) and not being turned into vapor right away... and don't get me started on the rest of the nonsense in that ending... I also chose destroy at the end, mostly because I felt the galaxy needed to be rid of the God-AI interfering in it, and since control had me taking that mantle myself and synthesis had the Catalyst surving (aside from being cheesy nonsense lore wise... sorry for those who picked it =(... but that's how I feel about that option), destroy was the only option for me.... why? Self determination, life has the right to self determinate itself, be it organic or synthetic. If organic life is "fated" to be eventually replaced by it's synthetic counterpart, then let it be... let the cycle of evolution dictate who is the one fittest to survive, not some stupid AI whose first meaningful action was to do upon it's creators the very thing it was programmed to stop in the first place =S. It was sad that the Geth and .... *sobs*... EDI had to die, but that had to be done in my eyes... though I'm still unsure how shooting a tube near the Crucible prompts every synthetic to go "Format C:" or suddenly makes every cybernetic implant cease working, even pacemakers =S... Anyway... this post ended up a lot bigger then what I originally intended it to be. I hope this entices a good discussion ^^. TL;DR -- Scroll up and read you lazy ass ^^.