Mass Effect 2's "Suicide Mission" is a Little Premature

*Might contain some Mass Effect 1 and 2 spoilers*

In Mass Effect 2’s provocative reveal trailer, BioWare introduced the concept of Commander Shepard dying. When I first watched the video, I was worried that my Shepard was gone – which is a disturbing thought considering that decision making and character building are such intrinsic aspects of the game.

When I play the Mass Effect games, I am Shepard, so I was relieved when I discovered that his death and revival take place early in the game.

However, BioWare still wanted death to be a real, threatening consequence for Shepard. The developers constantly publicized the fact that Mass Effect’s middle chapter was, indeed, a suicide mission.

Although I am a huge fan of the series, I can’t help but think that the possibility of losing a main character is better suited for the conclusion – rather than the second installment – of a trilogy.

Thankfully, in all of my Mass Effect 2 playthroughs, I have been able to keep Shepard and most of my squad members alive. But the unlucky few bit the dust, will either have to replay the entire game or start Mass Effect 3 as a completely different Shepard.

If your Shepard dies, they'll have to send Clark Shepard to finish the job.

Of course, having to replay one of the highest-rated games of 2010 isn’t exactly devastating, but it seems ridiculous that a renowned developer like BioWare would make the player choose between investing over 20 more hours into the game and starting from scratch in the trilogy’s final chapter.

This series is all about shaping Shepard’s quest and building his relationships with other characters. If Shepard dies before his/her full story is even over, then BioWare’s purpose for the series has been ruined. Therefore, I think BioWare would be better off using the player’s decisions across the entire trilogy to determine Shepard’s ultimate fate.

For example, maybe saving the Rachni queen in the first game will provide you with a strong ally in the upcoming war. In addition, choosing to keep the Reaper technology at the end of Mass Effect 2 could backfire if it suddenly reactivates.

A more appropriate and serious penalty for fans of the series is the death of crew members or other notable NPCs. Having Shepard die in the middle of the story is an annoyance; losing a loyal squad mate or love interest is a tragedy that the player will have to live with. Consequences should have lasting impressions, but should still allow the player to move on.

If my Shepard has to sacrifice himself in Mass Effect 3 to save the universe, so be it; as long as I don’t see a developer diary with Casey Hudson saying, “No, this is the real suicide mission.”

(5)

Tim Larkin

August 03, 2010

You must play the "Bad Ending" where everyone dies. It is just as rewarding as saving everyone. The game is meant to be played many times and it rewards you for exploring every angle.

Bobby Krell

August 08, 2010

Call me cynical, but you seemed to be focusing too much on the suicide mission part of it, particularly running on the concept of "if we fail to survive it". That's not the point. Shepard was chosen specifically (and brought back from the dead no less) not just because of his/her leadership and tac ops capabilities, because if that was the case, then he would have chosen anyone else. No, the reason why Shepard is chosen is because he/she defies the odds on a regular basis. Shepard does the impossible and survives the suicidal. This is simply a matter of "any lesser person would be dead before they finished. You won't be."

Now that said, if you fail to survive (aka, the bad ending) you don't get to save the file for ME3, so in effect, the story is over by that perspective. The thing is is you are expected to survive, not fail. As for the promotions, I saw it simply as "we're telling you you won't make it. Defy the odds." A clever bit of marketing that you seem to have missed the perspective on.

Jordan Snyder

My focus is completely on the fact that BioWare openly refers to it as a suicide mission. Mass Effect is seriously my favorite series of all time; my only qualm with the second game is that I find it ridiculous that Shepard can die in the MIDDLE of the trilogy. If ME2's storyline is the suicide mission, then frankly, I think it's going to either A) overshadow the story in ME3 since they've already survived a suicide mission, or B) be cheesy if BioWare tries to play off ME2's suicide mission like, "If you thought that was bad, then check THIS out!"

August 09, 2010

You're letting the suicide part be all encompassing, as no matter what you do, Shepard is screwed. But as much as the story elaborates that the odds are against you, it elaborates just as much that you defy those odds all the time. You don't believe in the no win situation, so them telling you this is just enough incentive to come back to prove them wrong.

As for your choices, in fiction, and in some cases history, the major battle is often preceeded by intelligence gathering and sabotage/counterinelligence, with the goal being to give your side as much of an edge as possible. These often take on the form of suicide missions as doing these often means going deep into enemy territory, often into heavily guarded loactions with little odds of survival. Sound familiar.

ME1 Was dealing with the enemy's agent.

ME2 Was intelligence gathering and sabotage

ME3 Will be the real battle.

So I don't see it being either A or B. I see part 3 as being a case of "Okay, all the scheming and the planning is in the past and we can't really do much more. It's time to end this."

I think I've found a better way to describe what exactly I'm feeling. I know for a fact that Shepard definitely isn't screwed because I've survived every time. But the whole scenario of taking the battle to the enemy's home, being incredibly outnumbered, and narrowly escaping death by way of a slow-motion, cinematic leap feels like something that should close the trilogy. You know what they say: You're always more critical of the things you love, and that's certainly the case here.