10 MASSIVE Missed Opportunities In Video Game Stories
4. The Limited Crew Of Mass Effect 3
It’s almost a cliche to talk about how bad the ending to Mass Effect 3 was. So let’s talk about another problem. The size of your crew. Mass Effect 2 set the bar with a crew of twelve individuals, each with unique backstories and abilities.
Mass Effect 3, by comparison, only featured seven characters, with two not showing up until halfway through the game and another being DLC. This only adds insult to injury as players are continually running into crew members from the previous game only to be told “no, I can’t join you”.
Like most Bioware games, Mass Effect implemented a morale system that was tied to your ability to persuade or intimidate others to your way of thinking.
Mass Effect 3 could have taken this system to a completely new level by giving players the option of choosing their own crew. Imagine if the game contained a limited number of empty slots players could use their Paragon or Renegade stats to recruit any living crew member from the previous games.
This could have created a much more emotional story and deepened the feeling of just how much your choices mattered.
At least until you got to that ending.