10 Things You Need To Know Before Playing Mass Effect

7. Kaidan Sucks

Mass Effect 2 Arrival
Bioware

And here’s the spoilery spoiler bit: Kaidan kind of sucks. This dutiful, sensitive biotic crewman is introduced in the first Mass Effect game as your lieutenant. As you'll go on to discover, he has all the personality of a soggy piece of cardboard that the garbage men forgot to pick up with the rest of the refuse that week.

His biotic powers are formidable, but nothing that can’t be outshone by the player or Liara, who is far more compelling. In one of the more pivotal moments of the game, players are stranded on the planet Virmire and given an option: Kaiden or Ashley.

I’d love to say it’s a tough choice, but ultimately it isn’t. Sure, Kaidan becomes useful in the third game for his gameplay style, but Ashley is ultimately a far more interesting character.

Her suspicion and xenophobia in a world populated by aliens she must now work alongside is a complex and satisfying story arc. If we’re really serious, when the player is given the choice, it’s no choice at all.

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A former Army vet who kept his sanity running D&D games for his Soldiers. I'll have a bit of D&D, pro wrestling, narrative-driven video games, and 80's horror movies, please and thank you.