One of the most iconic moments of all Mass effect franchise is the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. Along with a dozen recruited heroes, players have to put everything at risk on a life-and-death mission, where every mistake is expensive. It is one of the highlights of the original trilogy, which deeply impacted Mass Effect 2is ending and transition to ME3.
Of course, choosing the 12 characters was not so simple. Recently, Mac Walters of BioWare discussed the character concepts that the studio created in the early stages of the game, and he highlighted how these characters couldn’t just be disposable / likely to die. Each character would leave some impact, and choosing them from a ton of concepts and ideas had to be difficult. Some of these characters were worked on others, some were fully returnable characters and some just couldn’t make it into the game. Online, several of them drew attention, like the crazy Quarian King, but breaking the whole discussion, here are all the character concepts we saw.
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Mass Effect 2 Cut Content – Characters
First of all, it should be noted that the character concept document shown in the video apparently skipped a few, which means that there are probably more Mass Effect 2 cut content and characters out there than just that. However, it is interesting how so many concepts were thought, how these characters were reduced to 12 and how these characters started to interact with those who, in fact, entered the franchise.
Cerberus Superwoman – This concept of character would become Miranda in Mass Effect 2.
Cerberus bodyguards – This character would become Jacob Taylor. Notably, much of this concept seemed to be successful. Mass Effect 2 the dialogue implies that he and Miranda may have been romantic at one point, as suggested in this concept.
Geth Frankenstein – This character would become Legion, but originally, Legion had three personalities. This would include memory cores and collection pieces, making Legion’s actual design more dependent on the player than the original story.
The lost hologram – An alternative concept related to Legion, this character would be a damaged piece of Prothean hologram technology that appeared to be the genuine thing. Notably, this character would have revealed a civil rights movement in the Prothean Empire; his desire to be treated in the same way would apparently have led to a source of comic relief.
Design-a-Krogan – Another alternative concept to Legion would have been a genetically modified Korgan, created to mimic Shepard’s Paragon or Renegade choices. Parts of that concept came into play as Grunt.
The tank – Another concept linked to the Legion would have been a “tank robot”, which could be improved with credits and exploration. This tank would have impacted travel around the Citadel, it may have illegal AI and slavery proposals / themes, since Shepard has this AI.
The Krogan War Queen – A Krogan War Queen is also mentioned in the document, although the exact concepts of that character have not been shown.
Salarian Avenger – This character would have been an assassin pursued by Captain Kirrahe (known for his “Hold the Line” speech).
Quarian Rogue “That would have paid off in your head while looking for information to prove that Quarian’s home world is safe now, or at least the Geth themselves were less of a threat to the planet.”
Cordial smuggler – This character would have helped Shepard navigate the underbelly of a decaying city, although he had a mixed personality between Star Wars‘Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.
Crazy Quarian King – This character would have operated like the crazy Irishman from Brave Heart. Your input has a little bit of exemplary dialogue that has earned the character a little attention online, being “Should I kill Geth?” “Yes, you can kill Geth” “Excellent!”
Spacejacker – A 25-year-old human thief tries to steal something of value, but lets Shepard ‘win’. This space pirate would tend to steal spaceships and have good hacking skills.
The Fallen Paragon – This would be a character of any gender or race in Mass Effect, having been a doctor who left a high-ranking position due to some conflict. Discovered in a “hive of scum and villainy”, yet another Star Wars reference related to Mass Effect 2, Shepard could influence this character through a Paragon or renegade path by correcting the wrong or taking revenge.
The Mad Bomber – During the Suicide Mission, this character’s explosive abilities would have come into play, but it appears that it would be dependent on Shepard completing a specific mission to acquire a certain explosive.
The condemned – A 30-year-old man, the convict would have been one of the worst killers in the galaxy, a Shepard would have to escape from a high security prison. Notably, elements of Mad Bomber and The Convict can be found in Zaeed and Jack in Mass effect.
The Techno-hippie – A 45-year-old Salarian, he would be a technologically savvy with a “classic pothead” representation.
Salarian Assassin – This concept was a “top pick” and a more developed concept for Salarian Avenger. This character is described as similar to Inigo Montoya in Princess Bride, with the character potentially leaving Shepard before the Suicide Mission in search of its target. This decision would have depended on loyalty, sounding a lot like Origins of the Dragon Age‘Zevran and his potential betrayal in Denerim – based on his relationship with the protagonist.
Quarian Infiltrator – A more detailed concept that seems to evolve from Quarian Rogue, this character would have been Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid – in one character. This character would have been one of Mass effectthe novels, which would be canceled if Shepard became too renegade. Interestingly, the elements of this character would be worked in the “Archangel” story arc and, therefore, worked in Mass Effect 2by Garrus Vakarian.
The master thief – An alternative concept to Spacejacker, Master Thief would have been a little more of an archetype of general character, it seems.
The Asari Specter – A 400-year-old Asari (30 human equivalent), this Specter would have hunted Shepard in Omega while looking for its “impostor”. More details than that were not shown in the document.
The Batarian Gearhead – Players would be tasked with hunting down a “Batarian Terrorist” to discover a geeky and socially awkward non-Terrorist. His technological skills would have been extraordinary, but this character apparently wanted a peaceful and peaceful life. This makes their involvement in Mass Effect 2‘s Suicide Mission slightly stretched, potentially being one of the reasons why it was cut. In all 4 games, interestingly, there was never a Batarian teammate.
Fugitive Rebel – A human character, Salarian or Quarian, this former leader of the Rebellion would have been a revolutionary. The players had to hunt him down, as he avoided any detection after a failed rebellion, and his tie, it seems, for the Mass Effect 2 Suicidal mission would be your ability to get in and out of anywhere. His “great cause” could have seen the character bring together a group of minor factions.
Mercenary – This rude and rude tattooed soldier of fortune would have been hired as a “local guide”. If his loyalty had not been maintained, he would have sold Shepard to the Collectors.
Crusader – Described as temperamental, cynical, preferring solitude, being darkly charismatic, but sexually charged despite all this, this crossed character would have been a new alien belonging to a highly religious order. Their story would involve a siege weapon for use in the Suicide Mission, with the Crusader ensuring that Shepard used it for moral purposes. Elements of this character would be found in Mass Effect 2Thane Krios.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will be released on May 14 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, with “targeted improvements” on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
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