So nearly 14 months after the initial release of Mass Effect we are privy to the teaser trailer for Mass Effect 2. As you have probably already seen, Cpt. Shepard is KIA at the hands of the Geth. But the question we must ask is why? Why would BioWare kill off a main character that many fans of the game have invested so many hours on?
Well it may be their way of heading off a potential paradox of favorite characters in future games of this cannon. You see it smacks of the problem BioWare encountered after the release of Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. In the first game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you play an amnesiac Sith Lord named Revan that either changes his ways and becomes a Jedi, or finds his way back to the Dark Side. In the sequel the The Sith Lords, players played as a the last known Jedi in the galaxy, only referenced as The Exile, struggling to reconnect to The Force. Through your journey you discover that at one time your presence had assisted Revan and Malak in their switch from The Light to The Dark Side. Suggesting that Revan may not have been the all powerful Prodigal Knight that the first game had proclaimed.
It was all really a matter of miscommunication. While the first game had been developed hands on by BioWare, the follow up had been contracted to Obsidian Entertainment. During the initial phases of the development process Obsidian was left in the dark about the entire plot of the first game. Chris Avellone Lead Designer for The Sith Lords has even openly admitted that at the time of conception for the storyline for SWKOTORTSL (holy acronym Batman!) that he didn't even know who Revan was.
And beyond that both developers had, without realizing it, created a conundrum for who the protagonist would be for the third game. Would it be Revan, the fan fave from the first installment, or would it be The Exile, a Jedi that has been tasked with finding Revan at the far reaches of the galaxy?
So by killing off Shepard and perhaps creating a new character in each installment of the Mass Effect series, BioWare may be saving themselves from a future headache.
Though I would expect the return of Shepard's former commanding officer John Anderson. Anderson is the highlight of Mass Effect: Revelation, a prequel book to the first game. Anderson's history is deeper and players have already been exposed to his background through various dialogue in the ME.
Additionally, at the end of the trailer we see what we can only guess is only the Prothean home planet. So at some point within ME2 hopefully we'll get to learn more about the Protheans and how they originally learned of the Geth, the Mass Effect relays, and details of their demise at the hands of the Sovereign.
I know that it's waaaay too early to be making speculations. But I can't help myself from dissecting teaser trailers as you'll see tomorrow when I talk Watchmen. We won't know until we have more details, and an extended trailer later this year. Moreover, keep an eye out for the re-release of Mass Effect that will include the highly disappointing "Bring Down the Sky" pack, and dev commentaries. Also be on the watch for a second DLC package that was confirmed earlier this month at New York Comic Con.
