[haloboy100]

How about the Shivans?

You're right that this is a common problem in sci-fi, but the ME ones were particularly generic. They not only looked like humans, but talked and behaved like humans in just about every way.

Just like star wars. Yet, look at how well that did?

You are right about the Shivans, definitely. That's why they are the single alien species that I've ever liked.

[Ransom]

There's a couple of exceptions. I forget what they were called, but the ones that spoke in a monotone were kind of interesting. The Rachni and the Thorian, as well.

The Asari were a bit silly in that they were pretty much humans with blue skin, but Mass Effect's supposed to be a bit of a homage to old sci-fi so I wonder if it wasn't deliberate.

[Vidmaster]

no idea why sb would call this game ugly...       ...it looks good (PC!) and runs superb.

Combat boring? No idea here too. Although my Soldier character had no problem at all in the last part of the game, I admit that. Guess I just had too big guns with the right powerups    Seriously, I played on normal and there are 3 difficulty levels above that, I guess challenge is sufficiant then.

I thought the alien design was good too. Even the Asari. They were blue, had some kind of tentacles as hair and fulfilled the primitive demands of a male's brain !just kidding!, no that Unisex idea was okay.
Seriously, a lot better than StarTrek forehead props!     (*cough* Bajorans, *cough* Vulcans, *cough* Alien-of-the-Week, ...)

[Grizzly]

That actually applies to most of the ME aliens in general. They are all just humans with different heads screwed on.

So are aliens in pretty much all science fiction.

How about the Shivans?

You're right that this is a common problem in sci-fi, but the ME ones were particularly generic. They not only looked like humans, but talked and behaved like humans in just about every way.

Isn't that a point that Kaidan makes in one of the conversations?

[Ransom]

don't be ridiculous nobody talks to kaidan

[TrashMan]

You must not have played much else in the last few years. After you disable those nasty film grain and frame smoothing effects, the lighting and character models make the game look very similar to Unreal 2 or UT2004, but with much lower framerates.

No, I'm just not a spoiled graphics whore. The graphics of ME was great. Not uber-extra spectacular, but then again it doesn't have to be.
Too many games focus so much on looks they forget gameplay anyway. For me, the game only has to look "good enough".

[TrashMan]

That actually applies to most of the ME aliens in general. They are all just humans with different heads screwed on.

So are aliens in pretty much all science fiction.

Try Sword of the Stars. You get 6 races which are very original (and have many interesting twists and AMAZING background. The details to which the writer went are amazing.)

[haloboy100]

don't be ridiculous nobody talks to kaidan

I did.

You actually find out some rather interesting background to how he got his biotic certification.

[CP5670]

No, I'm just not a spoiled graphics whore. The graphics of ME was great. Not uber-extra spectacular, but then again it doesn't have to be.
Too many games focus so much on looks they forget gameplay anyway. For me, the game only has to look "good enough".

It's one thing to say that the graphics didn't inhibit the quality of the game (which I agree with), but quite another to claim that they were "great."

Although as I said earlier, ME didn't have much in the way of gameplay either. This game was all about the story.

There's a couple of exceptions. I forget what they were called, but the ones that spoke in a monotone were kind of interesting. The Rachni and the Thorian, as well.

I think you're referring the Elcor, those elephant-like things.

The Thorian was indeed very cool.

[Liberator]

don't be ridiculous nobody talks to kaidan

it's kinda silly to take 2 sentinels anywhere...

I always try and figure out what "D&D classes" Bioware is designing a character to be, Soldier = Warrior and so forth, in my mind a Seninel, you know the Tech/Biotic one with pistols and light armor, would be a Mage/Cleric/Thief multiclass.

[Vidmaster]

don't be ridiculous nobody talks to kaidan

 
guess it's a joke...

how to really enjoy a game from Bioware without getting to know you fellow crew?

[Ransom]

A lot of people disliked Kaidan because he reminded them too much of Carth from KotOR. I'm not one of them, but I do think he's one of the less interesting characters.

[General Battuta]

Yeah, he whined about his childhood a lot, but his voice actor and animation did a good job of making him seem like he had hidden depth.

Never managed to bang him, though. I somehow accidentally ended up with Liara again on my Renegade playthrough.

A major disappointment was the characterization of the Reapers. Sovereign gave a very long expository speech. They should know that villains who do that don't stay threatening for long.

Should've taken a page from the Shivan playbook.

[Vidmaster]

I liked the Reapers (although the idea wasn't all that new) and the Sov's speech.
Especially since it was so surprising

Spoiler:

when battling through Saren's base. I was expecting Saren not the evil ship.

 

Also, that's just so Bioware. Also on Virmire, when Saren shows up, there is this incredible cutscene where the descents from the heaves  raining death upon our heroes only to be engaged in a conversation afterwards. 
ME's endgame is great and has lot's of tension, maybe just a bit too easy.

Okay Ransom, I agree. Sb like Tali'Zorah nar Rayya (puh!) is more interesting. Still, Kaidan is anything else but a flat character, ME's most generic character would actually be Ashley Williams I guess.
Still, her voice-actress delivers her agressive-sarcastic lines very well and like the rest of the game, she is very well written. Or maybe Wrex? Also not a very unique person, the looks aside.

[haloboy100]

I found Wrex's stories really interesting, actually.

A lot of people disliked Kaidan because he reminded them too much of Carth from KotOR. I'm not one of them, but I do think he's one of the less interesting characters.

That's actually why I liked him. Carth was a really cool character IMHO. He seemed like the most logistical one in conversations. Kaiden seems like a more emotional incarnation of Carth, but I still liked him.

Actually...now that you think of it;
Tali reminds me of Visas somehow (probably because you can't see her face) and Wrex's stories remind me of Canderous. But that's just pulling archetypes out of the air. I second the shottie mention with Tali, though. She definitely doesn't seem so fragile when you kick ass with one of those spectre shotties

Ashley Williams was probably my most disliked character. She has no real story, no cause, no real purpose other than to bone you near the end of the game. I never used her in mission once, and even with me taking every dialogue opportunity with her, I felt no emotional build up at all.

[General Battuta]

If you play as an anti-human renegade she becomes a pretty key character.

[Vidmaster]

Yeah, she is the "ordinary marine girl"-type     But how the hell can you play ANTI-HUMAN in this game?   

And you can still argue with her as a paragon. Weird. On my first playthrough (the special thing about that see above!), I was on the best way of finishing the romance sidequest with her and then killed her off on Virmire.
The game shocked me with the decision and I didn't think but just chose what felt right and it was Kaidan... 
One of these "Oh my god what did I just do?" moments. Maybe because she seems so though and Kaidan not? Protect the weak? Like I said, I often learn things about myself on my first playthrough.

[CP5670]

I left her there too, just because I was starting to find her annoying by that point.

I don't think any of the characters are boring and they all had interesting things to say. As actual fighters though, they are all more or less useless. I took Wrex on missions frequently since he was the only one who didn't die in every other fight early on. They became more capable later in the game, but I was unstoppable by myself by that stage, so it didn't matter.

[Vidmaster]

yeah, pretty much

[TrashMan]

Ashley can be pretty devastating herself in combat. She's a soldier, and than means lot's of skill points in guns, lots of HP and very good armor. I specialized her in sniper rifles. She was a godsend, especially when those irritating wall hoppers were around.