Mass Effect Dev Reveals Most Players Refused To Be The Bad Guy

Freedom is the ability to become the bad guy, and then you don't.

I did 8+ plays of the ME trilogy, and only ever did 2 renegade runs (one for each gender of Shepard)

I honestly didn't like the renegade writing as well. Most of the time it was fine, with being expedient or practical options that aren't good and proper. The problem always came with some mustache twirly choice that came out as a Saturday morning cartoon villain playbook. Also It was hard to be renegade when Tali was around.

How about remastering this trilogy so we can all be renegades?

It's funny, but it seems like some people pick Paragon options because they feel it is the "right" thing to do. On sister site GiantBomb, Alex Navarro played through ME 1&2 and you could hear him talking through his feelings at certain points in the game. It would seem like he wanted to be dickish to a character... but would then choose the Paragon option. I went for more what I felt I'd be more likely to do for real and for the most part, that was Renegade. I mean, I talked Wrex down, because I really liked Wrex. I killed the Rachni Queen because a) I hate roaches, b) seemed like too big a threat. I was maxed out Renegade but still was able to be merciful here and there.

Edit: And I absolutely loved Hale's Renegade FemShep!

It's actually way more fun going renegade loads of good one liners and interruptions. My favourite moment is in Mass Effect 2 when a Merc starts saying "While we've been talking my men have been lining up shots..." then you can just interrupt him by blasting him in the face then shooting down scaffolding on his buddies.

When the ending (oh god the horror) is the same, might as well not be a douchebag who punches reporters in the face — or casually commits genocide just 'cause they can. The games also very heavily incentivized full paragon or full renegade playthroughs, giving you access to exclusive skills and dialogue options and it isn't like the choice between the two alignments was terribly nuanced. You literally chose between being a dick and not being a dick.

Hell, with an imported save, the final game pretty much shafts a renegade character into the worst possible endings because of a lack of ending-o-matic resource that paragon players get showered with because renegades went around pissing off or killing anyone willing to help.

And now I've reminded myself of just how bad the ending to the trilogy was, goddamnit.

i find it harder to be a jerk in video games than in real life. It ought to be the other way around.

I always played both. One play through as good and one as bad. The game punished you for trying to be in between (you'd miss out on options that needed certain Good or Bad value to access) so that was never a real option. Also, renegade choices made you just shy of a baby killing maniac while paragon you were the righteous goodie two shoes hero. It made no narrative sense to ping pong and made shep seem like a bi-polar psychotic weirdo if you tried.

...k.

So how about that new Mass Effect game we know they're working on?

I always went paragon. Couldn't bring myself to be a dick in Mass Effect.

Except for the renegade interrupts where you fry the gunship mechanic and kick the dude out the skyscraper window. Couldn't not do those.

How about the 'Paragade' or the 'Renegon'?

Mixtures of both, which is pretty much what I played in my 'canon' playthrough, the one I used from ME1 and imported it to ME2 and continued on with ME3. It was mostly Paragon with some Renegade choices, ratio was about 70% Paragon, 30% Renegade.

Nah. I always play renegade ! no matter if i lose itens or such. Hit Wrex with a Shotgun had no price!!

Eh, I was always renegade on my first playthrough of the Mass Effect games. I just thought Commander Shepard (especially male Shep) was better as being a "don't take no crap" bad ass. I thought Mark Meer delivered the renegade lines very well and seemed to fit the role better than paragon. I'm sure there will be people who will disagree, but that's how I felt. I enjoyed the trilogy so much that, over the years, I have played as both a good and bad female and male Shepard. IMO, Renegade - Male Shepard, Paragon - Female Shepard.

I think about 80% of my 20+ playthroughs of the trilogy are paragon. Only one of those renegade ones, the first one, did I betray the Krogan. Couldn't do it again partly because Wrex, and partly because you lose too much if you do.

That said my first renegade play through in ME1 was with a femshep, and that changed the way I play games. Used to always chose a male protagonist if there was a choice until then, now it is almost always female.

I went Renegade in the first two games but the Renegade choices in ME3 were so spectacularly stupid that I couldn’t force myself to pick them.

Yeah, maybe because you get punished for being bad guy so it doesnt makes sense to be one.

Most people will always choose the good path in games that give them a choice, not just because they want to play a hero but because they don't trust the devs to not punish them for choosing the "bad" path.

I chose most Paragon choices in ME3, except the Renegade ones that resulted in Shepard punching people in the face because they were always quality scenes.

If they want people to make a bigger variety of choices, don't reveal the color of the choice until after they make it, and don't give people gameplay bonuses for only sticking on one side.