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Favorite Bioware Characters?
#1
Favorite Bioware Characters?
This post is mostly intended for fans of Bioware and its games, but I'm not going to hit you with a stick if you decide to argue my choices. Keep in mind that if you haven't played Dragon Age (series) or Mass Effect (series), or even Knights of the Old Republic, you may be very confused.

I am not claiming that the following characters are better or worse than others- many characters resonate with different people for different reasons. This is simply a list of my personal favorite video game characters, and a list of the reasons why I like them so much. You may notice that I like Bioware very much, given all of them are from Bioware's games.

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6. Darth Revan (Kotor)- Need I say more? He brought back the Sith empire. He's an unstoppable dark lord turned light side hero who may or may not turn back to the dark side. He defeats Darth Malak easily, and cements himself as my favorite Star Wars character of all time. If the game he was in were newer and thus more polished and higher budget, he would rank higher on this list. His personality is who you make him, however, so I can't say any more about that.

5. Avaline (DA II) - She's not only a great guard captain with a bold sense of duty and hatred of corruption, she's also a great friend with a dynamic personality that changes as she overcomes her guilt for her husband's death, rises in rank through the guard, and eventually marries Ser Donnic. There's a lot more I could say, but I'll keep this short so more people might decide to read the higher-ranking entries.

4. Mordin Solus (ME II)- He's an alien doctor who set up,at great risk to his own life, a free clinic to cure plague victims, offers to set you up with Tali, understands that sometimes the best way to help good people is by killing bad people, and he has some really thought-provoking insight into the genophage. He seems confident and calm on the outside, but you can tell that he's internally tormented by his past without Bioware ever making his internal struggle too obvious. Plus, without his research into the seeker swarms, your mission would have gotten nowhere fast.

3. Tali Zorah (ME I, ME II, confirmed ME III)- She's willing to sacrifice her home to save her father's name, and her life to save Shepard. All quarians have to remain in suits at all times, but Tali ironically and emotionally gives a face to an entire race of faceless people who must tragically live without ever feeling a gentle touch, smelling a sweet flower, or breathing in a cool breeze. She has arguably the best voice acting in a Bioware game- and that's saying a lot. She's unsurprisingly recruited hordes of Talimancers to her banner, all without ever showing an inch of skin. Tali is also a dynamic character. While at first completely loyal (and biased) towards her people, Shepard can persuade her to open her mind to multiple points of view- a feat most real people never manage. She even agrees to work with Legion to save the galaxy. Plus, she's one of the only characters I know of to play an important role in two, soon to be three, major, blockbuster games.

2. Varric and Morrigan- (DA II {DA I, perhaps DA III}) This is a toss up for me. Both can be abrasive and mocking at times, but both come through for you when you really need it. Morrigan has a short temper and mirth aplenty, but she also has a carefully guarded softer side, not to mention a refreshingly logical world view and great voice acting. She also bashes the Chantry every chance she gets. You can also soften her during the Circle Tower quests, in case you like your allies to have a bit more heart. Not to mention- her dark ritual may just save your life. Plus, she's hot. Varric is hilarious as an ally, and he narrates DA II very well. He's one of the most original dwarf characters I've seen, and he's arguably responsible for the Champion's rise to power in the first place. You can see a real evolution from the money-hungry drifter of Act I to the reluctant hero in Act III, yet he stays close enought to his roots to remain interesting and badass.

1. Merrill - (DA I, DA II) This is an easy choice for me. Merrill is the only blood mage (other than, optionally, the Champion) who has enough will to (mostly) avoid being possessed by demons. She's supportive of your decisions and mages in general, and genuinely cares for the Champion and her clan. She's realistic, both in proportions and personality. She's sexy without ever resembling easy. She shows both strength and weakness in DA II, which is rare for a character in any game. She'll stand by you in hopeless battles, but is warm enough to cry in her well made, tragic companion quests. And where most video-game women have to show lots of cleavage to be considered for romance, Merrill blows the competition away with a great personality and consistently well-written dialogue that makes her appear adorably naive without ever losing sight of her great intelligence. She has great character growth as well, becoming more street-smart with each passing act, not to mention more obssessed with the Eluvian. Merrill does eventually betray you, but she does it for a good reason, and apologizes profusely afterwards. Not to mention, she also has a few humorous lines of dialogue.

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If anyone else wants to post their favorite Bioware characters, feel free! Smile
What falls away is always, and is near.

Also, I am not pretending to be female, this profile picture is my wonderful girlfriend. XD
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#2
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
Pretty good list. I would add the following only because he was sheer awesome;

Minsc - A berserker ranger with a pet hamster Boo, whom he believes is a minature giant space hamster.
"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, watch it! I'm huge. "
"Make way evil! I'm armed to the teeth and packing a hamster!"
"Yes Boo, I agree. This group could do with a swift kick in the morals."
"I trust those who prey on children no farther than they can be thrown, even if I manage to throw them pretty far!"
"Boo and I will say we knew the hero . And people will of course not believe us. And, maybe, they will look at us more strangely than they do now. Or Maybe not. "

It just never got old. But your list is better, I just thought an honourable mention Smile
Self-authenticating private evidence is useless, because it is indistinguishable from the illusion of it. ― Kel, Kelosophy Blog

If you’re going to watch tele, you should watch Scooby Doo. That show was so cool because every time there’s a church with a ghoul, or a ghost in a school. They looked beneath the mask and what was inside?
The f**king janitor or the dude who runs the waterslide. Throughout history every mystery. Ever solved has turned out to be. Not Magic.
― Tim Minchin, Storm
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#3
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
Ah ha, finally, one reply! I was beginning to think I'd posted in the wrong section or broken the forum rules or something.
Edit---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmm. . . I just noticed the "Gaming" section. Maybe I should have posted there. . .


What falls away is always, and is near.

Also, I am not pretending to be female, this profile picture is my wonderful girlfriend. XD
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#4
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
(February 26, 2012 at 1:24 am)Aegrus Wrote: This post is mostly intended for fans of Bioware and its games, but I'm not going to hit you with a stick if you decide to argue my choices. Keep in mind that if you haven't played Dragon Age (series) or Mass Effect (series), or even Knights of the Old Republic, you may be very confused.

Cool, I'm very likely to argue given your number 1 favorite.

Quote:I am not claiming that the following characters are better or worse than others- many characters resonate with different people for different reasons. This is simply a list of my personal favorite video game characters, and a list of the reasons why I like them so much. You may notice that I like Bioware very much, given all of them are from Bioware's games.

Cool... I happen to think most of the games are solid (albeit I was very disappointed in Dragon Age 2).

Quote:6. Darth Revan (Kotor)- Need I say more? He brought back the Sith empire. He's an unstoppable dark lord turned light side hero who may or may not turn back to the dark side. He defeats Darth Malak easily, and cements himself as my favorite Star Wars character of all time. If the game he was in were newer and thus more polished and higher budget, he would rank higher on this list. His personality is who you make him, however, so I can't say any more about that.

I love a number of characters from mid-nineties games... I see no reason why his 'newness' should have anything to do with his likability. Plenty of new games have shit polish, or despite their budget turn out rather badly (read: Dragon Age 2).

Quote:5. Avaline (DA II) - She's not only a great guard captain with a bold sense of duty and hatred of corruption, she's also a great friend with a dynamic personality that changes as she overcomes her guilt for her husband's death, rises in rank through the guard, and eventually marries Ser Donnic. There's a lot more I could say, but I'll keep this short so more people might decide to read the higher-ranking entries.

I found her more annoying than anything... a stuck-up self-righteous conservative asshole. She is a very bland character archetype... and SHE IS A TEASE. They give you the option to flirt with her, but not to romance her, because sooner or later some classless 'dickwad' idiot guard shows up, keeping you forever away from discovering *any* inkling of character complexity and depth within her.

Quote:4. Mordin Solus (ME II)- He's an alien doctor who set up,at great risk to his own life, a free clinic to cure plague victims, offers to set you up with Tali, understands that sometimes the best way to help good people is by killing bad people, and he has some really thought-provoking insight into the genophage. He seems confident and calm on the outside, but you can tell that he's internally tormented by his past without Bioware ever making his internal struggle too obvious. Plus, without his research into the seeker swarms, your mission would have gotten nowhere fast.

I'll give you this one: Mordin Solus is amazing, from the voice actor, to his fascinating history and depth, to all of the incredible writing in nearly everything involving him.

Quote:3. Tali Zorah (ME I, ME II, confirmed ME III)- She's willing to sacrifice her home to save her father's name, and her life to save Shepard. All quarians have to remain in suits at all times, but Tali ironically and emotionally gives a face to an entire race of faceless people who must tragically live without ever feeling a gentle touch, smelling a sweet flower, or breathing in a cool breeze. She has arguably the best voice acting in a Bioware game- and that's saying a lot. She's unsurprisingly recruited hordes of Talimancers to her banner, all without ever showing an inch of skin. Tali is also a dynamic character. While at first completely loyal (and biased) towards her people, Shepard can persuade her to open her mind to multiple points of view- a feat most real people never manage. She even agrees to work with Legion to save the galaxy. Plus, she's one of the only characters I know of to play an important role in two, soon to be three, major, blockbuster games.

While I am an admitted "Talimancer", I'm pissed that she only goes for male Shepard. Guess how many of those I ever stomached making? One. Specifically so I could romance her.

She's very plainly a teenager, but I've enjoyed her growth over the last two games... I have high hopes for Mass Effect 3 Smile

Quote:2. Varric and Morrigan- (DA II {DA I, perhaps DA III}) This is a toss up for me. Both can be abrasive and mocking at times, but both come through for you when you really need it. Morrigan has a short temper and mirth aplenty, but she also has a carefully guarded softer side, not to mention a refreshingly logical world view and great voice acting. She also bashes the Chantry every chance she gets. You can also soften her during the Circle Tower quests, in case you like your allies to have a bit more heart. Not to mention- her dark ritual may just save your life. Plus, she's hot. Varric is hilarious as an ally, and he narrates DA II very well. He's one of the most original dwarf characters I've seen, and he's arguably responsible for the Champion's rise to power in the first place. You can see a real evolution from the money-hungry drifter of Act I to the reluctant hero in Act III, yet he stays close enought to his roots to remain interesting and badass.

Morrigan is a bitch, she had her moments, but she is a bitch. Not to mention how much she didn't come through for you at the end... she basically says "Fuck me or I'll leave.", AND THEN SHE STILL LEAVES after you fuck her (or Alistair/Logain, if you're a chick)... even I am not so callous as to suggest that.

Varric's cool, and in my opinion the best character in DA II... Really it's a choice of Isabella, Varric, and Sarcastic-Hawke Wink

Quote:1. Merrill - (DA I, DA II) This is an easy choice for me. Merrill is the only blood mage (other than, optionally, the Champion) who has enough will to (mostly) avoid being possessed by demons. She's supportive of your decisions and mages in general, and genuinely cares for the Champion and her clan. She's realistic, both in proportions and personality. She's sexy without ever resembling easy. She shows both strength and weakness in DA II, which is rare for a character in any game. She'll stand by you in hopeless battles, but is warm enough to cry in her well made, tragic companion quests. And where most video-game women have to show lots of cleavage to be considered for romance, Merrill blows the competition away with a great personality and consistently well-written dialogue that makes her appear adorably naive without ever losing sight of her great intelligence. She has great character growth as well, becoming more street-smart with each passing act, not to mention more obssessed with the Eluvian. Merrill does eventually betray you, but she does it for a good reason, and apologizes profusely afterwards. Not to mention, she also has a few humorous lines of dialogue.

Why I can't stand Merrill:

She's a ditz. She should be blond for as dumb as she is.
She is naive. It's just completely retarded.
She might be trying to save her clan, but you end up slaughtering her entire clan. So that's fun.
Her voice actor is terrible (or so good at being bad that it revolts me and I am impressed).
The only interesting thing about her is that she is related in some way to the Grey Warden of the Dalish (if you selected that).
She's timid and she stutters... at first it's cute, but SHE NEVER GROWS UP.

And finally: If you have romanced her, you are a pedophile. You creeper... I don't even know you anymore.

Quote:If anyone else wants to post their favorite Bioware characters, feel free! Smile

Quick gripe: Bioware handled the mage arcs horribly... mages are not just some time-bomb waiting to go off, yet every one of them that isn't on your party will eventually turn into an Abomination. I especially hate that in an environment with such retarded writing as to make all mages go blood to the point of 'boom'... that Merrill, who intentionally plays in the magic environment with a nonexistent will, is utterly immune to the same bad writing.

Hell, the writing for mages makes it so inevitable that they will turn... that I'm willing to side with the Templars from the start if this garbage continues in the third game... assuming I can even arse myself to play it.
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
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#5
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
Alistair from Dragon Age Origin and Anders from Dragon Age 2 Big Grin
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#6
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
Woah, okay. I'll take this one at a time.

1. You say she's a ditz. I argue that she's just out of place in human society. If you went to live with the Dalish, you'd probably look like a ditz to them. Yet she somehow is intelligent enought to avoid being possessed by demons, and figure out how to repair the Eluvian (until Marethari messed it up, though Marethari likely did save Merrill from demons, so there's that.)

2. You say she's a dumb blond/naive. Same answer as number one.

3. You say she ends up slaughtering her entire clan. That is optional, as on my profile, her clan is very much alive given my dialogue choices.

4. You say she has a terrible voice actor. It's a Welsh accent, so maybe that's why it seems odd? Anyway, I like all of her dialogue except the crying- it sounded too much like laughing.

5. You say she's timid, and she stutters. That is true. You also say she never grows up, which is not true. In the endgame and during some later parts in her romance, she is calm and resolute, and is willing to die for the mages and Hawke.

Btw, I'm timid and I used to stutter, so I don't mind people with those qualities.

As for the pedophile remark, you have no idea how to tell an elf's age, and neither do I. Considering she was an adult in Dragon Age; Origins, however, and you can't romance her until 5 years after the end of the first game, there is no way she's underage.
What falls away is always, and is near.

Also, I am not pretending to be female, this profile picture is my wonderful girlfriend. XD
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#7
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
Since I only ever played the Dragon Age and Mass Effect, I will be drawing my favorites from those two series.

6. Oghren {DA I} Simply because he was the much needed comic relief in my honest opinion. When things became too dark and serious, here comes drunk-off-his-ass-Oghren to put a smile on the Warden's face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBVm64zHhLg

That, and also the banter that usually occurs between him and bashful Alistair during random running around sequences. Dwarves can get bored too, I suppose.

5. Zevran {DA I and a little in DA II} I enjoyed the assassin, especially the romances since he was accessible for both genders (I think the only other like that was Leilanna...if I spelled that right). His story and accent intrigued me the most of the characters in the party. While yes, his personality in some spots could kinda plain and monotonous with sex around every corner, I still enjoyed the innuendos he had with the Warden as well as the other party members during their jaunts through Fereldan.

Aegrus Wrote:4. Mordin Solus (ME II)- He's an alien doctor who set up,at great risk to his own life, a free clinic to cure plague victims, offers to set you up with Tali, understands that sometimes the best way to help good people is by killing bad people, and he has some really thought-provoking insight into the genophage. He seems confident and calm on the outside, but you can tell that he's internally tormented by his past without Bioware ever making his internal struggle too obvious. Plus, without his research into the seeker swarms, your mission would have gotten nowhere fast.

I agree with you there, which is why he is also my number 4, along with his ability to sing, which is awesome as well. Although he is tormented about his past, he doesn't let it show much for it would interfere with his current work, which simply won't do for this fast talking Scientist, Salarian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj0iJtgHOCI

3. Thane {ME II} Oh look, another assassin (seems to be a trend). Albeit a much darker view on everything, he seemed more at peace with what he was than Zevran, who played everything off as a joke, usually a sexual one. The ability to depict every memory perfectly no matter how much time had passed intrigued me, like many things about the alien. His philosophy about is body simply being another weapon, like a gun, instead of a person killing another person, puts a bleak, but fascinating spin on the mindset of a mercenary. Even with all of these supposed negatives to Thane, he is a kind-hearted and loving person, father too, underneath the green, almost amphibious exterior.

2. Garrus {ME I and II} The Archangel... amazing sniper, quirky personality underneath the rugged tough exterior, with a brain to boot. What's not to love about Garrus? He can be as strong and competent as any hardened soldier on the battlefield. But inside, he doesn't seem like an asshole like the majority of turians that I have encountered through the Galaxy. With his C-Sec background, he has a sense of justice, but he doesn't play by the book, he listens to his heart and head on what he believes is right.

1. Sarcastic Hawke {DA II} The reason I picked Hawke over say...oh, Shepard, who can still be awesome at times, is because with Shepard-Commander (as Legion calls Him/Her) there is two real options: Paragon or Renegade. With Hawke, you get these options too, but there's also a third: this snarky, joking, poke-fun-at-everyone-just-because-you-can type that has never been seen before in either ME or DA. What's so amazing about it, is that Hawke is actually somewhat funny with his/her lines. That's not even getting into the usual getting to make it look like whomever you want or the class and gender of your choosing. I'm strictly talking about a personality type that doesn't really show up in either series beforehand (although, I could be wrong, I simply have never really seen otherwise.)

Although, an aside... two of my favorite scenes in Mass Effect II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnEDQc-Fr...re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCoHT_cHPzY

*phew* sorry if that was kinda long-winded.... when it comes to video games... I can get carried away, and ramble for days.

But, I have videos to break up the monotony of words.... yay for moving pictures!
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#8
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
Oops, didn't mean to repost.
Vaeolet Lilly Blossom-

I never thought Avaline was stuck-up. She dislikes criminals, and I think that most of us would agree with her on that. Of course, if her friendship is maxed and your Hawke chooses to overthrow the Chantry (as mine did), she sticks with you, despite a bloody mage revolution conflicting with what you call conservative values. (I would imagine conservatives would side with the Chantry over apostate mages.)

As for Morrigan. . .yeah, she's a bit of a bitch. She's also highly intelligent, and I never once saw her do something evil that didn't have solid, coldly logical justification.
As for her sleeping with you and leaving, with the Witchunt dlc, you can go with her through her conjured Eluvian.
[img][Image: togetherd.jpg][/img]
Come one, come all, judge for yourselves if this is pedophilia. (It's not.)

Come on, Vaeolet. How can you not like Merrill? Wink Shades
What falls away is always, and is near.

Also, I am not pretending to be female, this profile picture is my wonderful girlfriend. XD
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#9
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
(February 26, 2012 at 11:46 pm)Aegrus Wrote: Woah, okay. I'll take this one at a time.

I love how the only one you defended was Merrill.

[Image: 456474931_0356ba4a8d.jpg]

Quote:1. You say she's a ditz. I argue that she's just out of place in human society. If you went to live with the Dalish, you'd probably look like a ditz to them. Yet she somehow is intelligent enought to avoid being possessed by demons, and figure out how to repair the Eluvian (until Marethari messed it up, though Marethari likely did save Merrill from demons, so there's that.)

Just out of place in human society? Her own people cannot wait to be rid of her!

Intelligence has nothing to do with ability to avoid 'possession'. You will notice that the head-honcho mage in the story turns into a big ugly abomination at the end?

I say she's a ditz, a bumbling danger to herself and everyone she cares for, who is only saved from possession because she was someone's pet project.

That... or the demons see no point in possessing her. She's too boring for even them.

Quote:2. You say she's a dumb blond/naive. Same answer as number one.

Same response.

Quote:3. You say she ends up slaughtering her entire clan. That is optional, as on my profile, her clan is very much alive given my dialogue choices.

How the fuck did you get that to work? It's like getting the werewolves to side with you in DA1: there is only one way to do it, and it's complete and total hax that should not have been possible in the first place.

Quote:4. You say she has a terrible voice actor. It's a Welsh accent, so maybe that's why it seems odd? Anyway, I like all of her dialogue except the crying- it sounded too much like laughing.

Are you smoking something? I did not say 'her accent pisses me off'... no: her voice does. Odd? Not remotely... just sounds like every other foolish kid character archetype. Her character writing is asinine and expressively self-important.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N05P9WlDm3s

The kid who wants to save everyone, and can do no wrong, and is so smart, and so strong... but is still a small child, and often an idiot child at that. Oh, and possessed, so that's cool.

Quote:5. You say she's timid, and she stutters. That is true. You also say she never grows up, which is not true. In the endgame and during some later parts in her romance, she is calm and resolute, and is willing to die for the mages and Hawke.

I've smexed her for the achievement... I felt foul and sick and had to shower immediately. Calm and resolute? What game did you pick up? Because in the game I played: she was whiney and boring and prudish.

A willingness to die is not a characteristic of anyone who isn't emo... please don't mistake it for the quite mature willingness to fight for another's sake till your last breath.

Quote:Btw, I'm timid and I used to stutter, so I don't mind people with those qualities.

I'm bold, and only stutter when I'm so totally turned on that I have difficulty forming words without gasping in the middle of them or moaning them into dust.

I become increasingly forward with someone interesting who is hesitant/timid/stutters... Merrill is not interesting to me. And this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKAbJhiCJNo

Revolting.

Quote:As for the pedophile remark, you have no idea how to tell an elf's age, and neither do I. Considering she was an adult in Dragon Age; Origins, however, and you can't romance her until 5 years after the end of the first game, there is no way she's underage.

Don't misunderstand me when I say 'underage'... I don't mean 'below some arbitrary line of legality', oh no: I mean you are fucking a kid. In this game, Merrill has next to no experience with friends, no experience with lovers, and you happen to be pretty much her only friend and lover. Quite clearly to me: you are taking advantage of her.

I can sure as fuck tell you when I'm having sex with a child (if), I don't give a shit how old they are. She clearly has never had sex before this, and the whole scene is godawful.

And she needs to update her undergarments... what revolting shit is she wearing? So many frills for the sole purpose of hiding her not-cleavage Heart
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
Reply
#10
RE: Favorite Bioware Characters?
Vaeolet-

I argue that intelligence has everything to do with possession, and Arch Mage Orsino was only possessed when he became so desparate that he could not think clearly. All of your conversations with demons in the game deal with outsmarting them in some way.

Also, notice I did post defenses for Avaline and Morrigan, though when I said "one at a time", I more of meant I would defend Merrill against your individual points.

You seem heavily biased against Merril simply because she is awkward around people. I don't think you actually gave her a chance, but was instead intent on hating her the entire time simply because DA II let you down. You even insulted what she was wearing- clearly a factual, unbiased argument.

Anyway, how am I a pedophile when you say you had sex with her just for the achievement? If Im a pedophile, doesn't that make you a prostitute pedophile? Cool Shades

I'm joking, of course. I don't want to turn this hostile, as I already promised not to hit you with a stick.

What falls away is always, and is near.

Also, I am not pretending to be female, this profile picture is my wonderful girlfriend. XD
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