Bioware has recently announced that Mass Effect 4 is in development and that it will not feature Commander Shepard. Many of Bioware's previous comments during the development have pointed to a prequel at some point. So I'm betting the next game will likely take place before the time of Shepard. But that could be changing as Bioware has recently started to ask fans if the new game should take place after the events of Mass Effect 3 or if it should be a prequel.
Bioware's track record with prequels in large sci-fi universes is pretty good. Do you remember Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic? If the ME4 does take place after the events of the Reaper invasion, I want to see the return of some of Shepard's former squadmates. I wouldn't mind seeing what Wrex does with the genophage cured. So I started reminiscing about my favorite squadmates throughout the series and decided to make a list of the five best. Here are my choices:
5. Tali'Zorah: After playing the original game there was no way I would have picked Tali as one of my favorite squadmates, but as the series progressed so did Tali. In Mass Effect, she is nervous teenager on her Pilgrimage to prove her worth to the people of the Migrant Fleet. In Mass Effect 2, she is a respected figure in the Migrant Fleet and is leading her own team on deadly missions. In ME 3 Tali has been harden by battle and has moved up the ranks in the Migrant Fleet to admiral. The mission to retake Rannoch is one ME3's best moments and would've been without Tali.
4.Mordin Solus: The singing Salarian geneticist and former operative of the Special Tasks Group, Mordin Solus is one of the funniest characters to talk to in the Mass Effect universe. He is the very model of a Scientist Salarian. Mordin's calculated nature and adherence to scientific principle makes him an interesting character. He is someone who doesn't flinch at thought of dying for the greater good of the collective community.
3. Ashley Williams: Gunnery Chief Williams may annoy some gamers, but in Mass Effect 1, teaming her with Wrex made for one of the most power assault squads in the series. She is a lot like Shepard in many ways. At her core she is a soldier and someone who is willing to continue fighting despite the odds. As a romantic interest, she challenges Shepard to gain her affection unlike the very naïve Liara T'Soni. As the series progresses she becomes more than capable of leading her own team, but she remain mostly loyal to Shep.
2. Urdnot Wrex: In many ways, PlayStation 3 gamers have been robbed of one of the greatest characters in video game history. The original Mass Effect's Krogan mercenary, Urdnot Wrex is one of the coolest individuals to grace the game's fictional universe. Thankfully, the game will be released on PlayStation 3 on Dec. 4 either via the trilogy pack or by digital download. Wrex is the embodiment of someone destine for greatness. He has the ability to lead his people to great and maybe terrible things in the universe. Wrex is also one of the last Krogan Battlemasters and is a rare Krogan biotic with devastating abilities. If I could make a single-player DLC for Mass Effect 3, it would feature Wrex. So why isn't he number one? Because there is one crazy bird in the galaxy that is Hutch to Commander Shepard's Starsky.
1. Garrus Vakarian: This former C-Sec investigator has been by Commander Shepard's side from the very beginning. The two men seem to have very different and conflicting personalities, but in the end through the drama, trials and tribulations of the trilogy, they become the best of friends. Garrus originally comes off as the kinder, gentler and law-abiding of the two, but through the series he develops a bit of a dark side. I guess that comes with getting half of your face blown-off in the criminal underground of Omega. If Shepard really did perish during the finale of the game, I can imagine Garrus at the bar drinking a beer and toasting to his lost brother. If your Shepard happens to be a female, Garrus might also make for a great romance option.
