Character Development

Over the past three weeks I have spend a large amount of my time writing very long blogs to which I am sorry for, on the Mass Effect series, starting with my thoughts on the series ending to how I got into the series and why I have enjoyed it so much.

While writing last week’s blog I touch on in very little detail the character development that takes place within the series and that a series can only survive if it can find a balance between the characters, world and story. An example of this that I would like to use would be any television show you watch, the main reason that you watch these shows is for the story and its characters and over time if those character don’t show any change or the story stays the same you will at some point become bored with the show and leave. If the show runners are able to create a balance between these two facts you will then be able to bring more people in to the series and give those that are watching a reason to return to the show the next time it comes back on and Mass Effect has done this very well.

The one thing that I would like to point out before I go on, is that once a series reaches its conclusion on its own terms you have to have created something within that time frame to give those that have invested time into your show a reason to come back and re-watch it even though they may already know the outcome. Examples of this would be the story and characters from Babylon 5, the comedy and relationship of Chuck and the story of Battlestar Galactica 2003. As you can see from my examples, each show I have listed also has a reasons as to why I would go back and revisit them.

As I have stated a moments ago Mass Effect has found a way in which to create this balance while at the same time giving those the chance to invest in the story and its characters. For me the first game created balance between the two very well, while the second game forced more on character development and the final game going more into story development.

I know that a large amount of the fan base will disagree with me but that is a topic for another time, today I just want to have a look at the characters themselves. The one theme that always come up in both the original and the second game is that you spend a large amount of your time talking to your crew members about their past and getting to know them, but the way in which the game makes sure you are not being over loaded with information is by only telling you so much before stopping and then only carrying on after you have completed another mission. Each time you interact with them you find out a bit more information about them while at the same time discover how they got to where they are now, plus you also get this feeling that you are helping them with their past.

By the time you arrive at the third game the character development that has taken place in the previous two games slows down so that the story can take a more centre stage but also allowing for those characters to grow and come to terms with their own actions.

The way in which the series gets you involved with the characters is to try and get you to sympathise with them along with allowing you to try and find apart of you within these characters. A great example of this would be Mordin Solus, when you first meet him you discover that he is a doctor who wants to give back to the galaxy before he dies. As you start to get to know him you find out that he worked for his races Special Forces while at the same time improving upon the Krogan genophage that was created by his race long ago. By this point you discovery that he is helping to create genocide on another race and that his reasoning behind all of it is statistics, when you do meet up with him in Mass Effect 3 you discovery that he has decided to help cure the genophage because he wants atone for what he has done, I won’t spoil what happens next but in just two games you end up caring what happens to him and that in some way you have had a hand in making him realise the error of his ways.

Another great example would be Thane, when you first go looking for him all you know in advance is that he is a contact assassin but just after a few moments of seeing what he can do you get this picture that he is a ruthless killer while being a very holy person as heart. Just like with Mordin when you finally do start talking to him you discover that he has an incurable disease that is killing him and that he wants to connect with his son and make up for lost time.

Again there a more character within the series than those that I have just spoke about and each one is completely different from the next but it is the way in which the writers have been able to create these characters so that we can relate ourselves to them while caring about who they are and what happens to them. This to me is good writing and this is just one of the reasons this series will stand the test of time and why so many will come back to it again and again, if it wasn’t for the story or the characters themselves I don’t think this game series would have been as successful as it is.

Until Next Time

Refection

I do hope that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and I am guessing that you are all now getting ready for New Year Eve but before we even get there I would like to take some time to look back at some of the good things that have happened this year.

The main events for everyone are two of biggest events to happen within the United Kingdom and will be on the top of everyone’s list and those are the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympic games as a whole, to me these two events weren't that big for me due to the fact that I have never been into sports and I never liked the idea of having the Olympics coming to this country to bring with. When It came to the Queen’s Jubilee I was happy to hear that she had made sixty years on the throne and I do hope that I can see history when she becomes the longest reigning monarch but that is some time off but getting two extra bank holidays that I felt like where just two normal days to me with a lots of rain was something that I felt wasn’t as a bigger deal as everyone else believed.

One news story this year that disappointed me the most was to do with Lance Armstrong and him losing all seven of his Tour De France titles, for years Lance Armstrong had battle Cancer and continued to train and win races only to be accuse year after year that he used performance enhancing drugs when he was tested at the end of each race and was cleared of them. To me this should never have happened and I will always believe that he won those seven Tour De France races.

The last think that most people well member about 2012 was the release of a fan fiction called Master of the Universe (Fifty Shades Trilogy) that has now allowed book shops to carry mild porn novels on their shelves (The less I say about this the better it will be for all of us).

The last news related story that was a big deal this year for me and I hope everyone else remembers it, is the death of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.

Now that I have covered the main stories that everyone will remember this year I will now take some time to look at some stories that weren’t that main stream that I will remember 2012. The first two that I wish to have a look at where two televisions show that came to an end this year.

The first on my list was Chuck and for those that have not seen or heard about it, in short it is about a nerd that becomes a government spy and falls in love with his handler Sarah. I will be honest with everyone that when the first series came out I watched it and wanted to know what happened next but due to the fact that I was then unable to watch the rest of the show due to the person I was dating at this point in my life I had only started re-watching the show from the beginning when the fifth and final series began, so I was lucky neither to see the show from the beginning to end and the way in which it end was great for me because it was left open for the fans or the creators to continue the story the way in which they want to.

The next show that came to an end was Eureka and this was a show that I made sure I watched every episode when it came on and I just loved every part of it. The shows cancellation came out of the blue last year but it wasn’t until this year that the show ended and like Chuck it finished on a high as well as coming full circle, if you want to know what I mean then go watch the show from the beginning to the end and you will see what I mean.

This year I was unable to watch as many films as I wanted to but I hope to correct this going into next year but the films that I did see I would recommend you to go and see them. The first three on my list consist of three films that I wanted to see in the cinema but only ended up seeing two of them, when I first heard about The Hunger Games I wasn’t too sure about the film but after seeing the first trailer I knew that I was going to like this film and after seeing it in the cinema I just couldn’t wait to see what will happen next (plus when I get some money I will be buying these books).

The next film on the list is the highest grossing film of the year and that is the Avengers Assemble, if you are like me and have enjoyed the Marvel films so far you will love this film and if you haven’t seen it I think you should go get the DVD and watch the film right now.

The last film in this group and the only film that I didn’t see in the cinema was director by the same person that did the Avengers Assemble movie, the film was called Cabin in the Woods and let’s just say this isn’t your normal horror movie. When I first say the trailer I knew that it was going to be something different and as soon as it came out on DVD I watched it and enjoyed every minute. Best way I can describe this movie is a horror movie that is unlike any horror movie you have seen before plus it has as massive twist.

The last three films that I saw this year were all movies that to me where done very well but at the same time were not received very well by the public. The first of the three was Prometheus which is a prequel to the Alien movie which was created by Ridley Scott but shows you the events that lead up to the Alien movie but then goes in a completely different direction which is good. If you liked Alien then you should go pick up this up on DVD.

The Last film that I saw in the cinema that wasn’t reviewed very well was Looper. Now the reason that I enjoyed this film was because it actually got me thinking at the end and also because I very much enjoy time travelling films, it was also nice to see Bruce Wills playing a bad guy.

Now the last film that I saw from this year’s collection was Total Recall, now it has been sometime since I have seen the original so to a point I went in blind when I bought the DVD last week to watch but I really enjoyed the cast and the way in which the story went. The film isn’t as bad as everyone has made it out to be but if you are unsure then I would say wait a month or two to buy it at a cheaper price.

As a whole this year hasn’t been as bad as everyone has believed it to be, the world is still here and we are still over populating as we normally do. If there is one thing that I have learned over the years is we have the power to make a year good or bad. I know that personal issue do fact into it a lot but at the end of the day it is you that has the choice to make your life and year into what you want, plus there are events and other forms of entrainment to help you out too.

For those that have been reading my blog I hope that you have a good New Year’s Eve and New Years Day and if there is one think that I want you all to take away for this blog is that you control what next year is going to be like.

Until next time