While the Mass Effect games have seen few games or DLC over the past few years, the older games still hold their own when compared to the likes of The Witcher or other large RPG titles.
One of the best parts of Mass Effect that set it apart is the unique characters, each with morals and behaviors that seem like real people. When the drama kicks off between other characters, sparks fly and create some of the best moments in any video game. It can be arguments, violence, or just banter, but these moments show Mass Effect at it's finest.
Updated December 26th, 2020 by Lee Juckiewicz: Despite Mass Effect: Andromeda's doomed ending, the fourth game of the franchise remained popular amongst fans for approaching the setting through a whole new set of eyes. Though there were concerns at the time that this was the end of Mass Effect, we were delighted to hear news of Mass Effect 4 on this year's N7 Day. No matter the franchise's future, it has a warm place in many gamer's hearts and always will. Here are more quotes that will stay with any Mass Effect fan.
15 "Throw It Out The Airlock." - Javik
Being the only known Promethean alive, Javik lets avid fans learn how this once great civilization works. Turns out, they love airlocks.
Javik repeatedly says this line throughout the game to the point where it is stuck in most people's heads. It affirms Javik's fear of the unknown and his view that others are inferior, such as his conversation with Liara or disgust with Legion being a crew member.
14 "The Measure Of An Individual Can Be Difficult To Discern By Actions Alone." - Thane
Thane (a romanceable Drell companion assassin and single dad) is one of the most interesting characters in any RPG, combining precise assassinations with in-depth philosophy. As Thane is terminally ill when you meet him, he has likely spent a lot of time thinking about the meaning of life.
Going from shooting aliens to quoting Thomas Hobbes shouldn't work, but yet Thane proves that assassin characters don't all have to be tragic tools. The quote itself puts into question what the players have perceived of everyone for the entire series, maybe even their personal lives. This quote tops off one of the best character introductions ever in any Mass Effect game.
13 "You Did Good Son. I'm Proud Of You." - Anderson
This is one of the best quotes in the series. Many that heard this quote from Anderson began to cry, knowing that the end of the trilogy was nigh.
It encompasses the whole trilogy, really. Shepard and his crew spend 3 games fighting and uncovering extinction-level events, gaining little recognition for their deeds other than a simple acknowledgment. Hearing this from one of Shepard's friends makes the player reflect on just how much was accomplished in their journey with this crew.
12 "Nobody Ever Fell In Love Without Being A Little Brave." - Shepard
EDI has a hard time understanding why Joker likes her in Mass Effect 3, being one of the smaller subplots of the game.
During a conversation at the Citadel, Shepard gives this classic line to her. It can be taken at face value to just focus on being yourself, but it has the potential to go deeper. This simple quote contextualizes love in a way few RPGs have done, adding depth to romance options when most games tackle romance at a surface level.
11 "It's So Much Easier To See The World In Black And White. Gray? I Don't Know What To Do With Gray..." - Garrus
Mass Effect 2 has some of the most memorable quotes in the series, and this one from Garrus takes the cake as one of the best. His motivations are fascinating, and its interesting to see how he calibrates his own mind.
It makes the player question when it is justifiable to kill. When is righting a wrong going too far? What if that person has redeeming qualities? It re-contextualizes not only Garrus' actions, but the actions of the entire Mass Effect crew. It's easiest to shoot first and ask questions later.
10 "Guide This One, Kalahira, And He Will Be A Companion To You As He Was To Me." - Thane
We all knew Thane wasn't going to make it to the end of Mass Effect 3. If his illness did not kill him — and by all accounts, it was likely to do so — he would die at the hands of the Reapers. This knowledge, however, doesn't make his death any less difficult.
On his death bed, Thane gives a prayer in Shepard's presence. It would seem that it is for him at first glance, but analyzing the phrases it becomes clear it's meant for Shepard. The last line shines Shepard in a heroic and noteworthy light, raising the tension for the missions to come.
9 "You Big Stupid Jellyfish!" - Shepard
This quote shows up not once but twice in the series. The quote itself is hilarious enough, but the delivery of it is on another level entirely.
A Hanar keeps pestering a shopkeeper with its thoughts in Mass Effect, causing Shepard to say a line similarly. In the third game, the line returns when the same Hanar is stating its insane beliefs to join the Reapers publicly. Either the Hanar is a masterful troll or a complete idiot, but it resulted in an amazing quote regardless.
8 "There, Earth. I Wish You Could See It Like I Do, Shepard. It's So... Perfect." - Illusive Man
The Illusive Man just wanted the best for Humanity, although the way he went about it was undoubtedly evil towards the end of Mass Effect 3. Quite a common trope in fictional villains, when you think about it. The Illusive Man gets indoctrinated and it becomes obvious at the end of the story.
Players encounter him at the Citadel when he says this classic. It perfectly encapsulates what he stood for, even if he was completely brainwashed by the Reapers. He was in way over his head, but you can't say he didn't die for a cause.
7 "Does This Unit Have A Soul?" - Legion
One of the largest subplots in Mass Effect 2 and 3 revolves around artificial intelligence, specifically the Geth, being sentient. Legion brings this up a few times with audio logs or quick comments, but he asks this in one of the most pivotal moments in the third game.
When a standoff between the Quarians and Geth could explode into extinction for the Quarians, Legion and Tali have to make a tough decision on what to do with the Reaper right in front of them. Legion asks the question, which Tali replies to later with "Yes." It is one of the most touching moments in any video game.
6 "We Impose Order On The Chaos Of Organic Evolution. You Exist Because We Allow It. And You Will End Because We Demand It." - Sovereign
Mass Effect 1's best moment is when players meet Sovereign, a Reaper that Saren has been corroborating with. The player doesn't know much about the Reapers yet.
That is why this entire scene is so unsettling. What appears to be an AI just dissed all organics in the system and spoke of extermination as if it was just another day in its life. It builds up to the confrontation at the end of the game, but this moment was so masterfully done it will go down as one of the best scenes in video games, arguably in any medium.
5 "Would Have Liked To Have Run Tests On Seashells..." - Mordin
Fan favorite Mordin truly was “the very model of a scientist Salarian” right up until the very end of his life. Though his career had its rocky moments, Mordin made up for his involvement in the genophage by opening a free clinic on Omega and aiding in the creation of the cure. In an early conversation with Shepard, he talks about retiring to a beach to collect seashells.
There’s two devastating lines from Mordin in this scene that deserve a mention. The other one is — “Had to be me; somebody else might have gotten it wrong.” Mordin paid the ultimate sacrifice, because he knew it was his responsibility. Hopefully in the future, whenever marine biologists are studying on the beach, they remember him.
4 "Emergency. Induction. Port." - Tali
Quarians — while far-travelled nomads and formidable engineers — do not have a very good immune system. As a result, when not in environments they know are perfectly sterile, they wear suits that isolate them from any possible contaminant.
These suits keep them alive, but also make consuming food and beverages relatively difficult. In one scene in Mass Effect 3, Tali is seen drunk. When questioned on how, they say “very carefully”, and on “Turian brandy, triple-filtered”. Her most important tool in this endeavor is a straw; or, emergency induction port. This quote tells us a lot about Tali’s sense of humor, especially since we can’t see her face most of the time.
3 "You Humans Have A Saying. An Eye For An Eye, A Life For A Life. Well, He Owes Me Ten Lives And I Plan To Collect." - Garrus
This quote from Garrus is particularly poignant because it talks about something which is a major aspect of the Mass Effect storyline — the effect of loss. At this stage in the game, Garrus is facing the reality of being the only survivor of a betrayal by somebody that he called a friend, and he blames himself for what happened to those people.
Through this bit of dialogue, we see a man who is logical and just take that same dynamic and apply it in a fashion much more ruthless than we imagined him capable of. Not only is it a snappy line, but it is one that illuminates how grief and loss and hardship can change a person, but within the frame of their own mind. Garrus takes this information hard, and hardens himself as a result, and it is perfectly illustrated here.
2 "Is Submission Not Preferable To Extinction?" - Saren
Despite the fact that they are theoretically going to wipe out every technological advanced species in our galaxy, there are still somehow some people who believe that giving them the thumbs up is the best approach. Saren is one of those people — motivated by self-preservation.
When Shepard expresses (reasonable) disbelief — going so far as to imply that Saren will become a slave — he makes it clear that he is willing to pay that price for the whole not-being dead thing. Which is an understandable approach; not being dead is a good state of being. But it really says a lot about the depths which Saren is willing to plunge to, and his mentality of the end justifying the means.
1 "The Milky Way Was So Meh! Been There, Done That!" - PeeBee
To quote one of the recent Marvel movies, our galaxy might be a bit rubbish but “I’m one of the idiots who lives in it”. Mind you, 2020 might have skewed some people’s opinions of the world a little bit, this year. Regardless, when Asari archaeologist PeeBee calls it “so meh” in Mass Effect: Andromeda, it’s hard not to relate.
In a setting where humans are relatively small fry, Mass Effect still manages to share a lot of messages that are universally understood. A need for adventure, and a subtle disdain for the boredom of home is endemic in gamers. PeeBee’s adorable spark and witty banter makes it easy to get along with her, and much of her dialogue is memorable for reminding us what makes us ‘human’; something we should hold onto, if we ever get to visit a new universe ourselves.