9 Things Wed Like To See In Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 - provided it's not delayed - is going to be one of the biggest games of 2011. BioWare's space epic has become one of the most beloved game franchises in the world, and Mass Effect 2 was widely considered to be one of the very best games of 2010.

So far all we know about Mass Effect 3 is that the game will feature the Reapers finally launching their all-out assault on Earth - but what else would we like to see happen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, but here are nine of the things we're gunning for:

Garrus Vakarian

Let's not mess about here. Garrus is one of the most popular characters of the series and an integral part of Shepard's team to boot - he's as essential to the successful running of the Normandy as EDI is to Joker. If you chose another person to lead the second team during Mass Effect 2's suicide mission then, quite frankly, you made the wrong choice.

Other than being one of the few Turians in the galaxy that doesn't want humanity dead, Garrus has served as a protégé to Shepard in both games now (and a possible love interest if playing as a female character in Mass Effect 2) and it would surely be criminal of BioWare to deny him his rightful place in the concluding chapter of the trilogy.

Here's an idea. At the end of the first game, Garrus decided he was going to reapply to become a Spectre - an elite group of agents who preserve galactic order whatever the cost. Shepard was chosen to be the first human Spectre in Mass Effect, but spent most of Mass Effect 2 wrapped up in saving humanity from annihilation. Surely Garrus would make a fine replacement?

An end to Shepard's story

The fiction of the Mass Effect universe is huge and sprawling - you only need to take a cursory glance at the in-game Codex to realise just how much is actually going on in the Milky Way. There's more than enough to keep the franchise ticking on for years, but at the same time we're really hoping BioWare has enough courage to pull the plug on Shepard's storyline.

We're not saying it has to be extreme - Shepard doesn't have to die or anything - but there does have to be some genuine closure. Saying goodbye to Shepard will be hard for BioWare, but for a conclusion befitting the Mass Effect trilogy we're going to need a real, definitive ending. Be brave, BioWare!

Consequences

Importing your Shepard from game to game is optional, but it really enhances the experience. With Mass Effect 3 we really want to see some complicated results from your former actions in both Mass Effect 1 and 2.

For instance, if you got into a relationship in Mass Effect 1 then you have a photo of them in your quarters in Mass Effect 2. If you subsequently get into another relationship in Mass Effect 2 then that picture is left face-down on a desk for the rest of the game. What will happen if you encounter your former squeeze again in Mass Effect 3?