Good noble aliens versus evil monstrous humans, can it work?

[Mollecht]

The Humans were the least likeable race in Mass Effect. Even the Rachni and Space Robots had more dignity.

Not necessarily true. While there are the Terra Firma party in a side mission ("Earth first!"), the aliens are also shown to be discriminating a bit against the humans -- the human in the Market District @ The Citadel who wants to return a purchased ware, but cant, while the turian who comes while the human is arguing with the shopkeeper is allowed to return a ware just fine.

Essentially, the humans are sort of upstarts, who demand a lot for themselves. But in the meantime, we have 3 alien races supremely leading the Galaxy (turians, salarians and asari -- the rest of the races aren't even allowed into the council, and only 3 races that we get to see (elcor, volus and human) have an embassy at The Citadel.

In general though, all the aliens are basically humans who look different. Bioware probably rationalised that it would be too hard to relate to something completely alien (read: incomprehensible), and as such just took human values and disguised them -- here one can also mention how *all* major alien races are humanoids. Asari, who are monogender, even have tits and (allegedly) normal female genitalia.

 

[crimsondynamics]

I sure hope so:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfsSA6_GrE

Spoiler

I hope the game lets you - I wanna play as the martians!

 

[Benj17]

I'd love that so much! Playing as an alien soldier fighting back against the human menace. That would be so awesome... Hopefully Killzone 3 will let you play as a Helghast.

hopefully there wont be a killzone 3

Why? Did you not like Killzone 2?

wasn't my thing to be fair

i liked the first one, but the second one didnt click with me, just seemed dodgy in a way

You liked the first one, but not the second... To be completely honest with you, that's the first time I've ever heard that. I thought the first one was ok and the second one was completely amazing. I loved how satisfying the gameplay was. Huh... Why didn't you like the second one? "just seemed dodgy in a way" doesn't actually make sense. What do you mean "dodgy in a way?"

lol i liked it at times, but the rest of the time it just didnt feal right, like it was missing something

 

[Eipok Kruden]

lol i liked it at times, but the rest of the time it just didnt feal right, like it was missing something

You're not making any sense...

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

It may work if the humans are imperial fascists bent on expansion at any cost. Other than that, no...

 

[Baelor]

I still bust out laughing whenever these games portray humans as, whenever we get the ability to travel into space we suddenly become one big happy alliance and forget our troubles. In reality we'd be the Krogan from Mass Effect, only instead of not colonizing because we're warriors, we don't colonize because we can't stand each other enough.

 

[Eipok Kruden]

It may work if the humans are imperial fascists bent on expansion at any cost. Other than that, no...

Exactly, because what's different from us now and that? Not much really. But yea, humans aren't "evil" for the sake of being evil or anything, we're just unusually greedy and selfish.

 

[Eipok Kruden]

I still bust out laughing whenever these games portray humans as, whenever we get the ability to travel into space we suddenly become one big happy alliance and forget our troubles. In reality we'd be the Krogan from Mass Effect, only instead of not colonizing because we're warriors, we don't colonize because we can't stand each other enough.

Nah, we'd probably split apart into a bunch of splinter factions and try to colonize separate planets, build up our militaries, and then refuse to use guns because beating the living shit out of someone with your fists is more satisfying. Or something along those lines. Another possibility is that we'd break apart into a bunch of different megacorporations and take capitalism just one step further. Have corporations rule entire areas of space (well...just because EVE says it doesn't mean it couldn't happen).

 

[sms_117b]

The day the Earth stood still, until he changes his mind at the end......pussy

 

[Baelor]

Capitalism will indeed rule space. I get the feeling that Earth will be a gigantic slum and that space will be ruled by greedy corporations who dictate that you must be above a certain income to inhabit their planet. After all its cheaper then slave labor, with slave labor you risk an uprising, but if you pay them the lowest amount possible for thirty years you've broken their spirit and therefore own them anyways.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

I am writing a book where humans whose Earth has been destroyed when the sun expands go out into the galaxy ala BSG and meet the good Ceruleans and the Evil Archons and fight to gain control of the thing that created the universe, an orb called OmniCraft.

 

[Eipok Kruden]

Capitalism will indeed rule space. I get the feeling that Earth will be a gigantic slum and that space will be ruled by greedy corporations who dictate that you must be above a certain income to inhabit their planet. After all its cheaper then slave labor, with slave labor you risk an uprising, but if you pay them the lowest amount possible for thirty years you've broken their spirit and therefore own them anyways.

I hope at least a few of the corporations follow a model similar to Otro Gariushi's former model (Ishukone Corp. in EVE Online) or Discovery or Yum! or Intel, which are all caring for their employees and offering MORE benefits like better healthcare and free day care and free delivery of prescription meds, etc...

 

[BIGpanda]

this idea was already done. quite nearly as enough as good humans and bad aliens actually.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

It may work if the humans are imperial fascists bent on expansion at any cost. Other than that, no...

Exactly, because what's different from us now and that? Not much really. But yea, humans aren't "evil" for the sake of being evil or anything, we're just unusually greedy and selfish.

But what no one seems to realize, is that all these creatures and what not, when you peel away the technology and societies, are just animals. And animals care, first and foremost, about their own species. They do what they feel is necassary for their survival and their affluence and well being. All the races(alien, human whatever)would be motivated by this, and as soon as humans can give up our more tribalistic nature we can unite as a species.

 

[Kogarian]

Older Sci Fi/ Speculative Fiction books do show aliens as the noble beings sometimes. They also shows humans and aliens neutral to each other as they can't communicate et cetera. But for modern games and movies, it would definately be an interesting change of pace.

 

[Benj17]

lol i liked it at times, but the rest of the time it just didnt feal right, like it was missing something

You're not making any sense...

meh lol i know what i mean

 

[Alphacron]

Destroy all humans ?

thats more of a malevolent alien killing a bunch of innocent humans. still the humans are the "good guys"

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Mass Effect wasn't TOO complimentary of humans.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Not necessarily true. While there are the Terra Firma party in a side mission ("Earth first!"), the aliens are also shown to be discriminating a bit against the humans -- the human in the Market District @ The Citadel who wants to return a purchased ware, but cant, while the turian who comes while the human is arguing with the shopkeeper is allowed to return a ware just fine.

Essentially, the humans are sort of upstarts, who demand a lot for themselves. But in the meantime, we have 3 alien races supremely leading the Galaxy (turians, salarians and asari -- the rest of the races aren't even allowed into the council, and only 3 races that we get to see (elcor, volus and human) have an embassy at The Citadel.

Humans have a reputation for being a ruthless, violent species in Mass Effect. They specialise in unethical research programs and have a near fascistic military and diplomatic corps who think that they should be running the whole Galaxy. The only likeable human of note is the mary sue military guy that Drew Karpyshyn wrote a novel about. Anyway, that's the way I see it.