Because if you sound it out, it says...it...it...Yeah.

Having gone through Mass Effect 1 and 2, I am now going through with what would be a COMPLETE Mass Effect playthrough. I'll try to stay spoiler free, but bear in mind some of this stuff might be news to some of you. A few of you who haven't gotten the game yet. Or completed it. Who have less of a life than I do. I was slowed down catching up with the last two, and multiplayer besides.

I've done two priorities already, got Wrex on my ship, and slew a few dragon...insect...cyborg...things. I must say, I'm glad I got ME1 as a gift, because that let me build up some emotional connections with my old squad.

Combat gets exponentially more fun as the games go along, but there's just way too much for me to go on. So for now, I'm going to start with a look at my impressions of the cast as a whole so far.

Like I said, playing through the series, Bioware does a REAL good job making you feel something for their characters. No matter the game, you have scenes, throwaway comments and entire plotlines which let you know just what makes them tick. And just like most would have you believe, the diversity in your crew is just a potent an asset as the diversity of species in the universe.

Each time you meet a recurring character, you're essentially catching up with an old friend, helping them out with whatever their new role in life is. As the series progresses, these developments may not always make sense based on your take, but a lot of it points to the idea that these characters grow and get challenged. In most of those cases, a lot of it can be boiled down to the characters accepting some sort of responsibility or duty and changing as they undertake their tasks. If you're lucky, the way you perceive and play out your Shepard can make you feel like you directly helped them get to where they are.

It's a long journey ahead of me yet, and I don't have everyone yet, but I have to say, it felt great. Seeing Garrus and Wrex persevere through all the crap they've been handed is good. Believing that they got that extra push because of something I did? Feels AWESOME.

Might or might not say more as I go along, but suffice to say, I am REALLY happy. So happy, in fact, that I'm just going to gush over Kirrahe and his line-holding awesomeness, which is apparent even when he's only mentioned in conversation. Seriously, when you bring him up to Mordin in ME2, I honestly heard SO MUCH PRIDE in his voice. Along with humour. And annoyance. It was just awesome. And not only did I think "That guy mattered", I also thought "I helped to make that happen!"