Mass Effect 2: Family Affairs and the Future

There are plenty of things gamers can like in Mass Effect 2 and plenty of things that are open to criticism. But as one completes more and more loyalty quests in preparation for the suicide mission, they become more and more involved in the basic philosophy of humanity: who do you turn to when you know that you are about do go on a suicide mission?

Apparently for a lot of creatures, the answer is simply put: family. The clearest example is Miranda, the almost perfect (her conversation skills might use a little work) human being who was engineered to take over her father's business empire, only interested in making sure that her sister will have a normal life.

Another obvious example is Samara, the Asari Justicar who has lived for about 1,000 years and solely wants to engage her daughter in battle and slay her, because she cannot go off to die as long as she knows that she can prey on the innocent. Jacob, the Alliance hero, also has some father issues, which he needs to deal in a very Star Trek fashion, while Thane, the stealthy assassin, needs to reconnect with his son as he is dying.

Even Legion, the Geth unit you encounter later in the game, is concerned about his extended family and cannot decide whether he wants to kill them for their sins or whether he is interested in offering them a shot at redemption. Liara is also worried about her father, while Jack, also known as Subject Zero, meets someone who might as well be her brother as far as shared experiences are concerned. Even Grunt's story is concerned with actually finding a true family and going through puberty.

What is BioWare aiming at with so many family issues thrown at the player? Maybe it's just an attempt to balance out the bigger narrative about the universe and its salvation with smaller ones that are closer to the characters. Or maybe they are setting up something family-related for Shepard to deal with in Mass Effect 3.