Morality in Mass Effect

IGN has recently released a feature covering the morality system of Mass Effect, the system of Paragon and Renegade.

One of the sidequests on the Citadel has you making a payment for an illegal package in the Lower Markets. The C-Spec officer who tasked you with this mission stated that you were just supposed to make the deal and let the bad guy go on his way. That’s because there is a far bigger fish to fry and if you do anything to tip off the dealer, you’ll cut off this line of the investigation. As both Paragon and Renegade you have the option to follow orders. But, if you also have the option to do your own thing here. As Paragon, you can attempt to arrest the felon. Sure, you screw up the investigation, but you can’t let a bad guy get away from you. The Renegade is more direct. Save the justice system some time and paperwork and take the life of the dealer. Scumbags like him don’t deserve to live. And if the Captain doesn’t like it, obviously he just doesn’t have the balls to do what’s necessary to keep the Citadel free of villains.

Going a step further you can simply approach crewmates and learn more about them. A paragon is always interested in keeping his or her crew happy and that often means long talks about feelings. And that often turns sexual. Whether you’re playing as a male or female Shepard, we’ve found that talking and listening to your allies quite regularly turns to flirtation. It also fills you in on the back story to each of your friends and crew members, all of which have a fairly extensive and interesting tale to tell. In addition to the story and the flirtation (there are romance subplots to be found), being open and accepting of your crew also rewards you with paragon and experience points.

To read the full article, head here: Mass Effect: The Paragon and the Renegade