


Maybe he would rank higher if he were introduced earlier, but such as it is, he’s one of the lower-tier romance options overall. Still, this isn’t the most exciting romance, and Steve is hardly the most developed character that you have the opportunity to be with. The absence of that option cast a shadow over the first two Mass Effect games, and it’s great that Mass Effect 3 finally addressed it. Steve CortezĪs the first male romantic partner exclusive to male Shepard characters, Steve Cortez helped to break a barrier that some fans wondered if BioWare would ever be willing to break. There’s also the simple fact that a lot of people just don’t like Jacob as a character. Still, the hilariously awkward nature of Jacob’s main pick-up line (“But the prize…”) takes this one down a few notches on the overall romance rankings. It’s only after you really start to form a genuine relationship with Taylor that the path to this romance becomes more obvious. One of the great things about the Jacob Taylor relationship from a storytelling and design perspective is that it’s one of those relationships that initially doesn’t seem possible. It’s hardly a legendary relationship, but the surprising “payoff” is at least memorable. Yet, the shock of that conclusion makes this one of the better “one-off” romance options in the Mass Effect franchise. To be fair, that’s certainly not the best outcome. MorinthĪ lot of fans hate the Morinth romance option for the simple fact that it’s the only one in the franchise that leads to the direct death of Commander Shepard. It’s not really what you want to see in the morning, but you’ll live with it if it’s your only option. Granted, Kaidan becomes a slightly more interesting character in Mass Effect 3 when players are given the chance to rekindle their romance with him before a big battle, but it’s hard to get over just how generic Kaidan was in the original Mass Effect.Įven in a game that offered very few romance options, Kaidan felt like a piece of toast with no butter.
