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Mass Effect 2
In Mass Effect 2, Shepard wasn’t exactly the bad-ass Specter that took down Saren. On facing the Collectors, Shepard was outright killed and had to be resurrected by Cerberus. The suicide mission is the culmination of Shepard’s efforts to thwart an overwhelming foe, introducing the very real possibility of never seeing these memorable characters (or Shepard) ever again. Of course, the ending itself with the Reapers en roué to Earth also set a very haunting tone for what would follow, making you doubt once more whether Shepard could overcome the odds.
