There are many, many, many reasons people play video games. It can be for comfort, for nostalgia, for new experiences, for entertainment, for distraction, even to learn a thing or two. I play for the friends I make along the way. That might be a meme, but it's not a joke. Sure, gaming provides all those other benefits, but sometimes, oftentimes, it's falling for the characters that keeps me booting up for more.

Ranking the Mass Effect original trilogy characters probably seems impossible. The cast is so diverse and dynamic that everyone playing will find different characters who resonate with them more than others. I love Tali Zorah, the awkward, nerdy engineer who eventually matures into a woman capable of expressing herself beyond the envirosuit that hides her physical traits. You might love Zaeed, the gruff mercenary who is the very pinnacle of Renegade -- a role-playing alignment in-game that prioritizes getting the job done at any cost, no matter the moral consequences -- but still has the heart of a child when confronted with things like a toy claw game or his very first rifle. In this list, I'll be ranking characters based on how they're written, as opposed to focusing on my opinions. The best, most memorable characters are those with agency -- characters who influence the plot with their actions and decisions. In Mass Effect, some characters are definitely more impactful than others, and some are memorable for their traits and character arcs. Overwhelmed newcomers to Mass Effect Legendary Edition may want to use these rankings to see which characters may be more worth their time.