So back when I worked at BioWare, I wrote a 3000-word article for the BioWare Blog. I submitted it up the chain for approval, but received no response before I left for my new job at [reacted].
Since the blogs still have not been posted by BW, and none of the content is covered by my NDA (it's all about my work on ME1, not ME2), I have decided to publish it here. I'll break it up into pieces, expand parts I felt were underdeveloped, and dribble it out over the next few weeks.
You must consider the work unofficial and "only my opinion" as a guy who was part of the writing team on the biggest SFRPG since... hell, at least since the 21st century began. (Note to Halo partisans: Halo defines itself as an FPS, not an RPG. Apples and oranges.) Each piece will include a boilerplate disclaimer to the effect that I don't speak for BioWare the company, nor for any of the talented colleagues I had the privilege of working alongside, nor for the Money Hats at Electronic Arts.