the illusive man is one of the best characters in the mass effect universe because of his duality and the way in mass effect 2 where he is not the antagonist is perfect
If you're looking for more of that narration like voice, look up "eyewitness Martin Sheen" And you'll find a series of fun educational videos that he narrates in the exact same tone of voice
This is what I loved the most about Mass Effect 2. It wasn't just another "human space marines shoot aliens" type of sci fi shooter. It was so much more. The sense of conspiracy, intrigue, working in the shadows against an unimaginably powerful enemy. You're no longer a soldier, no longer just another tool in the arsenal of established governments. Now you're on your own, isolated from the very apparatus's of state you're working to protect, forced to work with extremely unlikely allies, allies who are seemingly willing to give you a blank cheque, something which makes you trust them even less. You really feel like you're working with Mass Effect's Illuminati. You're not even sure how detached Cerberus really is from the Alliance chain of command. The whole time, you wonder whether you're even working for the right people. ME2 is a bloody work of art. It's more than just sci fi, it's also espionage. THIS is what Mass Effect was supposed to be.
Yeah, but the game feels so different compared to ME1. I really liked the scale of the universe, the openness of environments, the amazing sidequests, mako driving. It all felt so real. ME2's plot kinda sucks (shepard dies within the first minutes of the game, you are forced to work with cerberus, the council denies the reapers for some unknown reason even though there is no logical reason for that, etc.). You can see what both games are like if you compare their citadels. ME1 citadel is grand, with every location having it's own different atmosphere and feel, though sometimes it was a bit too large for people and had some issues. ME2 citadel is... a single small skyscraper with about 5 floors. The size, scope and atmosphere are removed, in favor of a more streamlined and less confusing experience for the general crowd. You can't even visit the presidium except look out on it from a balcony. This applies to almost every system in ME2. The skill system was simplified into oblivion, planet scanning may have been faster than mako exploration but it much worse. In ME1, you could spend days just doing sidequests, exploring the far reaches of space. You can't do that in ME2. The N7 missions are terrible, and always end at a moment where you expect some explanation to the mission, what was the cause of the event? What were these strange creatures i had to fight? instead you get a terrible arcade-like you win screen, where you don't even get an explanation about what happened before the mission. like, sure it's cool to know that cerberus apparently took note of these creatures, but it would be much better if we knew more about what they were, for example. this is an opinion, but i also really didn't like the orange color scheme. in general, ME2 is okay-ish, but horribly overrated. ME1, on the other hand, is a work of art and an amazing game, that created the awesome mass effect universe and much of it's lore, created the iconic music like uncharted worlds, and created the amazing characters like garrus, tali, joker, etc. The original trilogy was very good, but it could have been SO much better if they didn't abandon ME1's openness and atmosphere.
@@Robertward111 i didn't say it was bad. ME2 is quite good, but ME1 and ME3 are just so much better. Your description of ME2 would apply better to ME1. ME1 is an actual RPG, ME2 is a shooter with (very) light RPG elements. ME3 also does rpg elements better.
ME2 was completely different to ME1, simply because of it’s extremely advanced atmosphere and universe. ME1 had that same level of detail but in a very different manner of execution; it was ominous, open-ended and ambient. ME2 was tighter, and in order to improve on ME1, the developers had to cut out many of the things that made ME1 beautiful but also slightly flawed, such as clunky exploration and bland, repetitive environments. Of course ME2 had its flaws as well, I mean lowering the scope of places like the Citadel felt unnecessary, but the immersion value as a result of this tone-down was well worth it. The biggest difference between the two games is that ME1 focused on a specific style of storytelling and atmosphere, whilst ME2 had a more diverse yet streamlined one. It’s for that reason why I felt ME2 was a superior game, and not because of the story; the main story is pretty mediocre and works only really because of TIM and the suicide mission, the latter of which being dependent on the side missions of the game. ME2 felt like a working universe because of it’s smaller scale, whilst ME1 felt slightly blander due to it’s scale being too large for the actual written content it had. They are both fucking masterpieces, and ME1, to me, is more impactful since it was my first taste of real sci-fi and because I loved the ambience and atmosphere, but ME2 was a game I played 3 years later as a teenager, and so saw it through a more critical outset. It’s for that reason why I think that ME2 is marginally better, even if it does sacrifice it’s RPG roots for a more unique approach.
@@dankmeme682 Its when you make someone evil/bad almost out of nowhere because you need the audience to shift their views. They couldn't have Shepard working with Cerberus in ME3 for many reasons. This is one of the ways they 'forbid it'.
@RobertEdwinHouse9He was but he had nuance. Like he literally brought you back from the dead because he was one of the few people who understood how amazing Shepard was and how we all needed him.
@@EdwinLopez-yx6xf I never liked him either. He’s clearly a villain. But I do respect his admiration for shepherd and the fact that he put so much effort into bringing back the savior of the galaxy. He’s the only one who seen Shepard as special and as the savior
The final paragon conversation with TIM in ME3 is perfect. The renegade version is pretty much Shepard taunting him over the fact that he’s indoctrination but paragon Shep is truly trying to save him and you can see TIM, who up until this point remained calm, collected and mysterious, finally lose his composure and yell with over emotion in his voice. It is then we truly see his passion and how strong his will is that like Saren he is smart and strong enough to realise that his only choice left is to end his life than remain a slave.
It's a shame that taking the Paragon option means TIM died before he could utter the one line that pretty much sums up his character perfectly if Shepard had been the one to shoot him. As he laid dying on the ground while Shepard opens up the Citadel arms, he utters his last words to Shepard: "There...Earth...I wish you could see it like I do, Shepard. It's so... perfect." That's the crux of TIM's entire motivation. Everything he did. All the manipulations he made. All the atrocities he committed. It was all in the name of saving the home planet of humanity that he loved so much. Even if in the end, he was corrupted by the Reapers' indoctrination, his one sole motivation never changed; it's just twisted into serving the Reapers' plan instead, and that's what makes TIM's fall so tragic. The Paragon suicide ending is good in its own way, but it's ultimately a repeat of Saren's suicide in the first game. The other way for TIM to die actually allows him to go out with these haunting last words, which I really love.
I didn't realize it when I played the game, but... the Illusive Man sent Shepard and his ship through the relay using a 37 million old security clearance ! And it worked ! The Reapers need to update their security systems a little more often...
true, but after the countless cycles of harvesting, the reaper's at the time were so arrogant and powerful, that they didn't think anyone would be able to obtain the IFF.
I liked TIM in ME2 more, he was cold, calculative and hard to read. It's a shame that he suddenly turned into an indoctrinated power-hungry madman without any transition. To be honest, I wished there was an option to join Cerberus, but I know it's gonna be a very different Mass Effect 3 if that were the case, but it would be interesting see you play as the "bad guys".
Actually, he was already touched by Reaper technology in Mass Effect: Evolutions. For all we know, he was slowly indoctrinated from that point which lead him to eventually use the Cerberus' troopers indoctrination-enhancement to further indoctrinate himself to give the Reapers more control. But that's only a theory, one that I do not support.
I've been reading about TIM ever since I made the comment and I'll agree that it's possible that he has control of his mental faculties up until the Reapers allowed it. I also feel stupid for not realizing that his eyes should have been a dead give-away that the Reapers already controlled him even before Shepard meets him. Because he started having those blue eyes after being touched by the Reaper tech, if I'm correct. But what I don't understand is why would the Reapers allow him to destroy one of their own, the Human Reaper Larvae, if they already have access to him.
To be fair, the Illusive Man knew nothing of the Reaper-Larvae when he sent the team in, chances are that he knows nothing of it until long after he sends ships in to secure the Collector Base location, though he mentions that EDI did upload schematics of the base so that is questionable. Either way, indoctrination is a slow process and the Illusive Man's process was incomplete because he touched a person who touched the Reaper artifact. He may have had more free control than intended until around ME3. Alternatively, the theory is false and he was merely imparted knowledge and abilities from the Reaper artifact.
"Alternatively, the theory is false and he was merely imparted knowledge and abilities from the Reaper artifact." That's what makes indoctrination so scary. There's almost no way to measure how far down the hole a person is under the Reapers' control.
Let me scare you some more: Rana Thanoptis; the asari you find on Virmire who dissected brains of indoctrinated subjects, if you let her live through ME(1) and ME2 then in ME3 she kills several asari officials. In a cell, she mentions hearing voices--much like the salarian on Virmire who then runs into a glass door and kills himsels becase he ''has to do what it says.'' She then commits suicide in custody. She is mentioned in news to have been indoctrinated. In other words, you are correct.
I feel the Renegade ending for Illusive Man is far more satisfying. He dies with his dignity intact, and has somewhat of a bittersweet moment with Shepard where hes free from the Reapers control before he dies.
@@TheArtofUTube Not saying you're wrong, but that makes no sense for them to write that. Why bring Shepard back or bother stopping the collectors then if he was indoctrinated the whole time?
Yeah, after Anthem and Dragon Age 4 i really hope they will continue the ME series. The ME series is my favorite of all Bioware games. At least dlc for Andromeda will make me so happy:)
From what i know there won't be any singleplayer DLCs for Andromeda (I was really hoping to see Quarians). They will probably add some multiplayer content, but i don't really care about it. Mass Effect is my favourite game, where i spent hundreds of hours in singler player mode. It's sad to see it gone :(
Damn what a shame if that''s is true. I was really hoping for singleplayer dlc content for Andromeda. I also don't care about the multiplayer content because it is not as fun as it was in Mass Effect 3.
Love the Illusive Man so much. Such a brilliant character in Mass Effect 2 and Martin Sheen is perfect in the role. I enjoy his work as an actor, but he truly captivated me in this voice over role. Also: he has one of the best themes in video game history.
Yeh but, the station has an exact location. It's not like you can hide the fucker. The Illusive man has got the station circling that tinpot star just to have a sick vista when he wakes up. It just makes me feel annoyed more that there was no polish or care given to the story in the 3rd game when you see shit like this.
In the mass effect universe, we have cured cancer and everything that comes with smoking, so he can smoke all he want and not get damaged by it. It sais so in one of the books, if i remember correctly :)
i believe he does it for the added edge it gives psychologically, notice when negotiating he puffs and pauses. Almost as if the cigarettes and booze are another veil like the hologram....hiding his true intentions.
ikr, ive always found it strange that he smokes because hes a high end person, hes well off, so smoking doesnt suite him, as obviously its usually the lower class and lowly educated who smoke
Best Character ever! Totally misunderstood and considered a villain when in fact, Illusive Man is really an anti-hero who resurrects Shepard, saves the galaxy from the Collectors and in the end sacrifices himself when he realizes he's lost. He's on the same side as the protagonist. He just has a different way approaching the main villains, The Reapers. Plus Martin Sheen voice acting him was a bonus! Summary: Mass Effect Andromeda had no chance to surpass this masterpiece of a game. Mass Effect 2 G.O.A.T.
He was never a anti hero. Most people forget that their were quite a few missions in Mass Effect 1 where you find disrupt Cerberus operations where they experiment of aliens and various other dubious things. There's a reason why the Illusive man never brought you to the main base or important base of operations because he knows that Shepherd would never have joined him if he knew the full extent of their operations.
IM in the ME2 looks more calm, cold and concentrated - he controls everything. And this is badass and increadible. In ME3 he is too unstable and inadequate like some kind of psycho.
well. he broke apart. hard to say when his indoctrination began, but the moment he got his hand on the collector base (remnants) he was on a fast way down. at this point the reapers were fully commited and there was no more use for subtlety. the reapers have played this game for millions of years. they have become exceedingly good at it. and every way to defeat them using their own technology against them was paved by the reapers. the illusive man was walking down a path prepared by the reapers from the very start.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely + desperation breeds rash decisions. In ME2 he thought he had everything within his grasp, by the time Shep destroyed the Collector base he realized he had less time to reach a solution than he initially thought. He got desperate in an attempt to come out ontop - he threw caution to the wind and gave himself husk treatments (not sure when but that was likely the earliest point of his indoctrination), he shifted perspective from destroy to control/join. He went insane because all that power was laid out infront of him but he wasn't fit to wield it - he craved it so completely that cold calculating badass was turned into a deranged madman. He still had his intellect and funds but it was in the hands of someone who'd been pushed beyond the brink of sanity. It was a natural progression and a damn good one given how he reached that point
Comment above mine explained it beautifully. The character moved gracefully. Its more the ending that pissed people off. He was an incredible character from start to finish. Control is his main drive. Loss of Control is anathema to his entire being. His shift makes sense.
@@TheVergile I think he got indoctrinated by the human reaper larva he moved in the middle of Cerberus HQ. He saw what it did in the derelict reaper but he still did the same mistake. Besides, he already got in contact with reaper tech way before the games.
It's alright, He went back in time and became a layer, Got Married, Had and affair with a friend of his wife, Went to hospital, Got Married and broke up with his Husband. I've not seen all of Grace and Frankie
Illusive Man is the most beautiful thing in the ME series. Look at those skin, hair, eyes, smooth voice. This guy could melt a mountain of ice just by looking at it.
I realise when you meet the Illusive man in person, his soundtrack theme goes away, because he isn't illusive anymore. Anyways I love his soundtrack theme very much.
@@mateuszjesionkowski3741 He pretended to be the good guy that's willing to make the hard choices in Mass Effect 2 so that he could use Shepard or do you forget what Cerberus did in Mass Effect 1?
One of my favorite things about him that I'll never forget is that even though he's a video game character, he had these small intricacies about him. Very subtle and alive even though he's in one spot! Can I call that acting?
Take a shot everytime the Illusive Man's theme plays. Joking aside I really hated his death either by suicide or by getting shot once from a distance. (Which makes no sense because apparently his suit could withstand bullets at point blank). He was too important to die that way.
Martin Sheen was great as the Illusive Man. When at the end of the game in the argument with Shepard about being controlled by the Reapers, his shouts of "NO....No I'm not...", you can hear the doubt in his voice. Wow!
despite his incredibly questionable ethics, the illusive man always had humanity's best interests in mind, and when he rrealsied what he was doing was hurting humanity and used that guilt to break the hold of the reapers, he shot himself to save humanity from the indoctrination, he was an arsehole, but he was always willing to do anything for the good of humanity.
All known SPECTREs: 1. Shepard 2. Saren 3. Nihlus 4. Jondam Bau 5. Asari SPECTRE villain in ME2 Shadow Broker Mission-or Kasumi mission or whatever. 6. Ashley or Kaiden-whomever-and hopefully Ashley 7. The first SPECTRE ever-seen in the DLC Citadel Logs-The Salarian one.
35:40 what is frightening in this conversation is that Illusive Man is right there... Reapers wanted to preserve life although with some twisted logic (possibly because their AI model created by Leviathans is flawed) by killing most of it.
The illusive Man us a very charming dude. Not going to give away anything but notice the things he says and how he says things each time you converse with the guy. He lowkey set himself as shepards CO regardless of paragon/renegade and no matter how short it was.
You know, just thinking about it; he actually does show signs of indoctrination in 2. The deliberately more-and-more-risky moves bordering on betrayal only involving the Collectors/Reapers, the *genuine panic* in his voice when you're destroying the base at the end of 2...
Fun fact: The star in ME2's background turns noticeably more blue and his eyes morph from organic to more machine-like with each encounter with Illusive Man....as though to indicate his increasingly indoctrinated state. I always appreciated that subtle detail, as it adds lore consistent depth to his character.
His eyes were already machine-like in ME 2, the only thing that really changes is their brightness, which I attribute to improvement of graphic quality between ME 2 and 3. As for the star, that's more a reflection of if the player chose a more Renegade or Paragon path for Shepard (I had high and nearly equal scores in both and it was a blue star with an orange core, and I've seen walkthroughs that went completely Renegade and it was completely orange).
"We are committed to the preservation and advancement of humanity." That one line foreshadows The Illusive Man's entire character arc. The Reapers seek to preserve life by any means necessary, as does Cerberus with human life. Cerberus wants to advance humanity. Becoming a Reaper is advancement. It is a collective of the entirety of a given race, a true Synthetic Organic hybrid. His mission was doomed from the start. One of the greatest stories of all of Mass Effect as a franchise. He could see so much, yet was still so blind. He was the perfect follow up to Saren. As was Harbinger to Sovereign. Can't wait to see what ME4 holds. Perhaps there's more to this than we've learned. Or perhaps, more likely, now we will have to contend with the Leviathans. The true threat. Not machines following programming, but organics with the intention of dominating the universe, making us worse than a Reaper, making us slaves, like the Thorian did. Death is better than eternal slavery.
Guys I just realized (the dev team is full of a bunch of pure geniuses, I'm telling you): Ultimate Paragon: Blue star with darkness around TIM Ultimate Renegade: Red star with darkness around TIM Mixed P/R: Blue/Red star with opposite-colored reflection on the floor where TIM sits (depending on whether you were more of a Paragon or Renegade)
Soooo the casting of Martin Sheen was absolutely perfect. Probably one of my favorite characters in any series, not that the writing isn’t on par or something but Martin sold him as a... well “Illusive” man.
You know, when I first played through ME3's ending, that entire segment with Illusive Man trying to explain the power of his 'control' flew right over my head. Shepard shooting Anderson, Anderson being completely unable to interact with the console, both men being frozen... It took me a long time to realize this was Illusive Man's means of expressing his control. And that moment he clenched his fist and it radiated with biotic power? That was him basically using that 'control' to get Shepard to pull the trigger. I remembered watching someone do a step-by-step analysis way back when it first came out, being utterly confused by the scene... but only now does it finally make sense to me. The game's ending was a lot better written than I thought.
I notice that when we first see the Illusive Man he has normal eyes, but as the game progresses his eyes loose their humanity as he pushes further and further to find ways to defend humanity. Ironic considering how much he was willing to sacrifice to save humanity because he loved it so much, only to loose a part of his.
There's just one mistake the illusive man ever made in mass effect 3, implanting reaper tech implant in his skull. Every other thing he did was right, given "his" vision for the humanity's future. I wouldn't accept what he did at sanctuary, but you cant deny that he gained control over husks and had reapers freak out.
Playing the original trilogy after playing Andromeda, I can honestly appreciate how much better the OT really was. Andromeda was made to appeal to the SJW and fangirl crowd. The story was clearly watered down with cringy romances and cliched cookie-cutter villains. There was no complexity, no seriousness, no creativity with the writing. Andromeda would never have the balls to add such interesting villains like the Illusive Man or Saren.
You can actually tell the Illusive man becomes indoctrinated right before Horizon where he sets Shepard up, his eyes go from regular blue to some reaper color.
The illusive man, Man, what a character, and not to mention his voice acting. Bioware bet on voice acting and boy did it pay off. The characters you are introduced to are memorable, and Martin Sheen.... Man he nailed this one. He's a beautiful blend of Ultron and his Vision, wrapped up in a human character and a charismatic voice. I honestly wanted to side with him when I first played it, I wanted to see his vision made true, but the way the story ends the first time really makes you pity him. Imagine doing what he did, fighting for the better interest of humanity, and bringing a hero back to life, watch him lose faith in you and leave you to your own devices, and then you do the unthinkable; you try and control the reapers and end up being indoctrinated and made to think your in control, like Saren before him. It's beautifully tragic. The best part of the whole thing for me is that in his final moments, you get the feeling that he always believed in Shepherd, he was just being controlled, and finally got ahold of himself, and said "I tried Shepherd". Showing his true humanity right there before the final bell toll. That got me right in the feels for real. Great job Bioware. Great writing, good cast, good game. Bravo.
17:47 you can see the double cross here. He didnt tip shephard off because he wanted the reapers to think he was commited to them and the reapers probably told the IM to send shephard there, so tipping him off to the trap would have severed trust between IM and the reapers.
One of the best villains in the history of gaming (before you go saying that he wasn't a villain in ME2. Well it's precisely his moral ambiguity and the sympathy the player and the main character build towards him what makes him such a good villain).
48:41 It's so cool that they reference Grayson from the books! Paul Grayson was a character in two books, Mass Effect: Ascension and Mass Effect: Retribution. SPOILERS FOR ME: Retribution In Retribution Grayson is abducted by Cerberus, and is implanted with Reaper technology, they were doing an experiment to see what effects Reaper technology would do to humans. Grayson escapes, and The Illusive Man works with Aria T'Loak to kill Grayson. As time goes on the Reapers become more powerful and take control of Graysons thoughts and actions! He becomes a slave to the Reapers will. Arias troops fail to kill Grayson, and Grayson escapes to Grissom Academy where he is killed by Anderson/Kai leng. I highly reccomended the book, very good read!
What an amazing character. Amazing anti hero turned villain while searching for a way to help.. cant avoid feeling a little sad for him. Reminds me of Yuri from vandal hearts 2
Ironically in the end control ending is still the best (official endings, I use JohnP happy ending mod :p) However it's not because of controlling reapers making control ending the perfect one, it's because others endings are shit. The whole idea of the galaxy standing against the reapers it's what made ME triology perfect -----Everyone is different, yet united together. The final battle could not be achieved without that. And yet: Destroy ending ask you to sacrifice a whole race and EDI, you betrayed them if you choose this. Sythetic ending is too "magical", and even if it works, you are turning the whole galaxy into the same thing by force..you turned everyone into reapers, and with sythetics no more biology evolution will happen. you are worse than reapers in a way (And this ending is a classic failure of developers enforcing their idea of "perfect ending" onto the crowd) Refusal ending is poetic in a way...but you failed everyone fighting there, they died knowing that the only time they open up and put confidence in you, the machine you promised didn't do jack shit. And control ending kills you, but you only. I chose happy ending mod because my shep died in control ending and probably that's it why I use unofficial ending as my "cannon". TIM's ideal was not exactly "evil", but his method was too ruthless in something high stick as this.
Shepard's and ME trilogy highest ideals IMO were not only cooperation, but also freedom. And the freedom is betrayed and destroyed with control ending. It's like letting Cerberus win - only being nicer afterwards. It can be seen from the ending. It feels quite dark.
Fuck this. What's the point of control when you die anyways? You're indoctrinated in that ending anyways and that's a horrible way to go out. Under no circumstance should you choose that ending. Destroy is the only ending and getting rid of the reapers permanently is the choice Anderson would have wanted as well. I mean think about it, EDI and the Geth can be rebuilt. The reaper codes and technology are still in the universe and at some point, you can remake them. But Javiik makes good points regarding synthetics, eventually what happens with a grand majority of them?
I'm inclined to agree with the OP's comment, for starters I don't believe in the indoctrination theory and secondly people often forget about the Leviathans and their power. The Reapers were the only thing standing in the Leviathans way of total galactic control just like they ruled everyone eons ago. The only problem is that the Reapers were...misguided shall we say, into killing species. With Shepard in control however, that is no longer an issue. The Reapers can be used as a galactic peace corp of sorts and at the same time keeping the Leviathans in check. EDI and the geth live, and the cycle of synthetics rebelling against their creators will likely never happen again because of the Reapers (it would eventually happen in Destroy Ending with no Reapers around). So yeah, late reply but I also feel control is best ending with all the dlc stuff added ofc. Shepard has to die for it, but that's just how it is, at the very least it's himself that makes that choice (unlike with destroy/synthesis, where you choose for others)
"You" don't die in control. You become the collective consciousness of the reapers. IMO the synthesis ending is the best as it is a combination of organics and synthetics existing in a common framework. It is not that everyone became pure synthetics, everyone became part synthetic and part organic and as such, they wield the advantage of both life-forms. Evolution will occur regardless. Also, everyone does not get forcefully turned into "reapers", It's just that reapers act as separate independent life-forms,part organic and part synthetic and help every other life-form reach new heights of existence with their collective knowledge. Everyone keeps their forms intact.
Bioware: "We opted against giving the Illusive Man a husk form so as to avoid comparisons with Saren" also Bioware: *makes Illusive Man indoctrinated and talkable to death in the final confrontation*
The Illusive Man is the most well written villain I have seen. His goal in ME3, getting Reaper tech could be seen as noble. And it would have benefits. Yet his methods, and the low chance of success, makes him the enemy. His flaw in ME3 is his ambition. He is willing to do anything, sacrifice anything to accomplish what he wants. And he will not settle for anything less than the best outcome. It is also his greatest strength, in many ways. He is willing to do things most wouldn't dare or consider, or dare to consider. That makes him such a great character. Many villains that are defined by a single trait are shallow, because that trait is inherently bad. Selfishness, paranoia, greed, powerhunger. This time the trait, ambition, is both good and bad depending on the situation. In other circumstances, he could have been a friend.
TBH, i really was sweettalked by the TIM when i first played the game, i kinda wanted to trust him, like, if he brought me back, he can't be that bad. But on that moment i started to know the series from Mass Effect 2, i did not played Mass Effect 1, and i never knew what exactly Cerberus is, and never understood the lore that good. Well, i was kinda young as well. But after i completed Mass Effect 1, well, nothing actually changed. I still want to trust TIM, well, right till the end, until he asks me to leave collector base. His music theme really adds to the atmosphere too - he seems wise, calm, and resourceful, and in his shell he has good intentions, and you and him have the same goals. That's why music is rather calming for me, that everything else. Too bad that he getting indoctrinated in result.
Can we appreciate that he could've indoctrinated Shepard but did not. He knew Shepard would do what was best for humanity, even if the Illusive Man would not agree with it. Lowkey respects the foresight of the Illusive Man, intention, or not. Him choosing not to control Shepard saved the universe.
Man, it's so lame how he goes from "ruthless covert controller willing to do anything to further humanity's climb up the cosmic food chain" to "Let's _become_ the Reapers, Shepard." in the very next cutscene.
The writing was shit, you know full well Illusive Man was too overpowered that they decided to strawman and bastardize him to death, he had the brains, the brawn, and the will to do it all, he'd literally be the best leader anyone could ask for, he was all in one, sad, the dialogue alone shows how shit it all was, sad for Illusive Man.
Funny to hear him speaking these lines after hearing Martin Sheen saying he doesn't like Illusive Mans personality in an interview. Still his work is impressive.
He was right in the end. If they took control of the Reaper base, they'd know how to kill them efficiently, know how they operate, etc. Instead we destroyed the base, the galaxy didn't believe Shepard and basically arrested him/her and the Reapers slaughtered Quadrillions for it
@@kapitan19969838 it's easy to say that when your life isn't the one gone, the sacrifice was just too costly, most of the galaxy's population could've been saved Imagine if the Reapers came and all the races were armed with weapons specifically designed to take them out, casualties minimal
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the illusive man is one of the best characters in the mass effect universe because of his duality and the way in mass effect 2 where he is not the antagonist is perfect
Quarz_dk You should've been able to choose the Alliance or Cerberus, or, if you had Full assets up to that point, Both.
Shame that he's pretty stupid in the third game
He was a tragic hero. It's why he was the best. He's relatable to Shepard in some way for sure.
Yes, his development is surely surpassed average on Mass Effect series
God I love the illusive mans theme, as well as the atmosphere of his office, it fits him perfectly.
Martin Sheen's voice is like butter. Very relaxing.
Or a mint lotion
...until he gets angry
And yet secretive and powerful. Reminds me of Meryl Streep’s Miranda Prestly
If you're looking for more of that narration like voice, look up "eyewitness Martin Sheen" And you'll find a series of fun educational videos that he narrates in the exact same tone of voice
Smoking a cigarette on a space station is indeed a powerful flex.
This is what I loved the most about Mass Effect 2. It wasn't just another "human space marines shoot aliens" type of sci fi shooter. It was so much more. The sense of conspiracy, intrigue, working in the shadows against an unimaginably powerful enemy. You're no longer a soldier, no longer just another tool in the arsenal of established governments. Now you're on your own, isolated from the very apparatus's of state you're working to protect, forced to work with extremely unlikely allies, allies who are seemingly willing to give you a blank cheque, something which makes you trust them even less. You really feel like you're working with Mass Effect's Illuminati. You're not even sure how detached Cerberus really is from the Alliance chain of command. The whole time, you wonder whether you're even working for the right people.
ME2 is a bloody work of art. It's more than just sci fi, it's also espionage. THIS is what Mass Effect was supposed to be.
"human space marines shoot aliens
is all i need.
for the emperor
Yeah, but the game feels so different compared to ME1. I really liked the scale of the universe, the openness of environments, the amazing sidequests, mako driving. It all felt so real. ME2's plot kinda sucks (shepard dies within the first minutes of the game, you are forced to work with cerberus, the council denies the reapers for some unknown reason even though there is no logical reason for that, etc.).
You can see what both games are like if you compare their citadels. ME1 citadel is grand, with every location having it's own different atmosphere and feel, though sometimes it was a bit too large for people and had some issues. ME2 citadel is... a single small skyscraper with about 5 floors. The size, scope and atmosphere are removed, in favor of a more streamlined and less confusing experience for the general crowd. You can't even visit the presidium except look out on it from a balcony.
This applies to almost every system in ME2. The skill system was simplified into oblivion, planet scanning may have been faster than mako exploration but it much worse. In ME1, you could spend days just doing sidequests, exploring the far reaches of space. You can't do that in ME2. The N7 missions are terrible, and always end at a moment where you expect some explanation to the mission, what was the cause of the event? What were these strange creatures i had to fight? instead you get a terrible arcade-like you win screen, where you don't even get an explanation about what happened before the mission. like, sure it's cool to know that cerberus apparently took note of these creatures, but it would be much better if we knew more about what they were, for example.
this is an opinion, but i also really didn't like the orange color scheme. in general, ME2 is okay-ish, but horribly overrated. ME1, on the other hand, is a work of art and an amazing game, that created the awesome mass effect universe and much of it's lore, created the iconic music like uncharted worlds, and created the amazing characters like garrus, tali, joker, etc. The original trilogy was very good, but it could have been SO much better if they didn't abandon ME1's openness and atmosphere.
To this day ME2 still holds it's place as #1 sci-fi RPG. The work speaks for itself.
@@Robertward111 i didn't say it was bad. ME2 is quite good, but ME1 and ME3 are just so much better.
Your description of ME2 would apply better to ME1. ME1 is an actual RPG, ME2 is a shooter with (very) light RPG elements. ME3 also does rpg elements better.
ME2 was completely different to ME1, simply because of it’s extremely advanced atmosphere and universe. ME1 had that same level of detail but in a very different manner of execution; it was ominous, open-ended and ambient. ME2 was tighter, and in order to improve on ME1, the developers had to cut out many of the things that made ME1 beautiful but also slightly flawed, such as clunky exploration and bland, repetitive environments. Of course ME2 had its flaws as well, I mean lowering the scope of places like the Citadel felt unnecessary, but the immersion value as a result of this tone-down was well worth it. The biggest difference between the two games is that ME1 focused on a specific style of storytelling and atmosphere, whilst ME2 had a more diverse yet streamlined one. It’s for that reason why I felt ME2 was a superior game, and not because of the story; the main story is pretty mediocre and works only really because of TIM and the suicide mission, the latter of which being dependent on the side missions of the game. ME2 felt like a working universe because of it’s smaller scale, whilst ME1 felt slightly blander due to it’s scale being too large for the actual written content it had. They are both fucking masterpieces, and ME1, to me, is more impactful since it was my first taste of real sci-fi and because I loved the ambience and atmosphere, but ME2 was a game I played 3 years later as a teenager, and so saw it through a more critical outset. It’s for that reason why I think that ME2 is marginally better, even if it does sacrifice it’s RPG roots for a more unique approach.
Illusive Man: the reapers are not that bad, they actually could help us enourmously.
Shepard: They controllin' you
Illusive Man: tru, this sucks.
someone somewhere said IM is one of the greatest examples of character assassination and I couldn't really visualize what that meant
this helps lol
@@dankmeme682 Its when you make someone evil/bad almost out of nowhere because you need the audience to shift their views. They couldn't have Shepard working with Cerberus in ME3 for many reasons. This is one of the ways they 'forbid it'.
@RobertEdwinHouse9He was but he had nuance. Like he literally brought you back from the dead because he was one of the few people who understood how amazing Shepard was and how we all needed him.
@EggEnjoyer I never liked Illusive Man and the Cerberus organization. Miranda Lawson was gonna quit Cerberus and so did Jacob Taylor.
@@EdwinLopez-yx6xf I never liked him either. He’s clearly a villain. But I do respect his admiration for shepherd and the fact that he put so much effort into bringing back the savior of the galaxy. He’s the only one who seen Shepard as special and as the savior
The final paragon conversation with TIM in ME3 is perfect. The renegade version is pretty much Shepard taunting him over the fact that he’s indoctrination but paragon Shep is truly trying to save him and you can see TIM, who up until this point remained calm, collected and mysterious, finally lose his composure and yell with over emotion in his voice. It is then we truly see his passion and how strong his will is that like Saren he is smart and strong enough to realise that his only choice left is to end his life than remain a slave.
It's a shame that taking the Paragon option means TIM died before he could utter the one line that pretty much sums up his character perfectly if Shepard had been the one to shoot him. As he laid dying on the ground while Shepard opens up the Citadel arms, he utters his last words to Shepard:
"There...Earth...I wish you could see it like I do, Shepard. It's so... perfect."
That's the crux of TIM's entire motivation. Everything he did. All the manipulations he made. All the atrocities he committed. It was all in the name of saving the home planet of humanity that he loved so much. Even if in the end, he was corrupted by the Reapers' indoctrination, his one sole motivation never changed; it's just twisted into serving the Reapers' plan instead, and that's what makes TIM's fall so tragic.
The Paragon suicide ending is good in its own way, but it's ultimately a repeat of Saren's suicide in the first game. The other way for TIM to die actually allows him to go out with these haunting last words, which I really love.
First time I saw the Illusive Man, I thoght "He's like young Martin Sheen"... Never thought his voice was made by Mr. Sheen himself :o
I am your 69th like.
Yes, I would indeed like a cookie.
I didn't realize it when I played the game, but... the Illusive Man sent Shepard and his ship through the relay using a 37 million old security clearance ! And it worked !
The Reapers need to update their security systems a little more often...
true, but after the countless cycles of harvesting, the reaper's at the time were so arrogant and powerful, that they didn't think anyone would be able to obtain the IFF.
37 million years is nothing for the Reapers.
You just blew my mind
Reaper security is just like America's security -quite shotty.
@Joseph 4917 that's exactly what the reapers thought tho
I liked TIM in ME2 more, he was cold, calculative and hard to read. It's a shame that he suddenly turned into an indoctrinated power-hungry madman without any transition. To be honest, I wished there was an option to join Cerberus, but I know it's gonna be a very different Mass Effect 3 if that were the case, but it would be interesting see you play as the "bad guys".
Actually, he was already touched by Reaper technology in Mass Effect: Evolutions. For all we know, he was slowly indoctrinated from that point which lead him to eventually use the Cerberus' troopers indoctrination-enhancement to further indoctrinate himself to give the Reapers more control. But that's only a theory, one that I do not support.
I've been reading about TIM ever since I made the comment and I'll agree that it's possible that he has control of his mental faculties up until the Reapers allowed it. I also feel stupid for not realizing that his eyes should have been a dead give-away that the Reapers already controlled him even before Shepard meets him. Because he started having those blue eyes after being touched by the Reaper tech, if I'm correct. But what I don't understand is why would the Reapers allow him to destroy one of their own, the Human Reaper Larvae, if they already have access to him.
To be fair, the Illusive Man knew nothing of the Reaper-Larvae when he sent the team in, chances are that he knows nothing of it until long after he sends ships in to secure the Collector Base location, though he mentions that EDI did upload schematics of the base so that is questionable. Either way, indoctrination is a slow process and the Illusive Man's process was incomplete because he touched a person who touched the Reaper artifact. He may have had more free control than intended until around ME3. Alternatively, the theory is false and he was merely imparted knowledge and abilities from the Reaper artifact.
"Alternatively, the theory is false and he was merely imparted knowledge and abilities from the Reaper artifact."
That's what makes indoctrination so scary. There's almost no way to measure how far down the hole a person is under the Reapers' control.
Let me scare you some more: Rana Thanoptis; the asari you find on Virmire who dissected brains of indoctrinated subjects, if you let her live through ME(1) and ME2 then in ME3 she kills several asari officials. In a cell, she mentions hearing voices--much like the salarian on Virmire who then runs into a glass door and kills himsels becase he ''has to do what it says.'' She then commits suicide in custody. She is mentioned in news to have been indoctrinated. In other words, you are correct.
I feel the Renegade ending for Illusive Man is far more satisfying. He dies with his dignity intact, and has somewhat of a bittersweet moment with Shepard where hes free from the Reapers control before he dies.
Very similar to Saren.
Just like Saren.
Very nice of the devs to do that.
lol in ME3 why do they keep pointing guns at the Illusive Man when he's clearly just a holographic transmission!?
00IriVids00 they just want him dead so much i guess
Hard light construct that can punch? I mean the omni tool materialises enough to make lethal stabs
So... 'shoot it till it dies' at the ready position
On Mars Liara doesn’t know he’s a hologram until she turns around and on Thessia she’s keeping her aim on Kai Leng
Consider it a force of habit.
They are pointing at Leng
I wish he was never indoctrinated and him make every choice he made in ME3 the same but let his decisions be his own. He turned into Saren 2.0
According to the books, Illusive Man was indoctrinated well before Mass Effect 2.
He was indoctrinated before, but just like with saren it took much time for him to fully turn
He even put a bullet in the head at the end like saren did
marylain69 I hate that, it ruins his character completely
@@TheArtofUTube Not saying you're wrong, but that makes no sense for them to write that. Why bring Shepard back or bother stopping the collectors then if he was indoctrinated the whole time?
I really hope someone will continue Mass Effect series. It's too good to be abandoned and forgotten.
Yeah, after Anthem and Dragon Age 4 i really hope they will continue the ME series. The ME series is my favorite of all Bioware games. At least dlc for Andromeda will make me so happy:)
From what i know there won't be any singleplayer DLCs for Andromeda (I was really hoping to see Quarians). They will probably add some multiplayer content, but i don't really care about it. Mass Effect is my favourite game, where i spent hundreds of hours in singler player mode. It's sad to see it gone :(
Damn what a shame if that''s is true. I was really hoping for singleplayer dlc content for Andromeda. I also don't care about the multiplayer content because it is not as fun as it was in Mass Effect 3.
Jaguar550 The rumour was false as confirmed by Mike Gamble and Fernando Melo (producers) but there still prob won't be anything :(
Oh oke man thanks for the info.
Love the Illusive Man so much. Such a brilliant character in Mass Effect 2 and Martin Sheen is perfect in the role. I enjoy his work as an actor, but he truly captivated me in this voice over role.
Also: he has one of the best themes in video game history.
34:54 they've even changed the 'prothean expert' to 'shadow broker' if you played the DLC in ME2, such attention to detail!!
Wait. How does Miranda not know how to find the Illusive Man in 3, when she is at his base in the first scene?!
ShOtGuNOfRivia magic
Fuuuuuuuck
God Dammit
Yeh but, the station has an exact location. It's not like you can hide the fucker. The Illusive man has got the station circling that tinpot star just to have a sick vista when he wakes up. It just makes me feel annoyed more that there was no polish or care given to the story in the 3rd game when you see shit like this.
Who says they didn't blindfold Miranda?
Every time he says Humanity it sound like he’s saying “you manatee”
Well, the Illusive Man really likes smoking.
jomnix Yeah if I remember correctly in the shadow brokers ship it says he smokes 4 packs a day
In the mass effect universe, we have cured cancer and everything that comes with smoking, so he can smoke all he want and not get damaged by it. It sais so in one of the books, if i remember correctly :)
i believe he does it for the added edge it gives psychologically, notice when negotiating he puffs and pauses. Almost as if the cigarettes and booze are another veil like the hologram....hiding his true intentions.
ikr, ive always found it strange that he smokes because hes a high end person, hes well off, so smoking doesnt suite him, as obviously its usually the lower class and lowly educated who smoke
@Patrik Johansson - yep, but theres still no point in smoking though
"We're fighting eachother while the reapers occupy earth. It's time to stop"
"stop it. get some help."
suddenly illusive man turns into a frog and starts jumping around, "I am harbinger, and this station is mine!" "here we go again"
Best Character ever! Totally misunderstood and considered a villain when in fact, Illusive Man is really an anti-hero who resurrects Shepard, saves the galaxy from the Collectors and in the end sacrifices himself when he realizes he's lost.
He's on the same side as the protagonist. He just has a different way approaching the main villains, The Reapers.
Plus Martin Sheen voice acting him was a bonus!
Summary: Mass Effect Andromeda had no chance to surpass this masterpiece of a game. Mass Effect 2 G.O.A.T.
He was never a anti hero. Most people forget that their were quite a few missions in Mass Effect 1 where you find disrupt Cerberus operations where they experiment of aliens and various other dubious things. There's a reason why the Illusive man never brought you to the main base or important base of operations because he knows that Shepherd would never have joined him if he knew the full extent of their operations.
more like anti villain
@@wilberdebeer4696 they literally Turned a colony into husks
Cerberus and TIM could have been handled Better in ME3 but they were assholes since day 1
IM in the ME2 looks more calm, cold and concentrated - he controls everything. And this is badass and increadible. In ME3 he is too unstable and inadequate like some kind of psycho.
Writing drop by the time of ME3 because the multiplayer crap done by EAware 😡😡😡
well. he broke apart. hard to say when his indoctrination began, but the moment he got his hand on the collector base (remnants) he was on a fast way down. at this point the reapers were fully commited and there was no more use for subtlety.
the reapers have played this game for millions of years. they have become exceedingly good at it. and every way to defeat them using their own technology against them was paved by the reapers. the illusive man was walking down a path prepared by the reapers from the very start.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely + desperation breeds rash decisions. In ME2 he thought he had everything within his grasp, by the time Shep destroyed the Collector base he realized he had less time to reach a solution than he initially thought. He got desperate in an attempt to come out ontop - he threw caution to the wind and gave himself husk treatments (not sure when but that was likely the earliest point of his indoctrination), he shifted perspective from destroy to control/join. He went insane because all that power was laid out infront of him but he wasn't fit to wield it - he craved it so completely that cold calculating badass was turned into a deranged madman. He still had his intellect and funds but it was in the hands of someone who'd been pushed beyond the brink of sanity.
It was a natural progression and a damn good one given how he reached that point
Comment above mine explained it beautifully. The character moved gracefully. Its more the ending that pissed people off. He was an incredible character from start to finish. Control is his main drive. Loss of Control is anathema to his entire being. His shift makes sense.
@@TheVergile I think he got indoctrinated by the human reaper larva he moved in the middle of Cerberus HQ. He saw what it did in the derelict reaper but he still did the same mistake. Besides, he already got in contact with reaper tech way before the games.
Illusive man was my favorite character. It actually blew my mind how they just threw him under the bus.
A true mastermind, it's sad how his story ended.
It's alright, He went back in time and became a layer, Got Married, Had and affair with a friend of his wife, Went to hospital, Got Married and broke up with his Husband.
I've not seen all of Grace and Frankie
Illusive Man is the most beautiful thing in the ME series. Look at those skin, hair, eyes, smooth voice. This guy could melt a mountain of ice just by looking at it.
Lol why do middle eastern men sound so SUS when complimenting other dudes. Just say "oh he's a good looking guy"
I realise when you meet the Illusive man in person, his soundtrack theme goes away, because he isn't illusive anymore. Anyways I love his soundtrack theme very much.
The Illusive Man was a brilliant antagonist in Mass Effect. He was mysterious and vague, everything a good villain should be.
He was brilliant deuteragonist in 2. His turn to antagonist was forced, anticlimactic and made his character pointless.
@@mateuszjesionkowski3741 He pretended to be the good guy that's willing to make the hard choices in Mass Effect 2 so that he could use Shepard or do you forget what Cerberus did in Mass Effect 1?
@@wilberdebeer4696 Cerberus' actions in ME 1 were... questionable, but they worked FOR humanity, not against it or in spite of it. In ME 3? Ehh...
One of my favorite things about him that I'll never forget is that even though he's a video game character, he had these small intricacies about him. Very subtle and alive even though he's in one spot! Can I call that acting?
I love his eyes, the guy is way too cool
How's Leon?
It's sad irony that you have to kill TIM only to later discover that he was kinda right...
Take a shot everytime the Illusive Man's theme plays.
Joking aside I really hated his death either by suicide or by getting shot once from a distance. (Which makes no sense because apparently his suit could withstand bullets at point blank). He was too important to die that way.
Martin Sheen was great as the Illusive Man. When at the end of the game in the argument with Shepard about being controlled by the Reapers, his shouts of "NO....No I'm not...", you can hear the doubt in his voice. Wow!
Martin Sheen did a great job as the Illusive Man!
He looked so much younger in ME2
indoctrination made him age quicker.
Plus change in art direction/tone.
despite his incredibly questionable ethics, the illusive man always had humanity's best interests in mind, and when he rrealsied what he was doing was hurting humanity and used that guilt to break the hold of the reapers, he shot himself to save humanity from the indoctrination, he was an arsehole, but he was always willing to do anything for the good of humanity.
All known SPECTREs:
1. Shepard
2. Saren
3. Nihlus
4. Jondam Bau
5. Asari SPECTRE villain in ME2 Shadow Broker Mission-or Kasumi mission or whatever.
6. Ashley or Kaiden-whomever-and hopefully Ashley
7. The first SPECTRE ever-seen in the DLC Citadel Logs-The Salarian one.
He's very handsome.
The Illusive Man?
Yes.
He's not the brightest.
@@random3857 may be not the best hewas really was a big machiavelli style in da mass effect In his earlier life he was a merc too...
35:40 what is frightening in this conversation is that Illusive Man is right there... Reapers wanted to preserve life although with some twisted logic (possibly because their AI model created by Leviathans is flawed) by killing most of it.
I can't believe Martin Sheen voices the illusive man.
The illusive Man us a very charming dude. Not going to give away anything but notice the things he says and how he says things each time you converse with the guy. He lowkey set himself as shepards CO regardless of paragon/renegade and no matter how short it was.
You know, just thinking about it; he actually does show signs of indoctrination in 2. The deliberately more-and-more-risky moves bordering on betrayal only involving the Collectors/Reapers, the *genuine panic* in his voice when you're destroying the base at the end of 2...
I love how you can hear his theme before he appears
Fun fact: The star in ME2's background turns noticeably more blue and his eyes morph from organic to more machine-like with each encounter with Illusive Man....as though to indicate his increasingly indoctrinated state. I always appreciated that subtle detail, as it adds lore consistent depth to his character.
His eyes were already machine-like in ME 2, the only thing that really changes is their brightness, which I attribute to improvement of graphic quality between ME 2 and 3. As for the star, that's more a reflection of if the player chose a more Renegade or Paragon path for Shepard (I had high and nearly equal scores in both and it was a blue star with an orange core, and I've seen walkthroughs that went completely Renegade and it was completely orange).
I feel like Illusive Man in ME3 was written specifically for Paragon Shepard
Dude went from teaching us stuff about dinosaurs and ancient Egypt to trying to take control of the biggest threat in galactic history.
"We are committed to the preservation and advancement of humanity."
That one line foreshadows The Illusive Man's entire character arc. The Reapers seek to preserve life by any means necessary, as does Cerberus with human life. Cerberus wants to advance humanity. Becoming a Reaper is advancement. It is a collective of the entirety of a given race, a true Synthetic Organic hybrid. His mission was doomed from the start. One of the greatest stories of all of Mass Effect as a franchise. He could see so much, yet was still so blind. He was the perfect follow up to Saren. As was Harbinger to Sovereign. Can't wait to see what ME4 holds. Perhaps there's more to this than we've learned. Or perhaps, more likely, now we will have to contend with the Leviathans. The true threat. Not machines following programming, but organics with the intention of dominating the universe, making us worse than a Reaper, making us slaves, like the Thorian did. Death is better than eternal slavery.
All these years later and Mass Effect trilogy still looks awesome! Gonna play from the beginning till the end of the trilogy!
Guys I just realized (the dev team is full of a bunch of pure geniuses, I'm telling you):
Ultimate Paragon: Blue star with darkness around TIM
Ultimate Renegade: Red star with darkness around TIM
Mixed P/R: Blue/Red star with opposite-colored reflection on the floor where TIM sits (depending on whether you were more of a Paragon or Renegade)
Nope, the color is determined by the choice you made in the collector base
（Keep or destroy the base）
this image of illusive man sitting with back facing us always gets me as a one single legged smokey human
Soooo the casting of Martin Sheen was absolutely perfect. Probably one of my favorite characters in any series, not that the writing isn’t on par or something but Martin sold him as a... well “Illusive” man.
You know, when I first played through ME3's ending, that entire segment with Illusive Man trying to explain the power of his 'control' flew right over my head. Shepard shooting Anderson, Anderson being completely unable to interact with the console, both men being frozen... It took me a long time to realize this was Illusive Man's means of expressing his control. And that moment he clenched his fist and it radiated with biotic power? That was him basically using that 'control' to get Shepard to pull the trigger. I remembered watching someone do a step-by-step analysis way back when it first came out, being utterly confused by the scene... but only now does it finally make sense to me.
The game's ending was a lot better written than I thought.
I notice that when we first see the Illusive Man he has normal eyes, but as the game progresses his eyes loose their humanity as he pushes further and further to find ways to defend humanity. Ironic considering how much he was willing to sacrifice to save humanity because he loved it so much, only to loose a part of his.
There's just one mistake the illusive man ever made in mass effect 3, implanting reaper tech implant in his skull.
Every other thing he did was right, given "his" vision for the humanity's future. I wouldn't accept what he did at sanctuary, but you cant deny that he gained control over husks and had reapers freak out.
Cerberus really shouldn't have been antagonist in Mass Effect 3. More like the Renegade option to stoping the reapers.
I miss the old series, andromeda sucked.
Playing the original trilogy after playing Andromeda, I can honestly appreciate how much better the OT really was. Andromeda was made to appeal to the SJW and fangirl crowd. The story was clearly watered down with cringy romances and cliched cookie-cutter villains. There was no complexity, no seriousness, no creativity with the writing. Andromeda would never have the balls to add such interesting villains like the Illusive Man or Saren.
This person speaks the truth!
True that. Mass Effect 3 was better than Andromeda.
I have a theory. being frozen for centuries would make ya that ugly with freezer burn. :3
Sucked big time, bro 😡
You can actually tell the Illusive man becomes indoctrinated right before Horizon where he sets Shepard up, his eyes go from regular blue to some reaper color.
I liked how in ME2 there was always something you felt like you weren’t being let on about
Illusive Man and G-Man probably frequent similar social circles.
Wow I've actually never seen that Illusive Man ending, good stuff
I still find it crazy how they got Martin Sheen in this game
Illusive Man: (exhales smoke) Shepard
The illusive man,
Man, what a character, and not to mention his voice acting. Bioware bet on voice acting and boy did it pay off. The characters you are introduced to are memorable, and Martin Sheen.... Man he nailed this one. He's a beautiful blend of Ultron and his Vision, wrapped up in a human character and a charismatic voice. I honestly wanted to side with him when I first played it, I wanted to see his vision made true, but the way the story ends the first time really makes you pity him. Imagine doing what he did, fighting for the better interest of humanity, and bringing a hero back to life, watch him lose faith in you and leave you to your own devices, and then you do the unthinkable; you try and control the reapers and end up being indoctrinated and made to think your in control, like Saren before him. It's beautifully tragic. The best part of the whole thing for me is that in his final moments, you get the feeling that he always believed in Shepherd, he was just being controlled, and finally got ahold of himself, and said "I tried Shepherd". Showing his true humanity right there before the final bell toll. That got me right in the feels for real. Great job Bioware. Great writing, good cast, good game.
Bravo.
illusive man: with great power, comes great responsibility
Love that character. Wish that we had more of him in the original trilogy 😥
53:26 everything you need to know.
Cerberus and TIM's goal has sense and isn't bad.
Virgin Cuckmander Shitpard vs Chad Yumanity Enjoyer
29:40 is probably my favourite line in the entire series
He says basically the same line in the Renegade option for breaking up the Tali and Legion fight in ME2.
The illusion man looks like a slightly evil version of JFK.
At certain angles, he literally does =)
Man this man had almost no right to look as cool as he did through me2
17:47 you can see the double cross here. He didnt tip shephard off because he wanted the reapers to think he was commited to them and the reapers probably told the IM to send shephard there, so tipping him off to the trap would have severed trust between IM and the reapers.
One of the best villains in the history of gaming (before you go saying that he wasn't a villain in ME2. Well it's precisely his moral ambiguity and the sympathy the player and the main character build towards him what makes him such a good villain).
Heh, I see you didnt forgot about the idea I gave you :D Anyway amazing work as always
Thanks man!:D
No problem :D
I'll be honest, the illusive man was one of my favorite characters, especially in me2.
57:54 this line is chilling and so well performed by Martin. Legend
I really like how his voice gives out when he says "easy"
48:41 It's so cool that they reference Grayson from the books! Paul Grayson was a character in two books, Mass Effect: Ascension and Mass Effect: Retribution.
SPOILERS FOR ME: Retribution
In Retribution Grayson is abducted by Cerberus, and is implanted with Reaper technology, they were doing an experiment to see what effects Reaper technology would do to humans. Grayson escapes, and The Illusive Man works with Aria T'Loak to kill Grayson. As time goes on the Reapers become more powerful and take control of Graysons thoughts and actions! He becomes a slave to the Reapers will. Arias troops fail to kill Grayson, and Grayson escapes to Grissom Academy where he is killed by Anderson/Kai leng. I highly reccomended the book, very good read!
What an amazing character.
Amazing anti hero turned villain while searching for a way to help.. cant avoid feeling a little sad for him.
Reminds me of Yuri from vandal hearts 2
One of my fav charates
Even before mass effect 1 released.
I wanted to cosplay martins illusive man.
Even before year 2000 and preschool I wanted to cosplay illusive man.
Ironically in the end control ending is still the best (official endings, I use JohnP happy ending mod :p)
However it's not because of controlling reapers making control ending the perfect one, it's because others endings are shit.
The whole idea of the galaxy standing against the reapers it's what made ME triology perfect -----Everyone is different, yet united together. The final battle could not be achieved without that.
And yet:
Destroy ending ask you to sacrifice a whole race and EDI, you betrayed them if you choose this.
Sythetic ending is too "magical", and even if it works, you are turning the whole galaxy into the same thing by force..you turned everyone into reapers, and with sythetics no more biology evolution will happen. you are worse than reapers in a way (And this ending is a classic failure of developers enforcing their idea of "perfect ending" onto the crowd)
Refusal ending is poetic in a way...but you failed everyone fighting there, they died knowing that the only time they open up and put confidence in you, the machine you promised didn't do jack shit.
And control ending kills you, but you only. I chose happy ending mod because my shep died in control ending and probably that's it why I use unofficial ending as my "cannon". TIM's ideal was not exactly "evil", but his method was too ruthless in something high stick as this.
Shepard's and ME trilogy highest ideals IMO were not only cooperation, but also freedom. And the freedom is betrayed and destroyed with control ending. It's like letting Cerberus win - only being nicer afterwards. It can be seen from the ending. It feels quite dark.
No..
Fuck this. What's the point of control when you die anyways? You're indoctrinated in that ending anyways and that's a horrible way to go out. Under no circumstance should you choose that ending.
Destroy is the only ending and getting rid of the reapers permanently is the choice Anderson would have wanted as well. I mean think about it, EDI and the Geth can be rebuilt. The reaper codes and technology are still in the universe and at some point, you can remake them. But Javiik makes good points regarding synthetics, eventually what happens with a grand majority of them?
I'm inclined to agree with the OP's comment, for starters I don't believe in the indoctrination theory and secondly people often forget about the Leviathans and their power.
The Reapers were the only thing standing in the Leviathans way of total galactic control just like they ruled everyone eons ago.
The only problem is that the Reapers were...misguided shall we say, into killing species. With Shepard in control however, that is no longer an issue.
The Reapers can be used as a galactic peace corp of sorts and at the same time keeping the Leviathans in check.
EDI and the geth live, and the cycle of synthetics rebelling against their creators will likely never happen again because of the Reapers (it would eventually happen in Destroy Ending with no Reapers around).
So yeah, late reply but I also feel control is best ending with all the dlc stuff added ofc.
Shepard has to die for it, but that's just how it is, at the very least it's himself that makes that choice (unlike with destroy/synthesis, where you choose for others)
"You" don't die in control. You become the collective consciousness of the reapers. IMO the synthesis ending is the best as it is a combination of organics and synthetics existing in a common framework. It is not that everyone became pure synthetics, everyone became part synthetic and part organic and as such, they wield the advantage of both life-forms. Evolution will occur regardless. Also, everyone does not get forcefully turned into "reapers", It's just that reapers act as separate independent life-forms,part organic and part synthetic and help every other life-form reach new heights of existence with their collective knowledge. Everyone keeps their forms intact.
Bioware: "We opted against giving the Illusive Man a husk form so as to avoid comparisons with Saren"
also Bioware: *makes Illusive Man indoctrinated and talkable to death in the final confrontation*
The Illusive Man is the most well written villain I have seen. His goal in ME3, getting Reaper tech could be seen as noble. And it would have benefits. Yet his methods, and the low chance of success, makes him the enemy.
His flaw in ME3 is his ambition. He is willing to do anything, sacrifice anything to accomplish what he wants. And he will not settle for anything less than the best outcome.
It is also his greatest strength, in many ways. He is willing to do things most wouldn't dare or consider, or dare to consider.
That makes him such a great character. Many villains that are defined by a single trait are shallow, because that trait is inherently bad. Selfishness, paranoia, greed, powerhunger. This time the trait, ambition, is both good and bad depending on the situation. In other circumstances, he could have been a friend.
Damn, he aged so much over the course of a single year. 2185 to 2186; he looks a solid decade older.
TBH, i really was sweettalked by the TIM when i first played the game, i kinda wanted to trust him, like, if he brought me back, he can't be that bad.
But on that moment i started to know the series from Mass Effect 2, i did not played Mass Effect 1, and i never knew what exactly Cerberus is, and never understood the lore that good. Well, i was kinda young as well.
But after i completed Mass Effect 1, well, nothing actually changed. I still want to trust TIM, well, right till the end, until he asks me to leave collector base. His music theme really adds to the atmosphere too - he seems wise, calm, and resourceful, and in his shell he has good intentions, and you and him have the same goals.
That's why music is rather calming for me, that everything else.
Too bad that he getting indoctrinated in result.
Illusive Man was a hero
I can't forget the second conversation, the first meeting. Perfect
Martin Sheen is perfect in the role. Big fan of his live-action work, but also love his voice over work here.
Made 10 years ago and has better facial movements than Mass Effect Andromeda.
Can we appreciate that he could've indoctrinated Shepard but did not.
He knew Shepard would do what was best for humanity, even if the Illusive Man would not agree with it.
Lowkey respects the foresight of the Illusive Man, intention, or not. Him choosing not to control Shepard saved the universe.
The dopamine rush of escaping the collector base is really something else
The Illusive man is honestly the top notch in ME2
TIM did nothing wrong...other than getting too close to the enemy.
Man, it's so lame how he goes from "ruthless covert controller willing to do anything to further humanity's climb up the cosmic food chain" to "Let's _become_ the Reapers, Shepard." in the very next cutscene.
The writing was shit, you know full well Illusive Man was too overpowered that they decided to strawman and bastardize him to death, he had the brains, the brawn, and the will to do it all, he'd literally be the best leader anyone could ask for, he was all in one, sad, the dialogue alone shows how shit it all was, sad for Illusive Man.
Imagine an entirely different timeline where Shepard stayed with Cerberus.
Funny to hear him speaking these lines after hearing Martin Sheen saying he doesn't like Illusive Mans personality in an interview. Still his work is impressive.
Well he probably just doesn't want to admit to liking a violent psychopath political extremist while still having to work in liberal Hollywood.
I want a live action movie that centers on cerberus origin.
He was right in the end. If they took control of the Reaper base, they'd know how to kill them efficiently, know how they operate, etc.
Instead we destroyed the base, the galaxy didn't believe Shepard and basically arrested him/her and the Reapers slaughtered Quadrillions for it
It wasn't an easy choice, but it was the right one. We made it and we have to accept that making right choices is rarely easy
@@kapitan19969838 it's easy to say that when your life isn't the one gone, the sacrifice was just too costly, most of the galaxy's population could've been saved
Imagine if the Reapers came and all the races were armed with weapons specifically designed to take them out, casualties minimal
@@danielendless The good ol' "ends justify the means" morality, eh?
I hope Illusive Man himself or alike/clone will return for ME4! He's one of the best villains in the entire seires.
I was all in on the Illusive Man's side throughout ME2, and then ME3 came out and told me he was now my enemy. I was very annoyed! :D
I LOVE when he says derelict reaper!!
You can hear the self-doubt in TIM's voice on Thessia. He hesitates when Shepard calls him out.