Are you thinking what I'm thinking ...
Been watching a few episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the major impression that I took away with me so far is that they love Mass Effect. A lot. The obvious one that immediately jumped out at me was the high-tech sniper rifle that Ward uses to shoot Mike Peterson at the end of the first episode. It had a very distinctive curve in the styling that made me think immediately of the Mantis sniper rifle from Mass Effect. A few episodes later, I got a good look at the similarly styled pistol, and yes, I could see the parallels with the Predator heavy pistol.
Another parallel came in the third episode, about the use of an element called gravitonium, which causes gravitational fluxes when a current is passed through it. This reminded me of Element Zero in Mass Effect, which generates a mass effect field when a current is passed through it. Even the gravitonium generator, with its spinning rings, resembles the control core of a mass relay.
Mass relay (left) and gravitonium generator (right)
S.H.I.E.L.D. sniper rifle and Mass Effect Mantis sniper rifle
S.H.I.E.L.D. pistol and Mass Effect Predator heavy pistol
Then there's the mobile HQ that Coulson's team uses: a modified Boeing C-17. Team leader's quarters on the top deck, Combat Information Center (not that they call it that) and crew quarters on the main deck, bio/engineering lab and vehicle bay on the lower deck. Add to that Fury's crack about a fish tank (and Coulson so obviously intending it for his quarters) and it sounds so much like one specific System Alliance/Cerberus frigate, doesn't it? And then there's the engineering and biotech pair, best buds since the Academy and now working together on the same aircraft, not to mention the guy's heavy Irish accent. Definitely sounds like the two in the Normandy's engineering deck.
Then there was the controversy when the show used concept art from Mass Effect 3 as a backdrop for one of the outdoor scenes.
And then, 11 episodes in, the revelation of how Coulson came back. Throughout the first part of the season, he'd made comments about how he'd been dead for a few seconds. But really, seeing him stabbed by Loki in Avengers, that didn't look like something that could be fixed by a few jolts from a defib. And yes, it turns out that Coulson was dead, and not for a few minutes or hours even, but days. That's a ton of cellular damage right there, and the effort to bring him back was pretty extensive. So yeah, significant time and resources spent to bring him back, if not on par with, then at least similar in scope to Cerberus' efforts with Shepard in Mass Effect 2.
And finally, one last tiny detail: Coulson named his car 'Lola'. Which just happens to be the nickname James Vega picks for one hot, tough Commander, as those who've played femShep will know.
Really, there seem to be far too many parallels for it to be just coincidence. Maybe I'll start drawing parallels with Cerberus and S.H.I.E.L.D. next, basically the group that does what needs to be done. Fury as the Illusive Man, anyone?
Another parallel came in the third episode, about the use of an element called gravitonium, which causes gravitational fluxes when a current is passed through it. This reminded me of Element Zero in Mass Effect, which generates a mass effect field when a current is passed through it. Even the gravitonium generator, with its spinning rings, resembles the control core of a mass relay.
Mass relay (left) and gravitonium generator (right)
S.H.I.E.L.D. sniper rifle and Mass Effect Mantis sniper rifle
S.H.I.E.L.D. pistol and Mass Effect Predator heavy pistol
Then there's the mobile HQ that Coulson's team uses: a modified Boeing C-17. Team leader's quarters on the top deck, Combat Information Center (not that they call it that) and crew quarters on the main deck, bio/engineering lab and vehicle bay on the lower deck. Add to that Fury's crack about a fish tank (and Coulson so obviously intending it for his quarters) and it sounds so much like one specific System Alliance/Cerberus frigate, doesn't it? And then there's the engineering and biotech pair, best buds since the Academy and now working together on the same aircraft, not to mention the guy's heavy Irish accent. Definitely sounds like the two in the Normandy's engineering deck.
Then there was the controversy when the show used concept art from Mass Effect 3 as a backdrop for one of the outdoor scenes.
And then, 11 episodes in, the revelation of how Coulson came back. Throughout the first part of the season, he'd made comments about how he'd been dead for a few seconds. But really, seeing him stabbed by Loki in Avengers, that didn't look like something that could be fixed by a few jolts from a defib. And yes, it turns out that Coulson was dead, and not for a few minutes or hours even, but days. That's a ton of cellular damage right there, and the effort to bring him back was pretty extensive. So yeah, significant time and resources spent to bring him back, if not on par with, then at least similar in scope to Cerberus' efforts with Shepard in Mass Effect 2.
And finally, one last tiny detail: Coulson named his car 'Lola'. Which just happens to be the nickname James Vega picks for one hot, tough Commander, as those who've played femShep will know.
Really, there seem to be far too many parallels for it to be just coincidence. Maybe I'll start drawing parallels with Cerberus and S.H.I.E.L.D. next, basically the group that does what needs to be done. Fury as the Illusive Man, anyone?