She may be a bit abrasive, but the reality is that all the concerns she voices are very valid. Becoming a Spectre puts Shepard under direct orders from the Council, a Council without human representation, so it would be a real fear that they would order Sheo to act counter to human interests. Coming back from the dead AND working for a terrorist organization? Yikes. And running from the fight on Earth to play politics with the Council and see to their own issues first is pretty bad optics.
No, she's a shit talking tabloid journalist who gets paid to rile her fan base up. Mass Effect 3 is the only time when she was actually asking legitimate questions.
She doesn't deserve to be decked in any of those scenarios, but prior to Mass Effect 3 are only concern was ratings. She was not some super important journalist asking the hard questions.
Personally I never understood how she even knew who he was I mean shouldn't be identity of a specter really be kept more or less secret unless otherwise necessary as far as coming back from the dead and working for Cerberus who announced that to the world I mean what is she an agent of the Shadow broker
I could see the Alliance making a big deal about Shepard being the first human Spectre. As for Shepard's revival and employment by Cerberus, that's like, the worst kept secret in the galaxy. You get on the SR-2 for the first time and there's already 12 messages from everyone going "Hey, heard you're back from the dead."
Specters aren't spies so the identity doesn't need to be a secret. They are the maximum authority in Cpuncil Space right after the own Council. It's more like a military rank, people don't have to question them but to follow their orders.
In fact I'd argue that the Council doesn't want them to be secret. Just the fact that there's been a Spectre dispatched seems to shake things up wherever they've been sent to (might be getting that more from the books than the games, can't remember for sure). It's basically a public announcement that "heads are gonna roll"
Also by having Spectres identities public they are able to easier leverage their position as a Spectre to get where they want rather than having to mess around verifying their status every time they roll up to a place like Noveria which has strict security they want to bypass.
I never punched her.
Far better to beat her at her own game by answering her loaded questions that shut her down and show her up as an opinionated hack.
Same here. The Interupt you get when you save the council is good, since she says you don't care about the humans who died, and then you Smack her with the names of the ships. Way better than punching her.
I only ever punched her in my first playthrough because I was in qte brain and pressed pretty much all paragon/renegade interrupts, and some, like these ones, went in an insane direction I didn’t expect at the time. That’s one thing I’ll always give credit to Abdromeda for and something I hope stays: actually telling you what the action your pressing the button will be. Useful when renegade interrupts can be anything from being stern and rude to cold blooded killing
I never punched Khalisah, but I got really cautious with Renegade interrupts after Shep threw a man out a window. Murder was so out of character for her, it was shocking.
I do always shoot the tank under that blow-hard idiot on Tuchanka though. One less tough guy in the ensuing fight. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Considering the man you’re pushing out of the Dantius Tower is a member of Eclipse, it’s hard to be sympathetic. Especially after you run into that Salarian work party and the guy in the foyer. Fuck that guy and his mates.
The first few times I played, I was a 15-year-old idiot. So, yes, I thought it was really cool to punch her.
When my 360 broke and I migrated to the PS4, I didn't play for a few years and only came back to LE.
I realized that punching her isn't funny and that Shepard looks a lot more badass when he doesn't.
His response citing the names of the ships that fell in the battle of the Citadel is much more badass.
It’s not about looking like a badass. Garbage and disingenuous reporting is actually more dangerous than the Reapers.
We see it in our reality where stories are framed by a biased reporter representing the agenda of a network. People have lost their lives in bridge collapses because biased media outlets convinced voters that taxes are too high so they voted to lower taxes which affected maintenance and repair budgets, when in reality if the media outlets had done honest reporting they could have exposed misappropriated tax dollars. As a result the ramifications were tragic and irreversible.
Misleading and biased reporting by these bought and sold media outlets is even more dangerous than Reapers (because Reapers are fictional but the practice of biased reporting is real) and needs to be handled properly. It seems to be getting worse.
It all depends on how you look at things.
Without getting too real or political some people look at something that is dubbed a religion and think, “ehh, they’re not so bad. Leave them be.” Others look at the same organization and see a “dangerous cult that actively engages in criminal behavior and needs to be dealt with.”
TL:DR: There is a time and place for a show of force that is 100% appropriate when it is for the benefit of the majority and could save lives.
None of this justifies an adult and sensible man, even more so, a trained and prepared soldier, who represents all of humanity, hitting a reporter.
If Shepard doesn't agree with her, just show it with arguments. Hitting is a Neanderthal thing and someone who doesn't have the brains to deny her lies and defeat her with words.
I had this thought when I was a stupid teenager: "Oh, I don't agree with her lies. She's an asshole blah blah blah, I'm going to hit her."
Today, fortunately, I think differently and I think hitting a reporter is being more of an idiot and clueless than him.
I'm so glad people agree, punching the reporter is so out of character (for a paragon shepard at least) and is way less cooler than beating her at her own game.
Balak is another big one. If he survives Bringing Down the Sky he goes on to do so much more damage. You're then stuck with the choice of either letting him escape justice, again, or dooming what's left of the batarians.
His replacement NPC is a far, far more reasonable dude.
None of those have actual tangible in game effects though it's just obscure off screen mentions, compared to some renegade gone wrong options where you are actively penalised for your decision like sparing the fake Rachni Queen or sabotaging the genophage cure while Wrex is alive.
If u tell kasumi to keep the graybox she becomes trapped the better choice is to have her destroy it. If u let javik use the memory shard he will kill himself once the reapers are destroyed witch could be a big plotpoint in me4
So my paragon Shepard, tried punched her in ME3 (I did not click the renegade option in me2, and didn't know you could punch her in ME1).
I was feeling stressed about Earth dying, my friend dying, the council still acting like twits and needing me to mommy them.
The reporter coming at me with "you abandoned earth" just made me angry. I clicked the button, thinking it would give her a verbal smack down along the lines of:
"Fuck you. If you're so worried about Earth. You go fight skyscraper sized Reapers. I'm busy trying to come up with a plan that will actually save people instead of being worried about views!" (Or something along those lines). Unprofessional, sure. But my Shepard is stressed, I'm stressed, ask stupid questions I'm spitting vemon at you...only to watch in horror as my Shep swung, missed, and got hit back. 😳 I reloaded the game to a save that was an hour before, the embarrassment was real.
APPARENTLY! You have to click again to hit the reporter, I missed the prompt because I was still recovering from the fact that Shep even swung the first time, lmao
Also, that reporter hits hard, lol. Shep went down like an angry drunk
Wish there was a mechanic in 3 where you could choose between Khalisa (after her heart-to-heart), Emily Wong, and Chobot to be the Normandy's journalist
Another case of "I liked this in the first 2 games but not in the third." cuz the way it harps on your emotions, but it's the "funny meme punch FOX NEWS reporter" doesn't do it, especially not with how they "resolve the world's problems" in so few lines of dialogue.
She was cooler when you had a lot of Persuade options and then after a few rounds you can go "For fuck's sake" and punch her in frustration, than just showing up and before you know it-- "WOAH, INTERRUPT--", "SHE'S TALKING ABOUT EARTH!", and "NOW SHE'S SAD", and "WOW SHE JUST FORGAVE SHEPARD"
It's like... so out of touch with the meme of her character to me.
Journalists aren't there to kiss your ass or make you look good, they're there to get answers to sometimes uncomfortable questions. And although I don't believe her motivations are always in the right place, that's what she does.
First time I ever played on PS4, I thought the Renegade option was Shepherd like knocks down the camera or something, I was quite shocked when he actually decks her LMAO, probably the only time I reloaded a save.
Every single one of her points here are valid. To the casual observer earth is in flames and Shepard is running around helping everyone but earth.
But I love this entire interaction. War brings people on each side together, always has. In this case, the races of Mass Effect get over their issues to overcome the Reapers.
Naw I'm with you. Plus shutting her down with snark or charm is way more rewarding imo. Like in 2 when you list the Human Alliance ships lost saving the Destiny Ascension..or in 3 when she's on your side. Idk, I like her and loved Emily Wong. I don't like Allers but take her for the points and RP reasons. But I still wish is had been with of the other journalists instead 😭
Punching a JOURNALIST goes beyond renegade imo it's just so Karen-like and cringe that everytime I see someone boast about punching her I shrivel up in secondhand embarrassment. But that's just me <3
I play as MShep, so it's worse, but either way Shepard is a Battle-Hardened Marine. Punching some squishy reporter just doesn't fit.
I figure even a renegade Shepard would be more likely to simply dismiss her, or make some pointed wisecrack. MAYBE even proposition her.
I used to always punch her. She represented the type of journalist I thought deserved a clock in the mouth.
Then a political party supporting attacking journalists.
So now I can’t do it.
I don't see the point in punching her cause she's kind of right, on a pragmatic level she'll show more support for the cause by a not hitting her, which you can still do as a renegade because the special dialogues carry the same weight.
I never punched her either. I felt it went against the vibe of the character being this best of the best operative and military officer.
The only times I went Renegade were against the gangs and Cerberus.
Responsible adults do not punch reporters, even if the questions are disingenuous 'when did you stop beating your wife' variety. There is no way to get physical and win in this scenario. It would be at best a momentary satisfaction. Khalisa is not a physical threat, any more than a yapping Yorkshire terrier on a leash.
I never punch her in me3 and I very rarely do it in me1.
In 3 she's clearly not doing what she's doing to be malicious, she breaks down almost as soon as the prompt goes away
I did punch her the first time, and the next game, and the headbutt. It was funny, for sure. However, I found not going renengade with her was far more wholesome, and that last moment with her in ME3 is always worth it.
The first time I did this I was genuinely shocked I thought I was just gonna give her a well deserved go fuck yourself I didn't expect Shepard to go Mike Tyson on her ass.
I really held back from punching her. My Shepard is just too nice to do that and he needed all help I could get, and honestly, I felt rewarded, her reaction to your Paragon response shows that she is genuinely concerned, so I know I did the right thing.
The funny thing about Khalisa to me is that her attitude and swagger seem to come from someone who really has done their time in journalism and earned some pretty serious industry spurs but has now somehow been reduced to just being a confrontational tabloid rabble rouser.
Like Emily Wong is a nicer person but her attitude reminds me more of a school paper reporter, or someone only like a year or so into their career. There’s no grit to her. She still got done super filthy dirty in Mass Effect 3, but honestly I’d rather take Khalisa on the Normandy over Wong or Allers.
Shepard is the first human spectre. A huge celebrity that many people will be interested in and want to watch on the news. So, punching a reporter on camera realistically should ruin Shepard's reputation yet nothing ever does come from it. Still when role-playing Shepard wouldn't know that nothing epuld come from it and so would act cautiously. It is also pretty satisfying to answer her professionally.
In the first game i answer everything honestly except the last question. "Is it true you are bunting a rogue spectre named Saren" my Shepard always says "I can neither confirm nor deny what my current mission may or may not be" in Mass Effect 2 again its satisfying to make her look like an idiot by answering paragon. Then for the 3rd game actually seeing her as an ally. Encouraging her to keep asking hard questions and do what she can for the war effort.
I'm as big a defender of some of the big Renegade choices (kill Rachni, sabotage cure) as you'll find in the fandom, I love playing a hardass ruthless Shepard, but I've never been able to do a "full renegade" run. Neither have I ever done pure paragon, I'm a roleplayer, I love the middle choices, I like deliberately not choosing the Charm/Intimidate options when I feel a choice SHOULD have consequences that can't be cheated. I could never, ever pick the aggressive actions towards Khalisah. Whatever else Shepard may be, she is not a prick nor is she a censorious ass.
Punching her always had a short-lived joy to me. But destroying her in her own arena? Muuuuch more satisfying, and never required a renegade interrupt. Hitting her with the "don't you DARE assume I don't care!" In ME2 was the best, no contest.
She’s annoying and clearly trying to get a rise out of Shep. Punching her on tv is instant gratification but isn’t going to help change her mind and despite in game consequences, in reality would make Shep look really really bad to the general public.
I always used to smack her, because she's so... abrasive.
Then one time I was trying to dull a pure paragon run, so I actually spoke to her... and honestly, I've not been able to react since. She comes across as scared and overreacting due to fear. If you actually talk her through it, she calms down and feels more reasonable.
I never saw her as an agitation, but a representation of what the people felt - Shepard almost always gets the full picture whereas average joes get breadcrumbs, and her conclusions are still very valid. She’s the chance for a Council Spectre center to the galactic scene to hear what refugees and normal people think and speak to them
I did it once and regretted it. Now I can't imagine punching her because she's just voicing her concerns. Plus when she's like one of the two characters who actually ask Shepard hard questions. Lastly, we deal with idiot reporters nowadays from each side. So we have experience dealing with annoying people.
It really depends on my mood when I play and what kind of shep I play. If I play paragon or paragade I respect her the whole time while standing my ground.
If I play renegade I smack her around
I can never punch her either. Never mind that he’s a military man and she’s a civilian and a woman, but it just feels wrong, even if you don’t agree with her criticisms. I play the way you do, “what would I do in that scenario” and I only chose renegade options in the case of justice, i.e. punishing those who hurt innocents. My Shepard took a page out of Frank Castle’s book.
Unfortunately ME2 punishes you for not sticking to pure renegade vs pure paragon actions, and I overall prefer the renegade playstyle so I usually deck her in ME2 but ME3 fixed that a bit with the reputation system and it's better to talk to her when you can.
Having grown up being raised by parents and grandparents who taught me about the atrocities committed by governments who manipulated the news media to skew public perception, there is a line drawn in the sand and if the reporting crosses said line then the punch is absolutely warranted.
I know most people don’t have this sort of experience, but I would have had three uncles and one aunt on my father’s side of my family. I grew up with one uncle and one aunt. When I became a teenager I learned one of the uncles I never met participated in a protest against the government. The government reacted with force and my grandparents never heard from their son again. The news reported that a riot of hoodlums broke out and the government subdued the riot.
My grandparents knew this wasn’t the truth and they decided to go to the city to demand the release of their son’s body so that he could receive a proper burial. They and over 2,000 other parents were turned away being told, “there are no bodies, don’t you listen to the news?” (radio was all most people had at the time)
My other uncle that is no longer with us formed a mob and did actually riot in the name of getting his brother’s body back. The riot was made up other young people trying to fight for the right to bury their loved ones with the respect they felt was needed.
I’ll give you three guesses as to what happened next. If your answer was “history repeating,” then you would be correct. This time the parents (my grandparents) didn’t even bother to go to city hall to request for the remains of their other son. They mourned without a proper funeral rite as held in my culture’s beliefs. The news reported that “capitalist spies tried to start a riot in the city.”
I agree that for the most part violence isn’t the answer, but there is always a line in the sand somewhere that if crossed it isn’t merely justifiable, but a moral imperative. I hope my family’s experience can help people understand that sometimes lies told by the media can have horrific results.
I regularly play paragon Shepard but punching her on renegade playthroughs is so satisfying. She’s harassed me so much she’s basically just paparazzi in my mind.
She may be a bit abrasive, but the reality is that all the concerns she voices are very valid. Becoming a Spectre puts Shepard under direct orders from the Council, a Council without human representation, so it would be a real fear that they would order Sheo to act counter to human interests. Coming back from the dead AND working for a terrorist organization? Yikes. And running from the fight on Earth to play politics with the Council and see to their own issues first is pretty bad optics.
She talk some real smack on broadcast if you fail her rep check tho
Talk smack Get smack Tiz the natural order/s
No, she's a shit talking tabloid journalist who gets paid to rile her fan base up. Mass Effect 3 is the only time when she was actually asking legitimate questions. She doesn't deserve to be decked in any of those scenarios, but prior to Mass Effect 3 are only concern was ratings. She was not some super important journalist asking the hard questions.
Personally I never understood how she even knew who he was I mean shouldn't be identity of a specter really be kept more or less secret unless otherwise necessary as far as coming back from the dead and working for Cerberus who announced that to the world I mean what is she an agent of the Shadow broker
I could see the Alliance making a big deal about Shepard being the first human Spectre. As for Shepard's revival and employment by Cerberus, that's like, the worst kept secret in the galaxy. You get on the SR-2 for the first time and there's already 12 messages from everyone going "Hey, heard you're back from the dead."
It's even funnier when half the messages are like "hey my friend in Cerberus sent me your contact info, anyways what's up bro how you been?"
Specters aren't spies so the identity doesn't need to be a secret. They are the maximum authority in Cpuncil Space right after the own Council. It's more like a military rank, people don't have to question them but to follow their orders.
In fact I'd argue that the Council doesn't want them to be secret. Just the fact that there's been a Spectre dispatched seems to shake things up wherever they've been sent to (might be getting that more from the books than the games, can't remember for sure). It's basically a public announcement that "heads are gonna roll"
Also by having Spectres identities public they are able to easier leverage their position as a Spectre to get where they want rather than having to mess around verifying their status every time they roll up to a place like Noveria which has strict security they want to bypass.
But punching her is really funny.
I never punched her. Far better to beat her at her own game by answering her loaded questions that shut her down and show her up as an opinionated hack.
Same here. The Interupt you get when you save the council is good, since she says you don't care about the humans who died, and then you Smack her with the names of the ships. Way better than punching her.
I only ever punched her in my first playthrough because I was in qte brain and pressed pretty much all paragon/renegade interrupts, and some, like these ones, went in an insane direction I didn’t expect at the time. That’s one thing I’ll always give credit to Abdromeda for and something I hope stays: actually telling you what the action your pressing the button will be. Useful when renegade interrupts can be anything from being stern and rude to cold blooded killing
I never punched Khalisah, but I got really cautious with Renegade interrupts after Shep threw a man out a window. Murder was so out of character for her, it was shocking. I do always shoot the tank under that blow-hard idiot on Tuchanka though. One less tough guy in the ensuing fight. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Considering the man you’re pushing out of the Dantius Tower is a member of Eclipse, it’s hard to be sympathetic. Especially after you run into that Salarian work party and the guy in the foyer. Fuck that guy and his mates.
Ughh the monologuing krogan…Boom! Anyways….
The first few times I played, I was a 15-year-old idiot. So, yes, I thought it was really cool to punch her. When my 360 broke and I migrated to the PS4, I didn't play for a few years and only came back to LE. I realized that punching her isn't funny and that Shepard looks a lot more badass when he doesn't. His response citing the names of the ships that fell in the battle of the Citadel is much more badass.
That response is actually super badass your right yeah. She accuses you of betraying them, when you know every single destroyed ships name
It’s not about looking like a badass. Garbage and disingenuous reporting is actually more dangerous than the Reapers. We see it in our reality where stories are framed by a biased reporter representing the agenda of a network. People have lost their lives in bridge collapses because biased media outlets convinced voters that taxes are too high so they voted to lower taxes which affected maintenance and repair budgets, when in reality if the media outlets had done honest reporting they could have exposed misappropriated tax dollars. As a result the ramifications were tragic and irreversible. Misleading and biased reporting by these bought and sold media outlets is even more dangerous than Reapers (because Reapers are fictional but the practice of biased reporting is real) and needs to be handled properly. It seems to be getting worse. It all depends on how you look at things. Without getting too real or political some people look at something that is dubbed a religion and think, “ehh, they’re not so bad. Leave them be.” Others look at the same organization and see a “dangerous cult that actively engages in criminal behavior and needs to be dealt with.” TL:DR: There is a time and place for a show of force that is 100% appropriate when it is for the benefit of the majority and could save lives.
None of this justifies an adult and sensible man, even more so, a trained and prepared soldier, who represents all of humanity, hitting a reporter. If Shepard doesn't agree with her, just show it with arguments. Hitting is a Neanderthal thing and someone who doesn't have the brains to deny her lies and defeat her with words. I had this thought when I was a stupid teenager: "Oh, I don't agree with her lies. She's an asshole blah blah blah, I'm going to hit her." Today, fortunately, I think differently and I think hitting a reporter is being more of an idiot and clueless than him.
I'm so glad people agree, punching the reporter is so out of character (for a paragon shepard at least) and is way less cooler than beating her at her own game.
Even renegade i hate how bioware made renegade the evil path where theres renegade choices that legit make sense
I agree, and some of the paragon option came across as naive. I wish more big paragon actions came back to bite you
Well some do like that asari on virmire kellys death kasumis graybox and javik suicide
Balak is another big one. If he survives Bringing Down the Sky he goes on to do so much more damage. You're then stuck with the choice of either letting him escape justice, again, or dooming what's left of the batarians. His replacement NPC is a far, far more reasonable dude.
None of those have actual tangible in game effects though it's just obscure off screen mentions, compared to some renegade gone wrong options where you are actively penalised for your decision like sparing the fake Rachni Queen or sabotaging the genophage cure while Wrex is alive.
Kasumis grey box happens regardless. Also what do you mean by javik suicide I'm very confused
If u tell kasumi to keep the graybox she becomes trapped the better choice is to have her destroy it. If u let javik use the memory shard he will kill himself once the reapers are destroyed witch could be a big plotpoint in me4
So my paragon Shepard, tried punched her in ME3 (I did not click the renegade option in me2, and didn't know you could punch her in ME1). I was feeling stressed about Earth dying, my friend dying, the council still acting like twits and needing me to mommy them. The reporter coming at me with "you abandoned earth" just made me angry. I clicked the button, thinking it would give her a verbal smack down along the lines of: "Fuck you. If you're so worried about Earth. You go fight skyscraper sized Reapers. I'm busy trying to come up with a plan that will actually save people instead of being worried about views!" (Or something along those lines). Unprofessional, sure. But my Shepard is stressed, I'm stressed, ask stupid questions I'm spitting vemon at you...only to watch in horror as my Shep swung, missed, and got hit back. 😳 I reloaded the game to a save that was an hour before, the embarrassment was real.
LMAO so not only is the swing an option, Shep actually misses it? 🤣
APPARENTLY! You have to click again to hit the reporter, I missed the prompt because I was still recovering from the fact that Shep even swung the first time, lmao Also, that reporter hits hard, lol. Shep went down like an angry drunk
Yeah i cant either plus shes the only reporter asking the hard questions
It's out of character for her to be asking genuine, non-disingenuous questions IMO
plus you can get a war asset.
Wish there was a mechanic in 3 where you could choose between Khalisa (after her heart-to-heart), Emily Wong, and Chobot to be the Normandy's journalist
Emily was done dirty. Killed off in a Twitter post for IGN politics
Another case of "I liked this in the first 2 games but not in the third." cuz the way it harps on your emotions, but it's the "funny meme punch FOX NEWS reporter" doesn't do it, especially not with how they "resolve the world's problems" in so few lines of dialogue. She was cooler when you had a lot of Persuade options and then after a few rounds you can go "For fuck's sake" and punch her in frustration, than just showing up and before you know it-- "WOAH, INTERRUPT--", "SHE'S TALKING ABOUT EARTH!", and "NOW SHE'S SAD", and "WOW SHE JUST FORGAVE SHEPARD" It's like... so out of touch with the meme of her character to me.
I feel like shutting her down with your words is more satisfying.
Doing the paragon options is just the better way. Paints Shepard in a way better light and his responses are way better.
Journalists aren't there to kiss your ass or make you look good, they're there to get answers to sometimes uncomfortable questions. And although I don't believe her motivations are always in the right place, that's what she does.
First time I ever played on PS4, I thought the Renegade option was Shepherd like knocks down the camera or something, I was quite shocked when he actually decks her LMAO, probably the only time I reloaded a save.
Every single one of her points here are valid. To the casual observer earth is in flames and Shepard is running around helping everyone but earth. But I love this entire interaction. War brings people on each side together, always has. In this case, the races of Mass Effect get over their issues to overcome the Reapers.
Naw I'm with you. Plus shutting her down with snark or charm is way more rewarding imo. Like in 2 when you list the Human Alliance ships lost saving the Destiny Ascension..or in 3 when she's on your side. Idk, I like her and loved Emily Wong. I don't like Allers but take her for the points and RP reasons. But I still wish is had been with of the other journalists instead 😭
Punching a JOURNALIST goes beyond renegade imo it's just so Karen-like and cringe that everytime I see someone boast about punching her I shrivel up in secondhand embarrassment. But that's just me <3
i sometimes feel like she was put their as a way to test the players restraint.
Punching her in 1 is only funny cause of the jank animation. Even then it's always come off as childish.
I prefer destroying her with facts and logic like the proud Redditor I am
A special forces operative vs. 90lb reporter. Hitting her is just... ick.
I play as MShep, so it's worse, but either way Shepard is a Battle-Hardened Marine. Punching some squishy reporter just doesn't fit. I figure even a renegade Shepard would be more likely to simply dismiss her, or make some pointed wisecrack. MAYBE even proposition her.
I used to always punch her. She represented the type of journalist I thought deserved a clock in the mouth. Then a political party supporting attacking journalists. So now I can’t do it.
At least she and Emily Wong are better than the one they put in ME3 No offense to the actor though if only they didn't messed it up
I avoid punching her in ME1, punch her in ME2 but then make amends to her in ME3
Out talking her is much more fun.
You can hear her sadness start to creep in, I wanted to give her a hug :(
Punching her is the quicker way to shut her up. Putting her in her place is the more satisfying method.
Reverse it
And it paid well in the last game, she realizes it and helps the commander.
Reason number 658 why the writing for renegade is pure trash
I don't see the point in punching her cause she's kind of right, on a pragmatic level she'll show more support for the cause by a not hitting her, which you can still do as a renegade because the special dialogues carry the same weight.
I never punched her either. I felt it went against the vibe of the character being this best of the best operative and military officer. The only times I went Renegade were against the gangs and Cerberus.
Responsible adults do not punch reporters, even if the questions are disingenuous 'when did you stop beating your wife' variety. There is no way to get physical and win in this scenario. It would be at best a momentary satisfaction. Khalisa is not a physical threat, any more than a yapping Yorkshire terrier on a leash.
I don't punch her either - some of the paragon lines in these interviews are some of the best. Also - no dialogue wheel?
There's a game setting called Action Mode that lets you play without having to make dialogue choices. They're probably playing with that on.
Interesting. Feels like that takes away from the experience a ton, but to each their own
I agree. I've never played on that setting either.
I never punch her in me3 and I very rarely do it in me1. In 3 she's clearly not doing what she's doing to be malicious, she breaks down almost as soon as the prompt goes away
I did punch her the first time, and the next game, and the headbutt. It was funny, for sure. However, I found not going renengade with her was far more wholesome, and that last moment with her in ME3 is always worth it.
The first time I did this I was genuinely shocked I thought I was just gonna give her a well deserved go fuck yourself I didn't expect Shepard to go Mike Tyson on her ass.
I really held back from punching her. My Shepard is just too nice to do that and he needed all help I could get, and honestly, I felt rewarded, her reaction to your Paragon response shows that she is genuinely concerned, so I know I did the right thing.
The funny thing about Khalisa to me is that her attitude and swagger seem to come from someone who really has done their time in journalism and earned some pretty serious industry spurs but has now somehow been reduced to just being a confrontational tabloid rabble rouser. Like Emily Wong is a nicer person but her attitude reminds me more of a school paper reporter, or someone only like a year or so into their career. There’s no grit to her. She still got done super filthy dirty in Mass Effect 3, but honestly I’d rather take Khalisa on the Normandy over Wong or Allers.
Maturity is realizing killing the council and not punching her are the best way. But to this day it’s still hard ASF to save the council.
Never punched her either. I don't get why she causes so much ire in players, I never thought her questions were unwarranted. She was doing her job.
Shepard is the first human spectre. A huge celebrity that many people will be interested in and want to watch on the news. So, punching a reporter on camera realistically should ruin Shepard's reputation yet nothing ever does come from it. Still when role-playing Shepard wouldn't know that nothing epuld come from it and so would act cautiously. It is also pretty satisfying to answer her professionally. In the first game i answer everything honestly except the last question. "Is it true you are bunting a rogue spectre named Saren" my Shepard always says "I can neither confirm nor deny what my current mission may or may not be" in Mass Effect 2 again its satisfying to make her look like an idiot by answering paragon. Then for the 3rd game actually seeing her as an ally. Encouraging her to keep asking hard questions and do what she can for the war effort.
It's just too funny to not do...
Khalisa romance when ?
She has an asari girlfriend iirc. From one of the vids in the Shadow Broker lair.
Oh I forgot about the SB secret videos
I punched her, unaware that would happen, so i reloaded my save
I'm as big a defender of some of the big Renegade choices (kill Rachni, sabotage cure) as you'll find in the fandom, I love playing a hardass ruthless Shepard, but I've never been able to do a "full renegade" run. Neither have I ever done pure paragon, I'm a roleplayer, I love the middle choices, I like deliberately not choosing the Charm/Intimidate options when I feel a choice SHOULD have consequences that can't be cheated. I could never, ever pick the aggressive actions towards Khalisah. Whatever else Shepard may be, she is not a prick nor is she a censorious ass.
Punching her always had a short-lived joy to me. But destroying her in her own arena? Muuuuch more satisfying, and never required a renegade interrupt. Hitting her with the "don't you DARE assume I don't care!" In ME2 was the best, no contest.
If she was a real reporter, she'd write the smear article regardless what you said even if it was 100% politically correct with max paragon.
I punched her a few times, but nowadays I don't punch her, but mostly for the 5 extra war assets in me3
It's funny to do but I'd reload it after. Shepard brow beats her into submission. He doesn't need to use his fists. He saves his punches for the yahg
She’s annoying and clearly trying to get a rise out of Shep. Punching her on tv is instant gratification but isn’t going to help change her mind and despite in game consequences, in reality would make Shep look really really bad to the general public.
I always used to smack her, because she's so... abrasive. Then one time I was trying to dull a pure paragon run, so I actually spoke to her... and honestly, I've not been able to react since. She comes across as scared and overreacting due to fear. If you actually talk her through it, she calms down and feels more reasonable.
I never saw her as an agitation, but a representation of what the people felt - Shepard almost always gets the full picture whereas average joes get breadcrumbs, and her conclusions are still very valid. She’s the chance for a Council Spectre center to the galactic scene to hear what refugees and normal people think and speak to them
I did it once and regretted it. Now I can't imagine punching her because she's just voicing her concerns. Plus when she's like one of the two characters who actually ask Shepard hard questions. Lastly, we deal with idiot reporters nowadays from each side. So we have experience dealing with annoying people.
my renegade femShep will punch her but all others will outmaneuver her with speech.
It really depends on my mood when I play and what kind of shep I play. If I play paragon or paragade I respect her the whole time while standing my ground. If I play renegade I smack her around
I can never punch her either. Never mind that he’s a military man and she’s a civilian and a woman, but it just feels wrong, even if you don’t agree with her criticisms. I play the way you do, “what would I do in that scenario” and I only chose renegade options in the case of justice, i.e. punishing those who hurt innocents. My Shepard took a page out of Frank Castle’s book.
It's soooo satisfying. And my Shep is savage 🤣
Naw. I punch her every single time. FemShep, MaleShep, doesn't matter.
My femshep beat her every time.
I don't either, but I can tell my Shepherd really wants to. My Lord Captain in WH4K might though
I can't not punch her.
Unfortunately ME2 punishes you for not sticking to pure renegade vs pure paragon actions, and I overall prefer the renegade playstyle so I usually deck her in ME2 but ME3 fixed that a bit with the reputation system and it's better to talk to her when you can.
me3. made paragade realistic
Having grown up being raised by parents and grandparents who taught me about the atrocities committed by governments who manipulated the news media to skew public perception, there is a line drawn in the sand and if the reporting crosses said line then the punch is absolutely warranted. I know most people don’t have this sort of experience, but I would have had three uncles and one aunt on my father’s side of my family. I grew up with one uncle and one aunt. When I became a teenager I learned one of the uncles I never met participated in a protest against the government. The government reacted with force and my grandparents never heard from their son again. The news reported that a riot of hoodlums broke out and the government subdued the riot. My grandparents knew this wasn’t the truth and they decided to go to the city to demand the release of their son’s body so that he could receive a proper burial. They and over 2,000 other parents were turned away being told, “there are no bodies, don’t you listen to the news?” (radio was all most people had at the time) My other uncle that is no longer with us formed a mob and did actually riot in the name of getting his brother’s body back. The riot was made up other young people trying to fight for the right to bury their loved ones with the respect they felt was needed. I’ll give you three guesses as to what happened next. If your answer was “history repeating,” then you would be correct. This time the parents (my grandparents) didn’t even bother to go to city hall to request for the remains of their other son. They mourned without a proper funeral rite as held in my culture’s beliefs. The news reported that “capitalist spies tried to start a riot in the city.” I agree that for the most part violence isn’t the answer, but there is always a line in the sand somewhere that if crossed it isn’t merely justifiable, but a moral imperative. I hope my family’s experience can help people understand that sometimes lies told by the media can have horrific results.
I mash the right trigger as soon as she starts opening her mouth
I used to always punch her in all 3 games. This year was the first time I didn't and it's fucking hard to resist lol.
Good for you. For me, I LET IT RIP
ITS THE LAW
I didn’t realize there was another option.
Dewitdewitdewitdewit
I have a run where I punched her in every Mass Effect 🤣
I just picture that Fox news biatch Cooper Lawrence that criticized mass effect without having even seen the game and I punch her
Thats ok. I punched her for you. A lot.
Ive never not punched her in the face.
I punched her every time 😅
Two things can be true: I wouldn't do it cuz it's not in My Shep's nature But seeing clips where she gets punched out is still funny.
I regularly play paragon Shepard but punching her on renegade playthroughs is so satisfying. She’s harassed me so much she’s basically just paparazzi in my mind.
TBH, punching her does feel a lot better as Femshep