Mass Effect 4's companions will be almost certain to outdo the options offered in Starfield and one reason why has been clear since the beginning of the series. While Starfield allows players to recruit their own teammates, Mass Effect gave players that same ability back in 2007. There are a few notable differences in the way that each game in question handles their crewmates, though, and each game's system has its merits as well as a variety of potential crewmates to choose from. Even so, one aspect should ensure that Mass Effect 4's companions will end up being more memorable.

The main way for players to recruit crewmates in Starfield is by seeking them out in clubs or bars that they can visit. While a few can be recruited through other means, this is the most reliable way to find them. Conversely, almost all of Mass Effect's primary crewmates are recruited through story-related missions, with many happening quite early on to give the player a decent selection within the first few hours. It's possible for the player to amass an impressively large crew in both Mass Effect and Starfield, with Starfield having the edge in total quantity. Despite that advantage, there are still a few more factors to consider.

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Starfield's Lack of Alien Companions is Notable Compared to Mass Effect

While players can encounter and even control aliens in Starfield with a skill, the game has no alien crewmates to speak of. The aliens that do exist in-game are basically animals and monsters for the player to survey and fight. There are not even any intelligent alien NPCs that the player gets to meet during the game, with the various civilizations populated entirely by humans and robots. While there is a robot crewmate, Vasco, he has little personality, and the player cannot change his gear or even have him enter sneak mode, making him unfortunately one of the least useful options available.

In comparison, the cast of characters that Commander Shepard can recruit onto Mass Effect's iconic Normandy features several species of aliens in addition to humans. It helps that Mass Effect's alien crewmates tend to have striking and memorable designs, such as Wrex's bulky Krogan frame and Tali's sleek Quarian armor. This makes most of the crewmates in the games instantly recognizable from their silhouettes alone. It's virtually a certainty that Mass Effect 4 would continue this tradition with its own set of crewmates. There's even a chance that it could include previously unaccounted-for species, such as a volus or hanar crewmate.

The addition of intelligent alien life, let alone the option to recruit alien crewmates would be a phenomenal new feature for Starfield to add in a potential sequel or DLC. While it admittedly may not be plausible in the current game, with all the settlements being entirely human, it's something worth thinking about for the future. After all, one of the exciting parts of stories involving space travel is the possibility of encountering other intelligent species. Without that, it feels like a lot of potential is missing from the game. Starfield could have had more to offer with more forms of intelligent life.

While Starfield has a lot of crewmates available for the player to hire, Mass Effect manages to pull off the feature more effectively. Starfield's record-breaking player numbers show that the game is off to a strong start, which should bode well for its future. However, it's fair to say that the game's crewmates could have offered a fair bit more. They're perfectly serviceable and perform their jobs just fine, but they lack the variety that was available in Mass Effect. Even though Mass Effect 4 is far in the future and with scarce details, its eventual crew is likely to outshine that of Starfield.

Mass Effect 4 is in development.

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