Human-Reaper – Mass Effect 2

When it came to representing the Mass Effect series here, it was a toss-up between the Human-Reaper fight from Mass Effect 2 or the Kai Leng battle on Thessia from Mass Effect 3. Both are low points in BioWare’s science-fiction trilogy, and either could fit nicely. But ultimately, I decided to go with the Human-Reaper because I cannot get over that BioWare used something so silly to introduce the horrors of the Mass Effect series’ existential threat.

The Human-Reaper is a synthetic/organic hybrid made by melting down humans to a sludge and then crafting them into a giant, space-faring ship. It reveals the endgame for something that felt vast and unknowable, and on paper, it’s horrifying. The issue is, why does it look like a goddamn Terminator? Why does this giant, robotic skeleton have to look like…this?

Yeah, Mass Effect 2 attempts to contextualize it as Reapers designing new units to look similar to the species used to create a given vessel, and maybe that would have been fine if it had been destroyed and forgotten. But no, this thing springs to life and starts fighting Commander Shepard and crew.

The Mass Effect series has always struggled with boss fights. That has persisted well into Mass Effect: Andromeda, but the Human-Reaper still stands out as a moment when the concept just went off the rails.

Kai Leng gets an honorable mention, though, for his use of cutscene magic and for just being an annoying doofus. — Kenneth Shepard

Read More: The Best And Worst Parts Of Every Mass Effect Game