History DummiedOut / MassEffect

* In general, elements that appeared in later games could be found in unfinished/beta formats in earlier installments. The Cerberus logo and squadmate portraits appeared in the image files for ''[=ME1=]'' (despite never appearing anywhere until the sequel), and ''[=ME2=]'' has a text description for a robot dog (called Sparky) that could be purchased and roam the Normandy - a concept that wasn't realized until ''[=ME3=]''.

* [[https://tcrf.net/Mass_Effect#Hidden_Manufacturers Four weapon manufacturers]] (Batarian State Arms, Cerberus Skunkworks, Hahne-Kedar Shadow Works and Jormangund Technology) were cut prior to the game's release, but all of their weapons and armor can be summoned through console commands in-game. The Spectre Master Gear manufacturer was originally intended to have a full line of weapons and armor at every tier but was cut down to only having Tier VII and Tier X guns.

* Most (but not all) of Shepard's lines were recorded by both Creator/MarkMeer and Creator/JenniferHale, and can appear in-game by using console commands to change the gender flag mid-game. According to the developers, this was due to all lines not being gender-flagged in the script, as well as a safety measure for whenever they were not sure if a line was meant to be gender neutral or not. Notably, this allows the player to engage in same-gender romances with Ashley and Kaidan of sorts, [[https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect/mods/80 which modders have utilized]] to create properly voiced and animated romances. Other notable voiced lines that came out of this includes Broshep being harassed by Harkin, [[SorryImGay telling Liara he is only interested in men]], as well as telling her they are "both women".
* One dangling line of dialog suggests the game nearly included upgrades for the Mako. If you return to Noveria after completing the mission there and speak to Turian mechanic Lilihierax, he'll ask what brings you there, and you have the option to reply "Repairs." Shepard will say a line about fixing up the Mako, Lilihierax will reply as though he's about to open a merchant window, and then the conversation abruptly ends.
* There are [[https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/comments/9rl1mr/question_are_there_any_infos_on_the_cut_normandy/ a large assortment of unused animations, "poses" and sounds]] related to the SSV ''Normandy'', which suggested that there was not only more functionality for the ship, but that the ''Normandy'' could land on a planet and deploy the Mako from the hangar bay in real-time.

* It was possible to go for any of the recruitment missions at any time after you received the Normandy [=SR2=] (including Legion, who only shows up in the final game on the mission just before the endgame begins). This was changed when the game was split onto two discs for the Xbox 360. If the later companions are added through mods or save editors they have unique content in the first half. The concept is partially restored in the ''[=ME2Recalibrated=]'' mod for the PC version, which allows the player to recruit Thane or Samara immediately after completing Freedom's Progress (the second mission of the game), as opposed to waiting to recruit them until after the Collector Cruiser mission.

* The Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC has several [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BksTbUqFys cut]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJaUQ-M5CxU dialogue]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Khz4KIn20 sequences]] that assume a female Shepard romanced Jack, Miranda or Tali. These suggest that the [=FemShep=] romances were planned, but scrapped very late in production. The rumor is that for Tali it was scrapped due to her voice actress refusing to record the scenes on religious grounds, but again, this is just a rumor.

* At one point, Mordin would have had the option to create a biotic field (for the "Long Walk" portion of the suicide mission). Several voice files were recorded with Mordin telling the team he can create a biotic field and his reactions during that section of the mission. It was also discovered that there was an option to upgrade any squadmate's abilities to become the Tech/Fire Team Leader/Biotic Specialist as they have success lines.

* The DLC characters (Kasumi and Zaeed) had changed personal missions in development (as evidenced by text files found on the disc). Kasumi's mission originally involved going after a company called Nava Corporation that was going to unleash a series of bio-viruses into the Alliance, while Zaeed's involved going after a fellow bounty hunter who's "gone corporate", then faking his own death to evade other enemy bounty hunters.
* Due to a EventFlag bug in the previous title that leads both mutually exclusive Charm and Intimidate flags to be checked, and a failsafe feature in the import code, the Conrad Verner sidequest on Ilium would always be treated as if Shepard used the renegade dialogue options in the previous game, effectively making the paragon opening this. It even gets referenced in ''Mass Effect 3'' when Conrad apologizes for saying you pointed a gun in his face if you really didn't.

* There was an unused armor set made for female Shepards, which didn't appear proper in the game itself. It was later [[http://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/334/ restored for use]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrgsVU6qtUw An unused]] set of dialogue for Grunt's loyalty mission suggests an alternate event or outcome in which Grunt actually ''considered'' taking up Uvenk's offer near the end, and Shepard could order Grunt not to. Unfortunately, Grunt would have taken offense to that later on, telling Shepard that it was "going too far." A set of responses from both Shepard and Grunt exist concerning Paragon, Renegade, Charm and Intimidate options Shepard could use to placate Grunt.

** A different post-mission briefing was originally intended after Shepard leaves Earth at the beginning of the game. As they walk into the Normandy's cargo bay, EDI and Joker speak briefly to Shepard before James confronts them about staying on Earth and fighting. This alternate scene is integrated in the ''[=ME3Recalibrated=]'' mod.

** Samara was originally intended to have an [[https://www.deviantart.com/rsek/art/Shepard-And-Samara-Quiet-Reflection-398831912 unused gown]] she would sport during the post-mission hangout scene with Shepard. It only exists on-disc as a model, and was never used in the finished product.

* The amount of unused content in the final mission (''Priority: Earth'') is massive, and suggests that the ending was significantly scaled down from its original intention. The ''[[https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect3/mods/766?tab=posts Priority Earth Overhaul Mod]]'' restores much of this content via dialogue and cutscene restorations:
** The War Room planning segment had several unused lines from Anderson and Hackett discussing the operation in greater detail, while the "Fleets Arrive" cutscene had several unused lines that were intended to be spoken by a nameless fighter pilot participating in the battle. Additionally, an unused Paragon version of Joker's goodbye to Shepard was intended to be used in the final game, but due to an incorrectly-formatted conditional string, it went unused for years, eventually being fixed in both the mod and the ''Legendary Edition'' release.

** An extended version of Anderson's [[spoiler:final speech]] with Shepard, where Anderson talks about possibly raising a family after the battle for Earth. The scene was apparently removed by the development team for dragging too long, even though most people seem to agree that the scene would have worked much better with the additional dialogue. It was later restored through a standalone mod.
** The original concept for the "Guardian's Garden", the area where Shepard would have spoken with the Catalyst. Unused textures and audio files on-disc show variations with [[http://i.imgur.com/RIIzj.jpg ghostly trees populating the edges of the area]], along with a set of soundfiles that appear to be ambient in nature, akin to a forest. The [[https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectlegendaryedition/mods/1017 Zen Catalyst Mod]] for the [=ME3=] ''Legendary Edition'' restores this concept, along with an unused idea for the final conversation that would involve Reapers stopping what they were doing to "watch" Shepard make the final decision.
* There are a handful of unused War Assets that were never used proper in the game itself (including one labeled "General Shermann", which was apparently intended to be awarded if the player completed a tie-in game on Facebook, and two War Assets that would have been awarded if the player finished the original version of the Omega plotline, before it became DLC). Some of these War Assets (and the Collector Assault Rifle, a former multiplayer-only weapon that was configured for single-player but never included proper) were later added via the ''VideoGame/ExpandedGalaxyMod''.

* Likewise, Zaeed was originally intended to have a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOCF7PtHY1M full conversation]] with Shepard at the Citadel Refugee Area, explaining the history of the Blue Suns, what he did in between games and his involvement in the war. It also never had its camera work completed, but was restored through mods.

* Tali and the Virmire Survivor have dialogue files for every N7 mission in the game, but most of this cannot be accessed in normal gameplay. However, there is also a subversion - it was originally thought that they had additional dialogue during the Tuchanka missions (which both are not present for), but [[GuideDangIt this can actually be accessed by]] [[ViolationOfCommonSense holding off on rescuing the downed turians until after the whole team is back together]].

* Similar to the ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' example, there is cut audio in several instances during the Rannoch arc suggesting Tali was intended to be a romance option for Female Shepard at some point in development. This audio is fully accessible in game with the use of a hacked save file. Likewise, there exists coding that suggests a female Shepard could have a romance with Miranda -- [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buD4pjO6Txw a mod released for N7 Day 2020]] restores the entirety of this dialogue and animation, utilizing unused audio and animation specifically recorded for the original game to finish the romance arc.

* Prior to patch 1.08, there were various [[http://siekcsroe.tumblr.com/post/160140060863 unused]] [[https://youtu.be/WXRosw-ZUg4?t=93 dialogue]] [[http://doctorsadiepond.tumblr.com/post/158636314787/scott-ryder-i-love-you-too-jaal files]] for a Scott/Jaal romance, suggesting that Jaal was intended to be a bisexual romance option at one point during development instead of only being available for a female Ryder. In response to criticism for lack of same-sex male romance content, this was ultimately restored in patch 1.08, allowing Jaal to become the love interest for male and female Ryder alike.

** The original concept for the "Guardian's Garden", the area where Shepard would have spoken with the Catalyst. Unused textures and audio files on-disc show variations with [[http://i.imgur.com/RIIzj.jpg ghostly trees populating the edges of the area]], along with a set of soundfiles that appear to be ambient in nature, akin to a forest.

* The amount of unused content in the final mission (''Priority: Earth'') is massive, and suggests that the ending was significantly scaled down from its original intention. The ''Priority Earth Overhaul Mod'' restores much of this content via dialogue and cutscene restorations:
** The War Room planning segment had several unused lines from Anderson and Hackett, while the "Fleets Arrive" cutscene had several unused lines that were intended to be spoken by a nameless fighter pilot participating in the battle. Additionally, an unused Paragon version of Joker's goodbye to Shepard was intended to be used in the final game, but due to an incorrectly-formatted conditional string, it went unused for years. The mod restores this dialogue, and the ''Legendary Edition'' fixes it as well.

** Several characters have additional dialogue[=/=]scenes that were likely never completed, including Grunt (who has a rallying cry about Earth and Tuchanka), Jack (who tells her students she's proud of them before they go into battle), Jacob (who says "This is my planet, assholes!") and Zaeed (who yells, "[[KillItWithFire Burn, you son of a bitch!]]" while facing a Reaper enemy.) In later versions of the mod, this dialogue is restored, as Zaeed, Jacob and Grunt (along with Kirrahe, whose voice actor recorded battle dialogue that was written for the original game but never recorded) were implemented as temporary squadmates during the "No Man's Land" / "Hold the Line" sequences.
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CboKGhqNzig original version of the Conduit Run]], where Shepard's teammates are injured and (depending on the player's EMS) either hobble away from the battlefield or are vaporized by Harbinger's beam. The concept was restored, albeit in a different fashion, in the ''Extended Cut'' DLC, while the actual scene was restored in later versions of the mod.

* Harbinger has unused taunts and a longer ending speech that would have played as Shepard and his/her team flee the Collector base, where he comments that many more Reapers will be coming soon. It is believed that Shepard's dialogue in the worst possible ending (where he/she falls from the Normandy) references this deleted footage.

** A different post-mission briefing was originally intended after Shepard leaves Earth at the beginning of the game. As s/he walks into the Normandy's cargo bay, EDI and Joker speak briefly to Shepard before James confronts them about staying on Earth and fighting. This alternate scene is integrated in the ''[=ME3Recalibrated=]'' mod.

* At least [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvMP-pg5uao one unique Shepard kill animation]] was left unimplemented in the files -- a unique kill that allows Shepard to snap an enemy's neck if s/he's standing behind them. There is also an unimplemented animation where Shepard can pull an enemy into cover and stab them with their Omni-Blade.