Romance

Romance is possible in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 for both male and female characters.

Mass Effect
In Mass Effect, Commander Shepard has the option to pursue heterosexual romantic involvement with a human squad member – Ashley Williams for males and Kaidan Alenko for females – or xenophilic romance for both genders with the asari squad member, Liara T'Soni. Regardless of gender, Shepard can also have a sexual encounter with the asari Consort, Sha'ira. At some point in the game's development, it was also possible for females to romance Ashley Williams and males to romance Kaidan Alenko. This was later removed, although the voiced conversations for them remain in the game.
 * Attraction – When waking after Eden Prime, Shepard will find either Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko waiting at the Commander's bedside in the medical room, feeling guilty over getting snagged by the Prothean Beacon. Shepard can be reassuring and claim there was no way to know what the beacon would do, at which point Williams or Alenko will look much happier and a little intrigued.


 * Courting – After completing the first primary mission on each key world – either Therum, Noveria or Feros – Shepard can speak to either Ashley or Kaidan and begin building up a rapport that gradually grows into a romantic interest.


 * "Dr T'Soni?" – Once Liara T'Soni is on board, Shepard can also court her as above after Liara admits looking into Shepard's background. Although temporarily stopped, this rapport can continue after Shepard's second encounter with a beacon through another set of dialog options with Liara. If Shepard has spoken to Liara at all, even platonically, and is already involved with either Kaidan or Ashley, during the next conversation he or she will ask if Shepard is attracted to Liara. Shepard can either express an interest in Liara – which will effectively end the romance path with that squad member – or explain their relationship is only professional.


 * Two's Company, Three's a Crowd (optional) – If Shepard has been wooing Liara and the human love interest at the same time, after the next completed mission on a primary world, the commander will suddenly be confronted by both potential love interests after the debriefing. They will ask Shepard to choose between them. Choosing one will continue that romance and end the other (and no, Shepard can't have both: if the Commander suggests it, the human love interest will leave and the romance will be continued with Liara).


 * Sacrifice – On Virmire, Captain Kirrahe will ask for one of the squad members to join his diversion effort while Shepard infiltrates the base. Both Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko will volunteer, and Shepard is forced to choose one of the two potential love interests to risk in the assault. Later, near the end of the mission when Saren attacks, Shepard will be forced to choose which squad member dies in the nuclear blast. Sacrificing Shepard's current love interest will end that romance path.


 * Lockdown – While there's really no time to woo the commander's romantic interest during the pursuit of Saren, they will come to Shepard's side after the argument in the Council Chambers. Only a decisively Renegade conversation path will negatively impact the romance at this point; otherwise the romantic interest will comfort and reassure Shepard. However, the intimate mood is immediately shattered by Joker with an urgent call over the ship's comm.


 * Conclusion – If the romance subplot has been continued, while en route to Ilos the love interest pays a private visit to Shepard's personal quarters aboard the Normandy. Paragon choices will make for a passionate ending and an intimate cut-scene. Choosing Renegade results in the love interest leaving the room; this does not, however, end the romance, which continues on to the next game regardless of the response picked.

Completing the romance subplot unlocks the Paramour special achievement.

Asari Consort
After completion of the assignments associated with the asari Consort, Citadel: Asari Consort dealing with Septimus and Xeltan, and upon returning to the Consort's Chambers, Sha'ira will offer a reward of words, "an affirmation of who you are and who you will become." If the Commander expresses dissatisfaction with the offered reward, Sha'ira will initiate a sexual encounter with Shepard.

Mass Effect Media Controversy
The inclusion of a sex scene in Mass Effect led to some controversy and inaccurate rumours of the game being pornographic in nature. These rumours have since been quelled. An additional message that can be found in Asteroid X57's pirate radio shack (in the PC version of Bring Down the Sky) may be a "response" to this controversy.

Mass Effect was banned in Singapore for a short time before it was lifted with an M18 rating. Censors in the country said that a scene with an alien and human female caressing was the main reason why the game was not allowed to be sold in Singaporean video game stores.

Mass Effect 2
Male Shepard Paramour Love Interests

Female Shepard Paramour Love Interests

Other Love Interests

In Mass Effect 2 Commander Shepard encounters several potential love interests.

For a male Shepard they are:
 * Tali'Zorah vas Neema, the quarian technician from the original Mass Effect
 * Miranda Lawson, a Cerberus operative
 * Jack, a powerful biotic prisoner and test subject

For a female Shepard, they are:
 * Garrus Vakarian, a turian vigilante and former C-Sec officer from the original Mass Effect
 * Jacob Taylor, a Cerberus operative
 * Thane Krios, a drell assassin

The options above are considered the main romance interests, capable of granting the Paramour achievement if completed. However, both male and female Shepards may also have romantic interactions with the following characters, which do not prevent the romancing of the main romance options, and do not grant the Paramour achievement:


 * Kelly Chambers, the Normandy SR-2's Yeoman, psychologist, and Shepard's personal assistant
 * This involves an unshown dinner in Shepard's quarters, after which she will offer to feed the fish. At the end of the game, if Shepard has no love interests or breaks up with their current love interest, she can visit Shepard's quarters.


 * Samara, the asari justicar
 * This character can be romanced (by Paragons only) after finishing her loyalty quest; she reveals that she also has feelings for Shepard, but as her duties come before romance, it can never be.


 * Morinth, daughter of Samara and an Ardat-Yakshi
 * After the suicide mission, the player may choose to consummate romantic interactions with Morinth, but it will cause Shepard to die, resulting in a critical mission failure.

If Shepard and the Mass Effect 2 love interest survive the suicide mission, it is possible to invite him or her up to the Captain's Cabin to either sit with them on the couch, or rest with them on the bed. Kelly Chambers, if invited, additionally has the option to dance for Shepard.

If an imported Shepard has a love interest from the original Mass Effect, then that relationship will continue into Mass Effect 2, even though the love interest will be unable to join Shepard's squad. The conditions for importing a love interest, however, are sometimes seemingly arbitrary, as consummation is not necessary, and apparent rejection of a love interest may not prevent it. It is not possible to break up with a romance interest that has carried over. You will know it has carried over if, in Shepard's Cabin, a picture of the commander's love interest from the original Mass Effect is visible on the desk near Shepard's private terminal. While there are no romantic plots or interactions available with Shepard's original love interest, should Shepard stay loyal to that character, they briefly exchange either a kiss or an embrace when reunited, and a small cut-scene en-route to the final mission takes place, in which Shepard stands over and stares deeply at the photo, smiling.

However, it is possible for Shepard to be unfaithful and pursue a relationship with one of Mass Effect 2's potential love interests. If Shepard pursues a new love interest, the picture of the Mass Effect love interest is turned face down on the desk. Acting unfaithfully is expected to have negative consequences for the relationship in Mass Effect 3, provided this Shepard survives the events of Mass Effect 2.

If Shepard has not had a relationship with anyone from Mass Effect and commits to one of the romance interests in Mass Effect 2, that relationship will most definitely continue in Mass Effect 3.

Mass Effect 2 Romance Mechanics
Romances are built through conversing repeatedly and answering favorably when the subject is raised. Both male and female Shepard will have identical dialogue when first meeting their crew members. New dialogue options only become available when missions or assignments are completed. However, once a crew member's loyalty mission is available, there are no more new dialogue options available until the mission has been completed.

Eventually, gender-specific dialogue options will give the opportunity to express interest in a squad member, eventually ending in a sort of romance-zenith where no new dialogues are available despite completing missions. At this point you know you have successfully 'locked in' that romance, and proceeding through the Omega 4 Relay at this point will trigger the romance scene. (Although it is possible to have a sexual encounter with Jack before this, it does not count as a romance.) All romances end in a love scene just before entering the Omega 4 relay.

Once a subject has been 'locked in', you can still express interest in other crew members. However, at one point they will 'challenge' your love-triangle and force you to dump your 'locked in' option. Once a potential relation is at the 'challenge' part, there is no way to express disinterest in them no matter what you choose. However, if you dump someone who is 'locked in', that romance option is never available.

Due to either a glitch or development oversight, if you have one person 'locked in' and are at the 'challenge' stage with any of the other possible subjects prior to entering the Omega 4 Relay, you have the option of dumping your 'locked in' subject after you have completed the finale (provided that Shepard survived). Doing so will allow you to court one of the other subjects and the intimate scene normally seen before proceeding through the Omega 4 Relay will instead play as soon as the dialogue ends. It is thus possible to experience all 3 partners and their respective scenes this way; however, once a partner is 'dumped' they cannot be courted again. It is currently unknown how this will affect your save game and therefore affect the events of Mass Effect 3.

A character can be courted even if you did not romance them before the relay, you can even still have the romance scene after. To do this, if your character has a "conflict" (IE. Jack versus Miranda or Legion versus Tali) choose them in the argument, do not go for an intermediary during the conversation. If you have enough Paragon or Renegade points, you can even win back the trust of the losing crew member without affecting the relationship. Head for the Omega 4 Relay whenever you are comfortable with doing such. After, if you did not choose an intermediary (that is theoretical) You may still romance the Character, after the second or third scene they will engage the love scene if you are not currently in a sort of Love Triangle or other complication.

Trivia

 * In Mass Effect 2, the holo-projector on level 28 of Zakera Ward features an ad for Serrice Council's Sophist line of biotic amps. When viewed with a potential love interest present, it will mention him or her by name (i.e. "The next time you're out on the town with [so-and-so]…"). Specifically, they are referred to as: Mr. Taylor, Officer Vakarian, Sere Krios, Miss Lawson, Miss Zorah, and "Citizen ID file not found" (Jack). Interestingly, "Justicar Samara" is also acknowledged despite the fact she is not a full-fledged romance option. If Morinth is brought along, she will be treated as Samara.