User blog comment:Aleksandr the Great/New James Vega Interview/@comment-805408-20120122054400

I think the addition of new characters is of course an interesting move, but players like myself aren't likely to see alot of them. People like me who've been playing since the first game and haven't managed to kill off squad members have their preferences. I always play with Garrus and Tali, simply because I consider one my best friend and the other is my girlfriend (and by 'me' I mean my Shepard - I don't have some strange reality disorder). These characters are guaranteed available near the beginning, and unless the game has been changed such that I can't, I'm going to be with them the entire game.