They'll just have some sort of plot device like another Mass Relay no one knew about or another Reaper accomplice that lets them teleport over.
And I don't know why some of you would assume they wouldn't re-use most of the ME2 cast again. Seems like that would be about the same amount of much work as creating completely new characters again. Especially if there's more focus on the overall plot, and less on the characters.
So what was Sovereign good for, then? To wake up the keepers? Why have a 'back-up' that seems infinitely easier to accomplish, covertly, by a mere keeper? We're back at justifying what happened in ME.
I somehow doubt this because it is too much content that people wouldn't see, but I'd laugh if whole missions change dramatically or even straight up become available depending on the deaths of particular squad members.
My first playthrough male Shepp lost Zaedd, Thane and half my ship crew... not too significant but enough care that it's covered in the next game. The ending would've had a lot less impact for me if I got through it with everyone alive.
I somehow doubt this because it is too much content that people wouldn't see, but I'd laugh if whole missions change dramatically or even straight up become available depending on the deaths of particular squad members.
My first playthrough male Shepp lost Zaedd, Thane and half my ship crew... not too significant but enough care that it's covered in the next game. The ending would've had a lot less impact for me if I got through it with everyone alive.
I'm honestly expecting them to just straight up cut you out of a lot of quests and story options in ME3 based on who didn't make it. I mean they already cut you off from importing altogether if you fuck up the ending bad enough.
For me, the big question from ME1 is this - why was Sovereign alone? It seems it was seperated from the rest of the Reapers. Indeed, based on the events in the first Mass Effect book, where Saren is first introduced to the ship, it seems that it was left behind at the end of the last campaign, perhaps damaged, but not as mortally as the derelict Reaper found in ME2. In which case, the events of ME1 are easier to justify - Sovereign was a lone agent, acting alone to try to open the back door for the others. Now they're coming in force, so any 'proper' plans would come into play. n
For me, the big question from ME1 is this - why was Sovereign alone? It seems it was seperated from the rest of the Reapers. Indeed, based on the events in the first Mass Effect book, where Saren is first introduced to the ship, it seems that it was left behind at the end of the last campaign, perhaps damaged, but not as mortally as the derelict Reaper found in ME2. In which case, the events of ME1 are easier to justify - Sovereign was a lone agent, acting alone to try to open the back door for the others. Now they're coming in force, so any 'proper' plans would come into play. n
I'm honestly expecting them to just straight up cut you out of a lot of quests and story options in ME3 based on who didn't make it. I mean they already cut you off from importing altogether if you fuck up the ending bad enough.
EA/BioWare are not in the business of punishing a player for playing their game. You could easily play in such a way as to get everyone out alive, but then you can also choose to get most of your squad killed. That's an option that is presented to the player within the game and is a legitimate choice. The ME 2 squad will be relegated to cameos at best and an email at worst. If we're lucky we'll get Liara and Ash/Kaiden as sidekicks with a few new characters to fill out the roster.
The method the Reapers use to return could be at a high cost to them - maybe they're low on fuel & resources and hence vulnerable, or they've had to sacrifice half their number to free up enough element zero to build a wormhole or something.
EA/BioWare are not in the business of punishing a player for playing their game. You could easily play in such a way as to get everyone out alive, but then you can also choose to get most of your squad killed. That's an option that is presented to the player within the game and is a legitimate choice. The ME 2 squad will be relegated to cameos at best and an email at worst. If we're lucky we'll get Liara and Ash/Kaiden as sidekicks with a few new characters to fill out the roster.
I could see missions playing differently if you lost some particular companions.
Liara and Ash/Kaidan (and maybe Feron) all sound like possible companions.
Also I want a Batarian squadmember dang it!
I'm really looking forward to the PS3 Mass Effect 2 port, but I wish the game was launching at a lower price, though - $60 for a year-old port? I would have bought it day one if it was $40, but for $60, I'll wait a couple months for the price to fall. I own it already on the 360, so no big need to play ASAP when it is released. I do appreciate that all (most?) of the DLC is included, though. I'll still wait a bit.
EA/BioWare are not in the business of punishing a player for playing their game. You could easily play in such a way as to get everyone out alive, but then you can also choose to get most of your squad killed. That's an option that is presented to the player within the game and is a legitimate choice. The ME 2 squad will be relegated to cameos at best and an email at worst. If we're lucky we'll get Liara and Ash/Kaiden as sidekicks with a few new characters to fill out the roster.
For me, the big question from ME1 is this - why was Sovereign alone? It seems it was seperated from the rest of the Reapers. Indeed, based on the events in the first Mass Effect book, where Saren is first introduced to the ship, it seems that it was left behind at the end of the last campaign, perhaps damaged, but not as mortally as the derelict Reaper found in ME2. In which case, the events of ME1 are easier to justify - Sovereign was a lone agent, acting alone to try to open the back door for the others. Now they're coming in force, so any 'proper' plans would come into play. n
It is logical to assume that the Reapers would leave one of their own behind after each extinction, a sentinel to pave the way for their inevitable return. Like those in dark space, Sovereign probably spent most of the last 50,000 years in a state of hibernation. Periodically, it would wake to analyze the situation. Keeping its existence hidden, it would evaluate the state of galactic civilization. And, when the time was right, it would signal the Citadel and usher in the next Reaper invasion. But this time the signal failed. The Keepers did not respond. Sovereigns allies were trapped in the void. Alone, it was forced to try to discover what had gone wrong.
I could see missions playing differently if you lost some particular companions.
Liara and Ash/Kaidan (and maybe Feron) all sound like possible companions.
Also I want a Batarian squadmember dang it!
I think Liara is done as a party member. I'm sure she'll be there as an NPC with support using the Shadow Broker's connections, though, just as Wrex will be with a Krogan fleet if he survived.
I think the one obvious companion for ME3 who we've already met is
Anderson. At the end of the last, post-ME2 book he tussles a lot with Cerberus. They're implanting technology from a dead Collector inside a human Prisoner, and soon the technology takes over his body and starts forcing him to do the Reaper's bidding. Both Cerberus and Anderson are trying to track him down, but Anderson's trying to kill him (and thus kill ANOTHER Reaper back door into the Galaxy) while Cerberus is trying to capture him alive for study, but with all his implants they'll never hold him again. Anyway, point is, in the novel Anderson fucks off his duties at the Citadel and gives it all over to Udina so he can actually get back out there and fight.
Couple this with the video footage of Anderson in Shadow Broker - meeting with Cerberus Agents, punching Udina etc - and I think he's trying to track down Shepard and join him.
Thanks to the above. I'd forgotten that. And, well, perhaps signalling the others via the Keepers required more than the Collectors had? After all, compared to Sovereign and thousands of Geth, the Collectors and their one or two powerful ships was pretty tame, really. The Normandy takes out a gigantic Collector Ship with the Thanix cannon, so presumably it wouldn't have stood up to the gathered fleet and the Destiny Ascension. Either way... Sovereign wasn't intended to be alone for long, which does kind of explain why risks had to be taken on its part.
Seriously, stop that shit because that's the height of stupidity. You've got at minimum two survivors honcho. Pick the likely candidates and let's roll.
Or let's even suppose that you've got six survivors. Go ahead and let everyone know which of those characters get chosen as ME 3 squad members and which are left to shuffle along in their cameo roles before they meander off screen.
Y'know, it'd be really nice if Kasumi returned. As a DLC character, it's unlikely she'll get much more than a passing mention, but I thought her voice actress was great and I felt like they could've done a lot more with her if she was a fully-fledged character.
I think everyone major from both games will show up on whatever the 'final battle' is, even if it's just Wrex showing up with a huge fleet and contributing a few lines over Comms before Tali also warps in with ragtag group of Quarian Ships and does the same, like the Battle of Endor or whatever.
That said, despite my comment there about Tali, I reckon her and Garrus are certs. They're both hugely popular with the fans, and it does make sense to have one squad that is constant throughout all three games - so those two have a really good chance thanks to that.
The method the Reapers use to return could be at a high cost to them - maybe they're low on fuel & resources and hence vulnerable, or they've had to sacrifice half their number to free up enough element zero to build a wormhole or something.
Seriously, stop that shit because that's the height of stupidity. You've got at minimum two survivors honcho. Pick the likely candidates and let's roll.
Or let's even suppose that you've got six survivors. Go ahead and let everyone know which of those characters get chosen as ME 3 squad members and which are left to shuffle along in their cameo roles before they meander off screen.
It was you that claimed they aren't in the business of "punishing" their players. My point is that they don't have a problem doing that at all based on how you played the fucking game. We know that before we even get to ME3. I don't think they give a shit at all if importing a save file where you let certain characters die will close off story options to you in the next game and in fact I'm pretty sure that's the whole fucking point of this mechanic even existing in ME2.
Thanks to the above. I'd forgotten that. And, well, perhaps signalling the others via the Keepers required more than the Collectors had? After all, compared to Sovereign and thousands of Geth, the Collectors and their one or two powerful ships was pretty tame, really. The Normandy takes out a gigantic Collector Ship with the Thanix cannon, so presumably it wouldn't have stood up to the gathered fleet and the Destiny Ascension. Either way... Sovereign wasn't intended to be alone for long, which does kind of explain why risks had to be taken on its part.
Reapers created the Collector base, or it was a retrofitted Prothean station. If that's so, why not create a button to send a signal to the Citadel from there while they were developing the station? Then Harbinger (through the Collector General) could occasionally monitor the situation from the base, or he could gallivant to Omega by possessing a Collector to check on things personally.
The base would have been quite safe if the Reapers were compentent enough to clean up their dead and incapacitated, and if Sovereign wasn't left behind then we wouldn't have the Thanix cannon to give the Normandy or others a fighting chance. Obviously when shit hit the fan, it was more advantageous to have Sovereign around due to the Reapers indoctrinating powers but it's something to think about.
For that matter, what was to stop the Collectors feigning to join the Citadel community, get loads of troops to the Citadel only to release their paralysing bug things, stopping all resistance inside the Citadel and then activating the relay manually with a Harbinger Collector? That, or building a new relay like heliosRAzi mentioned would have probably been wiser than drawing attention to themselves by attacking Human colonies.
Y'know, it'd be really nice if Kasumi returned. As a DLC character, it's unlikely she'll get much more than a passing mention, but I thought her voice actress was great and I felt like they could've done a lot more with her if she was a fully-fledged character.
she doesn't leap around like Reaperfied Saren onto gunships again, then I would be glad to have her back. Tali and Garrus, like you said, must surely be back unless Bioware want a small but vocal revolt on their hands. Anderson I can see taking the Illusive Mans role for ME3, but being a squad member would be neat. Liara and Wrex are probably cameos, but perhaps significant ones due to their respective roles in the story.
Reapers created the Collector base, or it was a retrofitted Prothean station. If that's so, why not create a button to send a signal to the Citadel from there while they were developing the station? Then Harbinger (through the Collector General) could occasionally monitor the situation from the base, or he could gallivant to Omega by possessing a Collector to check on things personally.
The base would have been quite safe if the Reapers were compentent enough to clean up their dead and incapacitated, and if Sovereign wasn't left behind then we wouldn't have the Thanix cannon to give the Normandy or others a fighting chance. Obviously when shit hit the fan, it was more advantageous to have Sovereign around due to the Reapers indoctrinating powers but it's something to think about.
For that matter, what was to stop the Collectors feigning to join the Citadel community, get loads of troops to the Citadel only to release their paralysing bug things, stopping all resistance inside the Citadel and then activating the relay manually with a Harbinger Collector? That, or building a new relay like heliosRAzi mentioned would have probably been wiser than drawing attention to themselves by attacking Human colonies.
A lot of this can be answered in one thing, though, and your conversation with Sovereign on Virmire demonstrates it perfectly: the Reapers were so confident and self-assured they simply didn't think a back-up plan was necessary. Non-synthetic life is inferior; and that's that.
So regarding the Reapers returning to the Milky Way in ME3 (
despite what the Protheans and Shepard accomplished in ME1
) could mean that thanks to the Citadel relay being inactive, the Reapers have to use up their precious "energy" from their hibernation, which in fact makes them more vulnerable when actually arriving at in our galaxy, e.g. Earth. This explanation might give good reason for what both
the Protheans did (making the Citadel relay inactive)
and what Shepard accomplished
(stopping Saren and Sovereign from activating the Citadel)
.
I might roll with that, even though it's a primitive plot device. It's sufficiently believable for me.
APZonerunner said:
Y'know, it'd be really nice if Kasumi returned. As a DLC character, it's unlikely she'll get much more than a passing mention, but I thought her voice actress was great and I felt like they could've done a lot more with her if she was a fully-fledged character.
I think everyone major from both games will show up on whatever the 'final battle' is, even if it's just Wrex showing up with a huge fleet and contributing a few lines over Comms before Tali also warps in with ragtag group of Quarian Ships and does the same, like the Battle of Endor or whatever.
That said, despite my comment there about Tali, I reckon her and Garrus are certs. They're both hugely popular with the fans, and it does make sense to have one squad that is constant throughout all three games - so those two have a really good chance thanks to that.
Yeah, Kasumi was a great character. Even though she confided in you pretty fast, her story was very good and somewhat cyberpunk-ish. It was too bad that she got relegated to two missions and didn't have any real conversation dialogue. And you're probably right in saying that she most likely will have a passing mention rather than a spot in the Shepard squad.
Bioware's statistics for ME2 also gives them an indication to which characters were used the most and survived by players. So the question about which characters from ME2 will be in ME3 will be decided by a popularity contest.
A lot of this can be answered in one thing, though, and your conversation with Sovereign on Virmire demonstrates it perfectly: the Reapers were so confident and self-assured they simply didn't think a back-up plan was necessary. Non-synthetic life is inferior; and that's that.
That's true enough :lol I really do hope we have seen the last of the Collectors, they didn't seem to be a very credible threat for all their supposed advantages of their position.
It was you that claimed they aren't in the business of "punishing" their players. My point is that they don't have a problem doing that at all based on how you played the fucking game. We know that before we even get to ME3. I don't think they give a shit at all if importing a save file where you let certain characters die will close off story options to you in the next game and in fact I'm pretty sure that's the whole fucking point of this mechanic even existing in ME2.
I bow to your superior wisdom. There will in fact be penalties for letting random squad members get killed in the SM. The extent of the damage hasn't been revealed yet, but it exists. This is a decision that BioWare has made and I'm out.
Replaying ME1 and was wondering about it for some time?
How did Bioware make thos scenes with the organic/chips which probably are protheans? It still looks disgusting and I have no idea if it is actually CGI or something else.
Replaying ME1 and was wondering about it for some time?
How did Bioware make thos scenes with the organic/chips which probably are protheans? It still looks disgusting and I have no idea if it is actually CGI or something else.
I finished ME2 with a Renegade path but it was a bit of a messy playthrough and I didn't do all the upgrades to the ship so two of my crew members (Thane and Jack) were killed. I kind of wanted them all to survive so I started again with a Paragon playthrough but I lost interest about halfway through because Paragon just isn't as interesting as being a total renegade asshole.
So I'm thinking about diving into the ME2 DLC and having my Renegade character be the one that I will eventually import into ME3. But I'm wondering if it will be a big deal if a couple of my crewmates are dead. Am I likely to miss out on much cool stuff if Thane and Jack are dead?
Just started this game yesterday and was wondering, any way to get AA on the PC version? The game looks and runs great, but the jaggies are so ugly. I have a GTX470.
I'm surprised they didn't really improve the animation in the sequel... especially in combat. Just a little variety, I mean.
I loved ME1, but I'm slightly annoyed you still can't do something as simple as switch the camera from shoulder to shoulder, or that Shepard doesn't react to her environment/situation at all. I've always liked the run animation, but with so many other games layering context sensitive elements on top of the basic animations, it's pretty jarring to play a big budget game that feels so static. She always runs the same way. Always takes cover the same way. No momentum. Stop pressing forward and she goes directly in a standing pose with her arm tight to her sides, like a robot or something. It's peculiar looking.
Hopefully in ME3 bioware adds a little life to the character during gameplay, and not just the their fantastic cutscenes.
Just started this game yesterday and was wondering, any way to get AA on the PC version? The game looks and runs great, but the jaggies are so ugly. I have a GTX470.
I'm surprised they didn't really improve the animation in the sequel... especially in combat. Just a little variety, I mean.
I loved ME1, but I'm slightly annoyed you still can't do something as simple as switch the camera from shoulder to shoulder, or that Shepard doesn't react to her environment/situation at all. I've always liked the run animation, but with so many other games layering context sensitive elements on top of the basic animations, it's pretty jarring to play a big budget game that feels so static. She always runs the same way. Always takes cover the same way. No momentum. Stop pressing forward and she goes directly in a standing pose with her arm tight to her sides, like a robot or something. It's peculiar looking.
Hopefully in ME3 bioware adds a little life to the character during gameplay, and not just the their fantastic cutscenes.
They did improve the combat animations when compared to the first game. They're still not fantastic, but they look a lot better than the animations we got in ME1.
They did improve the combat animations when compared to the first game. They're still not fantastic, but they look a lot better than the animations we got in ME1.
It's small things. When Shepard took cover in ME1, he'd usually just be static behind cover. In ME2, he'll have some animations playing while he's behind cover. Mostly minor, but it does help breathe a bit life into the game
It really depends on your preference. I've heard people swear by Soldier and Infiltrator, but I had a blast doing it with my Vanguard. Once you get the hang of your class, you can dominate with basically anything.
I swear by Infiltrator being one of, if not, the best classes in the game, but its mostly due to the insane amount of damage you can deal with the Windowmaker. Widowmaker + Cloak damage bonus + appropriate ammo mod + headshot = win button.
Sentinel is a safe bet, the extra armor is pretty usefull.
Most people will say Reave as your bonus skill, it's crazy powerfull.
I like using Dominate though, when fully maxed you can spam the shit out of it, so you will always have an exra ally on your battlefield
Just started this baby up for the third time tonight. I replayed ME1 about 2 months ago and didn't really have any plans to play Me2 so soon again. Still, the GOTY talks and the fact that all the dlc will probably be put on sell got the itch burning.
Everything is rocking out. On my way to get some fish and a space hamster. Oh, and that opening scene leading all the way up to and pass Freedoms Progress is great. Best opening of any game this year, all because of the fact that its your Sheppard going through that shit.
Also, for the guy that talked about animations above. Yeah, I agree. Even in cutscenes they could use a bit more motion. All of the camera and framework are leagues better than ME but theres still some improvement left there.
edit0 I'm starting with the Infiltrator class, a class I've never played before. The cloaking thing is pretty neat.
So, got the PC version off Steam a few days ago, and imported good old Shepard from ME1. (That opening is pretty intense when it's a character you've spent 50-ish hours with.) Seems fun so far, except the HUD is annoying me. Too tiny, can it be scaled up so I can quickly glance the status of my teammates?
Also, I know about the final mission and how you're on the clock at some point. However, in ME1 I stepped right over the point of no return without knowing it was there. No big deal in the first game, somewhat of a bigger deal here. So, can anyone say, with as little spoilers as possible, what is the point of no return for the best ending? Is it obvious before you run into it? I didn't like how all my Citadel sidequests got stranded in ME1.
Also, a question about the opening:
My Shepard romanced Liara in ME1, and it was her helping him in the opening. Does this change with a different romantic partner?
I do like all the personal ME1 references I've run into so far.
So, got the PC version off Steam a few days ago, and imported good old Shepard from ME1. (That opening is pretty intense when it's a character you've spent 50-ish hours with.) Seems fun so far, except the HUD is annoying me. Too tiny, can it be scaled up so I can quickly glance the status of my teammates?
Also, I know about the final mission and how you're on the clock at some point. However, in ME1 I stepped right over the point of no return without knowing it was there. No big deal in the first game, somewhat of a bigger deal here. So, can anyone say, with as little spoilers as possible, what is the point of no return for the best ending? Is it obvious before you run into it? I didn't like how all my Citadel sidequests got stranded in ME1.
Also, a question about the opening:
My Shepard romanced Liara in ME1, and it was her helping him in the opening. Does this change with a different romantic partner?
I do like all the personal ME1 references I've run into so far.
So, got the PC version off Steam a few days ago, and imported good old Shepard from ME1. (That opening is pretty intense when it's a character you've spent 50-ish hours with.) Seems fun so far, except the HUD is annoying me. Too tiny, can it be scaled up so I can quickly glance the status of my teammates?
Also, I know about the final mission and how you're on the clock at some point. However, in ME1 I stepped right over the point of no return without knowing it was there. No big deal in the first game, somewhat of a bigger deal here. So, can anyone say, with as little spoilers as possible, what is the point of no return for the best ending? Is it obvious before you run into it? I didn't like how all my Citadel sidequests got stranded in ME1.
Also, a question about the opening:
My Shepard romanced Liara in ME1, and it was her helping him in the opening. Does this change with a different romantic partner?
I do like all the personal ME1 references I've run into so far.
Right, thanks. I'll sidequest with wild abandon and not touch anything IFF related until I think I'm ready for the endgame. I'll check the options to see if I can do anything about that HUD. Why did they have to change it that much? The ME1 HUD was tiny and easy to glance at. Fancy shapes and colors aren't always an improvement, especially when you're colorbilnd. Well, it's the PC version, maybe there's a mod for that.
It's also a little funny. I got the Kasumi and Shadow Broker DLC as well, which cost me a little more than the full game on Steam.
I just finished Shadow Broker dlc, now that is really really cool, seems like a very big part of the story too, wonder how that will translate to ME3. anyway, it felt a bit short for $10, or maybe it's because I got the main game for $10 from Steam, although the added ability t retrain my team member and other stuff in it make it worth it imo.
I hope Overlord dlc is good as well because I bought that one by accident, and maybe I'll go and buy Kasumi dlc too just to completes it.
