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[Dooly]

I started up ME1 a second time to do a full-Renegade, racist-bastard playthrough, and was dismayed to find that the game won't accept the name "James T. Shepard" without chopping off the " T."

[Thad]

Yeah, same problem with Samuel L Shepard.

[Thad]

Other thoughts:

Lack of interaction between prior party members is a bit disappointing.  The above-quoted Tali/Garrus exchange is neat, but they don't actually acknowledge each other when you first encounter her.  (Hell, she doesn't have anything to say when [spoiler]Legion joins up,[/spoiler] either, she saves it for later.)

[spoiler]Ash  [/spoiler] has a one-liner to the effect of "Garrus?  You too?" if he's in your party, which is good.  But [spoiler]Wrex   [/spoiler] doesn't acknowledge him.

Also: "Have you met EDI, our AI?" is probably the best line of dialogue in the game.  That's some fucking Hemingway-level terseness -- a seemingly-innocuous line of dialogue that, in context, was enough to elicit an "Oooh" from me.

Also also: it has occurred to me that the mooted ME movie could potentially not be terrible IF they focused on expanding the universe instead of retelling Shepard's story.  It's a great setting they've built and it's got the potential for a whole lot of stories; it's just that focusing the action on something that is so distinctly a game will hurt them.  (This was the problem with the comic mini -- or at least the first issue; I didn't bother picking up the rest.  The Dragon Age series, by contrast, will be expanding the story rather than focusing on events surrounding the game.  Also, it's plotted by Orson Scott Card.  Which I would love to think was a good thing, except everything he's written post-Speaker for the Dead would tend to indicate otherwise.)

In practice, though, I bet they just try to adapt the game.  Which is a bad idea.


Also also, thoughts on shit to come:

Would love to see what happens with the Hanar.  [spoiler]They worship the Protheans...so where are they going to come down in the war?[/spoiler]

And a pure-Paragon playthrough of both games means you've got Rachni Queen, and a pure-Renegade means you've got [spoiler]Collector ship[/spoiler].  I expect these two things will serve similar functions.  Of course, there's nothing to stop you from getting both, though it would be hilarious if they wiped each other out somehow.




Also also also: you have FTL travel but can't fucking set up a machine to feed your fish at regular intervals?

Even though the whole SHIP is run by a fucking sentient machine?

[TA]

I really have to wonder about Mass Effect 3's plot.  There are so very many possible variables to import.  I mean, yeah, in ME1 you could lose either of your most annoying teammates, and so whichever one lived [spoiler]has a very minor, interchangeable role in ME2[/spoiler].  And you could choose whether to save or kill the Council, which is also almost meaningless in ME2 since hey they're elected officials they'll get replaced anyway.

But in ME2, depending on your Big Endgame Choice, you either [spoiler]completely alienate Cerberus and take this awesome ship and about a third of the organization's manpower, or you are incredibly super-tight with Cerberus and give them the Collector base.[/spoiler]  Also [spoiler]any and all of your teammates could be dead[/spoiler].  Unless they do another "multiple year absence, entire team disperses", just how open could ME3 be to the many permutations of the ending?  And if they do do that a second time, that's kinda weak.

[Thad]

Worst-case is they punk out and give another Shepard death-cheat.

Next-worse is they won't let you import your data if Shepard's dead.

Allowing an alternate protagonist would be fucking awesome but expensive as hell to actually implement.  Unless they just changed "Shepard" to "Fucko" in all the replacement dialogue and swapped out a few specific references, which would largely defeat the purpose.

...and like I said, yeah, the second game largely copped out of making the first game's Big Endgame Choice felt.  More's the pity.

Third game should have crazy budget, though.  I don't have sales figures in front of me, but personal anecdote and common sense say ME2 kept the initial audience and added in people who'd rather be playing Halo or CoD.

...also, given the ending, it would be next to impossible to pull another "multiple year absence" trick.  Though I suppose you could pick up right where the game left off and then leave a month or so gap in it.

And of course the second game repeatedly emphasizes that your crew is uneasy with the mission and only committed to stay with you until it's over.  Even in the face of an immediate threat, they might not want to stay on Team Shepard.  Zaeed and Jack don't seem like the type to stick around, Mordin and Tali have obligations to their respective species, [spoiler]Thane is dying[/spoiler], Miranda is at the Illusive Man's beck and call, and so on.

Further thoughts: dual Renegade playthroughs means [spoiler]all-human Council with Cerberus running things.  Which would be a powerful alliance indeed but scare the fuck out of all nonhuman races.[/spoiler]

[Ziiro]

Next-worse is they won't let you import your data if Shepard's dead.

"You can play Mass Effect 3 if you died in Mass Effect 2 of course, but you'll have to create a new Shepard. Harsh? Yes. But we wouldn't be serious about the concept of a suicide mission if you couldn't die and your death didn't have serious consequences."

I have a feeling ME3 will largely be "Rally the troops" based on all the situations in ME2

Evidence:
[spoiler]-If you saved the Rachni Queen (ME1)
-If you convinced Mordin to cure the Genophage (Mordin Loyalty)
-If you convinced the Quarians not to go to war with the Geth (Tali Loyalty)
-If you converted rather than the destroyed the heretic Geth (Legion Loyalty)
-If you saved the collector base.
-ME1 ending (Sacrificing human ships vs Sacrificing the Destiny Acension)
[/spoiler]

[Detonator]

Next-worse is they won't let you import your data if Shepard's dead.

One of the loading screen tips says that you can import to ME3 "...if you survive", so that implies any alternate hero scenario is out the window.

I don't really blame them, because as cool as it would be to have a non-Shepard protagonist, losing Shepard seemed more of a "bad-end" than a legitimate choice, and I'm not surprised that they won't let you continue from there.

I mean, Ceberus spent sixty gajillion credits to bring you back to life, what's the point if it turns out some other schmoe can beat the Reapers just as well?

[TA]

They have specifically said that you can't import your data if Shepard dies.  You need an endgame save where s/he lived.

I still maintain the best thing in the world would be if you could import a save where Shepard died.  [spoiler]Since the ending conversation with Martin Sheen is done by Joker instead of Shepard if Shepard died, they should do a whole second opening for ME3 where it shows Joker as our hero instead of Shepard.  And then as soon as you get control, the first thing you have to do is drop five feet to a lower platform, which kills Joker, and you get a message saying to import a game with a living Shepard.[/spoiler].  They'll never do that though.

As for the NPCs, [spoiler]depending how her quest goes, Tali at least has no obligation to her species, and I think no matter how it goes she's vas Normandy now.  Also I can't imagine Garrus leaving, and if you're still tight with Cerberus then Miranda and Jacob are probably going to stay around.  Jack probably wouldn't go anywhere if you do a Paragon romance with her.  Legion seemed like enough of a giddy fanboy to probably tag along wherever Shepard goes.  It's not everybody, maybe, but it's a lot of people.[/spoiler]

[Ziiro]

Depending on the timeframe (A few months+?) I think you may lose [spoiler]Mordin due to old age? and Thane due to his disease.[/spoiler] Everyone else will probably be good for another go.

My personal worry is [spoiler]giving the collector base to Cerberus. I mean fuck, they are a very bad organization. They will use the technology to conquer the galaxy after the reapers are mopped up.[/spoiler]

[Disposable Ninja]

Lack of interaction between prior party members is a bit disappointing.  The above-quoted Tali/Garrus exchange is neat, but they don't actually acknowledge each other when you first encounter her.  (Hell, she doesn't have anything to say when [spoiler]Legion joins up,[/spoiler] either, she saves it for later.)

Lack of party interaction in general is what's most disappointing. I would have liked hearing Thane and Legion discuss their unique philosophies, Garrus and Tali reminisce about the good times, Zaeed mentor Grunt, Mordin giving the romantic interest advice, and Tali and Legion... well, can you say... Battle Drones?

[Misha]

Lack of interaction between prior party members is a bit disappointing.  The above-quoted Tali/Garrus exchange is neat, but they don't actually acknowledge each other when you first encounter her.  (Hell, she doesn't have anything to say when [spoiler]Legion joins up,[/spoiler] either, she saves it for later.)

Lack of party interaction in general is what's most disappointing. I would have liked hearing Thane and Legion discuss their unique philosophies, Garrus and Tali reminisce about the good times, Zaeed mentor Grunt, Mordin giving the romantic interest advice, and Tali and Legion... well, can you say... Battle Drones?

This is one thing I fucking loved about Dragon Age. Hanging out with Alistair and Wynne and like the dog, was awesome

[Thad]

Mordin giving the romantic interest advice

He has some information to share if you go for Garrus.

It is HILARIOUS.

This is one thing I fucking loved about Dragon Age. Hanging out with Alistair and Wynne and like the dog, was awesome

Yeah, shitloads of party banter in that one.

(There is banter with the dog?)

[jsnlxndrlv]

Garrus and Tali reminisce about the good times

Uh. Spoiler?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a54Vm1ww8w

[Disposable Ninja]

Mordin giving the romantic interest advice

He has some information to share if you go for Garrus.

It is HILARIOUS.

I am well aware of this. He actually has information to share for each love interest. What I meant was, you would walk in on Mordin giving the same or similar dialog to Garrus or Miranda or whoever.

Garrus and Tali reminisce about the good times

Uh. Spoiler?

Yeah, and as Thad said, that was neat, but it would've been nice to get something more substantial.

[jsnlxndrlv]

Man, I even read that post, too. 7±2 things strikes again, I guess.

[DestyNova]

 Someone posted on rpg.net that having the Rachini on your side is actually the BAD choice. Considering that they are vulnerable to Reaper signals and having them get hacked would be an awesome display of grimdark, where you scramble to defend against the loss.
 Also, unless Bioware is going to allow us to play a 25+ lvl Shep in ME3, there has to be a depowering so that people who jump in with a brand new Shep don't get pissed at starting at level 1. So..
  At the start of ME3, the Normandy 2 gets boarded by Alliance troopers who arrest everyone for being allied with a known terrorist organization and harboring known criminals (Jack,Thane,Miranda,Jacob). Samara gets off due to her fantastic Justicar status, the others scater or get arrested as well. Shep gets his/her cybernetics disabled and thrown into prison.
 Sometime after this, Reapers wipe out a few colonies, Whoopsie!

 So..Shep gets hauled out of prison and there is much apologising and chances to insult Air-quotes taurian. Shep gets offered accelerated training and brand new cyber(Class choosing time.) plus a fully staffed Normandy 3 piloted by Joker.

[Kayma]

Someone posted on fanfiction.net that

[Thad]

Shep gets his/her cybernetics disabled and thrown into prison.

Spectre.

[TA]

Shep gets his/her cybernetics disabled and thrown into prison.

Spectre.

Not unless you saved the Council in ME1 and specifically asked for reinstatement in ME2, and even then it was only "Well okay sure TECHNICALLY but you have no authority outside the Terminus systems."

[Thad]

Probably ought to wait a couple of weeks for Kasumi to come out.

Worth the $7?  I heard no.