Mass Effect 2 Discussion - Fight for the Lost

[quote name='Anexanhume']^Needs spoiler tags.

That being said, I don't see how you could play anything but FPS and racing games and not care about the story, especially RPGs.[/QUOTE]

Well, FPS are the main thing I play when I am gaming (I have an on/off relationship with gaming in general, currently off).

And I didn't say I didn't care at all about stories in games--especially the few WRPGs I play--just that they're not the reason I play game--hence "secondary."

I play games to have fun, and that's mostly about the gameplay. If the story is decent, that's just the icing on the cake. And the ME series story is definitely decent and part of the appeal. But it's secondary to the gamplay, exploration, questing etc.--and it's really the dialogue and choice framework that make the story, rather than the story itself IMO.

But that's just me. Games to me are an inferior media for story telling vs. books, movies, TV shows etc. Interactive media isn't ideal for storytelling IMO.
 
So, after the recent PS3 announcement, I'm seeing all kinds of talk about how playing ME2 without having played ME1 is pointless, not only because of the decisions-carrying-over thing, but also just because of the story.

I just bought ME2 on PC, after finding it for $20, but haven't started it yet. I generally care for playing games when there's a "better" version (i.e. a sequel) out, but should I make an exception for this one? I'd try reading through this forums/googling, but I'm really anal about spoilers (so keep that in mind, please ;)). I also generally don't play games for the story, though I certainly pay attention to whatever one happens to be there.
 
Yeah, you need to play ME1 first to get the story. Decisions carrying over is a neat addition as well, but they don't have any major impact on the plot of ME2. Just a lot of neat references and encounters etc. which make the experience richer IMO, but that's not earth shattering. But the plot of ME2 will make no sense without knowledge of the events of ME1.
 
I personally loved ME1's story, and after reading the first two books I was very excited about the story and all the interesting discoveries there'd be with the Illusive Man and the Collectors. Even though ME2 delivered on that technically, I still felt cheated storywise.
 
[quote name='madcatz1999']So, after the recent PS3 announcement, I'm seeing all kinds of talk about how playing ME2 without having played ME1 is pointless, not only because of the decisions-carrying-over thing, but also just because of the story.[/QUOTE]
ME2's plot is definitely more meaningful if you've experienced ME1 firsthand. You'll feel a lot more "ownership" of your Shepard which does enhance the experience.

That said, I certainly wouldn't call it pointless to start with ME2. It's a radically better game than the first one, and even just looking at a quick ME1 plot synopsis should get you up to speed enough that you won't be lost. If the game lights your world on fire, you can always go back and play ME1 yourself so you can experience ME2 again with an imported character.

On the subject of free DLC included with the PS3 release and so forth: They may get stuff for free that we paid for, but we got to play the game a whole year earlier. I'd say that's a fair tradeoff. It's no different than any other game that gets re-released months later with extra content.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Well, FPS are the main thing I play when I am gaming (I have an on/off relationship with gaming in general, currently off).

And I didn't say I didn't care at all about stories in games--especially the few WRPGs I play--just that they're not the reason I play game--hence "secondary."

I play games to have fun, and that's mostly about the gameplay. If the story is decent, that's just the icing on the cake. And the ME series story is definitely decent and part of the appeal. But it's secondary to the gamplay, exploration, questing etc.--and it's really the dialogue and choice framework that make the story, rather than the story itself IMO.

But that's just me. Games to me are an inferior media for story telling vs. books, movies, TV shows etc. Interactive media isn't ideal for storytelling IMO.[/QUOTE]

Okay Ebert :cool: Seriously though, do you not consider questing part of the story? Questing without story is grinding, and grinding is not fun.
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']Okay Ebert :cool: Seriously though, do you not consider questing part of the story? Questing without story is grinding, and grinding is not fun.[/QUOTE]

:D I do largely agree with Ebert on that stuff though. But I am a movie buff and a very casual gamer.

Anyhow, sure story helps, but the questing has to be fun first and foremost. Story is the icing on the cake.

What I like about WRPGs--especially the more open ones like Oblivion or Fallout 3 is wandering around the world, exploring, doing quests and vegging out and relaxing for a while. A lot of that is not very story driven, but just wandering around stumbling upon things to do.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah, you need to play ME1 first to get the story. Decisions carrying over is a neat addition as well, but they don't have any major impact on the plot of ME2. Just a lot of neat references and encounters etc. which make the experience richer IMO, but that's not earth shattering. But the plot of ME2 will make no sense without knowledge of the events of ME1.[/QUOTE]My guess is that they'll do the following:

1) Include the "the story until now" video that's up on XBL that you get on the front of the ME2 demo on XBL, so you have some recap of what happened. I downloaded said video and was impressed with it, and it gave a nicely condensed intro into the story.

2) They probably will go with the "default" Shepard config that comes up when there's no ME1 save on the 360, or give you the options for the "what if" questions at the beginning.
 
What a bunch of whiny babies on the Bioware forums. Multiple people have claimed that they won't buy Mass Effect 3 if the PS3 version of ME2 contains free content that was paid DLC on 360. I need to just stop reading that damn site.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']What a bunch of whiny babies on the Bioware forums. Multiple people have claimed that they won't buy Mass Effect 3 if the PS3 version of ME2 contains free content that was paid DLC on 360. I need to just stop reading that damn site.[/QUOTE]

Some concerns are legitimate. Does it push out ME3? Does it mean ME1 choices won't matter in ME3 if PS3 players can't make them?
 
[quote name='shrike4242']1) Include the "the story until now" video that's up on XBL that you get on the front of the ME2 demo on XBL, so you have some recap of what happened. I downloaded said video and was impressed with it, and it gave a nicely condensed intro into the story.
[/QUOTE]
Hmm, there's not a PC version of this, is there? Well, I mean, I guess I could always search YouTube...
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']Some concerns are legitimate. Does it push out ME3? Does it mean ME1 choices won't matter in ME3 if PS3 players can't make them?[/QUOTE]
Surely plenty of Xbox 360 and PC players skipped the first game, started with ME2 and have no idea who Wrex is or what the deal was with the Rachni queen, etc. This issue is not suddenly coming up because of a PS3 port. Bioware has always known that each game needed to serve as an entry point for new players as well as satisfy existing fans.

I'll bet that this will end up just like Final Fantasy XIII though, where a bunch of people are convinced that the game was completely redesigned at the 11th hour to accommodate the Xbox port. Console warriors will blame any perceived shortcomings on the fact that it's not an exclusive for their preferred system.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Surely plenty of Xbox 360 and PC players skipped the first game, started with ME2 and have no idea who Wrex is or what the deal was with the Rachni queen, etc. This issue is not suddenly coming up because of a PS3 port.[/QUOTE]

Right, but that's their own fault. It's not the PS3 owners' faults that they can't import ME1 saves.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']What a bunch of whiny babies on the Bioware forums. Multiple people have claimed that they won't buy Mass Effect 3 if the PS3 version of ME2 contains free content that was paid DLC on 360. I need to just stop reading that damn site.[/QUOTE]:roll:

This happened with games in the past when something comes out on a different platform than the first one, like Ninja Gaiden 2 / Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.

We've had our time with the game first, so it's not a crazy thought that the PS3 version might come packed with the DLC pre-loaded on the disc. It's not going to make me change buying ME3 because of it.

[quote name='Anexanhume']Some concerns are legitimate. Does it push out ME3? Does it mean ME1 choices won't matter in ME3 if PS3 players can't make them?[/QUOTE]I'd like to hope that it's not the case, since that's what they've been saying since moment one with ME1 that there will be consequences for ME1 actions in ME2 and ME3. Seems like it would potentially fork the storyline for ME1 + ME2 on the 360 and PC versus ME2 on the PS3 going forward into ME3.

[quote name='madcatz1999']Hmm, there's not a PC version of this, is there? Well, I mean, I guess I could always search YouTube...[/QUOTE]
Try here:
http://www.eurogamer.net/videos/mass-effect-2-the-story-so-far

[quote name='Ryuukishi']Surely plenty of Xbox 360 and PC players skipped the first game, started with ME2 and have no idea who Wrex is or what the deal was with the Rachni queen, etc. This issue is not suddenly coming up because of a PS3 port. Bioware has always known that each game needed to serve as an entry point for new players as well as satisfy existing fans.

I'll bet that this will end up just like Final Fantasy XIII though, where a bunch of people are convinced that the game was completely redesigned at the 11th hour to accommodate the Xbox port. Console warriors will blame any perceived shortcomings on the fact that it's not an exclusive for their preferred system.[/QUOTE]Last time I checked, the PS3 version was the "superior" version in more ways than one from the visual forefront.

[quote name='Anexanhume']Right, but that's their own fault. It's not the PS3 owners' faults that they can't import ME1 saves.[/QUOTE]I'm sure someone will figure out a way to do it, given the time and chance to work out the issues needed to be fixed.
 
Usually I'm rather pro-Xbox 360 in these situations (and I think I'd rather the game stay 360-exclusive), but I'm not upset at this announcement because, at the end of the day, it just means that more people get to play the game. Shit, if they offer enough with the game, I may end up getting it for PS3 just because I'm that crazy, haha. At least I could complete my hat-trick of 360, PC, and PS3 that way :cool:
 
My guess is that rather than just starting PS3 players with a default Shepard like in the 360 version, they'll get a chance to configure at least the major decisions, in recognition of the fact that there's no possible way for them to create a different backstory. Or maybe not-- it's not like those decisions will mean much anyway without the context that comes from actually playing the game.

My point is just that there were always going to be players who come to Mass Effect 3 with no knowledge of the first (or even second) game. The only thing the PS3 port changes is the number.

[quote name='shrike4242']Last time I checked, the PS3 version was the "superior" version in more ways than one from the visual forefront.[/QUOTE]
No disagreement there. I'm talking about the whole theory that the linearity of the story and gameplay was an artifact of needing to accommodate DVD storage on the 360. The game had already been in development for years and was likely almost finished before a 360 port was even considered-- there's no way that the port influenced the overall design of the game.

Bioware has been planning the overall structure of the Mass Effect trilogy since the first one came out. It's not set in stone and surely things will change over time, but they're not going to suddenly do an about-face and rewrite the whole story arc on account of this port.
 
The ME1 playthrough isn't all that important. It helps set the concept and story of the franchise, but the "big" decisions were quite bland and carried over to ME2 in a pretty meaningless way.

I personally was a big fan of ME, and I'd still recommend others play it as well because it is the best way to approach the franchise if you want to take it seriously. But otherwise, it's not such a big deal. ME2 almost felt like the narrative was completely absent, so anyone could buy that game as a "let's go on a bunch of cool missions and recruit people" experience, and be perfectly satisfied.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Usually I'm rather pro-Xbox 360 in these situations (and I think I'd rather the game stay 360-exclusive), but I'm not upset at this announcement because, at the end of the day, it just means that more people get to play the game. Shit, if they offer enough with the game, I may end up getting it for PS3 just because I'm that crazy, haha. At least I could complete my hat-trick of 360, PC, and PS3 that way :cool:[/QUOTE]I have no doubts you are that crazy. ;)

And yes, I agree, more people playing the game is more money to Bioware to make ME3 that much better.

[quote name='Ryuukishi']My guess is that rather than just starting PS3 players with a default Shepard like in the 360 version, they'll get a chance to configure at least the major decisions, in recognition of the fact that there's no possible way for them to create a different backstory. Or maybe not-- it's not like those decisions will mean much anyway without the context that comes from actually playing the game.

My point is just that there were always going to be players who come to Mass Effect 3 with no knowledge of the first (or even second) game. The only thing the PS3 port changes is the number.

No disagreement there. I'm talking about the whole theory that the linearity of the story and gameplay was an artifact of needing to accommodate DVD storage on the 360. The game had already been in development for years and was likely almost finished before a 360 port was even considered-- there's no way that the port influenced the overall design of the game.

Bioware has been planning the overall structure of the Mass Effect trilogy since the first one came out. It's not set in stone and surely things will change over time, but they're not going to suddenly do an about-face and rewrite the whole story arc on account of this port.[/QUOTE]From what I remember in reading through the thread before I jumped into ME2 from ME1, the "default" decisions you make towards building your ME2 starting character have you leaning more Renegade than Paragon. I'm sure they'll carry that forward with the PS3 port of ME2. I'm sure the same will happen with ME3, though it still makes me wonder if there's going to be some behind-the-scenes plot thread forking with the PC and 360 versions that do allow for ME1 imports and the PS3 path with ME2 importable into ME3.

The FF XIII situation, I'm very sure that the port time just extended the lead time out for when the game shipped and not making the game change in any way. That wouldn't make any sense at all that people would think that the core FF XIII story changed with the 360 port situation.
 
Yeah the game design of FFXIII was decided on along with the narrative at the start of development. If you have any idea on how the story works, the game design could not have been drastically changed in any way mid-development.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']:roll:

This happened with games in the past when something comes out on a different platform than the first one, like Ninja Gaiden 2 / Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.

We've had our time with the game first, so it's not a crazy thought that the PS3 version might come packed with the DLC pre-loaded on the disc. It's not going to make me change buying ME3 because of it.
[/QUOTE]

Agreed. It's not different than games that get GOTY edition. People pay $60 at launch, then more money for DLC.

Other's wait a year or 18 months or whatever and pay $60 for all the content in the GOTY edition, or wait for a price drop and get it all for $30 etc.

Early adopters always pay the most for the privilege of getting it near launch. Just the way it is.

Only thing I'd have a problem with is if there was any system specific quest DLC (don't care about armor, weapons etc.). And I don't see that happening with the ME series.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']I have no doubts you are that crazy. ;)

And yes, I agree, more people playing the game is more money to Bioware to make ME3 that much better.

From what I remember in reading through the thread before I jumped into ME2 from ME1, the "default" decisions you make towards building your ME2 starting character have you leaning more Renegade than Paragon. I'm sure they'll carry that forward with the PS3 port of ME2. I'm sure the same will happen with ME3, though it still makes me wonder if there's going to be some behind-the-scenes plot thread forking with the PC and 360 versions that do allow for ME1 imports and the PS3 path with ME2 importable into ME3.

The FF XIII situation, I'm very sure that the port time just extended the lead time out for when the game shipped and not making the game change in any way. That wouldn't make any sense at all that people would think that the core FF XIII story changed with the 360 port situation.[/QUOTE]

Maybe the story didn't change, but they cut out the ability to backtrack prior to Chapter 11 because of the 360 version. It's fairly obvious too, if you get that far. There are also some other oddities, too, but nothing that obvious as the lack of backtracking.

Like I said in the PS3 thread, it would make sense for them to allow players to make some decisions from the first game to bring them over, like Wrex being King. Before the game came out, I think it was Penny Arcade that mentioned you could do just that, but ended up not being the case. They said the PS3 version gets "Bonus Content", which makes me think DLC released on 360/PC.
 
Where would you backtrack to? The ship you just blew up? The cities that would kill you on sight? Maybe just fly back to Cocoon on a whim?

Think about how FFXIII is designed and how backtracking anywhere besides pulse would make any sense.
 
Yeah... Backtracking in Final Fantasy XIII would make about as much sense as backtracking in Gears of War 2. It's clear that the game just wasn't designed that way.
 
I think the question raised was whether it was designed that way because of the 360. I doubt it personally, but I think that's what people are getting at. That they designed it in a way where backtracking wouldn't make sense to avoid a lot of disc swapping on the 360.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']That the designed it in a way where backtracking wouldn't make sense to avoid a lot of disc swapping on the 360.[/QUOTE]
It had been in development for so long already before the Xbox 360 port became an issue, there is no way those kind of basic decisions hadn't already been made.
 
Agreed, which is why I strongly doubt the 360 port had any impact on it. Bitching is just Sony fanboys who were butt hurt over losing a big exclusive series. Which is what we're seeing now from Xbox fanboys bitching about ME going to the PS.
 
theres no debate/point to argue about consoles now exclusives. hell. if i take sandpaper and scrape my 360 long enough i bet a hidden logo called ps3 might appear.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I think the question raised was whether it was designed that way because of the 360. I doubt it personally, but I think that's what people are getting at. That they designed it in a way where backtracking wouldn't make sense to avoid a lot of disc swapping on the 360.[/QUOTE]There was a developer diary from the Creator and he was talking about "entire worlds" cut from final fantasy (Lightnings Home world was the only one I could remember), the idea to make the game more linear was most likely made later on in devolopment and was because of Microsoft paying off Square so they could have it on there console as well. And Microsoft pays good, it probably covered there whole development costs just to add FF to the xbox 360 line up of games because FF is a system seller.
 
I'm a big 360 guy, even bought a PS3 and sold it within a week. But, I'm okay with ME2 on the PS3. My only fear is that they'll get exclusive content. That would almost automatically warrant a PS3 (re) purchase for me.
 
[quote name='phantasyx']There was a developer diary from the Creator and he was talking about "entire worlds" cut from final fantasy (Lightnings Home world was the only one I could remember), the idea to make the game more linear was most likely made later on in devolopment and was because of Microsoft paying off Square so they could have it on there console as well. And Microsoft pays good, it probably covered there whole development costs just to add FF to the xbox 360 line up of games because FF is a system seller.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry but if that were true the internet would have blown up with this news a while ago. Tons of content was indeed cut from FFXIII throughout the entire developmental process in order to keep the game at a reasonable length, considering it released as a completely linear yet 45 hour play through.
 
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[quote name='panzerfaust']I'm sorry but if that were true the internet would have blown up with this news a while ago. Tons of content was indeed cut from FFXIII throughout the entire developmental process in order to keep the game at a reasonable length, considering it released as a completely linear yet 45 hour play through.[/QUOTE]

I think it's more that content was cut to keep the development time reasonable. People take comments about "cuts" as if games are movies edited after shooting. They aren't. Content is proposed and maybe designed, but decisions about what makes it into the final product are almost always made long before the levels are modeled, scripted, and tested.
 
[quote name='panzerfaust']I'm sorry but if that were true the internet would have blown up with this news a while ago. Tons of content was indeed cut from FFXIII throughout the entire developmental process in order to keep the game at a reasonable length, considering it released as a completely linear yet 45 hour play through.[/QUOTE]
The director said that there was a whole game worth of content, so I'd assume if they added that it would make the xbox 360 version have at least 6 or 7 discs. I don't know if you've played FF or not but a entire new areas??? With all the detail in that game they would need good reason to waste months of development time working on those. Microsoft Console exclusive money. (Remember GTA4 DLC?)

Since the announcement that the long awaited PS3 exclusive Final Fantasy 13 was also hitting the 360 when it came out a lot of Playstation fanboys have been too keen to express their angst at the popular RPG title not being a PS3 exclusive. This newest piece of news on Playstation Lifestyle however seems to confirm what they knew was going to happen

Isamu Kamikokuryou, Art Director for Final Fantasy XIII stated in an interview that enough content was removed from FF XIII to create an entirely new game. Some of the deleted content he mentioned was a base for Team Nora inside an item shop, a full area outside of Lighting’s house that was similar to a park, and a zoo at the Nautilus amusement park.

According to PSLS he didn't state why the content was removed from the final version of the game though did note at one point that the deleted content plus the new version of the full game were both at stage all running perfectly on the PS3 version of the game.
Click to expand...

Ok enough about FF, Mass Effect 2 for ps3 at full Retail?? thats no deal! Hopefully it starts at 40
 
1 more loyalty mission to do (Jack) and then I'm off to get the IFF. How much of the game do I have left? I'm level 24 and worried I won't get to 30 for the achievement
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']I'm a big 360 guy, even bought a PS3 and sold it within a week. But, I'm okay with ME2 on the PS3. My only fear is that they'll get exclusive content. That would almost automatically warrant a PS3 (re) purchase for me.[/QUOTE]
I've gone around to read comments on a bunch of different gaming sites (IGN, KOTAKU, JOYSTIQ, CAG) and I believe that what people are misunderstanding the most, especially the extremely ignorant IGN users, are that when they said "hours of bonus content" will possibly just be paid DLC. Personally I grow annoyed of consoles grabbing exclusive content and I wish Microsoft had never started this trend with Modern Warfare 2.
 
[quote name='phantasyx']
Ok enough about FF, Mass Effect 2 for ps3 at full Retail?? thats no deal! Hopefully it starts at 40[/QUOTE]
It's going to include DLC, so they're most likely going to have to bite at $60.
 
[quote name='gryphter']1 more loyalty mission to do (Jack) and then I'm off to get the IFF. How much of the game do I have left? I'm level 24 and worried I won't get to 30 for the achievement[/QUOTE]
POSSIBLE SPOILERS: After retrieving the IFF, you'll have to make a choice:
Either sell or keep Legion. Then you'll have to do a small side mission. Afterwards you may activate Legion and do his Loyalty mission. Then you may do the final mission.
As far as the Level 30 achievement goes, you can start a new game + after completing your current game. This allows all weapons, level/skill progression and armor to transfer over. By the time you are two to three missions into your next playthrough you should hit Level 30.
 
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There's not major spoilers in there--I'd suggest clicking as you can screw yourself out of some content if you don't make the right decisions. His post just tells the decisions to take without really spoiling any plot details.

Also, yeah, no way you get up to level 30 on this play through if you're at 24 now. Just start up a new game with this character after beating it and you can get up to level 30 pretty quickly to get the achievement.
 
ah gotcha, thanks everyone. is it even possible to get to 30 in 1 playthrough? I've done every mission presented to me including dlc, and a handful of side missions acquired through planet scanning.

Also bisquit, that's horrible!
 
[quote name='bisquit']beat me 2 today. missed lvl 30 by 10 xp....[/QUOTE]

As above, just load a new game plus and import that character and you'll get level 30 after the first mission.

Assuming you've done all the DLC....if not download one and get it that way. Or wait for the Liara DLC.

[quote name='gryphter']ah gotcha, thanks everyone. is it even possible to get to 30 in 1 playthrough? I've done every mission presented to me including dlc, and a handful of side missions acquired through planet scanning.
[/QUOTE]

I don't think you can. Maybe if you import a level 60 character from ME1 and do all the DLC and all the planet scanning anomaly missions. With a level 50 import I was a couple levels short and did the first couple missions on a new game plus to get the achievement.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']As above, just load a new game plus and import that character and you'll get level 30 after the first mission.

Assuming you've done all the DLC....if not download one and get it that way. Or wait for the Liara DLC.



I don't think you can. Maybe if you import a level 60 character from ME1 and do all the DLC and all the planet scanning anomaly missions. With a level 50 import I was a couple levels short and did the first couple missions on a new game plus to get the achievement.[/QUOTE]

Maybe it wouldn't be too much to ask if they raised the level cap? :D
 
[quote name='gryphter']ah gotcha, thanks everyone. is it even possible to get to 30 in 1 playthrough? I've done every mission presented to me including dlc, and a handful of side missions acquired through planet scanning.

Also bisquit, that's horrible![/QUOTE]Yes, you can.

I imported a Level 50 ME1 character into ME2 and was 120 XP short of Level 30 before the Overlord DLC came out. Once I did Overlord, I hit Level 30. I had done all the side missions possible in the main game, plus all of the DLC, free and paid, before Overlord.

Level 60 ME1 import with all the DLC will get you Level 30 in ME2 without much issue.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']
Level 60 ME1 import with all the DLC will get you Level 30 in ME2 without much issue.[/QUOTE]

Yup, I did exactly that.
 
Geez, post a little good-natured ribbing in the PS3 thread and those guys get all offended. Why so serious (I had a smiley in the post and everything :) ). I'm just glad that more people get to play this awesome game.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']I know this isn't a book thread, but has anyone in here read through Mass Effect: Retribution yet? If so, post your thoughts!

Some positive things I took away from reading it:
It was good to get a small glimpse of the future and get some information about the gap between ME2 and ME3 (even though it assumes Anderson isn't on the Council and Shepard destroyed the Collector base).

I was happy to see my boy Anderson getting some action with Kahlee again. It wasn't much, but at least you know Anderson's still "got it" :cool:

I really liked any/all dialog between Grayson and the Reapers that took place inside his own mind. I think the book gives us more insight to what it was like inside of Saren's head during the events of ME1.

I was happy to see characters like Anderson reference Shepard a number of times, including his work in fighting the Reapers. One line I recall from the book is when Anderson was thinking of ideas to help take down Cerberus, he had the idea of using Shepard for help but realized that he was "off the grid" and probably doing something much more important.

Aria getting a good amount of face-time was also a huge plus. I was interested to see how the Cerberus-Omega partnership would work out, and it looks like it may bleed into future events (maybe even ME3).

Finally, it was also cool to see the more human side of the Illusive Man (making the decision to personally oversee Grayson's transformation, and watching that decision almost bite him in the ass - you don't see the Illusive Man making mistakes like that). Also, the revelation of Aria losing her daughter also showed us a different side of this "ruthless Pirate Queen" that you may/may not have expected.
[/QUOTE]



I put aside some time this evening and finished the book after dinner. It feels like the most connected of the three books even with the first being the "prequel".

Book spoiler alerts inside!

I thought the author was keeping some details vague on purpose, but you could make some general assumptions about the "canon" story. Anderson didn't take the Council position, but they also didn't seem to comment too much on the makeup of the Council itself. It could be humanity as the 4th member in equality, as the lead of the 4 with new members of the other races (who died in Sovereigns attack), or a humanity led council. It seems at least to lean towards not being the full renegade humanity in control.

Also, Cerberus started the experiment using Reaper tech, but where it came from was unclear. It could have been a husk, but those were mindless drones in comparison to the symbiotic nature of the merging...at least at first. The Reapers take full control eventually. It seems similar to Saren, but not fully. Maybe the time elapsed for Saren with the technology implanted was shorter than Grayson, because it wasn't as full. Saren was being influenced, but not fully manipulated and unable to control his own body like Grayson.

Shepard and Cerberus is officially broken up, with mention of him/her being completely ignored except for minor references to the previous games. But man, did Cerberus get some big part of this story. They take a huge blow to the organization, which will explain if they get scaled back in the story of ME3 to a smaller role.

I think this lends a little more weight to my "whole galactic team-up" scenario. Aria seems to be getting more clued into the big picture and she carries weight with the outlaws. Anderson brings back Grayson's body to the Alliance/Council. The Illusive Man continues to work the now weakened Cerberus towards bringing the threat to light. Add in the Krogan who just love a fight; Quarians if they can avoid war with the Geth; The Geth if they've been rewritten or had the heretics destroyed and calculate the value of organic life and deem it worthy; and even the Rachni of they've been saved coming in like the cavalry. It could be like Starship Troopers on crack.

But I think the biggest angle hinted at here could be The Reapers themselves. Through Grayson, they call themselves the keepers of the cycle. Keepers...not creators. Their purpose is extinction, but they claim we are unable to see the bigger picture. That they are trying to bring salvation to the races and themselves. That by changing us, transcending us, they can save us. Make us immortal, one of them. But why does the cycle happen? That's going to be the big question in ME3.

All in all, I thought it was a very exciting tie-in to the events between ME2 and ME3. To answer some of the questions brought up:
Are they Canon? Yes, very.
Good? Well look, the book I read just before this was "Dune" and it's obviously not going to touch it by a country mile. But compared to other tie-in books I've read like the old awful DOOM novels? It's better. It's a brisk, easy and enjoyable read.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Geez, post a little good-natured ribbing in the PS3 thread and those guys get all offended. Why so serious (I had a smiley in the post and everything :) ). I'm just glad that more people get to play this awesome game.[/QUOTE]They're as zealoted about the PS3 as some people are about the 360. Plenty of each type around here. There's more than a few people in that thread and other threads like it that will act the same way if you do any comparison to the 360 from the PS3 over anything. I own both and I buy games for both.

Regardless, if ME2 ends up being a graphical upgrade or some other compelling reason to pick it up on PS3, I'll probably do that. Otherwise, I might pass on it.
 
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