Mass Effect 2 Post-Release

Wrex is Clan Leader if you let him live.

Did you kill the Thresher Maw in the arena? I went back for Mordin's side quest and overheard, "Eight krogan have requested Urdnot Grunt for mating. One has requested Shepard."

I'd like to take this space to say R.I.P. to those crew members I lost in the final battle (Jack, Garrus, Mordin, Jacob). I'm working hard to keep you bastards alive on my second playthrough.

I'm guessing that Aria is going to turn out to be the rival merc Wrex talks about fighting in the first game. I don't think I'll be able to confirm it, though, since the playthrough I uploaded was a quickie where I didn't talk to any of the basement-dwelling crew. Either of you guys find out for sure?

Never came up for me.

What happens if you have the computer guy change the fact that your no longer dead?

I figured it would help me out more if no one knew i was alive. Unfortunately barely even 5 minutes after stepping foot in the Citadel, I ended up doing an Advertisement for a gun shop. Cover blown....

Mordin also gives out sex advice for interspecies relationships, and offers pamphlets and lube.

I cracked up at the radio station s available in the captain's quarters.

Yeah, I've pimped out my celebrity status to pretty much every store on the Citadel. Now every time I walk in I am reminded that "This is my favorite store on the Citadel!" Wonder if that'll bite me in the butt later on?

I had him reinstate my "living" status. Then went up to Anderson and got my Spectre status reinstated as well (though it doesn't really count for squat at this point, maybe it'll be useful in ME3).

I was mildly disappointed to see that the Council is as big a pack of unhelpful douchebags (Anderson excluded) as they were before. Heck, maybe even more so considering all that I did for them in the last game. You'd think at some point you'd earn a little "benefit of the doubt." I'll be looking forward to my Renegade carryover to see how things are different if you let the Council die.

Still, I kind of wish there'd been an, "I'm a fucking Spectre, it doesn't matter who I'm working with as long as the job gets done, correct?" dialogue option.

Though I must say, I'm curious to see how this Cerberus thing plays out. On one hand I'm expecting the Illusive Man to backstab me, on the other, not having him backstab me would make for a better story, I think (and I bet Bioware knows that). It's hard to argue with some of Cerberus' logic. They were a real pack of bastards in the first game, but this time around they're definitely getting a much more nuanced approach.

Does that directly tie in with some of the romance plots? Because if so, that's doubly hilarious.

I've only had Mordin in my crew for like 15 minutes tops and I already love him.

Yeah, it does. For lack of a better description, Mordin is so awesome.

Does mining all the minerals out of the planets have any sort of effect on the storyline, like "fuck you Space-Pig your imperialist bullshit will not stand" and aliens getting hacked off?

I don't think so. But the mining of minerals is actually critical to your overall success this time around, because how much you've upgraded your squad and (especially) the Normandy directly affects your chances of success/survival in the final mission, or at least that's my understanding.

Hot. So glad I started this game off with a rich ME1 character. 100000 credits right out the gate!

It'll go fast once you start buying the full squad power-ups. As will those bonus resources you get for having a higher-level character.

I'm nearly floored by some of the carryover stuff. While you don't interact with them, you see the pair that was arguing about genemodding the woman's child (A minor Presidium quest in ME1) in the Sirta shop. Ran into and had a nice (I think?) conversation with Helena Blake (former crimelord now turned...social worker?), and verbally steamrolled Ms. Al-Jilani (despite being strongly tempted to use the Renegade Interrupt despite my Paragon nature). The news "blurbs" often contain shout-outs to various quests and characters from ME1, as well. To say nothing of Ada Wong apparently being promoted to Anchorwoman sometime in the last two years....

Also...as weird as it might sound, I've so far found my most touching/heartwarming interactions with Dr. Chakwas of all people. You can tell she's "aged" since the last game, but I'm not sure there's any other member of the crew that's more loyal to you personally than her at this point, but she makes it clear in a (relatively) quiet and understated way that's just...awesome, for lack of a better word.

Yeah, I talked to her last night and was all like "AWWWW". It was nice to spend 30 minutes dicking around on the Normandy with no frustration with stupid elevators or feeling absolutely fucking lost in my own ship.

Yeah, I was referring to the brandy conversation. Great little "snapshot" of two old friends just sitting down and having a drink. Kind of a shame that you don't have at least one or two more in-depth conversations like that with her, but ah well, it was still a nice touch.

I also enjoyed fleecing the Engineers for 500 credits. But what I enjoy the most about (some of) the crew interactions with the "non-combat folks" is that you can see (at least in some cases) your interactions affecting their opinion of you (The Engineers being surprised that "The Commander" would come down and spend time with the grease monkeys, etc...much less play cards with them). Plus I really liked the fact that Shepard can walk around and ask his crewmembers if there's anything they need....goes a long way towards feeling like you're "the boss" taking care of your crew. I almost have to wonder if these little touches will play into the endgame in their own way.

SIDE NOTE: I also LOVE that the Paragon options for conversation and interrupts aren't boring, bland, or "wimpy" in any way. LOVED chewing out the Volus and C-Sec officer for harassing that Quarian on the Citadel.

Not yet. I just got to Omega and had to ditch, but I blame spending an hour scanning fucking planets for so much lost time last night. It's the weirdest game mechanic ever: it's absolutely boring, but still manages to be addictive. I spent a lot of money on probes last night.

I hope I never have to type that last sentence out ever again in my life.

God damn this game is incredible. And I haven't even opened the box yet.

I am so glad I wasn't the only one that thought that; it's really the little things about the game that have astounded me the most.

Like the picture of Liara in the Captain's Quarters. The fish are a wildly interesting touch to the entire room. And the freaking renegade option I have with the shops. I seriously laughed myself silly when my bad ass (formerly level 50, 85% Renengade) Shepard ended up walking out of the store and started protesting that the store was against poor people.

But more than anything, it's the characters again that are awesome too. Like Jacob. I'm liking him more and more than I thought I would going into it. But seriously, Mordin is fantastic. I think he's going to end up being the HK of the Mass Effect universe. Just that universally liked character that cracks people up.

I've also committed to one planetary mission too that seemed relatively painless and pretty interesting. I miss the ability to stand on the ground of the planet and just marvel at the planet/moon/sun(s)-filled sky, but it's still a much tighter game this time.

I am also glad I'm not the only one that thinks that the whole scanner-probe thing is both addictive and boring. How bizarre is that.

So I take it that open planet exploration is gone? I did like the ability to just rove around the planet I was on, looking at the view. Especially the Luna mission in ME1, seeing Earth hanging in the sky. If they've removed that aspect of the game, I'm kinda sad.

Yeah, apparently they removed it.

I'm still wondering how they'll work in the hammerhead rover thing.

Well, I can only speak on my limited experience (I've been to Citadel, mined the crap out of the system where Omega is located, gone to Lorek, recruited Mordin and about to find Archangel. From what I can tell though, it seems as though those roving missions are more streamlined now. Get in, fight the battles, get out. But I think in receiving the hammer-head and other DLC content along the way there might be opportunities to have open planet exploration in the sense of ME1.

Correct me if I'm wrong though. Like I said, I've only just played four or so hours.

Oh, and the Krogan Sushi one-off cracked me up too with the fake fish.

The incidental dialogue in the game is amazing. There's so much of it, and so much of it is absolutely hilarious. The Asari and Turian couple in the gift shop in particularly just had me rolling.

"It's a fish, it'll be dead in a few years anyway."
"The important thing is to cherish the time you have with the fish."
"Is this the life span talk again? I'm not having the life span talk."

I think you're right. My impression is that the Hammerhead DLC will come with a slew of missions where using the Hammerhead is necessary and proper.

What can I eat to give me immediate food poisoning that only lasts for 20 minutes so that I can go home?

I've read in a review that the ending is absurd and comes out of nowhere, causing the reviewer to lower the score by a half-point. Without specifics, would you agree or disagree?

How many hours did you log? Did you hit all the side missions?

I guess the final boss fight is a little silly (SPOILER: TermiReaper!), but the actual ending is awesome. You'll be dying for Mass Effect 3.

Zaeed feels like DLC. He doesn't even have dialogue options on the Normandy.

Who ended up dying? I didn't know there was an achievement for everyone to survive... I figured there had to be a death or two to carry over to the sequel.

I ended up going the PC version this time around, primarily because the GameStop employee convinced me it would be better due to the player made mods that would come out... soo...

I have a save game where I cut ties with Miranda and went after Tali... I'm thinking of picking up there after I've gotten about a day's worth of sleep.

BTW - 100% agree with your first post about the Tali side quest and the Model of a Modern Salarian Scientist cut scene... I played that shit like 20 times in a row, never got old!


Tip: If you scan planets, sometimes you'll find extra side quests.

I came across something like three conversations about fish in the market district on the Citadel. So funny.

If I weren't already a huge fan of BioWare, the Boo reference in the souvenir shop would have pushed me over the edge.

I also loved how proud my renegade shepard was admitting to Udina that he told the Council to shove their Spectre reinstatement up their asses.

Shepard: "I told them to shove it up their asses."

Udina: "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?"

Shepard: ::Crosses arms, kicks back, smirks::

Have the CE sitting on my desk at work as we speak. I'm feeling a 'headache' and early finish coming on.

Look forward to posting my first thoughts tomorrow.

I've put a good 6hrs into the game today...fuck its incredible.

Some of the sidequests in this game go to some very dark, and dare I say it, mature territory. Jacob's in particular left me open mouthed, literally, as it progressed. Of all the things that his mission could have been, I certainly wasn't expecting THAT.

Mordin just told female Shepard not to swallow when it comes to Garrus.

I love this game.

Second time through, managed to save everyone but Zaeed (no shock -- chose to save the people in his sidequest, and you're never given another opportunity to regain his loyalty through dialogue like Jack or Miranda). Quite happy. Have a strange compulsive desire to start a third playthrough immediately.

Holy shit, there's no way the Elcor Hamlet bits can be as hilarious as Hanharr Dirty Harry. Is there?

This one does not have time for your solid waste excretions.

I don't know how far into the game I am yet. I've still got three more squad members to recruit. Last night I did my second mandatory, unskippable mission (I'm not sure what triggered it, exactly), the Collector Ship. Holy shit, that was one of the most amazing sequences I've ever played. When I saw just how BIG the interior of that ship was, my jaw dropped.

I did the Archangel mission last night. Nearly squirted when the helmet came off.

The second I saw him, I wanted to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be alright.

fags

When Kelly said that I was like " >_________> youwantturianpenis"

Also, Mordin is AMAZING. I love that the Renegade/Paragon interrupt options pop up in almost every conversation you have with him.

Did you hear his spiel about the ME1 Salarian from Virmire?

YES.

MordinIloveyou