Mass Effect love page (warning, will contain spoilers)

Maybe I'll download Kasumi for my second playthrough, so I have a more complete game. I'll also keep my Cerberus team from getting killed at the collector base. I'm not sure what to do romance wise though...should I romance Ashley and stay loyal to her? Or should I skip it and romance Miranda (who I admit I do like better!).

As for the Collector General, I was under the impression that HE was Harbinger the whole time, so I did expect to fight him. Shame he was just another mindless Husk like the other Collectors.

As for my my favorite large weapon? It's probably the Collector Particle Accelerator, since it was always reliable and just plain fun to use. I didn't like the rocket launcher to be honest, since I never knew which enemy it would hit! I tried using it on the Larva, actually, and it kept hitting the Collectors instead of the Larva's eyes, which drove me nuts. How about you?

And have you heard anything about the Mass Effect movie? I'm interested in learning some details.

Go with Miranda! That's what I did on my first playthrough and it'll be interesting how the 'cheating' pans out. Also, I highly recommend getting Kasumi. Not only is her mission and character fun to use, all the squad have been confirmed to make some sort of appearance in ME3.

I used the Particle Beam as well as it decimates Barriers, Shields and health and the enemy can't do anything while you're hitting them with it. Although, on the larva battle I would concentrate on the eyes and use my squad to take care of the Collectors. I rarely use heavy weapons to be honest but another good one is the Arc Projector as it shoots a ray of electricity (I think) that travels from enemy to enemy if they're close enough, effectively taking out the shields (specialises in shields) of an entire group. It's particularly useful against Blue Suns mercs.

As for the movie, I've heard bits and bobs but not much. They're using a male Shepard and it's based on the first movie and Shepard's adventure. I'm not sure how they'll incorporate all the decisions though. They'll probably just make Shepard a Paragon sadly.

Also, did you hear about the ME3 demo leak and story leak? They happened within days of each other. The demo was meant to be a private beta test that accidently went public on the Xbox Marketplace and a bunch of people downloaded it. The video I saw of it has been taken down now and there was a thread about it on another forum that has also been deleted. Did you see it before it as taken down? As for the story leak, apparently it's the real deal so I'm staying far from that, no way I'm having the story ruined for me.

I actually did the same thing on the Human Larva, I didn't even both with the Collectors attacking us. As for Miranda, I'll probably go that route, but it's so tempting to go with Ashley in my new playthrough in ME1. Also, there's something else to consider: say you need to obtain something akin to "loyalty" from your companions in ME3. Miranda likely won't be a full-time companion, but we know Ashley will. Having said that, do you think cheating on her might hinder her performance in ME3? (Also, Ashley's new look in ME3 is certainly...intriguing )

As for the leaked video, I did see a grainy video of the battle on Earth where Captain Anderson was your companion. Is that the one you're referring to? It was pretty amazing to watch, but it was also pretty obvious that the game required a lot more work. I didn't really see anything pertaining to the story (thank god). I'm with you in that I don't want to kill the suspense!

Speaking of the story, what do you think is the real motivation behind the Reapers? Do you think they're simply "harvesting" life-forms to use as resources, or do you think there's something else behind it? Or maybe there's something else behind the creation of the Reapers that we have no idea about yet?!? Ugh, I'm dying to find out!!!!

hahaha that's certainly true about Ashley's makeover, Bioware must've done that to punish all of us who cheated on her in ME2! (btw did you know that Ashley/Kaidan is now a Spectre in ME3?). That's an interesting and definitely plausible theory you have but I hope they don't use the same mechanic in two games. In ME2, it was all about building a team and getting over their own problems but in ME3 I think it's more focused on rallying together all the different races (man it's gonna be hard to get those batarians on our side) so there's likely less emphasis on the squads personal missions. I reckon she'll get mad and you won't get to fully utilise her unless you have a high enough Paragon/Renegade score.

Yeah, that's probably the same one as I saw. I wonder if it was leaked on purpose as an attention seeking scheme...and it's nice to see the old squad back again.

As for the Reapers, I was under the impression that harvesting the other races was their way of reproducing. That's what we saw at the end of ME2 though yes, there may be a deeper reason. Since they are organic/synthetic starships, they must have been created by some race. This ancient race created a batch of synthetic ships (akin to the quarians and geth) but evolved them so much to the point that not only were they self aware but also, incredibly, were organic. The creators realised their mistake and tried to deactivate their inventions (again, similar to the quarians). But it was too late, these machines then wiped out their creators to the point of extinction and now trust no other organic race due to this mistreatment. They therefore annihilate any technologically advanced race to prevent it happening again.
That's one theory that I came up with though it's very similar to the geth and quarians so I expect it's not too likely to be true. Have you come up with anything?

I just replayed the ME1 with my girlfriend, and let her make all the dialogue and game choices, hoping she'd make different choices than I did...sadly, she made the exact same choices I did! Killed Ashley, saved the Council, etc. I really want a different version of ME3, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to replay the game over and over again...and I don't think I'll ever be able to preserve the Collector base at the end of ME2...especially knowing how TIM will likely use the base. I can never bring myself to let the council die either...have you? I know they're replaced by a Human Council (which seems pretty assinine...just usurping the council seats with only one race after that tragedy)...but I don't know what they're like.

As for the Reapers, harvesting life forms for reproduction seems waaay too simple, I mean, in ME1, Sovereign talks about the reasons behind the cycle of extinction being so advanced it is beyond the comprehension of normal lifeforms. I'd like to think that the Reapers have a grander plan that effectively "eating" all lifeforms and using their tech. Maybe there's a higher lifeform than them that has another reason for it???

Btw, I'm sorry it took me a while to respond, I was completely distracted by Skyward Sword for a while!!

Oh man, only three months to Mass Effect 3!!! I've decided to finish my second playthrough of ME1 (stopped because I got angry at the Mako) and import it into ME2 and make a save where I make all the wrong choices. Since it's been announced that all the squadmates from ME2 make some kind of appearance in ME3 if they survive and since I have a perfect game (where Shepard's still a Spectre, Anderson's on the council and all my squadmates are still alive) I'm going to finish the second one with no-one but Shep living, and I'll give the base to TIM and we'll see what ME3 turns out with that!

Maybe the reason for the Reapers' cycle of extinction is never revealed since, as they say, it's beyond organics' comprehension. Though that would be kind of cop-outy.

EDIT: turns out that you need at least two squadmates living to ensure Shep's survival so I've decided it will be Kasumi and Morinth - who better than a theif (also one of my favourite characters) and a homicidal sex addict?

I know! Only 3 months!! I can hardly believe it! As for the screwed up file, I don't know if I could bring myself to make those kinds of choices! Did you kill Wrex in ME1 as well? I've watched some of the leaked footage, and I just can't imagine how the game would play out without those team members, especially since certain missions (like the mission on the Salarian homeworld) revolve around a former team mate. Should be really interesting how they figure it all out.

As for the Reapers, I like that they're motivation is apparently "beyond" organic comprehension because it makes they're motivation all the more interesting. If they simply exist to consume life forms and reproduce, and if they're easy to kill in the game, it'll destroy the sense of mystique surrounding the Reapers. They're excellent adversaries, and I hope ME3 handles them well.

Yeah, that's really the reason why I decided to do this playthrough, I saw that bit with Mordin and wondered how it would work without him and since all the characters from ME2 are returning in some form I figured it would be pretty interesting.

Oh btw, did you get any of the DLC for Mass Effect 1 or 2? Also, are you getting the Collector's Edition for Mass Effect 3?

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Have you seen this? Free shotgun and armour if you play through the Kingdom of Alamur: Reckoning demo. Not a bad deal, if you ask me. I'd never even heard of this game before, clever advertisements by EA.

Also, BIG NEWS, the Mass Effect 3 demo is released on the 14th of February with the multiplayer coming on the 17th (unless you preordered Battlefield 3)

Sorry it's taken me a while to respond...I've been addicted to Skyrim.

I've only downloaded the free DLC and the Shadow Broker, but I do want to download Kasumi. I've heard mixed reviews of arrival, so I'm not sure about that just yet, even though I eventually want to have a "complete" ME file.

As for Kingdoms of Almor, I hadn't heard of it either...I don't know if I'll bother downloading it, though seeing screens of the N7 armor in a medieval game is a bit amusing!

And I completely forgot about the demo...that's great news, since I'm dying to try the multiplayer. You know, it really isn't all that long before 3 comes out...it's kind of hard to believe actually.

Btw, have you heard anything about Wrex being a team mate in 3? He isn't confirmed, but I've seen him in several videos following Shepard around, though never as a squadmate. I've looked through the Wiki, but I haven't found any information. Either way, I really hope he is a part of the team, since he was one of my favorites in ME1 and it really wouldn't feel the same without having a Krogan on the team.

The Kingdom of Alamur demo is only about an hour long so it's not too bad for free items ingame.

Kasumi's DLC is awesome (you get a great SMG out of it) but I don't know if she'll show up in ME3 since it's paid for DLC. I'm hoping to get Arrival only because it drectly links ME2 and 3 since 3 starts at the point where Arrival finishes, therefor I assume it's pretty important. What do you think of the Overlord DLC btw? I haven't got it but it's not hugely important to the story, I don't think so I'm on the fence about getting it...

As for the ME3 demo, we're going to have to sort out times to play together since I think only 1 of my friends is getting the game (idiots)!

I think Wrex will show up in some capacity but not as a squadmate, a bit like in ME2. He would show up as the Clan leader (if he lives) so i think in ME3, he'll show up to help team up the Krogan against the Reapers but you'll have a harder time convincing them if you kill him.

Hey Yasser, sorry I've been M.I.A. for a while. So yeah...ONLY FIVE MORE DAYS!! I'm assuming you're as excited as I am, since this is going to be freaking epic!!!

What did you think of the Demo? Did you try the multiplayer? I'm interested to know your thoughts on it since I haven't tried it.

As for Arrival, I think I'll be downloading it and Kasumi's DLC tonight so I can have the full experience when I go into ME3. And speaking of the full experience, have you pre-ordered the Special Edition? There's a lot of controversy over the day-1 DLC which comes with the SE among other things. Personally I can see how it comes across as a bit of a shitty move on Bioware's part to release the DLC on the first day, but considering that it's a perk that comes with the SE, you really can't blame them, at least, not in my opinion.

It's still six more days for me, darn european release date!

I was hesitant about multiplayer at first (like everyone else I guess) but it's actually really good. It's just a basic 10 Waves system (with a bonus 2 minute survival at the end) but it's pulled of rather successfully. The difficulties keeping you coming back as bronze (the easiest) is pretty good for most players, Silver jumps in difficulty and is a actual challenge. And gold...well gold is just ridiculously brutal. You know the Atlas from the single player demo? Yeah, you get about six of them in Wave 6. That's as far I as got on Gold, communication is key. Of course, playing as aliens is super interesting (haven't unlocked the krogan yet though).

I did in fact order the Collector's Edition as it's at a reasonable price for all the extra content. I don't think the day 1 DLC is that big of a deal really if you look at it like this. The extra character (who comes in the DLC and CE) is a special bonus for those who ordered the CE (like Zaeed with ME2). But, most people who are getting the Standard Edition want the bonus character but didn't get the CE because they didn't want all the other stuff (like the OST, patch, litho etc) so it's released for them as well as DLC. If it was in the game then the Ce owners would expect some other ingame bonus and then the SE owners would get annoyed for getting that, so it becomes day 1 DLC and the cycles continues.

So Yasser, I see you've been playing ME3 on live. Thoughts so far? I haven't beaten so far, but I think I'm pretty far along. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with everything I've encountered, though it kind of sucks that there's no Krogan squad member. I will say that I'm pleased with how they seem to have fused ME and ME2 together...everything from the music, to the way the sidequests are laid out, and the more in-depth RPG/weapon customization options brings ME1 to mind, while they maintain the fluid combat controls which made ME2 great. I've also been pleased with how the story has been presented, including some very emotional moments with certain characters which I won't spoil if you haven't gotten that far.

As for the DLC controversy, having plaid that mission and having used Javik, I do think it was pretty shitty of EA to do to those who didn't pre-order. Javik's mission and all of the insight he gives into the Protheans simply can't be missed...gamers who care about the story basically have no choice BUT to buy the DLC...I mean, who wants to miss out on that really interesting aspect of the story? Much less experience someone who I think is really a pretty good squad member. All in all, it really was a dirty trick to pull, but then again, that's how business works, I guess.

Btw, I hope you didn't read through all of the art book when you first bought the game...if you look at a certain character's art, you'll notice a bit of a spoiler...which actually pissed me off when I saw it!