Planet searching is tedious, there is no incentive to go wandering because its recycled constantly.

Saren is still my favorite character in the entire series, a compelling antagonist and one who I actually could sympathize with. Shepard gets Maguffined through the whole conflict whereas I always thought Saren was always doing the best with what he was presented with.

I think ME2 suffered in that regard, sure the Reapers were the looming thread but you left spinning your wheels. As much I love the game, ME2 very much feels like the middle of a trilogy. There was a bit of a vacuum left with his absence, the Collectors lacked an identify for me. The Meme overlord doesn't count!

The romance stuff is maddening though, just for the fact I feel the fan-base casts a (very weird) shadow over the whole thing.

@WatanabeKazuma said:

Planet searching is tedious, there is no incentive to go wandering because its recycled constantly.

Saren is still my favorite character in the entire series, a compelling antagonist and one who I actually could sympathize with. Shepard gets Maguffined through the whole conflict whereas I always thought Saren was always doing the best with what he was presented with.

I think ME2 suffered in that regard, sure the Reapers were the looming thread but you left spinning your wheels. As much I love the game, ME2 very much feels like the middle of a trilogy. There was a bit of a vacuum left with his absence, the Collectors lacked an identify for me. The Meme overlord doesn't count!

While I vastly preferred ME2 as a whole over the first, I think it really failed in fulfilling it role as the middle of a trilogy.

Traditionally, the second part of a trilogy in an adventure story is supposed to raise the stakes, after the main conflict has been introduced in the first. Its supposed to set the stage for the big dramatic conclusion in part 3 where our heroes turn the tide and save the day. Its why part 2's tend to be the darkest ones.

They completely fucked up this very simple storytelling template. ME2 mostly involved you fighting an entirely new threat that had nothing to do with the greater story. At the end of ME2, nothing has changed from the end of ME1. The reapers are still coming. We have no idea why they are coming, how they are going to take over or what they are capable of. Its more like a side-story than a sequel.

The intro for ME3? With the earth getting invaded? That should have been the ending for ME2.I imagine that aspect of the story is going to feel very rushed and undeveloped in ME3.

The romance stuff is maddening though, just for the fact I feel the fan-base casts a (very weird) shadow over the whole thing.

Yes! Oh god, yes! No idea why the Bioware romance stuff is so much weirder than other fanbases. Like, say what you want about Persona fans, I have at least never seen one make a "scientific" chart about why Chie's sweat tastes delicious or something.

....I think its party because the romances themselves are written in a very creepy way to encourage that BS. Why is there an option to cuddle with your chosen videogame girlfriend in your captain quarters? Can you believe that they actually programmed that in there? Someone designed that and thought it was a good idea. And hell-- the context these romances are written in and the dialogue, make it seem like Shepard is sexually harassing them. Dude is supposed to be their commanding officer! You don't hit on your subordinates, and keep pressing the issue when they say "leave me alone" like Jack does.

@mutha3: Agreed on ME2. Its story is largely superfluous , you only really need to include the very end where the Reapers become the focus again.

Even though its used disparagingly, it is fairly accurate to describe the game as one big side-quest, that being to recruit your team.

Ah Shepard, hes far too idealized anyway. I still don't really understand why he's the savior of the galaxy. But that may be stretching it slightly, he is the player avatar after all.

@mutha3 said:

....I think its party because the romances themselves are written in a very creepy way to encourage that BS. Why is there an option to cuddle with your chosen videogame girlfriend in your captain quarters? Can you believe that they actually programmed that in there? Someone designed that and thought it was a good idea.

The posts I have seen quoted in the past by the Bioware writers makes me think that they enjoy that stuff as much as the fans. I didn't see much wrong with it to begin with. In the original game it was there, but apart from the controversy around it, you could say it was something you could easily miss. It has gradually become overbearing and too much of the focus though. In Dragon Age 2 you could more or less romance your entire party, many of those after only a couple of dialogue choices! I don't even think that aspect is something they even do all that well, its downright awful at times.

I'm ambivalent about ME3 for those reasons. Bioware just seem weird to me now with what they chose to prioritize in their games.

Clearly, you guys are playing the games wrong. All of these problems disappear if you join the 99 percent (actually 20 but who cares about math!?) in playing as our lord and savior Lady Shepard!

@Pepsiman: I do play as a female Shepard! The male equivalent is far too monotone to carry a discernible personality, I had to put a stop to it.

Jennifer Hale is the Mass Effect experience as far as I'm concerned.

@Pepsiman said:

Clearly, you guys are playing the games wrong. All of these problems disappear if you join the 99 percent (actually 20 but who cares about math!?) in playing as our lord and savior Lady Shepard!

I'll have you know, I'm rocking a renegade Femshep in this playthrough!I am thinking about switching back to Paragon, though, because man, apparently Renegade is code word for "extremely dumb and whiny" in Mass Effect land.

Oh, and in typical Bioware fashion, I accidentally stumbled into a relationship with Kaidan by asking a very innocuous question. Oh well, guess I know who's getting left behind on Virmire for this playthrough.....

I'll probably forget a bunch of games,

there's still time, mutha3

there's still time