Mass Effect 2 Plot Issues **Spoilers**

[ben---neb]

The ending of Mass Effect 2 was bad enough for to still wonder if the first mass effect wasn't a better idea.

It's not that i have a problem with a human reaper but why did it look so stupid? it didn't look scary it looked ridiclous!

p.s What's this dark matter thing about again?

 

[oliveira8]

I didn't mind the *weaker* main story of ME2, as for the game part was vastly improved from the first game.

Your buddies also felt more fleshed out and unique. From the first ME I only have good memories of Tali/Wrex/Gaarus. And on the first run I let Wrex kick the bucket. The cast of ME2 just seemed more... colorful. ^^ Add that they get loyalty missions that may or not affect how they will respond to you and affect the ending, instead of having just some side mission.

I guess that was the main difference between 1 and 2 for me. Your henchmen are actually active in the mission. I did not feel that in 1. The bad part about ME2 story is that it needs to be followed by ME3 right away. It feels very incomplete without it. ME1 was more "complete" on that regard.

But the worst part of ME2 story wise, was the huge plot hole that is: how the fuck did the Mordin get that bug Collector? >.<

 

[Knight Templar]

Well I've a few problems to start with, and just in case somebody needs a reminder: Spoilers ahead!

at I mean is, by the end of ME1 you've stopped the Reapers' indoctrination of the Geth/Saren,

You didn't stop that, and you were not even trying to stop that.

But, in ME2 the Reapers indoctrinate a new species (The Collectors via the Protheans)

The Collectors are Prothean, and they are closer to tools than slaves.

prevented a Reaper-indoctrination threat

Why do you think that?s what you were stopping?

But I don't remember it being answered why they built a Human-Reaper

I've heard a few good ideas as to why, but I think we were intentionally left in the dark on that issue.

Can somebody clear up the "dark energy" thing.

See above and below.

it's more than likely that I missed some important developments too

You seem to have missed all of them, let me explain. ME2 exists to set the stage for ME3, which is has. Of course there will be questions unanswered, that?s how it was in ME1, the only difference is the questions are more along the lines of "Please explain" than "I would like to know more".

So Mass Effect 2 set the stage for Mass Effect 3 and prevented the harvesting of the human race.

 

[zfactor]

The ending of Mass Effect 2 was bad enough for to still wonder if the first mass effect wasn't a better idea.

It's not that i have a problem with a human reaper but why did it look so stupid? it didn't look scary it looked ridiclous!

p.s What's this dark matter thing about again?

Don't know about the dark matter thing, but they didn't finish the human reaper, so they probably had some art guy make an awesome finished reaper, then deleted half the cool stuff.

Of course when I first saw it my initial thought was "HOLY SHIT I HAVE TO KILL THAT???" Then I remembered I had the M-920 Cain...

I'll admit it's yell was a bit odd...

>Metallic growl<

 

[Kimarous]

I got the impression that the Collectors have been around for a long time, trading new technology from time to time in exchange for "taste tests" of the various space-faring races. It wasn't until Sovereign's defeat, being crippled by Shepard him/her/yourself and finished off by the human fleet, is it really any surprise that they would view said race, particularly said individual, as a serious threat? As for the Human-Reaper, I figured that it was their namesake and means of reproduction... the "reaping" of sentient races, turning them into some kind of biological metal from which their bodies are formed. Seeing as how they just lost one of their number, maybe they wanted to craft a new Sovereign, using the race that destroyed him for the sakes of irony and vengence?

 

[Sjakie]

**MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD**

...snip...

Basically, I think the Human-Reaper was supposed to be the big plot-draw of the game, but I thought it was kinda silly and unsatisfying. And, at the end of ME2 you're essentially in the same place you were at the end of ME1: prevented a Reaper-indoctrination threat and developing a plan for the Reapers themselves.

I know this is a trilogy and I wasn't expecting an all-out war with the Reapers, but I would have liked a little bit more development of the Reapers and the overall senteient-life threatening issues presented in the 1st game.

Anyway, did anyone else feel similarly afterwards, or did they like the plot, or whatever?

and,it's more than likely that I missed some important developments too.

Yeah, i was in that place as well. You learned almost nothing new about the Reapers reasons for destruction, just lots of hints. Seeing the Big human-Reaper construction made me go WTF? But it does make a bit more sense when you think about it: Reapers supposed to be organic-machine constructs. Consider they are also 'harvesting' the Milkyway for sentient life every 50.000 years and making Reapers from the genetic codes for every(?) race. But we never learn why.
All in all i think ME2 was more of a setup for ME3. you got to see worlds from the Asari and Krogan and the Quarian flotilla, which leaves me guessing the Salarian and Turian worlds will be a part of ME3. Visiting Earth and all those places to rally the races to fight the Reapers would seem likely, that will happen in ME3 maybe, and just maybe we go to all out War with the Reapers in ME4.
(hey i can hope can i?)

 

[Fenolio]

It actually fits together quite nicely once you think about it a bit (read: A lot.)

...Screw ME2 for a second.
Remember the beginning of ME1?
When we first see saren?
Who looks like A FREAKIN CYBORG and the other turian isnt at all perturbed by this fact?
Even though there's a butt load of geth and husks wandering the place?
No alarm bells at all?
Still haven't found an answer for this yet ;_;

 

[Blindswordmaster]

Dark Energy will play a huge role in Mass Effect 3. That issue with Halestorm's sun was far to emphasized not to be really important.

 

[Neotericity]

If only the human reaper ate his vegetables like his momma told him, he would been all grown up real fast, but he never listens to his momma....

 

[Senrab]

ME2 exists as the middle child of a trilogy. Kind of like The Empire Strikes Back, where in the grand scheme of the Galactic Civil War nothing happens, but the characters themselves develop further. We can safely assume there will be greater plot development in the third installment.

 

[Wafflestomper99]

I think - like it's been said - that the game will have all the major plot points answered in the final game. This was the filler for the middle of the series to set the stage for the final confrontation. And if you get to keep at least part of your squad for ME3, then it will make sense for doing all the side quests, or even if it affects the story, whether you get to use them in the third game or not. What I'm saying is, maybe going through all the side quest hoops you did in this game also affects the outcome of the third game in that you have a larger, more loyal group that makes a much more formidable opponent when the reapers begin there assault. This is all guesswork and speculation on my part, or perhaps just wishful thinking as well.

I will agree that at certain points, it did tend to meander in the storyline, but it was filled with so many "OMFG" moments towards the end, and even throughout the game in general that were on par with the same feeling I got from God Of War 3 (though obviously for different reasons), that I felt it was worth it. And I'm sure all of the small endings and revelations (the Geth being united or the "heretics" being destroyed, Haelstrom's energy crisis, etc.) will all be tied to the final game.

As for the Collector / Prothian indoctrination, that happened long before the events of the first game, with EDI mentioning they'd undergone many generations of genetic mutations, and many of the characters and "Mass Effect Ascension" both share knowledge that the Collectors have been around for quite some time, just that they are so reclusive and advanced, that many believe they are a myth (like the mechanic in the Terminus Systems who states that he believed "they were just a story..."). I believe they were sort of a "plan B", as the Reapers become more and more desperate, with the Keepers ignoring the signal and Sovereign's destruction, Harbinger and the other Reapers have become desperate to the point of abandoning their Mass Relay invasion strategy and attempting a direct assault against the sentient beings.

So...to make a long post short, I semi-agree with you. But the game was so ridiculously good and fun and I see the merit of what they did. And it's one of my favorite games I ever played. But....more importantly, who thinks we need a Volus party member in ME3? Come on!

 

[Jfswift]

My Random Thoughts on this.

I did enjoy playing ME2. The game had a new direction, basically an unknown threat was removing all of humanity, instead of the Geth and Saren attacking all alien races, so plot-wise it was a new direction. I liked how it tied in the Reapers who were behind the scenes all alone and that you got to wrap up loose ends from ME1.

Most of the game revolved around building an army once a greater Reaper threat was made known. this is all new because before it was assumed they couldn't return once the Citadel was tampered with.

I don't fully understand why the Reapers felt a need to establish a human version. Maybe it's because they've been around for a really, crazy, long ass time and pretty much one human took them out. That brings me to my second point, why was Sheppard attacked? If he was so resourceful as to terminate a Reaper wouldn't he be more useful as a slave, or at least his dna be useful to the Reapers in some way?

 

[Starke]

and,it's more than likely that I missed some important developments too.

I didn't notice any, there's some foreshadowing you didn't mention, but, really, you've basically got the jist of it. I got the hell flamed out of me a month back or so for posting basically the same thing, so good luck.

 

[ultrachicken]

I thought the reason for the human reaper was because the Reapers thought that humans are powerful, because Shepard killed Sovereign.

The plot was fine. Not stellar, but entertaining enough. The collectors were a large enough threat to be a good antagonist.

 

[Starke]

ME2 exists as the middle child of a trilogy. Kind of like The Empire Strikes Back, where in the grand scheme of the Galactic Civil War nothing happens, but the characters themselves develop further. We can safely assume there will be greater plot development in the third installment.

No, Senrab, I am your father.

Yeah... no, the ending of ESB puts Star Wars in a very different place from the end of ANH.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

In ME2, something that drove me effing bonkers was the bullet delay.


IT MAKES NO SENSE!

The idea is to propel something tiny tiny tiny at uber speeds. Now why the hell would there be a delay? You're moving something at near light speeds, and there's a DELAY?

*rips hair out of skull*

You may be over or underthinking that one. I don't know which. They say you accelerate a tiny chunk of metal to really fast speeds, but where did it ever say "near light"? If it really was that fast, I believe every bullet would equate to having a firework launched at you (Force=MassxAccel, and Accel here is f-ing HUGE if you say "near light") The most it ever said was that the gun measures what it would take to send a decent bullet however far to whatever you're aiming at in whatever environment you're currently in, shaves off a piece, and fires it.

 

[manaman]

...Of course, you learn that the Reapers were using the Collectors to harvest humans so they can build a Human-Reaper (lolwut?). But I don't remember it being answered why they built a Human-Reaper( maybe someone else does).

I thought having he main character die at the beginning was the dumb part.

The human reaper was more of an answer to what the reapers are, what they are under those shells. You get this and a lot more from talking with the team members in the game, after the game as well.

 

[Starke]

the first mass effect had a better story and quests i think. also, the universe felt bigger with landing on planets with the mako and getting lost in the citadel. and im really mad they got rid of the customizable armor and weapons

I liked the armor customization in 2, I was less thrilled that it was only for Shepard. It would have been nice to be able to muck around with everyone's armor like that. The rest I mostly agree with.