175 réponses à ce sujet

[Fixers0]

 Hello everyone.
I have been thinking lately about why exactly the plot of Mass Effect 2 did't work for me well here i have got the anwser:
The Game's own internal contradictions, why: Now a contradictions are simply said, two  conclusions that are the the opposite of each other, Small example: anwsering Yes and no on the same question, the anwser ''no'' contradicted the earlier anwser ''yes''.

So let's move on to Mass effect 2. now Mass effect 2 is full of contracdictions often asumptions or conclusions are made in act 1 and then in act 2, an oppossing action is done or conclusion is made, now i know it's hard to explains so i will take some examples to make it more clear.

1. The Collector Cruiser.
One of the most clear examples in Mass Effect 2 is the Collector Cruiser, in the earlier parts of the game it's portrayed as a ship that can quickly intercepted and destroy ships thus making it look very powerfull and deadly on par with sovereign, yet during the suicide mission even an unupgraded normandy can destroy the Cruiser Relativly quickly.

2. The Reason Shepard's Resurrection/Recruited ment.
The Second One is Cerberus Reasoning to Resurrect/recruit Shepard, This is a pretty simple one. In the opening Scene with Miranda and TIM they discuss that they needed Shepard in their organisation because he is a Hero in the Galaxy and he has the Council and the Alliance's support, yet when we got resurrected, TIM informs Shepard that he doesn't expect that the council will give him real support.

Now you might say: They need about .2: they needed him Because he needs to lead the Suicide Mission. Why exactly? There Really is nothing special about him,  he is no longer the hero of the Galaxy, and the only thing that made him special is the prothean Visions and the Cipher, which where no used one time during the main plot.

3. Preparing for the Suicide mission.
Well not really a Contradiction, it is one of the main points that bothered me, During the Suicide mission when where are disscussing a plan to infiltrate the Collector base, at the point of choosing the tech expert there is a dialog option that will say: ''Let's blow those doors open'' then EDI Responds with that there aren't any Powerfull explosives onboard the Normandy. So we had a game which Central point is to prepare for a suicide mission that could involve anything and we take all the time to recruit teammates but we didn't pack some big Explosive charges onboard the ship, what kind of preparation is that?

After all these examples the question is. What are the effects these Internal Contradictions. Well the answer is: Because all these contradictions  effectively neutralize all the value and tension of the scene and turing it into a boring predictable scene. this is probably also the reason why  after playing the game a few times i felt like it was some kind of production machine that allows the player to make choices into which production tube the player proceeds next and what happens there.


So what do you think?
Please post Discuss or your own examples here but keep it polite.

THE BOTTEM LINE
Mass Effect 2 plot holds many contradictions, Because the script demands certain things need to be done that way, therefore these scenes have no longer any value or tension in it.
 

Modifié par Fixers0, 09 décembre 2010 - 10:18 .

[TexasToast712]

2. was before he got pwned by the Collectors. I think they were making preperations to protect him then out of no where its WTF BOOM Shephards dead. Then they decide to resurrect him.

3. Maybe the collectors took their **** when the Crew gets abducted or maybe all the explosives were in the cargo bay and got sucked out when that eye ball thing attacks in the cargo hold.

Modifié par TexasToast712, 09 décembre 2010 - 09:37 .

[Praetor Knight]

Fixers0 wrote...

1. The Collector Cruiser.
One of the most clear examples in Mass Effect 2 is the Collector Cruiser, in the earlier parts of the game it's portrayed as a ship that can quickly intercepted and destroy ships thus making it look very powerfull and deadly on par with sovereign, yet during the suicide mission even an unupgraded normandy can destroy the Cruiser Relativly quickly.

Well the SR2 is a better ship than the SR1, my question is when the Cruiser is seen again, after passing through the Omega 4 relay, how damaged was it really?

And if it catches someone by surprise, of course it should be successful, especially when it was civilian ships that were attacked (if I remember correctly), before the Normandy was destroyed.

2. The Reason Shepard's Resurrection/Recruited ment.
The Second One is Cerberus Reasoning to Resurrect/recruit Shepard, This is a pretty simple one. In the opening Scene with Miranda and TIM they discuss that they needed Shepard in their organisation because he is a Hero in the Galaxy and he has the Council and the Alliance's support, yet when we got resurrected, TIM informs Shepard that he doesn't expect that the council will give him real support.

Now you might say: They need about .2: they needed him Because he needs to lead the Suicide Mission. Why exactly? There Really is nothing special about him,  he is no longer the hero of the Galaxy, and the only thing that made him special is the prothean Visions and the Cipher, which where no used one time during the main plot.

Well I hope this plays into ME3 more, but I wonder who would follow Jacob or Miranda on a suicide mission? or who could keep the Quarian's Admiralty Board from banishing Tali other than Shep or even rescue her before that?

3. Preparing for the Suicide mission.
Well not really a Contradiction, it is one of the main points that bothered me, During the Suicide mission when where are disscussing a plan to infiltrate the Collector base, at the point of choosing the tech expert there is a dialog option that will say: ''Let's blow those doors open'' then EDI Responds with that there aren't any Powerfull explosives onboard the Normandy. So we had a game which Central point is to prepare for a suicide mission that could involve anything and we take all the time to recruit teammates but we didn't pack some big Explosive charges onboard the ship, what kind of preparation is that?

Yeah, what's wrong with at least trying the Cain on that door? They must be some uber doors in that spot.

I'd guess they forgot to recruit a demolitions expert, because they could have tried to destroy the door frame or an adjoining wall to that room. Then again it would have then been harder to hold off the collectors especially if a praetorian showed up.

After all these examples the question is. What are the effects these Internal Contradictions. Well the answer is: Because all these contradictions  effectively neutralize all the value and tension of the scene and turing it into a boring predictable scene. this is probably also the reason why  after playing the game a few times i felt like it was some kind of production machine that allows the player to make choices into which production tube the player proceeds next and what happens there.

Well we are all entitled to our opinions, and mine is I was not too bothered by things that confused me story-wise, they just better poke fun at them like they did with omnigel and a few other things I can't remember right now.

Modifié par Praetor Shepard, 09 décembre 2010 - 09:42 .

[Fixers0]

TexasToast712 wrote...

2. was before he got pwned by the Collectors. I think they were making preperations to protect him then out of no where its WTF BOOM Shephards dead. Then they decide to resurrect him.

Still Cerberus Reasoning to Resurrect or even recruit him is vague. Again what dit they want with Shepard ? or is Shepard even going to help them? They could have recruited anyone but they had to resurrect shepard, for no other reason other then to give us Mass Effect 2.

[Iakus]

Fixers0 wrote...

1. The Collector Cruiser.
One of the most clear examples in Mass Effect 2 is the Collector Cruiser, in the earlier parts of the game it's portrayed as a ship that can quickly intercepted and destroy ships thus making it look very powerfull and deadly on par with sovereign, yet during the suicide mission even an unupgraded normandy can destroy the Cruiser Relativly quickly.

I'm willing to chalk this up to the fact tht the Collectors took the SR 1 completely by surprise the first time.  The SR 2 went in expecting a fight.  But yeah it is still kinda disappointing how much of a nonissue teh Collectors turned out to be.

2. The Reason Shepard's Resurrection/Recruited ment.
The Second One is Cerberus Reasoning to Resurrect/recruit Shepard, This is a pretty simple one. In the opening Scene with Miranda and TIM they discuss that they needed Shepard in their organisation because he is a Hero in the Galaxy and he has the Council and the Alliance's support, yet when we got resurrected, TIM informs Shepard that he doesn't expect that the council will give him real support.

Now you might say: They need about .2: they needed him Because he needs to lead the Suicide Mission. Why exactly? There Really is nothing special about him,  he is no longer the hero of the Galaxy, and the only thing that made him special is the prothean Visions and the Cipher, which where no used one time during the main plot.

This.  Very much this.  In the end, TIM might as well have said "We need Shepard because he/she is the protagonist" for all the reasoning behind it.   Shep did nothing Jacob or Miranda couldn't have handled. 

3. Preparing for the Suicide mission.
Well not really a Contradiction, it is one of the main points that bothered me, During the Suicide mission when where are disscussing a plan to infiltrate the Collector base, at the point of choosing the tech expert there is a dialog option that will say: ''Let's blow those doors open'' then EDI Responds with that there aren't any Powerfull explosives onboard the Normandy. So we had a game which Central point is to prepare for a suicide mission that could involve anything and we take all the time to recruit teammates but we didn't pack some big Explosive charges onboard the ship, what kind of preparation is that?

Aside from upgrading the Normandy, I didn't see any actual preparation for the Suicide Mission.  Just "loyalty missions" like that's all that's needed for a scouting mission/raid on enemy terriroryf in an unknown part of space against mysterious technologically advanced aliens.  But really, what's the worst that could happen?

Oh, and fyi, they did have explosives.  Or at least they had one explosive.  They nuked the Teltin facility in Jack's quest.  Guess they forgot about that

Modifié par iakus, 09 décembre 2010 - 09:45 .

[Ragnarok521]

1) I haven't played the SM with the Normandy not fully upgraded, but yeah that does seem a bit odd. A large cruiser that's likely powered by advanced Reaper tech gets taken down by a small frigate that has no substantial technological edge?

2) The Illusive Man probably saw that if they were going to survive the Reaper invasion, he'd need someone with charisma, great ability, and most importantly, experience to gather the support needed to combat the threat. Shepard is all of those wrapped in one, as well as the one with the most knowledge and understanding of the Reapers.

3) You make a good point. If you're going to go into a mission as dangerous as the SM you'd better come well prepared. That means having the right people as well as being well supplied.

Modifié par Ragnarok521, 09 décembre 2010 - 09:50 .

[Tennessee88]

Fixers0 wrote...

TexasToast712 wrote...

2. was before he got pwned by the Collectors. I think they were making preperations to protect him then out of no where its WTF BOOM Shephards dead. Then they decide to resurrect him.

Still Cerberus Reasoning to Resurrect or even recruit him is vague. Again what dit they want with Shepard ? or is Shepard even going to help them? They could have recruited anyone but they had to resurrect shepard, for no other reason other then to give us Mass Effect 2.

There are multiple reasons for recruiting Shepard. He is far more likely to gain the Alliance and Council's trust when they are willing to accept the threat.
He is a proven combatant and trusted commander who can recruit from a diverse team, many of which make up his old crew.
He has a first hand knowledge of the threat, something no one in else in that galaxy is truly able to understand.
The Collectors showed incredible interest in him, trying to buy his body from the Shadow Broker.

Just to name a few reasons...

[Zulu_DFA]

1. The element of surprise decides the outcome of the engagement.



2. After two years the situation's changed.



3. Agreed, the "suicide mission" as it is sucks.

[Fixers0]

Tennessee88 wrote...

Fixers0 wrote...

TexasToast712 wrote...

2. was before he got pwned by the Collectors. I think they were making preperations to protect him then out of no where its WTF BOOM Shephards dead. Then they decide to resurrect him.

Still Cerberus Reasoning to Resurrect or even recruit him is vague. Again what dit they want with Shepard ? or is Shepard even going to help them? They could have recruited anyone but they had to resurrect shepard, for no other reason other then to give us Mass Effect 2.

There are multiple reasons for recruiting Shepard. He is far more likely to gain the Alliance and Council's trust when they are willing to accept the threat.
He is a proven combatant and trusted commander who can recruit from a diverse team, many of which make up his old crew.
He has a first hand knowledge of the threat, something no one in else in that galaxy is truly able to understand.
The Collectors showed incredible interest in him, trying to buy his body from the Shadow Broker.

Just to name a few reasons...

I'm still not really convinced, on why Cerberus should put so much effort just to bring one guy back
Just to add.

why should the council accept the threat of the reaper they have been busy for two years cover it up and now shepard also taken care Collector threat.
That's no reason to put more then 4 billon into one guy he isn't the only good combatant in the universe, Recruit Zaeed or a whole mercenary organisation.
He might have the knowlege but i never saw him using it during the main plot.
That doesn't play any role in the main plot, the only thing going on between Shepard and the Collectors is that they are shooting at each other.

The bottem line, Shepard might be a guy to stop the reapers if his experiances played a role in the main plot, but it didn't.
 

Modifié par Fixers0, 09 décembre 2010 - 10:07 .

[Moiaussi]

1. They can't get the scale right on the collector cruiser either. It is identified as a cruiser hull, yet appearantly has the pod capacity to hold millions if not billions of captives. Horizon alone has 600k-ish people, and they conclude that would only fill a small fraction of the pods. Earth (which they conclude is the 'real' target) has billions of people.



Frankly though the main reason the Normandy goes down is that Joker tries to actual evade rather than simply run straight to FTL as soon as it is realized a Cruiser has spotted them. We know from later that the SR 2 can go to FTL pretty much instantly.



2. It really comes down to anyone other than the protaganist holds an idiot ball just to make the main character look good. It would have been really nice though if the information Shepard had from ME1 made at least a little difference. Cerberus went out of their way though to make sure every non-Cerberus resource knew Shep was *theirs* though, seriously undermining any benefit to recruiting him. Even assets they had a hand in, such as Jack had more reason to distrust him.



3. Not only a lack of explosives, but all the 'special missions' seemed completely irrelvant other than the long walk. None of them had to be successful to win, as evidenced by people using them to deliberately kill off specific characters.

[Googlesaurus]

Fixers0 wrote...

1. The Collector Cruiser.
One of the most clear examples in Mass Effect 2 is the Collector Cruiser, in the earlier parts of the game it's portrayed as a ship that can quickly intercepted and destroy ships thus making it look very powerfull and deadly on par with sovereign, yet during the suicide mission even an unupgraded normandy can destroy the Cruiser Relativly quickly.

Sneak attacks.

Fixers0 wrote...

2. The Reason Shepard's Resurrection/Recruited ment.
The Second One is Cerberus Reasoning to Resurrect/recruit Shepard, This is a pretty simple one. In the opening Scene with Miranda and TIM they discuss that they needed Shepard in their organisation because he is a Hero in the Galaxy and he has the Council and the Alliance's support, yet when we got resurrected, TIM informs Shepard that he doesn't expect that the council will give him real support.

Now you might say: They need about .2: they needed him Because he needs to lead the Suicide Mission. Why exactly? There Really is nothing special about him,  he is no longer the hero of the Galaxy, and the only thing that made him special is the prothean Visions and the Cipher, which where no used one time during the main plot.

TIM has a plan. And Shepard would still command respect even if people knew he worked for Cerberus. For some silly reason everyone did know he was working for Cerberus. 

In the end, it was a plot point. Don't try to make sense out of it. 

Fixers0 wrote...

3. Preparing for the Suicide mission.
Well not really a Contradiction, it is one of the main points that bothered me, During the Suicide mission when where are disscussing a plan to infiltrate the Collector base, at the point of choosing the tech expert there is a dialog option that will say: ''Let's blow those doors open'' then EDI Responds with that there aren't any Powerfull explosives onboard the Normandy. So we had a game which Central point is to prepare for a suicide mission that could involve anything and we take all the time to recruit teammates but we didn't pack some big Explosive charges onboard the ship, what kind of preparation is that?

The preparation of a team who was just blindsided and had their entire crew captured. 

Modifié par Googlesaurus, 09 décembre 2010 - 10:50 .

[harmonator62]

Fixers0 wrote...

2. The Reason Shepard's Resurrection/Recruited ment.
The Second One is Cerberus Reasoning to Resurrect/recruit Shepard, This is a pretty simple one. In the opening Scene with Miranda and TIM they discuss that they needed Shepard in their organisation because he is a Hero in the Galaxy and he has the Council and the Alliance's support, yet when we got resurrected, TIM informs Shepard that he doesn't expect that the council will give him real support.

Now you might say: They need about .2: they needed him Because he needs to lead the Suicide Mission. Why exactly? There Really is nothing special about him,  he is no longer the hero of the Galaxy, and the only thing that made him special is the prothean Visions and the Cipher, which where no used one time during the main plot.

The reason Cerberus brought Shepard back was for the Reapers ,which will happen, God-willing, in ME3. The Collectors happened to be activated during the time Shepard was deader than a door-nob, so Cerberus decided the best interest of humanity involved taking down the Collectors before turning to the Reapers. Since Shepard was gone those two years, all of the work he did in convincing the galaxy of the Reaper evaporated (thanks a ton Udina). Sure, in the months following the Attack on the Citadel Cerberus is all about the Reaper threat. Two years later, priorities change. This contradiction can be smoothed out with the right application in ME3.

The real problem is this second piece. All of the knowledge Shepard acquired in ME counts for zilch, except for one lousy side-quest. Shepard spent all that time tracking down evidence of the Reaper threat, and just two years after it couldn't buy him his own VI. Once again, I'll bet that the Reapers are the focal point and the stuff Shepard discovered in ME comes full-circle in ME3. If not, I might actually threaten to throw my controller.

[AdmiralCheez]

Gameplay > Plot. That's really the only reason for any of these weak points. I just wished they'd stop sacrificing one for the sake of the other and learn to incorporate them harmoniously.

[Zurcior]

iakus wrote...

This.  Very much this.  In the end, TIM might as well have said "We need Shepard because he/she is the protagonist" for all the reasoning behind it.   Shep did nothing Jacob or Miranda couldn't have handled. 

 WHAT?! Miranda says straight to your face that she doesn't have what it takes to lead  a group like Shepard can. And Jacob? Don't get me started on Jacob. If it weren't for Shepard, Miranda and Jacob would have died on Horizon.

[Praetor Knight]

Zurcior wrote...

iakus wrote...

This.  Very much this.  In the end, TIM might as well have said "We need Shepard because he/she is the protagonist" for all the reasoning behind it.   Shep did nothing Jacob or Miranda couldn't have handled. 

 WHAT?! Miranda says straight to your face that she doesn't have what it takes to lead  a group like Shepard can. And Jacob? Don't get me started on Jacob. If it weren't for Shepard, Miranda and Jacob would have died on Horizon.

Come to think of it, they would not be able to recruit Garrus (he likely would have killed them crossing the bridge), or Jack, she would not get past Cerberus, and if she's on board, Miranda would not help her and they'd like fight much sooner than what happens.

there are a few other what if's but, meh.

[Yojimbo_Ltd]

KEEP IN MIND! He is not complaining about UNIVERSE issues! He is complaining about PLOT issues because this is first and foremost a story.



Shep could have been swapped for ANOTHER charismatic, badass special forces commander. There is more than one... I hope.

[Iakus]

Yojimbo_Ltd wrote...

KEEP IN MIND! He is not complaining about UNIVERSE issues! He is complaining about PLOT issues because this is first and foremost a story.

Shep could have been swapped for ANOTHER charismatic, badass special forces commander. There is more than one... I hope.

Indeed.

Squad composition may have ended up slightly different, but Shepard's role was certainly not "unique" as TIM insists.  Certainly not multibillion credit unique.  Shepard's uniqueness was the Prothean beacon and the Cipher, which had nothing at all to do with ME 2

[Mr. Gogeta34]

There's no contradictions in the points you brought up.



1. The Normandy SR2 is upgraded by default from the Normandy SR1... complete with EDI who assists in battle situations (it wasn't just Joker that got you successfully to the Collector Base).



2. It's not that they expect support in that sense, it's that Shepard is a galactic hero and an ally to the Council... the only human to have that honor. Cerberus's goal is advancing the human race and Shepard is their best advocate given what he's done and who he's friends with.



3. Like you said it's not really a plot hole, and considering how powerful biotics are in Mass Effect 2, any explosion could've been assumed as supplemented by biotic force. With that in mind you have atleast 3 biotics with you who could do something massive with a united, concentrated effort.

[Chuvvy]

iakus wrote...

Yojimbo_Ltd wrote...

KEEP IN MIND! He is not complaining about UNIVERSE issues! He is complaining about PLOT issues because this is first and foremost a story.

Shep could have been swapped for ANOTHER charismatic, badass special forces commander. There is more than one... I hope.

Indeed.

Squad composition may have ended up slightly different, but Shepard's role was certainly not "unique" as TIM insists.  Certainly not multibillion credit unique.  Shepard's uniqueness was the Prothean beacon and the Cipher, which had nothing at all to do with ME 2

I've been saying that for awhile. Also they didn't even need the reapers. It could have just as easily been the collectors working alone. ME2s' story was much better suited for a spinoff with a different protagonist.

Modifié par Slidell505, 10 décembre 2010 - 06:22 .

[Bourne Endeavor]

Anyone else derive amusement from what TIM's de facto opinion of Miranda and Jacob must be and the consequential irony of their leadership roles in the suicide mission? Consider for a moment, TIM sought to revive Shepard because "Humanity needs a leader." We can only conclude this meant he believed both Miranda and Jacob were so incompetent in the aforementioned role, spending four billion credits was a superior venture since Shepard did little actual "leading." So of makes you wonder why they are leaders alongside Garrus in the SM.

Hell if Zaeed dialed down the crazy a tad or Garrus had slightly more experience, both could have taken Shepard's role and I imagine at significantly less cost.

Edit...

Slidell505 wrote...

iakus wrote...

Yojimbo_Ltd wrote...

KEEP
IN MIND! He is not complaining about UNIVERSE issues! He is complaining
about PLOT issues because this is first and foremost a story.

Shep could have been swapped for ANOTHER charismatic, badass special forces commander. There is more than one... I hope.

Indeed.

Squad composition
may have ended up slightly different, but Shepard's role was certainly
not "unique" as TIM insists.  Certainly not multibillion credit unique. 
Shepard's uniqueness was the Prothean beacon and the Cipher, which had
nothing at all to do with ME 2

I've been saying that for
awhile. Also they didn't even need the reapers. It could have just as
easily been the collectors working alone. ME2s' story was much better
suited for a spinoff with a different protagonist.

This is why I have begun to call Mass Effect 2 I fantastically developed expansion game or what Dragon Age: Awakening should have been to DAO.

Modifié par Bourne Endeavor, 10 décembre 2010 - 06:37 .

[Fixers0]

After reading all the post here i decided to put it in differently.
 
-In Mass effect 2 the Script forces us to accept:
-things that happen during the story.
-things that don't happen during the story.
-tings that we are toled during the story.
-thing we aren't tolded during the story.

You see the scripts always want's us to play in their way during the main plot mission, Shepard has really not mucj influance on the things that happen during the main plot, were as during the Character mission Shepard has a lot moments to give his own opinion or influnce the mission, the script simply want's us things done even if they contradict  things that prevously happend or we are toled.

i also believe that Shepard has no plot intergral value, as someone said he could be replaced by any cabable leader, i really doubt Shepard is the only human that can lead a team of aliens and humans. You see in the  in the current plot of mass effect 2 Shepard never really is doing something with his Prothean Cipher or his experiances that he made up in the first game, He is just shootin, talking,shooting, talking, and that's about everything that our protagonist is doing during the main plot.
  

Modifié par Fixers0, 10 décembre 2010 - 01:13 .

[Lumikki]

1. They where two different Normandy, first alot weaker SR1 and second was upgraded SR2.
2. Shepard is famous about do the impossible. (Also games main point, continue Shepards story)
3. Maybe because they where not there to "just" blow everyting up, but rescue the crew too.

There where plot holes or what did not make sense in both ME games. Even if ME2 had more of them. I had three problems with ME2 and only one with ME1. In any story based game you can't play agaist story.

Modifié par Lumikki, 10 décembre 2010 - 07:10 .

[ItsFreakinJesus]

They needed Shepard because Shepard is a symbol. Shepard is famous galaxy wide for stopping what would've been a major Geth attack (according to how the Galaxy sees the event), and they needed someone with a proven track record to aid in their enlistment process. People are more likely to follow an icon to war than they are some random person who says that they want them to fight.



If Batman asked you to go fight somethugs and I asked you to fight the same thugs, you'll be more likely to join Batman because he's an icon with a track record and I'm just some guy.

[Xan Kreigor Mk2]

1:  The collector ship had taken the SR1 by surprise. they weren't ready, no chance to fight back.  Then, throughout the whole game, the collector ship is constantly getting attacked (guns on Horizon,
Turiens).  By the end of the game it was kinda hurting.  Throw in their loss of surprise (hell, they were
surprised) and the upgraded Normandy, a win isn't that unbelievable

2:  The whole game is about Shepard (obv).  It's not that he's a great soldier or a brilliant tacticain. He is a symbol.  even if the Alliance turns their backs on him, he can't lose that.  Miranda basically obsesses about it in her romance dialogue.  "there's something about [him] making people willing to follow [him] to the gates of hell." I'm paraphrasing here

3:  There are, believe it or not, doors that can withstand bombs. Yes, even Cain.  right down to it, Cain is an omni-directional bomb.  Ordinance that can blast through a specially reinforced door would need to be a  shaped blast, aimed at a weak point in the door (natural or created).  Shepard didn't know what was on the other side of the Omega 4, but he couldn't have known it was a fortress.  who needs bunker busters in space?

Assuming no ones said this yet. didnt read the whole thread lol

Modifié par Xan Kreigor Mk2, 10 décembre 2010 - 07:22 .

[Terraneaux]

What it comes down to is the writing team didn't want to write a story that involved 'Shepard, savior of the Citadel' as a character. So they retconned it, poorly. Bringing you back to square one. Erasing all your progress from the previous game in rallying the galaxy behind you. Because it's too much trouble to build upon the previous game like that.