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[InkognitoY]

Disclaimer - If this has already been discussed, please link me to the conversation and then let this thread die.  

>>>>Oh, and SPOILERS<<<<<

Okay if there was anything about ME2 that I didn't like, it was the collectors. Everything else was great. If I were to draw out a ME2 timeline, it would look like this:

??----------?-----?-------------???

Where the ? are encounters with the collectors which bothered me to no end, and the - is the rest of the game, which I enjoyed. 

So my question becomes, what exactly was the point of the collectors? Since the Mass Effect series was meant to be a trilogy from the start, you would think that the over arching plot would be advanced with each title, and then concluded in ME3. The problem I have with ME2 is that I felt like it just moved the plot sideways. 

What were the collectors motives? Why were they building a Human Reaper? How this relate to the Reapers invading? 

If the collectors wanted Shepard, then why would they destroy the first Normandy instead of boarding it? 

The rest is quoted from this review, because I found it as I was typing this, and it says what I was going to say, so to save time, I did some copy-pasta:
"They’re trying to get enough humans together to build a new Reaper, but they need “millions more” to finish the job. They’ll never get that many humans without fighting a huge war. The Alliance may be the most apathetic bunch in the Galaxy, but sooner or later people would have fled the Terminus Systems and the Collectors would have needed to operate in Alliance-controlled space in order to meet their fleshbag quota. Despite their slight tech edge it’s clear they couldn’t possibly hope to prevail against the humans and their likely allies. Their plan is doomed long before Shepard shows up and starts shooting guys.But even if their plan had worked, so what? One Reaper? Would they just fling it at Citadel and hope it fared better than Sovereign? Again, I don’t expect to learn all their plans. But I wouldn’t mind knowing they had one.

It [the plot] moves sideways, loops through a cul-de-sac, and ends right where it began. By the end of the game we’ve got the same captain, same ship, same problems, same setup. Council is still useless. Alliance is still apathetic. Shepard & Co are the only ones who care. The Reapers are still out there. And if you did the paragon ending, you don’t even have any proof or tech to show for it. (Which means that the choice will very likely have minimal consequence in the next game.) None of the important questions posed in Mass Effect 1 are addressed."

Personally, I feel like the Arrival DLC makes the entire story of ME2 pointless, and that Bioware should have probably made the main story of ME2 the search for the Alpha Relay, and then the final mission would be Arrival.

So those are my grievences that I hope somebody could help answer. Please note, I love Mass Effect 2, the characters, the gameplay, the locales, just not the main plot. 

[Stammer6]

My suggestion is to read this: Mass Effect Dissertation

It's long, but it's extremely insightful and should answer any questions you have about how the Collectors work and what the overall point of Mass Effect 2 was. In particular there's a whole section on the Collectors alone, but the whole thing is worth taking a look at.

[DPSSOC]

InkognitoY wrote...
What were the collectors motives? Why were they building a Human Reaper? How this relate to the Reapers invading?

Maybe get a jump start on the human Reaper for when the others arrive?  Assuming the reason the Reapers use the tactic they do (Citadel Jump) is because they want to avoid a straight up fight they may have wanted to get an early start on the Human Reaper so they could replace Sovereign as quickly as possible  Barring that it could be that, because they weren't able to use the Citadel Relay, the Reapers are strapped for resources and want to dedicate as little time and energy into building the next Reaper as possible so they have the Collectors get started.  Finally it could simply be the Reapers trying to eliminate as many humans from the conflict as possible before they arrive.  It was a human Spectre who foiled Sovereign's plans and a human fleet that destroyed him after all.

InkognitoY wrote...
If the collectors wanted Shepard, then why would they destroy the first Normandy instead of boarding it?

Retrieving a corpse is much easier than taking a captive. 

InkognitoY wrote...
The rest is quoted from this review, because I found it as I was typing this, and it says what I was going to say, so to save time, I did some copy-pasta:
"They’re trying to get enough humans together to build a new Reaper, but they need “millions more” to finish the job. They’ll never get that many humans without fighting a huge war. The Alliance may be the most apathetic bunch in the Galaxy, but sooner or later people would have fled the Terminus Systems and the Collectors would have needed to operate in Alliance-controlled space in order to meet their fleshbag quota.

This makes a few assumptions that contradict established evidence.  Entire colonies have been disappearing for two years with no trace and nobody has batted an eyelash.  Everyone has written it off as slavers, a known hazard in the Terminus, so nobody is going to be running.  Yes eventually they'd have to make a push for Alliance space but that push was probably intended to coincide with the Reapers arrival and probably target Earth specifically.

InkognitoY wrote...
Despite their slight tech edge it’s clear they couldn’t possibly hope to prevail against the humans and their likely allies.

Other humans?  Seriously the Council races did nothing when the Geth attacked and they're a universally recognized threat.  What makes you think they'll step in when the Collectors move in.  Also even if we go with the idea that the Collectors would need to target Alliance space before the Reapers got there are we forgetting their M.O.?  Cut communications, freeze the colony, grab the people, and get out before anyone shows up.  Horizon showed that the Collectors don't just pick their targets at random they give them consideration.  While the disappearances might arouse suspiscion and result in heightened patrols the Alliance can't be everywhere and with no evidence as to the source of the attacks they can't go on the offensive.

InkognitoY wrote...
Personally, I feel like the Arrival DLC makes the entire story of ME2 pointless, and that Bioware should have probably made the main story of ME2 the search for the Alpha Relay, and then the final mission would be Arrival.

I agree Arrival would have made for a better story for ME2 in terms of plot progression.  Personally I think ME2 was just meant as a placeholder, so they could reset the Council and Alliance's positions on the Reapers and pad out the series because marketing the second part of a trilogy is easier than just an end of the line sequel.

Not a perfect explanation I know but those are the best answers I can come up with at 12:30 AM

[Zall]

InkognitoY wrote...
So my question becomes, what exactly was the point of the collectors?

It would seem that it doesn't matter to you much, but they are the Protheans and so to say they are our future should Shepard fail. We might get lucky and become a Reaper, though, since that would so much nicer.

InkognitoY wrote...
If the collectors wanted Shepard, then why would they destroy the first Normandy instead of boarding it?

At that time, they just wanted to eliminate the threat. Shepard is almost the only human who knows about the Reapers and plans to do something about them.
Only afterwards, when he came back from the dead and started kicking ass, the Reapers got interested. He intereferes with their plans again and again, a small human who led to the demise of Souvereign. Most likely, he'd be of better use if studied, analyzed and perhaps eventually becoming an agent of the Reapers just like Saren.

InkognitoY wrote...
What were the collectors motives?

The Collectors obviously don't have the man-power to attack an heavy populated planet and that's why they target only small colonies. Their job is not to create an entire Reaper alone, but prepare for the Arrival of the Reapers and to lay the fundament for the Human Reaper.

The Collectors have not only been slushifiying humans in the time that Shepard was gone. They also creayed plagues like the one Mordin encountered on Omega, caused trouble and tried to destabilize the galaxy. Their motives are serving the Reapers in whatever way they can.

InkognitoY wrote...
Why were they building a Human Reaper?

Because that's what Reapers do. Their goal is not to kill us all, but to turn the most superior race in the galaxy into a Reaper, so their former enemies become their kind.

The Human Reaper is not a weapon, not meant to fight in this war even. He serves no real use, but he is the reason why the Reaper have been reaping the galaxies for the millions of years. The Protheans were used to create a Reaper as well, but the it didn't succeed. In the case of Protheans, there was little or no resistance at all, so it's obvious that the Prothean Reaper at least was not supposed to win their war. He was the "child" of that generation, whereas the Human Reaper the "child" of this generation.

InkognitoY wrote...
How this relate to the Reapers invading?

They Reapers are going to finish the job, enslaving other races or just killing them off, and planned to finish what the Collectors started on their command.

Modifié par Zall, 17 août 2011 - 04:37 .

[d1sciple]

isn't that the point of the middle of a planned trilogy? to introduce new characters but not advance the story? me2 is a HUGE step up from me1 in terms of pace and overall design, the story changes though and becomes more about the people in the galaxy and preparing to save the galaxy, then actually going about it. i think it's followed the long established rules of a sequel perfectly. the reapers remain an unanswered question and the mission remains at a stalemate but now we have a direction and a view of the galaxy we didn't have before. remember it's a trilogy, you're not supposed to know everything by yet, try and enjoy the ignorance for now lol

[Inutaisho7996]

Zall wrote...

*snip*

InkognitoY wrote...
Why were they building a Human Reaper?
 

Because that's what Reapers do. Their goal is not to kill us all, but to turn the most superior race in the galaxy into a Reaper, so their former enemies become their kind.

The Human Reaper is not a weapon, not meant to fight in this war even. He serves no real use, but he is the reason why the Reaper have been reaping the galaxies for the millions of years. The Protheans were used to create a Reaper as well, but the it didn't succeed. In the case of Protheans, there was little or no resistance at all, so it's obvious that the Prothean Reaper at least was not supposed to win their war. He was the "child" of that generation, whereas the Human Reaper the "child" of this generation.

*snip*

I've always hated when people said that. That's nothing more than speculation from EDI. Maybe there is a prothean reaper, and the collectors were just making use of the leftovers?

[LorDC]

InkognitoY wrote...
So my question becomes, what exactly was the point of the collectors?

From game design POV they serve as your enemies. From story POV they serve as instruments for the Reapers.

InkognitoY wrote...
What were the collectors motives?

Collectors don't have motives. They serve as puppets, instruments of Reapers will.

InkognitoY wrote...
Why were they building a Human Reaper?

Most probably just for the sake of it. There wasn't any underlying "doomsday" plan. There wasn't even a goal to complete it before Reapers arrival.

InkognitoY wrote...
How this relate to the Reapers invading?

Since we don't know reasons for Reaper invasion it's hard to talk about it.

InkognitoY wrote...
If the collectors wanted Shepard, then why would they destroy the first Normandy instead of boarding it?

You know, they don't exactly want him in first place. Even Harbinger says in one of his battle cries "Preserve Shepard's body if possible." Yes, they would be glad to capture him but it is only a secondary goal.