Raithe

The tech that Sovereign overrode, was the cybernetic implants that Sovereign had specifically implanted in Saren. So things he'd had built himself, for that specific purpose. If he could directly effect the Mass Relays and other big construction projects the Reapers had developed (ala the Citadel) he wouldn't have had any problem with getting into the Citadel in the first place.. At least to my mind. Going purely Devil's Advocate here.. Possibly, one of the reasoning is that if you're relying on other races to develop along Element Zero / Mass Effect technology, you can't leave obvious backdoors and such in the tech? Races might be using them for several millenia, and in that time will quite probably get some understanding of them. By focusing the backdoor in the Keepers, and thus the central node (which I don't think the other races had realised that the Citadel served that purpose), no-one can find the possible flaw in the Mass Relays (ie, that its possible to shut them down via the Citadel).

If I'm recalling correctly, the original Plan A was that the Keepers were hardwired to send the signal awakening the Reapers and bypass the security of whatever alien races had inhabited the Citadel. Thus allowing the Reapers to switch off the relays, cause the advanced civilisations to fall apart and generally isolate each system. - The whole, by leaving the Mass Relays, it stopped other civilisations bothering to develop other means of ftl travel and technology base. The Prothean researchers on Ilos managed to reprogram the Keepers to prevent all of that. Sovereigns big plan was to use the hidden relay to get into the Citadel directly and bypass the defenses that the Keepers wouldn't switch off. Then get Saren to reactivate the Reaper-Beacon and allow things to go back to Plan A as normal. - Which is what you, as Shepard, stop in ME1. The Collectors, under another Reaper's control, are a separate Plan C, geared towards analysing the various civilisations as they develop. Which is why they had the whole reputation as mysterious "slaver" types who would offer up advanced tech and the like for various mutants and odd creatures, besides randomly snatching up small groups of the various species on the galactic playboard. This allows the Reapers to identify the players when they return, and provide them with plenty of genetic data for them to use in various ways. - Most notably, selecting which species would be useful as tweaked servants, who might be able to resist indoctrination, and who would be most useful in the process of creating new broods of Reapers... When Shepard stops Sovereign, it made the Collectors (under Harbringer) take notice of humanity, and why they quickly killed Shepard so soon after Sovereign's death. Two years of studying humanity, and they decide that as the key group who managed to destroy a Reaper (and I'm assuming a bunch of other reasons - note, see Mordin's talk about the difference in Humanitys genetics compared to the majority of other races) the Humans make the best genetic soup for new Reapers. And lo and behold, Shepard wipes the floor with the Collectors and stops that beginning sequence of the Reapers Plan D. Then on a side note, Shepard also manages to destroy the oldest Mass Relay, and cause a delay in the Reapers Plan F arrival... So I'd say the Reapers will be assuming that since none of the other races have really had much of an effect on Reaper plans, the best bet would be to swiftly remove Humanity from the game board, and then things can get back to normal. They don't want to reduce the Citadel to ruins and rebuild it once more, and it might be too much hassle to get around its defenses (considering the Keepers no longer automatically let them do so). So they head directly for Earth in the attempt to rapidly kick the crud out of the uppity kids. Also causing general fear in other races and potentially doing various PsyOps effects....

That was part of why they wanted the Citadel. That's pretty much the main switchboard. Or something to that effect. Without having control of that, they can't shut the relays down en masse.

It's always interesting how different music set to the same visuals can put a totally different emotion spin to it.. It's got to be quite an art to get the right type for what you want to evoke..

And another.. EAVision, talking to the Doctors about making games the Bioware way, and some standard interviews with Jennifer Hale and other.. http://youtu.be/i0YRrWgmgW4

And the official launch trailer for those who might have missed it.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG2mdZ23eP8

See, "hopeful optimism"...

Ahh righty. I've only read two of those so far. Horus Rising and Legion.

HH?

There's derailing and then there's derailing.... I have to admit, there are those moments of concern over the way they're heading with ME3, but at the moment (even with the demo) I really can't outrightly say yay or nay on how it will handle. The demo was just too.. cut back and didn't really show off a large amount of what the game is about. - okay, it possibly did if everything else is cut back that much, but I can't see that happening - The demo was pretty much just a slightly glitchy shooter with some cinematics. The key elements to the game are the over-arcing story, the dialogue (and the choices you make it in), how the "war assets" gathering and management are actually handled, and the personal stories and how "emotionally involving" the whole combination can be. And until I can actually sit down and play it for a few hours to see how that develops.. I'm going to sit there with the "potential skepticism, but hopeful optimism" for how it will turn out. I'm holding off on totally bitching them out about it until I have a firmer grasp on it all then some previews, spoilers and game journalists talking about it...

Well with Alpha Protocol, I think pretty much everyones filled their views, their likes and dislikes on those forums by now. If only there had been a follow on to it, it would still be going strong. But with nothing new to really talk about, things slow down and settle. There's only so much you can say before you're repeating yourself... Hell, I pretty much wandered onto the Obs Boards purely because of interest in the "upcoming Alpha Protocl" back when..

I have to admit, I kind of liked the whole

Heh, I've just spend the last hour or so helping my sister finish off the Jedi Consular storyline on Tython. My Jedi Knight is still around 14th level so it wasn't incredibly overpowered for it.. Still, when we finished it off she does the "hmm. I might be getting into this game..." Of course, I'm pondering it I should be concerned that I actually seem to be having better conversations with her within the game then we usually have face to face and living in the same house....

Its been bouncing between this and the TOR one for the past few weeks. Tis the nature of what's going on in the general gaming community...

For the amusement value... Rapidly evolving low-cost mobile technology keeps military up at night As the Darpa Deputy Director gives various testimony on "Emerging Threats" , the need to look at the current pace of developing smart phones and the like comes to the forefront.. Heh, it's growing into a dangerous world out there. Wait.. it's always been a dangerous world.

Not out and out laugh out amusing, but some generally quirky furniture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB4bvvyl_ss

Hm, something from IGN's Q&A Mass Effect 3 Preview Report So it looks like you won't be able to amble around regardless once you've picked up certain quests.. That could be interesting. Depending on how well it's handled.

Self-guided-bullets further in process of development....

Well they have said all those times that you'll see a lot of people turn up again as squad-mates if only for one-off missions... so there's that potential. Throw in the whole "romance triangles, and personal conflict" that's been talked about.. I wouldn't be surprised if they manage to fit that in..

Ah, but if (as it said) the Ensign they've got there is the lesbian romance for FemShep, then I doubt they'd casually have Kelly replace her. Hm, then again, with the way Kelly was played in ME2...

No Hammmerhead in the shuttle bay.. Hm, and no Tali on ship. So looks like she's going to be elsewhere... Wonder if you do run into the ME2 crew in any format as you wander around tho... Kelly or the Engineers mayhaps.

.. Just one serious freaking cursing streak at the pc. Running errands, got home, put the kettle on and checked email. Game - (the company) have just done a "We'd like to thank you for the 8 month preorder of ME3 Collectors Edition. We won't be giving it to you. To say sorry, here's a 5 pound voucher for the next game you order from us." Edit: For any other UK folks who've just been hit by this; http://www.nowgamer.com/news/1264480/uk_where_to_buy_the_mass_effect_3_n7_collectors_edition.html Gee, it's wonderful to hear this so close to the release date.

Random thought - those "missions" you could pay to have influenced via the Shadow Broker once you'd completed it. Odds on whether you'll get any "emails" or relevant effects in ME3 due to them?

Realised I need more focused exercise then the scatted I do each day. Spent a chunk of time running on the spot while out in the garden with the dog.. then realised I could not actually raise my knee up more then a few inches because my thighs were too damn tired.

Might be of some interest to all those talking on the music.. Interview by gamespot with a couple of the composers.. http://uk.gamespot.com/features/sound-byte-meet-the-composers-mass-effect-3-6350923/