History MassEffect2 / TropesGToM

* IntoxicationMechanic: Shepard can get drunk by ordering too many drinks at one of several bars in the game, making the graphics blurry and distorted, although this doesn't have any meaningful effect on gameplay, since Shepard cannot get drunk during combat missions. Nevertheless, a sidequest on Omega requires Shepard to first get drunk to order [[GargleBlaster ryncol]], while an unmarked story event on Ilium has the Matriarch Aethyta's appearance change drastically when Shepard is drunk, as opposed to sober -- no explanation is ever given for this, however. Later, Shepard can share a drink with Dr. Karin Chakwas in the medbay, during which you get to learn more about her character. While this does not impact gameplay, the player's entire screen will be fuzzy while it tilts and sways for about 10 seconds after.

** In one of the {{DLC}}s, you visit the final resting place of [[spoiler: the first Normandy.]] Among the wreckage, you find... the Mako rover, pretty much intact - and stuck in the level geometry, of course.

** Try shooting a flamethrower-toting enemy's fuel tank. Or Overloading it.

** Shepard: Half-way through the game, we encounter [[spoiler: the corpse of an actual Reaper]]. Since getting the galaxy ready for the coming Reaper invasion is the single most important thing, making this find known to the Council should have top priority. Yet, we do no such thing, which leads to the galaxy being woefully unprepared when the invasion starts in ME 3.

** The Council races: In ME 2, Shepard is forced to join up with Cerberus, a highly questionable organization to say the least, because [[ApatheticCitizens everybody else is dismissing their warnings of the coming Reaper invasion]]. This kind of ignorance may be plausible from the type of politicians, say, found on the Council. However, the game makes it seem that everybody, including top-notch intelligence organizations like the salarian STG, is now convinced that Shepard and their team were basically imagining things. Given all the evidence, this kind of ignorance is simply unbelievable.

** The salarian game salesman on the Citadel will make several references poking fun at people who put way too much focus into the RP aspect of [=RPGs=] (having to remember to drink water, spaceflight taking five hours real-time, etc).

*** Yet, it is hard to see how a single [[spoiler: human Reaper would help the Reapers accomplish their plan]]. This is particularly mysterious, since Sovereign, with a whole army behind its back, already failed in the previous game.

*** Finally, while the [[spoiler: Reaper continue to wait in dark space until the eventual completion of the human Reaper]], they give the galaxy ample time to prepare. This means they give away one of their main advantages, i.e., the element of surprise. Granted, the Council races don't use the time to prepare (see below), but the Reapers couldn't have foreseen this.

*** This is made even weirder since key figures like Admiral Hackett seem to believe Shepard yet do nothing to prepare for the Reapers.

* HideYourLesbians:
** Unfortunately, despite an already-present [[DiscountLesbians sort-of]] GayOption in the first game, and an initial promise from Creator/BioWare of additional options in the sequel, ''Mass Effect 2'' manages to obscure the possibility of homosexuality quite completely. Even though your relationship with Liara from the first game carries over (provided you romanced her), the closest the sequel comes to actually having a GayOption is some light flirting with Kelly.
** Provided [[spoiler:you respond quickly enough to the crew being kidnapped and save Kelly from the Collectors]], things can go a little further: after the endgame, you can choose to continue roaming the galaxy. If you've been chatting Kelly up throughout the game, you're able to invite her up to your quarters for a lap dance and a bit of a cuddle.
** There is actually a second, more fleshed-out GayOption. [[DiscountLesbians (Sort of.)]] On [[WarriorMonk Samara's]] loyalty mission, you can choose to kill Samara and have her daughter [[TheVamp Morinth]] take her place. The fact that you return from a mission with the woman you were supposed to kill is [[HandWave handwaved]] by explaining that Morinth can perfectly mimic Samara's speech patterns, actions, and powers. Morinth will then show an interest in mating with Shepard, but only after the SuicideMission. Assuming both characters survive said mission, the player is given the option to take Morinth up on her offer. Doing so will have three unfortunate side effects. First, you'll have to see her creepy sex face, second, you will ''die from ecstasy overload'', and third, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking you still won't get the Paramour achievement.]]

* ICallItVera: Zaeed's favourite rifle is named Jessie.

* ItsPersonal: As a result of Shepard [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu killing]] Sovereign in the first game, the Reapers are not only aware of who Shepard is, but now explicitly state that they are going after Shepard directly.
** The Reapers' facade of claiming indifference towards Shepard's actions begins to slip in the ''Arrival'' DLC.
---> '''Harbinger''': [[AC:Shepard, you have become ''[[{{Understatement}} an annoyance]]''.]]

** Featured prominently in just about every conversation with Miranda. One particularly memorable instance of this is when she asks for your help regarding her sister. When she's done talking, and you're about to choose what to say next, the camera is focused primarily on Miranda's rear in the foreground. It's almost as though the game is encouraging you to take your time in furthering the dialogue.
*** That scene in particular resonated enough in the public consciousness that [[https://www.polygon.com/2021/2/5/22268077/mass-effect-legendary-edition-bioware-miranda-butt-camera Bioware announced]] changing the camera perspective for the remastered ''Legendary Edition'' so that the focus rests more on the characters' faces instead. Unsurprisingly, fan reactions were... divided.

*** That scene in particular resonated enough in the public consciousness that [[https://www.polygon.com/2021/2/5/22268077/mass-effect-legendary-edition-bioware-miranda-butt-camera Bioware announced]] changing the camera perspective for the remastered ''Legendary Edition'' so that the focus rests more on the characters' faces instead. Unsurprisingly, fan reactions were... divisive.

* {{Leitmotif}}:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXCM0lZxh4U "The Normandy Reborn"]], which shows up whenever the ''Normandy'' does something incredibly awesome. It also plays during the ending shot of the Reapers headed for the galaxy.
** The Illusive Man has one of his own, which plays every time Shepard talks with him. The same leitmotif carries over to the third game as well.
** Each squadmate has their own leitmotifs, which play in the background during their recruitment (except for the Cerberus operatives, the DLC characters and Grunt [[note]]the background music on [[spoiler: the derelict Reaper]] is actually [[spoiler: Legion's]] theme[[/note]]) and loyalty missions (except for Samara).
** The Collectors have a very distinct drum and brass motif that plays whenever they show up. It's also an homage to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcUFemEg5pw The Reaver Drum Beat]] from Firefly.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The writers have since admitted that when they wrote Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib's defense of his noble ship's name, they intentionally had him cite two other ships with noble histories but weird names. The admiral then cites the Iktomi and the Defrahnz. Given Quarian naming conventions, anyone living on those ships would call themselves "vas Iktomi" and "vas Defrahnz". Those phrases are pronounced "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasectomy vasectomy]]" and "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vas_deferens vas deferens]]," respectively.

* KickTheDog: Miranda chewing out Joker [[spoiler:for losing the crew during the Collector attack]] comes across as this, especially considering that the whole thing wasn't even his fault. As Joker rightfully points out, there was very little he could have done.

** Miranda drops it when she insists Shepard take his entire squad on the Normandy off on a mission... leaving the Normandy defenseless to invasion from the Collectors, who proceed to kidnap the entire crew, barring Joker.

** Used during the SuicideMission. Shepard takes the usual two squad members to the final boss, and the rest of the party stays behind to keep the Collectors from following.
--->'''Mordin:''' ''[dying]'' Tell them... I held the line...

* GoneHorriblyRight[=/=]GoneHorriblyWrong: As a rule of thumb, Cerberus experiments never end well.

** The Reapers (retroactively): In the first game, Vigil states that after [[spoiler: the Keepers were reprogrammed by the prothean scientists, the Reapers became trapped in d rk space]]. Yet, the Arrival DLC shows the [[spoiler: Reapers]] arriving on the edges of the Milky Way only a few months after the end of ME 2. This means that simply flying to the nearest mass relay was always an option for the [[spoiler: Reapers]] and they were never trapped, to begin with.
** Sovereign (retroactively): The mere existence of the never before mentioned [[RememberTheNewGuy Collectors]] in ME 2 makes Sovereign in ME 1 kind of an idiot. After the [[spoiler: Keepers do not respond to Sovereigns signal to open the Citadel mass relay]], it goes on a mission to gather allies and open the mass relay manually. Yet for some mysterious reason, Sovereign never enlists the help of the Collectors. Although their overall strength is never fully specified, it seems to be substantial. Adding them to its army could easily have tipped the balance in the final fight giving the victory to the Reapers.