User blog comment:The Milkman/Share Your Shepard's Story/@comment-5284772-20120714083652

Milkman, I find it interesting to see that you and I were making nearly identical choices. my play through was apparently much like yours. For as far as I can see, the only difference that really mattered is that I sabotaged the genophage cure, and got both sides through careful diplomacy.

But, I agree with everything you said. Mass Effect is a game you should play with an honest heart. If you don't, if you let yourself be influenced by the other thoughts than "this is what I'd do in real life", you are ultimately just lying to yourself. It is very important that you go and decide, then stand with your decision.

I made some decisions that I truly beat myself over the head afterwards, like keeping the collector's base. On the same mission, I lost many people, including Mordin. I hated myself for that, and I was constantly on the verge of doing it all over, see if I can save Mordin. But no, it would break the spell, in a way. I made a choice, and in real life you can't go back in time to fix bad choices or bad actions. You gotta live with it. Ultimately, this is the way a game like Mass Effect can truly get to you: because you make decisions and you have to live with them, even if it's "only a game".

Like SolitaryReaper, I too had no idea what I was getting into. I had no idea about the way my choices were going to affect later events in the game. I also had no idea how I was going to react to such difficult decisions. Fact is, looking back, that in the most difficult decisions, I tended to go for the most strategic option, while trying hard to keep everybody happy. As such, I did some truly morally flawed things, but in the end, I got everything I needed. So, for my play through:

- Spared the Rachni queen on both instances that arose; - Talked Wrex out of getting violent; - Saved Kaidan on Virmire; - Let Saren shoot himself; - Ordered all firepower on sovereign instead of helping the council; - Nominated Anderson for the council; - Saved Maelon's data; - Saved the workers at the refinery, didn't get Zaeed's loyalty; - Chose Jack over Miranda; - Got Tali and Legion to make up; - Rewrote the Geth heretics instead of destroying them; - Talked Garrus out of taking Sidonis down; - Lost half the Normandy crew on the collector base, and five of my teammates, including Mordin. Fortunately Dr. Chakwas survived. I really, really liked that woman! - Kept the collector base; - Sabotaged the cure and got Krogans and Salarians to side with me (truly, confront Mordin/the other salarian when he tries to fix the cure, arguing with him on letting the cure loose or not. That was one of the most difficult moment I had in the game) - That ended badly within me shooting Wrex (I felt terrible afterwards, but I still stood by my earlier choice) - Saved the Quarian admiral's crew, letting the admiral himself go down in honor. - Let the Quarians destroy the Geth; - Shot TIM (or else he was gonna shoot Anderson...) - Chose control, maybe I could actually help the galaxy by controlling the most powerful beings in it. - As for romance, nothing in ME1, Tali in ME2, and as for ME3.... Kaidan.

I really want to replay Mass Effect now, mostly because I feel I wasn't true to myself enough in the first game. Interestly, I noted that I was turning more renegade in ME2, and again in ME3. I don't know why this is, but I found it an interesting development.