User blog comment:YamiX0/Mass Effect Book Club – Revelation/@comment-9753034-20140411225120/@comment-5619827-20140411232910

The novels really do exactly as you say, detailing how Anderson led the assault on the base at Sidon and the details of battle circa 2165 gives a new perspective.

One of the things that struck me was the "denouement" of battle. In ME1 we're shown via pop-up that you occasionally receive medi-gel after killing an enemy. In Chapter three we're shown Anderson picking through corpses to resupply on grenades and medi-gel. While gameplay is responsible for the former, only in the context of a novel do we get that level of detail.

We also get an entirely new angle on firefights. In chapter two, Anderson describes the "familiar shudder" of his shields when being hit. We're also introduced to the use of tracer rounds, an interesting addition considering their use in modern-day military engagements. There are even more pieces of information, such as the tactics they use, that simply don't translate to gameplay (actual flanking maneuvers, covering fire, and never popping up from the same position twice).

As far as advancing technology, it's difficult to say exactly what would and would not available in 2165. It seems likely that humanity would adopt tech from the Citadel races that had been honed for hundreds of years making the use of power packs possible even in the 2180's.