User blog comment:Koveras Alvane/The Beauty of Mass Effect 2 Ending/@comment-68.193.155.192-20130424033031/@comment-256004-20130425071704

@Garhdo: Yes, accounting for all the possible variables in the Priority: Earth would have been almost impossible, but that's exactly what every player was expecting from the grand finale of the trilogy. It may not have been as impossible as you may think, however. I have brainstormed possible War Asset-representing squads and came up with about fifteen, from baseline Alliance marines to Asari Commandos, Geth Juggernauts, and Salarian STD. You simply have to group them by specialty (defender, shock troop, infiltrator, biotic, tech, etc.) and come up with several plot "choke-points" where you have to assign each squad to a specific task and hope they will carry it out right. Ultimately, when you arrive to the beam and Harbinger starts firing at you, you'd have to chase him away to proceed, which is only possible if a certain number of squads survived until then (otherwise he kills everyone, and the game's over, kinda like if Shep died in ME2). If you manage to drive off Harbinger, Shep and the entire surviving squad activate the Crucible and enter the beam. I think it would even be possible to make the whole Catalyst sequence bearable, if all of your former and current teammates (plus some major NPCs like Kirrahe) went in with you and had different opinions on the best choice--and if you couldn't convince them, they'd even fight you, while your love interest would choose to die with you in Synthesis and Control (if you allow him/her). I think the popularity of Citadel DLC clearly showed that an ending involving all the squadmates is what most players desired.

@The Milkman: You don't see much of the Suicide Mission decision effects in the gameplay, either, except that some squadmates become unavailable. However, the Suicide Mission has very modular cutscenes, which blends the line between gameplay and video and creates an illusion that the gameplay is affected. Which is fine by me, actually, and I wouldn't mind the same thin in Priority: Earth.