There’s so little that actually happens in ME2 that feels related to the plot. Yeah the Collectors used to be Protheans and are working for the Reapers but it really takes you out of the whole Reaper conflict because you don’t see the Reapers until the very end or in the arrival DLC which is of course, another issue onto itself as it feels like the proper ending of the story and the whole set up of ME3 but is a DLC.
ME3 then later establishes the Protheans as having these mind reading abilities and senses but in the harvest or reconverting them they had to have lost these abilities because why wouldn’t the reapers then know about the crucible or that that Protheans locked themselves away on Ilos? If they gain the knowledge of the race by integrating them into the Reaper form I feel like the Reaper created by that should have that ability.
(For that matter why use Saren when they have a perfectly serviceable race who can go exploring for them? Clearly they’re linked to the Collectors still and have control over them so why not send them to investigate why the keepers didn’t send the signal, based on how mysterious they are no one would question them much going around on other planets and if they needed someone to get to Citadel then surely the Collectors could fake be interested in joining the Council races. And no offense to the twist but we already know the reapers repurpose species for their own devices with the keepers who were right there and I always thought could have been a better and creepier role)
So you’ve got the story of stopping the Collectors where it isn’t until the last like five minutes it feels truly connected to the Reapers and then ME3 has to scramble to come up with the last part of the trilogy including putting the whole “where the Reapers actually came from” in again, a DLC. (which is poor planning or whatever on EA and Bioware and another thing entirely)
I know they lost the lead writer between ME2 and ME3 so the original plotline they had with the Reapers was dropped but even then there’s so little that happens in ME2 itself as a storyline in the overall plot that the game is just a slog for me in the main missions. The loyalty missions are certainly great and worth it but the Collectors cause the plot to almost halt. Like they did decide on the whole synthetic vs organic war the Reapers care about last minute and I felt that was clear but if they’d gone another direction in ME2 then they could have had a stronger foundation for it.
Also my crewmates don’t talk to each other and I am sad.