Back in Mass Effect tonight, I stole the Normandy back and got out of the Citadel easily enough, and then celebrated my freedom by finishing off a couple minor side quests and the item collections. There wasn’t much of a reward for the collections, though, just some money and xp that I didn’t really need by this point anyway.
Then it was off to Ilos to track down Saren. This also triggered the infamous sex scene, though it’s actually pretty tame and tasteful by gaming standards. Really, the worst (best) you see is a blue butt. Anyway, on Ilos I learned a lot more about the Protheans and what happened to them, and then it was back to the Citadel to save the universe.
To say more would be too spoilery, but the ending was appropriately epic. I doubt I’ll have the time to do an opposite-style playthrough (male/soldier/renegade), but I’m definitely looking forward to Mass Effect 2 now, and hoping that there’s a PC version that isn’t delayed too much…