The Post-Game - Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

A lot of users compare this game to Skyrim, when really it is more like a single-player mix of Torchlight II and Guild Wars 2. Tons of missions, deep crafting, combo-friendly combat, a huge game-world and genuinely interesting lore means a lot of time can be spent in Amalur.
Installed size on hard drive (with all DLC): 11.6 GB

Reckoning is rather like a single-player MMO, if that makes any sense. Looting, crafting and leveling are the primary attractions. There is a ton of loot; putting points into the “detect hidden” skill reveals secret rooms and passageways that have even more loot. You'll want to loot as much as you can, even armor sets that you won't use – put points into blacksmithing, disassemble the armor and weapons you don't want to get the parts, and craft something truly epic. Leveling up provides new abilities, new special moves for weapons. At the end of each leveling session, you get to choose a “Fate Card” with special bonuses. Fate Cards are not class-specific, meaning you can use them to create a warrior mage who equips heavy armor, or an archer can wield heavy weapons, or a thief / rogue who also has some magic. There are dozens of hybrid “Fate Cards.” And if you're not happy with how your build has turned out, visit a Fateweaver to “Remix your Fate” and reset your build so you can level up again with your existing points.

The world is huge. There are a lot of places to explore with side-missions hidden everywhere. The graphics are 2012 era DirectX 9: Colorful, bright, and occasionally low-res. The general comic-book style of the artwork hides some graphical shortcomings. And on the plus side, if you have a less-than-stellar gaming PC, the game will probably run just fine. (Back in the day, I ran it on a 1GB Radeon 6670 without issues). The soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope catches the ambiance nicely. The voice acting is generally good (though your hero is silent, like in Dragon Age Origins).

Not everything is excellent, unfortunately. Combat flows well, encouraging the use of different moves. Despite the many different skills and abilities at my disposal, once I found a way to dispose of mobs, I just stuck to that, and never really tried to change up my attacks. I won't say combat is easy – if you go into an area under-leveled, you'll die fast (even with potions). But once you're comfortable in the system, combat becomes just another chore. Fetch quests are repetitive. All exploration is done on foot – no horses. The dungeons are NOT copy / pasted; there's a lot of variety here. But the missions that use the dungeon and cave levels tend to follow similar patterns. If you try to do a completionist run of Reckoning, you'll need a titanic level of patience and dedication. Inventory management, frankly, s*cks. Oh, and jumping. You can't jump, except at prescribed places (“press F to jump”).

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a great game if you love messing about in an open world while worrying about plot later. If you're looking for a go-anywhere, do-anything adventure (with the freedom to jump wherever you want), you'll probably be happier with Skyrim. Or online with friends in Guild Wars 2. Sometimes, though, a solitary, easy grind for loot is exactly what you want - and exactly what Reckoning provides.

On DLC:
The Weapons and Armor DLC provides three complete weapons sets that are accessible at the start of the game. While great to have, the things you craft will quickly surpass them in quality and effectiveness.

The Teeth of Naros and The Legend of Dead Kel are both large additions to an already massive game. Each provides a new campaign and entirely new areas to explore. Naros in particular is a great piece of DLC. Both have a lot of content in an industry where content-laden DLC are rare. Definitely worth it to get both.

Notes:
An EA account is NOT required. Though the game asks for an EA login on startup, you can simply click the X in the corner to skip the login. The game will play and save normally.

The company that developed Reckoning, 38 Studios, went bankrupt in 2013. The only support for the game is what you will find when trawling the forums.

The Post-Game - Lost Planet 3

Lost Planet 3 has a good story, decent action, and some great graphics (for its time). Unfortunately, it takes about fours hours of gameplay before things get interesting, which I think is why there are so many reviews stating the game is boring and slow. This delayed arrival of the “good stuff” means you won't be able to really judge the merits of the game without going past Steam's 2-hour refund limit. If being stuck on an ice-planet with a giant mech and aliens sounds like fun, go ahead and grab Lost Planet 3 when it's on sale.
Total installation size on my hard-drive (with all DLC and HD cutscenes pack): 27 GB.

Jim Peyton is just your ordinary guy out to earn some money for his family back on Earth by taking mining contracts for the NEVEC corporation on a frozen ice-world. This expedition by NEVEC is supposed to be the first to ever set foot on this world, but as Jim finds out, his bosses have been less than truthful about many aspects of the operation. There are several elements that you might expect: strange alien creatures, a frenemy that becomes a friend, a stoic person of wisdom, a cold and windy setting. After about four hours of gameplay, Jim is out on a mission for NEVEC when Lost Planet 3 suddenly goes all Dead Space; he finds himself exploring decrepit structures while strange creatures pop out and attack without warning. Apparent betrayal, a mad scientist, and an evil corporation round out the cast, and while you've probably seen it all before, Lost Planet 3 implements these elements well. Few things about the story surprise, but it is told effectively, and the voice acting is top-notch.

For much of the game, you climb into your giant mech (called the “rig”) and go out into the frozen wastes doing missions for the NEVEC corporation. Some upgrades can be purchased for the rig, but it's not customizeable in the traditional sense. The weapons Jim can wield have decent punch and there are about a dozen to choose from. I stuck mostly to the simple assault rifle; decent damage and a large magazine made up for the twitchy iron sights (which hurts the effectiveness of the sniper rifles). No real weapon customization, just bespoke upgrades that can be purchased at the stores.

Enemies come in two varieties: human and alien. The humans are your standard gun-wielding soldiers who hide behind cover or charge your position with shotguns. Most of the time, though, you'll be fighting the alien Akrid. There is a good variety of Akrid; my favorites were the weird six-legged ones that dive behind cover and just barely peep out at you, before rearing up like a cobra and spitting volleys. In the early part of the game, the boss battles involve fighting several of the larger, tougher Akrid all at once (when in doubt, shoot the glowy bits). Later on, there are some individually unique (and enormous) bosses (still shoot the glowy bits, though). Some of the “lesser” bosses are re-used a few times. The battles are not over quickly, and offer a fair bit of variation and challenge. Be alert for QTEs; they don't form the core of the battles, but they are important for the finishers.

The graphics are Unreal 3, and except for some strangely low-res clouds, are great (I recommend disabling Motion Blur in the Options menu, though). The backdrops are large, ice glistens, and snow blows convincingly. There is a free DLC of the cutscenes in HD (the DLC is a 7.5 GB download), so those also look excellent. The soundtrack (by Jack Wall) is great; instead of going for a big orchestral score, Lost Planet 3 instead goes for a quiet, reflective approach for story moments, and scratchy, screechy strings in the horror moments. Once you're out in the rig looking for resources, though, the mood changes to catchy folk tunes.

A number the reviews of Lost Planet 3 are outright negative, and if you don't play the game for more than four hours, you'll probably agree with them. I stuck with it and was rewarded with a good game that in retrospect has been treated unfairly (perhaps because it was too different from Lost Planet 1 and 2? I haven't played those games at the time of this review). Recommended on sale if fighting aliens on an ice-planet (with real boss battles) sounds like your cup of tea – “on sale” because a truly great game doesn't require “sticking with it.”

Notes:
- Multiplayer is dead. Don't plan on getting 100% of the game's achievements unless you can get some people together to help you out.
- There is a technical issue with the mechanical claw of the Rig. Left mouse-button attaches it to an object; if that object needs to be rotated, the screen prompt is “tap WASD to turn the claw.” THIS IS WRONG. The correct way to turn the claw is to repeatedly tap the F key. This is a common enough issue that a quick forum search revealed the answer, but how the heck does that slip by the QA testing?
- A more minor problem: there is no message if you do not yet have the attachment your rig needs for a specific action. I thought the game was broken at one point, but as it turns out the winch needed an upgrade to throw the grapple further and hit what I wanted it to; the game never flashed a message like, “rig upgrade required for this action.” Just be sure you've got the upgrades you need.

Mass Effect 3: Alternate Ending Sequence (fan creation)

What follows here is designed to integrate as closely as possible with the existing Extended Cut version of Mass Effect 3's ending. Just because I could change everything doesn't mean I should.
Picking up where the previous post left off...

Can the Reapers feel shock? After Harbinger's demise, they certainly pause.

As Alliance ships cluster in the distance to extract potential survivors, Shepard acts first, and runs to the beam.

The squad (the same squad composition that assisted Shepard with the Harbinger boss) hesitates, exhausted from the battle, then sees more Reaper reinforcements on the way. The squad staggers after Shepard.

(On NG+ Easy, NG+ Normal, NG+ Hardcore, Insanity) CHOOSE PLAYER
At this point, an option window appears:
Option 1: Play as Shepard
Option 2: Play as one of the squadmates.
(The idea here is that the first time the game is played, Option 1 is the only option available. Thus the Catalyst ending is largely experienced as it is now, with a few modifications. With a NG+, though, you get to see how well the Catalyst punked you - especially if you chose Control. Note that Option 2 is only available on the first playthrough if playing on Insanity difficulty. I think after playing through the game once, all the endings would probably unlock anyway, so on subsequent playthroughs you can end the game however you want; but it's important for that first playthrough that you as the player experience what the Catalyst is trying to "sell" to Shepard.)

If Option 1:
Shepard ascends the beam by himself (the others follow shortly after). TIM orders his soldiers not to attack Shepard.
(Reason why:
1. If Shepard was more aligned with TIM (saved Collector base), TIM wants one last chance to prove his case.
2. If Shepard was not aligned with TIM (destroyed Collector base), TIM's pride forces him to prove to Shepard how wrong Shepard was.
Either way, it is a conversation that TIM wants to have, and he does not fear Shepard, confident in his own power)
(Proceeds without the intercom conversations with Anderson (Anderson is a possible squadmate); instead, Shepard talks to himself / herself). Arrives, has confrontation with TIM. The Illusive Man's powers force Shepard to see another Shepard. The indoctrinated apparition shoots Shepard. The confrontation continues as in the original game. Shepard looks down after it is over, and sees that (s)he is shot. Crawls to console, pushes button, has a monologue with himself / herself. Communication radioed from Hackett about something wrong, crawls back to the console, collapses.

Shepard ascends and has the conversation with the Catalyst (Extended Cut Version). The conversation with the Catalyst, like the talk with Leviathan, occurs in his / her head.

If Control or Synthesis is chosen, squadmates extract from the Catalyst command console and take Shepard's body back to the Normandy. The ending then proceeds as we know it now (Extended Cut version). Shepard does not survive.

The Catalyst is not in favor of Destroy, because that choice ignores the very problem it was designed to address. It only provides information on the Destroy option when forced to, through dialog choices. If Destroy becomes available and is chosen, Shepard shoots the tubes, and "wakes up" on the platform below with the squadmates regrouping after fighting off some Keepers. More Keepers are coming (their intention is to attempt to issue commands to the Crucible through the Citadel console). Someone must remain behind to hold them off (Shepard's choice - "each of you needs to be ready to die. Anything less, and you're already dead."). Shepard and the other squadmate extract, watching the other squadmate fighting the fight of their life (cue the music https://youtu.be/TLxv_g_zQkY) followed by the Crucible firing.
Special: Shepard can stay and defend the console if the LI is in the squad. The LI will stay and fight with him / her.
(As an example: Shepard leaving Garrus behind to hold off the Keepers. Gut-wrenching. It could technically be possible to complete the Harbinger boss with all squadmates / commanders surviving, but you will always have to leave one squad-mate to defend the console if choosing Destroy. The last time you got to pick your squad was the Harbinger boss, so that choice has additional implications for this sequence as well.)


If Option 2:
Squadmates arrive a minute or so behind Shepard. They push on, hurry forward, wiping out any remaining Cerberus.

Concept from The Art of Mass Effect 3

They can hear Shepard's entire confrontation with TIM over their headsets (default Renegade or Paragon, depending on whether Shepard destroyed the Collector base). They arrive as Shepard collapses against the console.

 While Shepard has the conversation with the Catalyst, the squadmates come upon his / her body. (If one of the squadmates was also taken on the Leviathan mission, possibility for extra dialogue, as the physical symptoms of the interaction would be similar to Shepard's condition after exiting the diving mech.) Squadmates radio for extraction. Joker disobeys Hackett's orders and sends the shuttle in.

As the squadmates wait for extraction, a group of Keepers approach. The squad raise weapons, unsure, but the Keepers move slowly off to the other approach ramps. One squadmate thinks the large Keeper presence + Shepard's cold but still living body = something is wrong (duh, obviously, but more wrong than usual. Maybe have an exchange like, "Something's wrong." "Is there ever anything NOT wrong?") On the pillars that line walls, Reaper indoctrination devices are deployed (near the ceiling). The Keepers turn, and attack the squadmates.

(Shepard, talking about choices with the Catalyst, notices nothing.)

(Cue the music https://youtu.be/jJn8bKqdwjc)
Here follows a timed section: the squadmates must defeat the Keepers & destroy all the devices within the time limit.
FAIL:
If the Keepers are not killed and devices not destroyed when time runs out, Control is chosen by Shepard. (S)he recognizes the validity of the Catalyst's concerns about the Singularity, and agrees that the Reapers serve a useful purpose, which must be continued. (S)he agrees to add his / her influence to the Catalyst.
Cutscene: The squadmates extract, bringing Shepard's body back to the Normandy. The ending proceeds as in the Extended Cut.
SUCCEED:
If all the Keepers are killed and all indoctrination devices are destroyed when time runs out, Shepard chooses Destroy. (S)he rejects the Catalyst's arguments, opting instead to fulfill his / her original mission.
Cutscene: If Shepard starts going up the ramp towards Destroy, the Catalyst drops the Starbrat act and, in the deep "So be it!" voice, demands Shepard stop.
(Why? The Catalyst is not in favor of Destroy, because that choice ignores the very problem it was designed to address.)
Shepard shoots the tubes, and "wakes up" on the platform below with the squadmates regrouping after fighting off the Keepers. More Keepers are coming (their intention is to attempt to issue commands to the Crucible through the Citadel console). The non-player squadmate remains behind to hold them off. Shepard and the other squadmate extract, watching the other squadmate fighting the fight of their life while the music begins (https://youtu.be/TLxv_g_zQkY), followed by the Crucible firing.

Options 1 and 2, DESTROY ending only
Shepard's escape after choosing destroy is the ultimate disenfranchisement and insult to the Catalyst, who sends a dozen Reapers to intercept the Normandy. The Normandy escape sequence occurs as we have it now, except the Normandy is not running just from the fireball. The Reapers are in the Normandy's wake, chasing it. As the fireball gets closer, it catches the Reapers from behind, destroying them one by one. Fade to black as the music swells and the fireball catches the Normandy (Extended Cut version). Ending slides are not altered, save for the memorial scene, where the final name put on the wall is that of the squad mate who died protecting the console. Final scene is the same from the MEHEM.
Special: If Shepard and the LI were the ones defending the console, the final scene, instead of being the one from MEHEM, is based on the "breath scene" of first the LI, then Shepard, waking up in the rubble.
SHEPARD SURVIVES

Option 1 SYNTHESIS ending only.
(Note that SYNTHESIS IS ONLY AVAILABLE AS AN ENDING CHOICE IF PLAYING AS SHEPARD, not as one of the squadmates.)
Squadmates radio for extraction. Joker disobeys orders and sends in the shuttle. Squadmates discover that Shepard is not breathing. The shuttle arrives, collects squadmates + Shepard's body, and sets off again. Cutscene of ships jumping away through the relay. Crucible charges. Joker won't leave Shepard behind. Shuttle crashes into the Normandy's loading bay. Bay doors close. Normandy accelerates. In the cargo bay, all that remains of Hammer gathers around the shuttle. Crucible fires BEFORE the Normandy can jump away. In the shuttle, one of the squadmates holds Shepard's body.
(the following is intercut with the Extended Cut images of the green shockwave crossing the galaxy)
(cue the music https://youtu.be/TLxv_g_zQkY)
- The green wave engulfs the Normandy.
- The door of the shuttle opens.
(EDI's core programming is not located in Dr. Eva's body, so unless the Normandy is destroyed which in this scenario does not happen, her voice will always be available.)
IF EDI's BODY SURVIVED THE BEAM RUN:
       If the squadmate holding Shepard is not the LI: EDI stares, suddenly aware, confused at the vast array of organic emotions flooding her consciousness. She stares down at Shepard's body. Approaches, bends down. Asks, "Can I hold him / her?" Takes Shepard's body in her arms, stares at it. Her reverence is only matched by her grief which comes pouring out as she clutches Shepard's form tighter. Thus the birth of synthetic sentience is accompanied by its most profound moment of grief ("When we are born, we cry..."). The door of the shuttle opens. The Normandy's loading bay slowly becomes crowded as EDI exits the shuttle, carrying Shepard's body. Ending slides are not altered, save for the memorial scene, where EDI is the one to put Shepard's name on the memorial wall before receiving comfort from Joker ("I am alive... and I am not alone").
      If the squadmate holding Shepard is the LI: EDI stares, suddenly aware, confused at the vast array of organic emotions flooding her consciousness. She stares down at Shepard's body. Approaches, kneels down beside the pair. Takes Shepard's cold hand, holds it against her face for a moment. Her reverence is only matched by her grief, but EDI's new-found compassion forces her to reach out and comfort the LI. The door of the shuttle opens. The Normandy's loading bay slowly becomes crowded as EDI helps the LI carry Shepard's body out. Ending slides are not altered, save for the memorial scene, where the LI is the one to put Shepard's name on the memorial wall before turning receiving comfort from EDI ("I am alive... and I am not alone").
IF EDI's BODY DID NOT SURVIVE THE BEAM RUN:
Same scenes as before, though since EDI's platform isn't present, it devolves into a moment that is focused on the LI instead of EDI (unless we'res also re-writing Legion's history, then he would be the first alternate to EDI in a Synthesis ending).
If the LI is the one holding Shepard's body, the LI receives comfort from Steve Cortez (by default, since his post is in the shuttle bay), or Samantha Traynor (if romanced and / or Steve died in London).
If the LI is not the one holding Shepard's body, the LI rushes into the shuttle as soon as the door is opened.
If Shepard romanced no one, Joker will leave EDI (who, even if her platform was destroyed, still has her core processing units safely housed aboard the Normandy) to pilot the ship, and Joker will be the one who grieves the most over Shepard.

CONTROL ENDING
I don't have anything to add to the Control ending. The presence of god-Shep was perfectly implemented in the game as we have it now (in my opinion).

And there it is, my idea of how Mass Effect 3's ending could have been improved. If you made it this far, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. I still love the game - Mass Effect 3 is probably my favorite of the Shepard trilogy. But sometimes I wonder just how good the game could have been without corporate deadlines and budgets plaguing the creative spirits at BioWare. This is my shot at providing an answer.

Mass Effect 3 - Better Final Assault (fan creation)

Fans and critics have complained about the many shortcomings of Mass Effect 3. The relatively linear progression of the game compared to the previous two games, the shallow development of some characters, some odd story decisions, and, of course, that ending. 

The thing that chafes at me personally about Mass Effect 3 is the final combat sections. It's just more of the same stuff we've had throughout the game. One reviewer said he just wanted all these characters we'd come to know so well to each have their badass moment of glory, and I agree that fighting alongside Garrus and Wrex as leaders of squads of turians and krogan would (for me) have really emphasized the coming together of species to defeat the Reapers. The horde mode stuff works, I guess. But what would it take to have made the final ground battle really epic (besides sheer numbers)? 

I have no idea if what I'm about to outline is even programmable. But I would have loved something like this. I hope you enjoy it. There's no professional pride here. If you've got comments, let 'em fly.

(From the game, in London) Anderson: I'll give you a moment with your squad. Pick your team well...

At this point, an option window appears. The assault to the beam will involve five teams: Shepard (up the middle), the left flank, the left wing, the right flank and the right wing. (The “flank” teams are immediately adjacent to Shepard's team, which occupies the middle; the “wing” teams are even further to the left and right.) It might be possible to have multiple routes to the missile battery, allowing Shepard to be assigned to a position other than the middle. But that would have meant more work for BioWare...

(Why five total teams? Because of the upcoming boss battle. Read on.)

Possible default options for command of the four support teams include:

- Admiral Anderson (Alliance)

- Major Coates (Alliance)

- James Vega (lost his own command in Paragon Lost, gets his redemption) (Alliance)

- Garrus Vakarian (will take command of the Turian Armiger Legion) (Turian)

      - Primarch Victus (alternate to Garrus if the latter dies in Mass Effect 2) (Victus is present in London and is characterized as a “soldier's general”, so it makes sense for him to assume a command in the final battle)

- Kaidan / Ashley (Alliance)

- Wrex (krogan shock squad; maybe the new “Arlakh” company?) (Krogan)

      - Grunt (alternate if Wrex was killed on Virmire)

      - Wreav (alternate to Wrex and Grunt if Grunt's tank was never opened and Wrex is dead)

- Liara T'Soni (shadow broker wet squad / asari commandos) (Asari)
These choices will always be available.

Additional choices will be available. These will be strictly optional appearances based upon game actions. Optional commanders and squads include:

- Tali Zorah vas Normandy (engineering squad) (Quarian)

- Admiral Zaal Koris vas Quib-Quib (alternate to Tali) (Daro'Xen is the vocal alternate for Tali in the Geth Dreadnought mission, but Zaal Koris' more moderate stance towards the Geth makes him a better choice for a "coming together of species.") (If Tali is dead and the Quarians are eliminated on Rannoch, the squad does not appear.)

- Prime Ajax (my name for the Prime who appears in London.) (commands a squad of flamers, hunters and soldiers) (Geth) (If the Geth are eliminated on Rannoch, the squad does not appear.) (It'd be nice if Legion didn't have to become a robo-messiah; if that were changed, he would appear here instead of Ajax.)

- Major Kirrahe (commands an STG squad) (Must survive Virmire and the Citadel coup attempt) (indications are that STG would support Shepard regardless of the position of the Salarian government, so getting Salarian support is not a condition for their presence)

 - Jondum Bau (Kirrahe alternate) (If Kirrahe does not survive and Bau's mission is never completed, the STG squad does not become available for assignment.) (I theorize that before he was a Spectre, Bau was STG; thus he would not be a complete stranger to the squad.)

- Aria T'Loak (commands mercenaries) (must complete the Omega DLC for Aria and squad to appear)

- Miranda Lawson (commands a group of Cerberus defectors)

- Jacob Taylor (Miranda alternate) (Jacob doesn't want to be on the front lines if possible, which is why he declines to join Shepard in the game; with everything at stake, though, I think he would step up.) (If Miranda dies and Jacob's mission is not completed, the Cerberus defectors squad will not be available for assignment.)

- Samara (squad of justicars) (doesn't really command them, as justicars answer to no one but the code; Samara functions more as a liaison) (If Morinth was chosen, Samara's mission is never completed or Samara does not survive her mission, the squad does not appear.)

- Jack (commands the Grissom Academy Students) (to have them appear here, must not choose the “support role” dialogue with Kahlee Sanders in the Grissom Academy mission. If the “support role” dialogue was chosen, Jack does not survive Mass Effect 2, Jack is not at Grissom Academy when Shepard liberates it, or Shepard does not liberate Grissom Academy, the squad does not appear.)

Every character listed may be chosen as a squadmate for Shepard if not chosen for a command. Zaeed, Javik, Kasumi and EDI are available as squad-mates, but not as commanders. (Javik was military, and could command; I'm simply not sure which allied faction would trust him with command of their soldiers.)

Push forward

There could be some contextual acts requiring the efforts of the support teams. Maybe Shepard gets pinned down by Ravagers, requiring one of the flank teams to clear them before (s)he can proceed (Shep fights a few waves of enemies in a confined space). How quickly the flank team succeeds in clearing the resistance depends on the command rating of the team leader. Maybe use some of those un-used multiplayer maps for this (two of them looked to me like they were planned to be Earth levels). Shepard, in turn, could clear out a few nests of resistance so the flanking teams can advance (maybe a chance to use some heavy weapons again?).

Defend the missile battery

Missile battery defense will happen in five waves. The first Shepard & squad must handle by themselves; the second wave (s)he has the support of one of the flanking forces. The third wave sees the arrival of the other flanking force; the wave ends with the first attempt to launch the Thannix missiles. One of the sides collapses (in the game, it was the left; here it would be randomized, left or right – perhaps based upon which commander assigned to a wing had the worse command rating). Wave four the wing force (the one that didn't collapse) arrives. Wave five is the battle royale (cue the music https://youtu.be/xPLoxSS4aV4), ending with the successful firing of the last two Thannix missiles (as in the game). All surviving support teams could fight alongside Shepard for wave five. After the missiles fire, stragglers from the destroyed wing force arrive at the missile battery in the ensuing cut-scene.
(The idea here isn't that there are dozens of allied troops on the field - that would be hard if not impossible to program. The big set-pieces would appear in cutscenes. During the fighting, the allied troops would be in the distance, with the commanders that Shepard assigned to lead them joining him/her in the fight - perhaps with contextual triggers.) 
(What I mean by a contextual trigger is, for instance, both of Shepard's squad going down, six Brutes being on the map at once, Shepard's health being reduced to a critical level. Any one of those could trigger a cut-scene.
-Shepard's health is low- Cut to Wrex leading the krogan shock troops: "Shepard needs our help! Krogan! CHARGE!" In-game, Wrex and a few krogan would spawn into the map to provide assistance.
or
By not killing fast enough, there are six Brutes or six Banshees on the map at once - the numbers could vary based on difficulty - Cut to Major Kirrahe: "The line is breaking! We have to hold it!" In-game, Kirrahe and the STG squad spawn.
Each squad-leader would have their own cut-scene and moment of glory - except for the ones that were supposed to hold the collapsed flank, of course. Not all squads need necessarily trigger.)

Final push to the beam

(ride in the truck, conversation with Anderson; truck crashes to a halt, they get out and see the beam – all as it happens in the game)

Harbinger arrives

EMS check – if too low, Shepard executes the run to the beam, as we have it now.

EMS check – if high enough, Shepard fights Harbinger (why the EMS check? Because defeating Harbinger will require pulling ships away from the Reaper battle; if too few ships remain in the fleet – i.e. too low of an EMS score – the Crucible would never make it to the Citadel, meaning Shepard & Co. might defeat Harbinger, but the Crucible would be destroyed, resulting in a Critical Mission Fail.)

Harbinger boss battle, Stage 1

Shepard calls down two artillery strikes from the fleet on Harbinger (similar to the Rannoch Reaper fight). Obviously, (s)he must survive while doing so. The strength of these hits is much greater than on Rannoch.

Harbinger boss battle, Stage 2

To keep Shepard from calling down more strikes, Harbinger attempts to control Shepard's squad or assigned commanders, forcing him / her to fight them.

On Easy: 1 squad-mate or commander becomes indoctrinated

On Normal: 2 squad-mates or commanders

On Hardcore: 3 squad-mates or commanders

On Insanity: 4 squad-mates or commanders become indoctrinated.

At the start of this section, you must choose a new squad for Shepard from those who are not indoctrinated. (The in-game explanation is that those not indoctrinated rally to Shepard to help him / her; those who are indoctrinated turn on him / her.) So, for example, Shepard could have Anderson and Tali in his / her squad; (s)he could wind up fighting Garrus, Liara, James Vega and Wrex. Thus choosing the strongest allies to command the support teams or to support Shepard in the squad at the initial stage of the final battle might seem like a safe choice at the time, but could result in an incredibly difficult fight here.

Shepard's indoctrinated allies are encased in a strange shield that Shepard must break through in order to crack the indoctrination (visually, just another layer over their health bar). Once this additional layer is depleted, the target falls to the ground and lays motionless.

Harbinger boss battle, Stage 3

The effort to directly, rapidly indoctrinate (up to) four unwilling subjects quickly tires even Harbinger, and his shields drop (similar to what happened with Sovereign and Saren). Shepard climbs into a Mako, trying to avoid Harbinger's laser beams, attempting to reach another Thannix missile battery. (I wonder whether there should be a wave or two of husks here, but at this point the fight will have gone on for a very long time). If successful, all missiles are fired at once, Harbinger is killed (with something like this (from 1:11 to 1:42) playing over the top of it as he falls  https://youtu.be/HFq-7ecXKFA?t=1m11s).

At this point, between defending the missile battery and fighting Harbinger, the attack force is almost completely wiped out. But, they have reached the beam.

(I don't have a set of numbers to determine who would become indoctrinated and who wouldn't. EMS and maybe a hierarchy of command + loyalty from previous games for each character could come into play.
The LI can never die from indoctrination, regardless of who it is.
Javik and EDI can never become indoctrinated by Harbinger. Javik because his thirst for revenge is stronger than any power Harbinger could wield; EDI because her actual self is miles away aboard the Normandy, not housed in her platform.
Liara and Anderson might become indoctrinated, but cannot be killed. 
Those who had no loyalty mission in the franchise would always die IF INDOCTRINATED (James Vega, Wreav, Major Coates, Zaal Koris, Major Kirrahe, Jondum Bau, Aria T'Loak, Prime Ajax). It is possible to have any of these characters assigned a command or in Shepard's squad, and survive because they do not become indoctrinated.
If a commander or squad member had their loyalty mission completed, they won't die after being indoctrinated / possessed by Harbinger.
As an example: Shepard could go into the Harbinger boss with Tali and Anderson as the squad, fighting indoctrinated Garrus, Wreav, Jacob and Liara. Garrus' loyalty mission was completed in ME2, so he survives after the indoctrination is broken. Liara cannot be killed due to indoctrination, so she survives. Wreav will die. Jacob's loyalty mission was not completed in ME2, so he will also die. Doom is not certain, but the fact that everyone except Shepard + squad could die would bring that choice-and-consequence back to the final fight of the game.)

(Having a Harbinger boss battle creates the issue that a Harbinger boss is never properly prepared in ME3, though I think that could easily be rectified with Harbinger communications at several places throughout the game.)

I drafted several versions of this post. This is the most complex, intricate version. The trimmed down version involved only involved two support squads - one on the left flank and one on the right flank. That version would have been easier to create, no doubt, but I just wanted to go as big and epic as possible.