Mass Effect update

I had a very bad stomachache Tuesday night, and since I couldn't sleep, I got up and continued Mass Effect. I finally did get to bed about five, but upon getting up a few hours later, still felt like crud, with the added benefit of needing more sleep. So I took a sick day. And played Mass Effect some more. So, more thoughts.

1. The game makes me want to go through and play again on every class. The problem is there's so much content, it would be exhausting. As a veteran of many Bioware games, I try for as many side quests as I can, leaving the galaxy to teeter on the verge of disaster. I'm not sure how many play throughs I've got in me.
2. The Mako. It's the future. You're driving all over these incredibly mountainous terrains. Let's find the engineer who put this together, and explain that there are times when it's helpful to be able to shoot downward.
3. The inventory system!
   
1. It took me way too long to figure out how to sell extra gear to the Normandy's quartermaster (I know, I know, duh, but honestly, I bet there are others who didn't see how at first).
   
2. I was at first impressed that the game actually showed you carrying all of your gear. Most games have the heroes carrying a small army's worth of gear, but never showing how that's schlepped about. However, Mass Effect only displays your equipped gear. Apparently, you're also carrying everything else that you've got, allowing you to change to a different weapon/armor in mid-mission.
   
3. The item limit. I had at least one point where I had reached it without realizing, then was given an item upgrade important to the mission I was on. I had to convert it into omni-gel, then reload the game at my last save and do it all over, making sure to convert a bunch of other stuff to omni-gel first.
   
4. Elevators. Enough said.
   

Anywho, I still love the game, and think about it way, way too much, but a tiny little piece of me wants to quit all the side quest crap and get on with the main plot. The story there is so much better. And although the rewards are great for taking the time, it bothers me doing so. Bioware RPG's always put you on a quest where you have a limited time to save the world/galaxy, but then reward your dawdling around doing favors for anyone and everyone instead of getting the job done. It would be an interesting trick to play for their next game to actually have consequences for all the time you spend not saving the galaxy.

P.S. I really do love the game! Really! The only reason I have things to pick apart is that I'm spending a LOT of time with it.