Stupid newbie questions about ME2

I usually fit Zaeed and Kasumi's loyalty in the first initial 5 recruitment... so I could get extra mission time before Horizon was triggered and then I could do other recruitment and loyalty before Derelict Reaper was triggered.

I usually do Kasumi's loyalty first as she give me Locust SMG.

One loyalty mission will trigger after each mission that you do.  Zaeed's loyalty mission should already have been available to you from the moment you recruited Zaeed (check the galaxy map and you should see a tag for the Ismar Frontier that says "Help Zaeed."  Being a DLC character, you don't have the interactive conversations with him that you do for the others.  Basically, his convos are one sided... you click, he talks.  If you buy the Star Charts from the Baria Frontiers store on Illium (where you'll do Miranda's LM), you will acquire a number of smaller N7 missions as well.  These smaller missions will count towards the 5-mission countdown (unless, of course, you stay below the 8 squad mate limit as you do them).

Personally, I have never experienced the "stuck in a wall" glitch with Shepard since ME1.  In that game, I did manage to get him stuck a few times in the CIC and, like you, had to reload the game... but I can't say for sure whether there is another workaround for ME2.

You should be able to continue doing side missions as long as you do not recruit anyone else.  This is something that usually doesn't apply to me because I generally recruit both Zaeed and Kasumi right at the beginning of the game... so I would have 8 squad mates, the moment I release Grunt from his tank.  (This is probably what I was thinking about when I misspoke earlier about triggering Horizon.)  Sorry for leading you astray earlier.

Also didn't know this was a thing. I usually have most squadmates by this time as well, since I try to recruit everybody as early as possible in games with companions. Something to try next time, perhaps.

If you're looking to get as many upgrades as possible and you have Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, it's a good one to get in during thing 5-mission timer.  It doesn't get you a new companion nor does it make anyone loyal, but it gives you more XP, more cash, and potentially more upgrades than any other single mission available.  The reason is how the Daily Deliveries Terminal in the Shadow Broker Base works (check out the Wiki for more info).  It gives you 1 chance at an upgrade and/or resources for every actual day you spend camped there (or, by mucking with your clock - every day you can make your system believe you're camped there). There are a total of 4 weapons upgrades available on that terminal and you can get up to 160,000 of any one of the resources in one shot.   By just not leaving the base, you're not even expending the fuel to go into that system 4 different times. I usually do it and then take a playing break for a week, and just checking once each day to get a delivery.   The mission itself also gives you several upgrades in addition to the 4 available at the Shadow Broker Base.

The thing about squeezing in the 6th mission won't apply to you, since you're going to be controlling that by not getting your 8th squadmate.  I believe Samara's recruitment mission plunks you back on Illium instead of on the ship, so you get to 9 squadmates by recruiting Samara and then going directing to recruit Thane... I think.  I've not tried it myself, so it is possible the game will throw you a curve and put you back on the ship right after Samara's recruitment mission is done.  In that case, you'd be hooped since you wouldn't be able to access the Galaxy Map to get back to Illium to recruit Thane before the Collector Ship mission.

I would leave 2 of the N7 missions until after you do the Suicide Mission at the end of the game.  This enables you to be sure to hear all of Legion's conversations (normally Legion is recruited last and his LM is done just before the SM begins).  Alternatively, people often prefer to do the Arrival DLC after the SM.

Don't sweat it though... the game is still fun and usually works out OK regardless of what precise order you do things... and a lot of the fun of replaying the game comes from trying to do things a little differently each time.

Samara's (and Thane's) recruitment does send you back to the ship.

The time thing can seem daunting (I was completely unaware the first time I played) but don't worry too much. Like UpUpAway said, you can continue playing after the Suicide Mission (similar to DAI (careful, though, it's still wise to prepare as much as you can)) so don't feel too pressured to do all of the side-missions beforehand if you want to take your time -- you will have freedom time-wise after the Collector Ship mission. The squad recruitment/Loyalty Missions are the only ones that need to be done before the Suicide Mission. I think they become unavailable afterward.

Since I just tend to roll with the time limits I don't really have any recommendations for missions (plus I can never remember which upgrades are where.  ) I will say that I'm also somebody who prefers to do Arrival dlc after the Suicide Mission for story reasons.

And just a general note of advice: always keep saves, just in case.  I keep a save before doing a mission so I can backtrack for whatever reason if I need to, like what happened with Grunt.

@upupawayredux SpiritVanguard I don't have either DLC you mentioned. I just have what EA offered for free a few weeks ago, which includes the Normandy crash site and Zaeed, and some weapons and armor. I won't worry about the timing of other missions since you all say it doesn't generally matter (aside from loyalty before the suicide mission) but is either DLC good for story reasons?

Also, is the suicide mission the final mission, analogous to the battle with Corypheus? Or is there another main mission afterward?

I did Jacob's loyalty mission -- good story-wise, I thought -- and investigated some planetary anomalies. I like scanning planets for resources. It's relaxing rather than boring, for now.

I've accidentally had a few spoilers already, but all I really want to know is whether the suicide mission is the last main mission or whether it is the next one after the collectors, with another main mission afterwards. I looked up a list of main missions, and none of them are called "suicide mission."

...so the actual answer to my question is, "yes, it is the last main mission of the game." Thank you, I suppose.

If you have the Arrival DLC, I'd wait to do that until after the suicide mission.  I think it leads into ME3 quite well.  It's not necessary, doesn't change more than a line or two of dialogue in ME3, but I think it makes sense to have done it.  I like the Overlord DLC.  It's not necessary and has little impact on ME3.  Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC is nice but not necessary.  Slight dialogue change in ME3 is all.  Kasumi: Stolen Memory DLC has a significant impact on one side quest in ME3.  Not so much the quest as the presence of Kasumi.  I don't think Zaeed's side quest appearance is affected as much whether he's present or not.  Firewalker DLC is pretty much a waste of time.  Well, you get something from it but it doesn't make it into ME3, so it's pointless.

For my money, I'd go with Kasumi: Stolen Memory and Arrival.  The rest, while they might be interesting (and they generally are except Firewalker).

I see where the DLC can be accessed but I'm not sure if it's free.  For some reason, ME2 DLC do not appear on Origin.  Big flaw.  However, they can be found on BioWare Social Network.

I just finished ME3 for first time a few hours ago, and I already feel like a old dog, empty inside. I like reading you guys, enjoy the ride and prepare the tissues