User blog comment:Sperez2012/What is YOUR favorite Mass Effect?/@comment-24174486-20120812231539

For me, it definitely has to be Mass Effect 3.

ME1 is a fantastic introduction to the series. There's a feeling of majesty and intrigue throughout the game as you come upon the world and races of Mass Effect, exploring breathtaking planets and hostile environments. My main qualms with the game is that the customization aspects are more overwhelming than anything; most of the stuff you come upon just ends up taking up space in your inventory. Its difficulty curve is also a downside. It has a case of Early Game Hell in that you start off sucking with your weapons, poorly equipped, and with very few powers that take a long time to cool down. Eventually, you end up being able to spam powers near-endlessly, fire literally endlessly, and become practically invulnerable. ME1 is definitely a good game, especially story-wise, but I feel that in terms of gameplay it's the weakest of the series.

ME2 does a good job refining the gameplay elements—combat is much smoother and it's not easily broken. Whereas ME1 was bright and majestic, ME2 is dark and gritty, bringing Shepard into the dark side of the universe. The squad characterization is easily one of the best parts of the game, getting to know them and earning their loyalty to ensure success in the final mission. But where ME1 had too much customization elements, ME2 had too little. There's only a small selection of weapons, powers are drastically reduced, and armour customization is limited and almost pointless (most parts give very small bonuses to stats, and few bonuses synergize well with others).

Which brings me to the best part of ME3's gameplay: they found an excellent balance between the overwhelming yet indistinct customization of ME1 and the distinct yet underwhelming customization of ME3. There's a large arsenal of weapons, more tiers for power evolutions, much improved armour customization, and simple yet significant armour customization for squadmates. The enemy AI makes the game challenging but rewarding; it's some of the best AI I've seen in a video game. The story is the pinnacle of the series, bringing a conclusion to numerous plot arcs that were spread through the series and saying farewell to the characters we knew and loved (and Jacob). It's one of the best stories I've ever seen, and I wouldn't be afraid to say it just might be the best game I've ever played.