I enjoyed both games, but I loved the first game a little more. Obviously there was some issues with the first game, but it was so ambitious and fresh for an IP, that it was completely believable. The universe felt large. Roving around in the Mako wasn't refined, but it made the uncharted universe feel bigger and the game overall had a larger scope.
With Mass Effect 2, everything was streamlined. Some of it was great, some was a little questionable. Overall it made me feel like the universe got smaller. More planets to look at, but when you had to land, the zones and areas were very small and more focused on the certain mission/quest you had to partake in. Everything was closed off and even around the larger "hubs" of the game, it felt confined. That being said, it is an overall better game considering the gameplay was fixed and less glitches.
Story wise, I believe Mass Effect 1 was better than 2 especially the ending. The second of course has a cliffhanger to it, while the first focused on the issue of the rogue spectre Saren. It felt right, it felt larger in ambition and it felt right. Mass Effect 2 was great as well, but it worked more in favor of the mass gaming industry where it was about the action, rather than the story/lore. I felt the mission was quite small in general. I felt like there wasn't an actual enemy. I understand that the collectors were the overall enemy to the human race, but the "Harbinger" was just an faceless antagonist. It would only use a collector's body as a vessel to attack, but really overall in the end, there was no character development in that enemy.
Eventually, We'll see what was planned in the trilogy after the next game, but I really do miss the overall ambition from the first game. These two games are high uptop of my favorite games ever, but the first one slightly stands higher.
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