I rarely play games too soon after release, so this is about as timely as my commentary is going to get. I've been working my way through the Mass Effect series for the first time this year, and yesterday I started the third installment.
The structure at the start is pretty frustrating. First there's a massive infodump about the first game. Then there's a battle sequence. Then you go to Mars, at which point you hear the first reference to the events of Mass Effect 2. I know little was accomplished in Mass Effect 2, but it shouldn't take half an hour to acknowledge that the main character just quit Space Al Qaeda.
How did that work, by the way? Did Shepard land on Earth, in a terrorist ship full of fugitive aliens and illegal tech, and announce he wanted to defect? OK, but why did they let him keep the ship? Why is EDI still operational? Of course Cerberus is introduced with their favourite pastime, killing humans. Just kill one volus, please. Little guys in high pressure suits. It'll be funny. As it is Shepard is plausibly the only Cerberus agent to ever kill a batarian.
So we're looking for a weapon that can kill Reapers. I have an idea...
"What could possibly stop a Reaper?"
"Main gun on the Normandy."
"Maybe something on Mars..."
"The gun that killed Sovereign."
"...something made by the protheans?"
"We upgraded it, killed a Collector ship with it. Just a suggestion."
Given that Shepard is introduced by having the situation explained to him, then responding with platitudes, I have a suggestion for an alternate opening:
Shepard gives a presentation to the Alliance (and any new players) on Reaper capabilities. Armour, weapons, maneuverability, husks, indoctrination, everything he spent two games learning. Then he gets in the Normandy... and finds out that Sovereign and the Collectors, stuck in the middle of the galaxy, are several thousand years out of date by Reaper standards.
Again, this is just based on the first hour. These quibbles may be resolved, and I'm assured larger ones will come along.
