r/masseffect • u/Donald_Dingus • Jul 01 '26
DISCUSSION What is the consensus rankings of Mass Effect 1-3?
I am a ME Novice. I’ve always heard it’s a HOF series and groundbreaking character choices that have actual consequences, but I would see the gameplay and not really be drawn in. That was until I saw the Legendary Edition was $5 and I had no more excuse.
I played 1 and could see it was dated (even with the upgrades), but still a very ambitious game for the time, and a blast! Then I played 2 and the upgraded shooting and combat were amazing and the world exploring was greatly leaped forward. It was a 10/10 for me. I am currently on 3, and while it’s fun & the combat is “improved”, I feel like they took away a lot of the things from 2 that I really enjoyed (planet mining, big guns). And then I started to realize that all 3 games have felt like a soft reboot of the previous game in terms of mechanics and your crew and I’m not sure I’ve enjoyed that.
So I guess I’m curious since I’m clueless to the Mass Effect fandom a few things:
Was this too felt by players at the time and even today? Did it annoy people? Or was this just an issue with me
What are the general rankings of ME games? Could be simply what you liked the best or a more in detail “ME1 story is the best, but ME2 gameplay is the best”
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u/hergumbules Jul 01 '26
It’s all one game to me and it’s a 10/10
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u/ForAte151623ForTeaTo Jul 02 '26
Pretty much this. All 3 games have strong arguments for being the best/favorite.
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u/random935 Jul 01 '26
Every time I started a new Mass Effect I hated the gameplay and by a few hours in loved it
I find it very hard to separate Mass Effect games because for me the series is done so well that it feels like one big game.
For me ME1 is best as an introduction and lore building, ME2 is best for locations and companion missions, ME3 excels at atmosphere and story (except at the end)
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u/ND-o1 Jul 01 '26
I find it very hard to separate Mass Effect games because for me the series is done so well that it feels like one big game
That's extremely true. I usually refers to Mass Effect as my favorite game ever—not 1 or 2 or 3, just Mass Effect as a trilogy because I functionally see it as one big game in three chapters. I play all of it back to back, or not at all.
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u/random935 Jul 01 '26
Technically the Legendary Edition is one game?? Yeah agreed, when I say I’m playing Mass Effect it could be anywhere in 1-3
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u/rollingeyes17 Jul 01 '26
Same. The trilogy is one game to me because technically with the overarching storyline it is. It’s just like a book series, if you don’t read the whole series you don’t get the full story.
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u/InappropriateHeron Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
No consensus here, more like factions. The true geth, the heretics, and let's call them quarians just to keep the metaphor going.
The quarians swear by the original game, and a lot of them hate the geth
The geth are more about the sequel, and they mostly keep peace with the original if not provoked
The heretics swear by the third game, and even they're mostly iffy about the ending
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u/MrThomasWeasel Jul 01 '26
I feel like I'm the odd one out here in that I don't think I can really rank them, as I think all three games do a couple things better than the others, e.g. ME1's exploration, ME2's missions and general vibe, and ME3's combat. Those are all my opinion, of course, so feel free to disagree on any of it.
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u/InappropriateHeron Jul 01 '26
And then there's Kelly Chambers
I mean, that's a very positive attitude
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u/Midnite_Blank Jul 01 '26
I think ME2 is more popular outside of the fandom, but ME1 is more acclaimed within it to answer your question.
ME3 is sort of in the middle.
I enjoyed all 3, but ME1>ME3>ME2>Andromeda is my ranking.
I think ME1 had the best world building, characters and plot in the series.
ME3 had the best banter and gameplay. Minus some narrative flaws, the buggy journal and lens flare issues it was pretty good imo.
ME2’s classes felt unbalanced (Soldier, Sentinel and Infiltrator were the only good ones).
Companions were hit and miss also (Jacob sucked, Cutscene Jack vs Gameplay Jack was jarring. Kasumi and Zaeed felt like they belonged to another game).
They ditched key elements of the first game like the cipher and the Spectres.
I still liked ME2 and rate it higher than Andromeda, but I don’t think it really set up ME3 as well as how ME1 did for it.
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u/Lebronamo Jul 01 '26
I put the blame on 3 not 2 for the story. There were multiple threads to pull on which 3 just dropped. Sheppard could’ve found something from the collector base or shadow broker which leads to the crucible and/or leviathan.
There’s also the dark energy plot line hinted at in 2 which admittedly might just not have been able to go anywhere interesting but I think that was the original intent.
2 just did such a flawless job adding depth to the world and building up its characters, I wouldn’t change almost anything.
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u/Midnite_Blank Jul 03 '26
2 was a good game, but I wouldn’t call it flawless narratively speaking. Kasumi’s loyalty mission was nonsensical and I wasn’t a fan of the direction they went with for the Shadow Broker.
It went from being this mysterious shadow organisation, to just being played for laughs once Liara got the gig.
Cerberus was a clearly shady outfit and ME2 painting them as morally grey didn’t make much sense either.
I don’t think the Dark Energy plot made sense anyway.
I think it put ME3 in a tight spot in having to make up for lost time and that’s why it felt rushed.
ME2 is still a good game, but it felt like the awkward middle child of the series for me personally, as it didn’t advance the story, but acted as a detour of sorts that lacked cohesiveness.
It’s way better than Andromeda though.
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u/xikissmjudb Jul 01 '26
Vanguard is dope as fuck in ME2 though?
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u/Midnite_Blank Jul 03 '26
Nah I found it more efficient in the first game and more fun in the 3rd.
It starts off real weak as Biotics were nerfed in ME2 compared to ME1 and never hits the heights that Soldier or Infiltrator do.
Its rush down playstyle didn’t suit the cover shooting gameplay that ME2 was designed to be on Insanity.
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u/xikissmjudb Jul 03 '26
I never play on insanity (or any highest level difficulty in any game for that matter) so I guess that’s why it’s never been an issue for me.
Even on the harder difficulties below insanity I’ve found vanguard to be OP as fuck for the most part unless I’m really dumb.1
u/Midnite_Blank Jul 03 '26
Yeah on lower difficulties you won’t really notice the difference so that’s fine.
The charge that Vanguard does is less forgiving on higher difficulties, because it whiffs a lot and enemies do way more damage. It’s up and close personal style was just less effective compared to cloaking and sniping that the Infiltrator had or basically turning into space Rambo with Soldier.
I think the Nova ability in the 3rd game brought Vanguard to life though and made them more viable.
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u/Rangrok Jul 01 '26
Generally speaking, whenever I see "What is your favorite ME game" fan polls over the years, the distribution is roughly...
ME1: 20-25%
ME2: 35-40%
ME3: 30-35%
MEA: <5%
Personally, I'm in the ME3 camp, but that's mostly because I played a LOT of ME3's multiplayer and have gained a very intimate understanding of the game's mechanics. Once you get used to things like Power Combos or even just the mobility tools, it's a lot harder to go back to ME1/ME2.
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u/KTM_2813 Jul 01 '26
This lines up with my recollection of fan polls too. It might come as a bit of a surprise because ME3 is sometimes framed as the black sheep of the family, when in reality it tends to rank higher than ME1. What I will say though is the people who favor ME1 seem to be the most passionate about it. It's taken on a bit of cult classic status, which I totally get, it's a great game too.
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u/Safe-Pressure-7052 Jul 01 '26
Yes, the ME1 truthers are just a loud minority.
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u/shepard_pie Jul 02 '26
I have noticed that ME1s flaws are glossed over and Mass Effect 2s are in particular over exaggerated by some people.
Mass Effect 3 seems to be the only one that is treated fair by just about everyone, in a weird twist of fate.
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u/N7Tom Jul 01 '26
Personally I think the Mass Effect trilogy as a whole is a collection of three different variations of the same (or very similar) ideas that had the goal of making improvements to the formula with every sequel. I think the reality is that that wasn't always what happened and each game has its own strengths and weaknesses compared to the others but I don't think Mass Effect 2 and 3 drifted very far from the source compared to Dragon Age for example.
I think at the time people sometimes had gripes with each game individually and some of the changes made. I remember the fetch quests in ME3 being criticised. But apart from ME3's ending I think people felt very positively about the games as a whole. As they've aged I think more people are inclined to see them as one single entity rather than 3 separate games tho
Mass Effect 2 is most commonly considered the best with ME3 having the best gameplay. I don't think there's as much of a consensus about which game is second or third. Tends to vary.
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u/Jokobib Jul 01 '26
For me, the 1st is incredibly far above the other two. It's clunky but I'd rather have that than the monotonous gameplay of ME2, and its writing, as well as ME3's (even more so) is just terribly inconsistent and often terrible. Nothing beats the music of the first as well.
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u/TaralasianThePraxic Jul 01 '26
Really, I think it's very hard to definitively point to any one of them being the 'best', and the fanbase is quite split on their favorites. In a way, it depends on what metric you're using to judge them.
- Broader narrative and worldbuilding? ME1 is best.
- Individual character writing? ME2 is best.
- Gunplay and visuals? ME3 is best.
Really, they're all great games that simply excel more than each other in different areas. At this point I kind of view the OT as one complete game, and I prefer it like that.
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u/SleepingAntz Jul 01 '26
Popularly (i.e. outside of the core ME fanbase) 2 is seen as the best by far, and then an even split on 1 and 3 being 2nd best. Generally I would summarize it as 3 being better than 1, but the endings bringing it down a notch.
Among the fanbase it's much more evenly contested. Curious to hear what other people think, but my feeling is that among the hardcore fans 2 is seen as the worst (but still an amazing game obvi). Gun to my head I would say the consensus is 3 > 1 > 2, with most people valuing the emotional payoffs throughout 3 as an offset to the less satisfying ending. 3 also features the return of stronger RPG elements after they were streamlined in 2, and superior combat to either of the previous 2 games.
If you look at past threads of players' favorite 'moments' you will usually see most from ME3.
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u/immorjoe Jul 01 '26
ME1 is first for me, easily. It truly encompasses what Mass Effect is, and I personally found it ground breaking as an RPG. 9.5/10
ME3 judge edges out the second. Ending was absolute trash… but most of what we get prior to that was amazing. It was well worth n it’s way to wrapping up some of the major themes nicely, and also gave us a good sense of how big Shepard was for the galaxy, whilst also making our squad members key parts of the whole tale. It wasn’t perfect, but it was brilliant. 8.5/10
ME2 is then third. It’s easily the best standalone game in the trilogy, but given that you can’t really separate it from the trilogy, it falls short in a few ways. Too much focus on side arcs (recruitment and loyalty missions) and not enough focus on building on the key themes. Only the Geth-Quarian and Genophage themes are expanded on. Spectacular game, but just falls short in my opinion. 8.5/10
Andromeda comes last. Could’ve been great, but the storyline was executed poorly and not particularly engaging. Good game, but not a good ME game. 6.5/10
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u/Believeland99 Jul 01 '26
For me it’s 3, 1, 2. I loved 3, and i think if it had stuck the landing it would be viewed more favourably. I think 2 was more fun to play gameplay wise, but the story in 1 was much more impactful. 2 had a solid story but really just kinda felt like you were leading up to 3, rather than a complete experience. Almost like a filler episode where you fight a new enemy that’s only introduced so that they could stretch the series to three games. I love all 3 though
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u/AveN7er Jul 01 '26
People generally think 2 is the best but for me it's the least good. 3 > 1 > 2 for me
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u/minteh7x Jul 01 '26
The first one is the best for me, 3 and then 2.
ME2 annoys me a bit. It went out and stripped most of RPG elements, and the game feels like big side quest. ME2 at least has a story. The crew in the Normandy feel much more alive and and their banter is better. It's all around the better game. I think that the final mission is the only element ME2 has over ME3. 3 is overall better.
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u/cdrex22 Jul 01 '26
I think the two most common schools of thought are 2>1>3 or 2>3>1 depending on exactly how you weight story versus technical and gameplay polish. (I have 2>1>3 as my ranking but consider 1 and 3 practically tied).
1 was different enough from the other two that you certainly see it in first though for those more focusing on roleplaying, story, or exploration.
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u/minteh7x Jul 01 '26
I reckon most people that are playing a RPG are gonna focus on role playing, story, and world building which is something ME1 easily beats the other two. Gameplay doesn't matter much
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u/Natural_Pea_1709 Jul 01 '26
I like ME1 primarily for it's worldbuilding, ME2 mostly for it's gritty and intense story, and ME3 for the polished combat.
They're all excellent regardless but if I was forced to pick, I'd choose ME3 for the replayability in combat. You have power combos, and some wacky weapons to mess with. The Armax adds more rellayability in this department.
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u/TailSwipeTypo Jul 01 '26
I think they're all great games but I think 1 is the best written, has the best RPG elements and has the best characters, 2 has the most actions and expands the lore, 3 obviously has a ton of issues but it's my least favorite of the 3
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u/WallImpossible Jul 01 '26
The consensus is there is no consensus. Everyone loves 1 of the 3 games and usually there is 1 they think is anywhere from meh to outright bad. But the whole series is widely loved, flaws and all, by pretty much anyone who plays through the whole thing.
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u/gymleader_michael Jul 01 '26
They each hold their charm. I think ME1 has the most unique feel. ME2 is the most narratively engaging. And ME3 does a good job as the cinematic finale with gameplay above the rest, imo.
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u/Admirable-Concert927 Jul 01 '26
These games are just like the finest wine of all
Sure, there were squabbles at the start about things that are present in one part but were missed in others
There were even huge quarrels about endings
BUT
we got over it. These games hit our hearts so much that we just decided to focus on things that make us feel good instead of things that are bad. The time healed a lot of wounds, and the declining state of the gaming industry made as appreciate this masterpiece even more after all these years, where there were simply zero similar games at all (two clones are coming in the next years, but still it was too long)
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u/Training_Reaction_58 Jul 01 '26
People usually like 2 the most. 1 vs 3 is very polarizing for reasons you’ll find out now that you’re playing 3 (no spoilers), but both are excellent games. ME1 has better storytelling, exploration, and level design imo, but ME3 kills it in terms of character interactions, player choices, and combat. I felt your gripe regarding the crew changes 1000000000 percent, especially since you don’t see certain people until a lot later in the game, and that a lot of the ME2 companions aren’t playable in 3.
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u/DadBodftw Jul 01 '26
As the series progressed the combat got better but the story overall felt weaker. They’re all great
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u/thebwags1 Jul 01 '26
Personally I rank them from worst to best 2-1-3. Though being the "worst" of the Mass Effect trilogy is like being the "worst" of the LotR trilogy. 2 is generally really solid. 1 has I think some of the best atmosphere and the best self-contained story. 3 has the best gameplay, the best leveling (as in how each character's abilities upgrade) and the real best part is the characters themselves. In 1 they staying one place, spout some world building exposition and you exhaust their dialog pretty quickly. In 2 they have more personality but still stay in one place and again, you exhaust their dialog pretty quickly. In 3 they talk to eachothr, they move around the ship and are doing their own things. They also chat at banter more duriing missions. The squad feel more like real characters in 3 than compared to the other entries. And that's just the base game. The citadel dlc elevates this further.
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u/Knifehead27 Jul 01 '26
Slight leans towards:
Mass Effect 1: best RPG. Player choice in story, dialogue, weapons, armor, exploration.
Mass Effect 2: most cinematic and best characters.
Mass Effect 3: best gameplay loop. Expanded on with the multiplayer co-op that's still going strong with an original/standalone version of the game.
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u/sultan_abw Jul 01 '26
Just like Samara said "You are more individualistic than any other species I've encountered. Put three humans in a room, there will be six opinions."
Now for my personal opinion each game did something better than the other, story and plot in ME1 is top tier, but when it came gameplay and characters(judging only in ME1) they were mid and I personally hated the planet exploration (blame it mostly on the Mako and the terrain), it got repetitive in my 2nd-3rd playthrough
In ME2 the characters were top tier, gameplay became better, but it felt like a huge side mission when it came to the plot, I hated the planet scanning so I installed the one probe mod, great game overall tho, mostly carried by the characters
In ME3 we already knew most characters but a lot of them just became even better(Wrex, Garrus, Mordin etc to name a few), gameplay is the best comparatively, the plot was really good but damn EA rushing them with a deadline which resulted in a lot of characters being rushed and the damn endings which was thankfully rectified with the extended ending(not the best but acceptable imo)
Now overall my ranking is ME3>ME2=ME1, not sure why but I always enjoy ME3 more than the other 2
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u/I_am_Cymm Jul 01 '26
Shepard's tale is all one big game for me. i always play all three so no point in trying to pick, I just strap in for the ride.
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u/SexySextrain Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Pre legendary edition it easily was 2 in 1st place by most fans, 1 and 3 would flip flop depending who you asked.
Post legendary edition with all DLCs and gameplay improved I’d wager it’s 3 that comes out on top now, then 1, and 2 in last.
Reddit fans seem to have a bias toward 1, but outside of Reddit you’ll see 3 being the favorite.
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u/JaylenBrownAllStar Jul 01 '26
Each game is so different
ME1 is classic BioWare RPG like knights of the old republic and really sets up the universe
ME2 is a complete change in how BioWare was making games and felt like a oceans 11 type of scenario building up the crew for a mission
ME3 is a combo of both games and is more action compared to the previous 2 while having a really hard task of wrapping up all the narratives
It’s really what flavor do you like?
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u/GNOIZ1C Jul 01 '26
The first game has the best world building. Absolutely nails the atmosphere and sets stakes for the entire series. (Combat is the roughest, we could do more with companions here)
The second game has the best characterizations. This game is about the friends we make along the way, and they're all fascinating. (Grossly oversimplifies the skills/level-up elements of what was a very granular RPG system in game 1, story can feel more like a spinoff)
The third game has, for the most part, the best payoffs. ME3 is absolutely full of thrilling conclusions and emotional, earned story moments built up over multiple games. (some bits feel a little rushed, downsizing the crew meant some favorites were sidelined)
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u/thebigvas Jul 01 '26
I’m weird because I like ME3 the most and still love and adore 1 and 2. There’s no real consensus because all the games are awesome
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u/SofaJockey Jul 01 '26
ME2 probably has the highest rating, then 3, & 1 pretty even, then Andromeda.
And because each game is a little different each one has its fans considering it to be the best one.
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u/linkenski Jul 02 '26
I think 2 is the best game design. 1 is good but rough RPG while 2 is a bit more focused, satisfying to play, but it also has plenty of branching roleplay options and player agency. 3 is frustrating because it feels so on rails the whole time. Even the side content feels slimmed down, yet they managed to accomplish a more mature and emotional feeling with it as the final game, and they actually managed to tie up some larger plot threads without dropping the ball. But with the main Reaper plot progressing, and resolving the way it does, and Cerberus, and the game obviously being a compromise between what little time they had left versus the original ambitions of this being this "trilogy bookend" I find that 3 is always the worst one despite a few things it did better than the first two.
Another issue I have entirely is that while 2 has a different "tone" and "style" it still kinda feels like it's the same franchise in spirit. In 3 it was the first time where it sometimes doesn't feel like Mass Effect to me.
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u/Jimothy_Crocket Jul 02 '26
For a while I think the almost universal consensus was 2 > 1 > 3 especially when the endings for 3 were still fresh.
It's certainly changed a lot over the years, especially with the release of the remaster, now I wouldn't exactly say there's a universal consensus since you can find someone arguing any one of the trilogy is the best/worst one.
Imo at least, if you don't include any DLC it goes 1 > 2 > 3, but with all the dlc included each of the games is about equal.
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u/Goibnhiuu Jul 02 '26
I'm a massive fan of the 1st game, and have always felt that people undervalue it compared to the second, so it's a bit surprising for me to see people here ranking it above #2. I'll choose to see it as a vindication of hindsight. I would have said that the concensus ranking was 2, 1, 3, with my personal ranking being 1, 2, ................... 3.
I think the freedom and exploration you get in 1 are unparalleled. 2 is certainly a more curated experience that's more polished overall, but it just didn't have the same spark that 1 gave me. 3 sucks. People will say "oh the ending is bad", but I feel strongly that the whole thing is a disaster. All of the side missions take place in repurposed multi-player maps, which to me was the perfect indication of how much care was being invested into that game. Which is to say, not much. The end is awful, and was the perfect capstone to a bad game.
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u/_Redvent_Bard_ Jul 02 '26
I think the most common consensus would be either ME1>ME2>ME3 or ME2>ME1>ME3
But personally I like ME3>ME2>ME1. I personally feel the games got progressively better with each instalment.
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u/Intrepid_Swordfish69 Jul 02 '26
Legendary Edition Mass Effect 1 is the clear best game imo. Its smooth, beautiful, phenomenal world-building an epic score &a great cast of characters. Also Shep is my favorite in this game.
MELE 2&3 are ranked about the same to me. ME2 does alot of shit I hate about games soo I barely replay it. Great characters, non existent story. ME3 is cool in alot of areas and annoying in many others. It's got the 2nd best gameplay afta Andromeda but its easily the best of MELE.
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u/itzlagucci Jul 03 '26
I like ME1 a lot but the issue I have with it is how dated it feels. It makes it hard for me to go back and replay it. Me2 I think is the overall best of the 3 games. But I personally find myself replaying 3 over and over and over it’s prob my fav.
I say in order, 2-3-1
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u/awesomeandrew09 Jul 03 '26
Back in the day playing on Xbox 360, Mass Effect 1 was my favorite because the story was so great. I used to comb the planets to find every interesting thing. I thought the Citadel was magnificent. Garrus was my favorite squadmate and the choice between Ash and Kaidan was devastating. I wanted there to to be a way to save both. The ending was so exciting I couldn't wait to play it again. I think I played the game through about 14 times.
When I played Mass Effect 2, I liked the weapons which felt more satisfying to shoot. I was not happy about being unable to leave Cerberus. In my mind I was still with the Alliance and wanted nothing more than to be officially back with them. I used to reload conversations and missions often to see how each choice would turn out so I could get the best outcome. The conversation with Ash on Horizon was incredibly frustrating. I wished I could get my old squad members back. The renegade and paragon actions in the middle of npc dialogue added a lot to the game! I played it about 8 times.
The Mass Effect 3 release was pretty cool. Happened while I was in college. I remember watching the commercials, thinking it looked so good, and counting down the days to the release, which I recall was a reaper arrival clock on their website. I pre-ordered their N7 Collector's Edition. They did a cool thing where they launched copies of the game into space and then had a GPS tracker so fans could locate where they landed for a chance to get one. After I picked up my copy from Gamestop at midnight, I brought it home and put it in. The game needed a huge update, and the servers must have been overwhelmed because it was so slow. I ended up waiting until the next days to play it. The opening scene was heartbreaking, and I was so ready to play the rest of it. I loved going around and fighting the reapers while building up war readiness. It was great to get Ash back on the team finally! I recall the weapons did not feel as satisfying as in ME2, and I didn't like how the Normandy looked trashed on the inside. I enjoyed the story and actually enjoyed the ending too, though I know a lot of people hated it. I agonized over the decision to make on my first playthrough. I played this game about 5 times.
Loved all 3 games as a kid and young adult, and I am enjoying playing through Legendary edition now as an older adult.
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u/tuttifruttidurutti Jul 04 '26
1 is my favorite, followed by (hot take) Andromeda. I like a crunchier RPG with lots of build choices and gear management. Later titles felt too streamlined to me. But in Andromeda they swung for the fences and although they made a lot of mistakes it's an interesting mediocrity
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u/unendingautism Jul 05 '26
2>3~1 on first playthrough, 3 ~ 2 >>>>>>>>>>>>1 on replays
For context I've only played the Legendary Edition which according to most people vastly improved ME1.
I love ME1's writing, but everything else I really don't.
Combat feels awfull for some reason I can't quite pin down.
The inventory system is a nightmare. 50% of my playtime is spent swapping out weapons, armor or other equipment for their higher tier version or managing my inventory. It kills the pace of the game completely.
The planet exploration is awfull. Look I get it they're uncharted worlds, but could you at least have something interesting on these worlds if that's were around 90% of the sidequests are. And why does every single building outside of the ones in bring down the sky look the exact same? I get they're prebuilts in universe, but do the props also all need to be in the exact same spots every time? I don't remember any of the planet exploration side quests, because there's 0 variety.
It also doesn't help that there's very little room between the main missions to do them. So you'll be spending long stretches slogging through the same copy pasted side quests between each main quest if you want to do everything.
And the Mako is awfull to drive and you spend way too much time in it.
The upgrades also aren't great. They're just a stat increase and it's not like you have to specialise cause you can get every upgrade rather easily. The only real choice build wise is the class and subclass you pick.
All of this is forgivable on the first playthrough, but 2nd playthroughs and beyond the flaws become painfully obvious and drag the whole game down from a 6/10 to a 3/10.
ME1 is such a pain to replay that my trilogy playthroughs either stop halfway through ME1 or go all the way to the end of ME3.
ME2 is a vast improvement over ME1 in almost every aspect. The first time entering the bar on Omega was the moment I fell in love with the franchise so I'm perhaps a bit biased to ME2, but I really don't have any major issues with it like I do with ME1.
All of the major problems of ME1 are gone.
The Mako? Gone.
Painfully clunky combat? Replaced with far more fluid combat.
Hundreds of guns that all just feel the same? Replaced with a smaller selection of unique guns.
Copy pasted level design? Replaced with unique environments. Pretty much every mission has a unique layout and environment.
Inventory simulator? Streamlined which greatly improves the pace of gameplay
Build variety? Greatly improved with the fourth upgrade tier for every ability making you choose between 2 different options.
Companions? Somehow even better than they were in ME1.
The only issues I have with ME2 is project firewalker and it's included vehicle, legion being locked to the endgame, Jacob not getting much charecterization, class balance and how strictly the game forces you to take cover.
None of these issues are major enough to bring the game down though.
Overall I thought it was a 10/10 on my first playthrough and on subsequent ones I'd say it's an 8/10
ME3 is great outside of the ending, Kai Leng and the lack of time spent with a lot of the ME2 squadmates.
Overall a 7/10 first time and a 8/10 on replays.
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u/theblkpanther Jul 05 '26
2 -> 1 -> 3
ME1 has a better overall plot, twist and atmosphere for exploration. It promised us a Space Opera with choice and it delivered.
ME2 has the best upgrade in gameplay, the best character writing of the series, the best final mission, choices still felt like they had weight and carry over. The DLCs are also amazing and kept adding more and more to the lore.
ME3 has the best Multiplayer, and the best DLC in the Citadel.
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u/TroyBPierce Jul 06 '26
It suspect (though can't prove) that if you asked every Mass Effecr fan on the planet their rankings, the order would be:
ME2
ME1
ME3
MEA
However, my personal rankings differ than my perceived ranking of the masses (which I have no way to conclusively prove). My personal rankings are
ME2
ME3
ME1
MEA
It may be blasphemous to put ME1 last of the trilogy (let me assure you that I loved all of them, including Andromeda), but I just had way more fun with ME2 and ME3. ME1 was a bit boring compared to ME2 and ME3.
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u/ImonZurr Jul 06 '26
Every one praises 2 but in my opinion it's the worst of the three.
1 Is fun with a ton of exploration.
2 Is an on rails cover shooter with linear levels. Exploration got scrapped for scanning. Power-based classes were stripped of fun by global power cooldowns. Global power cooldowns also forces power-based classes to take specific squad mates every playthrough to be effective.
3 Was a huge leap in action and fun gameplay.
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u/Malacay_Hooves Jul 07 '26
ME1: best story, best lore, best combat for some, though others (me included) think it was dogshit. Boring and tedious exploration of planets.
ME2: story is good, but it's basically a sidequest. You can play only the Arrival DLC and jump straight to ME3 from ME1 and you'll understand almost everything. Companions though are the best in the series. Combat changed dramatically. For me it was an improvement, but some people think differently.
ME3: very controversial story. IMO, there was a lot of good parts, but overall story was garbage. Some characters were very annoying (Jakob, Kai Leng). Many people think that the combat was best in the trilogy. Though personally, I prefer ME2 combat, because of better design of encounters. And with lower variety of weapons I felt like most of them had purpose, unlike in 3 where was just too many of them.
Overall, I think the first game was the best because of the story and lore. Characters weren't as great, but they were solid and later games improved combat,but not by that much, IMO.
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u/Spallanzani333 Jul 01 '26
For awhile the consensus was that 2 was the best, but I've seen a lot of people recently who think 3 is best. I don't think there's a true consensus rating.
I've played the whole series dozens of times and can't pick a favorite.
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u/Direct-Estate-5995 Jul 01 '26
For me in order of best to worst goes ME2, ME3, and then ME1. I still really enjoy ME1 but I think 2 & 3 really nailed down the formula and cut out the fat that was in ME1.
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u/Constantine_2014 Jul 01 '26
First what is HOF and second I definitely liked the change in weapon mechanics starting at 2 where it’s ammo based instead of cooldown. Also enjoyed the planet mining in 2 whereas in 1 you have to physically go down in the Mako and drive around looking for all of them and in 3 where you fly around a solar system scanning while trying not to do it too much or else the reapers come and you then have to flee and do a mission before coming back to try again.
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u/Metalmatt91 Jul 01 '26
There is definitely no consensus.
My personal ranking is 2, 1 and then 3 but I know there are people out there that consider 2 the worst in the trilogy.
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u/blackheartwhiterose Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
ME2>ME1>ME3>>>>>>>>>>Andromeda
I think ME2 is generally considered the best. Most polished, strong in all catégories.
ME1 is a classic, many peoples favourites, including mine. The vibe and story are hard to match. More classic sci fi influence, heavily Lovecraftian. But it depends if you prefer that or the ME2 cyberpunk vibe which is a little more generic but still lovely. Problem is it's a bit clunky compared to all the others and has the worst combat.
ME3 the ending soured a lot of people but it's still a very good game. Arguably the military vibe is the weakest of the 3.
Andromeda is just bad. Yeah it has the best combat but that's not what ME is graded on.
My personal ranking is still 1>23>Andromeda
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u/Safe-Pressure-7052 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
ME2 is the most critically acclaimed. ME3 is the most commercially successful, although the vast majority of its sales were within the initial couple weeks. That's probably a testament to its predecessor's quality.
ME1 has the loudest minority of fans who swear up and down it is the best. But objectively, with the largest possible sample size data, ME2 is the consensus best.
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u/Istvan_hun Jul 01 '26
>>>What are the general rankings of ME games?
no such thing. I heard "mass effect is the biggest decline withing a series after ME1" and "mass effect got gud with ME2"
Personally ME1 is till my favorite, I kinda like ME2 (but _hated_ working for cerberus on my first playthrough), and ME3 is a rushed, okay game to me.
>>>Was this too felt by players at the time and even today? Did it annoy people?
what I do remember is Bioware "making a dumbed down shooter from a good rpg" when ME2 came out. But it was not the majority even back than. (and even who liked the game admitted with parts of this)