Did I set my expectations too high? Should Mass Effect inspire a sense of wonder?

Perhaps.  Like I said, the story's not all that memorable.  I may not have even fought the Eos architect. I do know I discovered architects on Voeld.

Nor does the fact that ME1 was not about exploring, and MEA was.

Ergo, I expect exploring in a game about exploring to be more entertaining.

Which is a little odd if you don't do that one first.

Also from the codex:


Role of a Pathfinder 
Pathfinders are the "tip of the spear" for exploring new worlds. While planetary surveying is typically a long-term, multiple-team process the Initiative found an alternative, thanks to Alec Ryder's AI research: an individual equipped with the best training and technology available, and an AI partner that can run complex studies in seconds and a hundred test simulations a minute. With AI support, Pathfinders can determine within hours whether a planet is suitable for habitation, and direct the Nexus as to what colonist block stands the best chance there.



Pathfinders are trained to improve the viability of potential planets, initiate first contact with unknown species, find suitable outpost sites, and handle any external threats before the first colonist touches soil. The presence of a Pathfinder is a reassurance that a planet can be settled safely and with a high expectation of success.

Sound like more literal pathfinding.  And aside from "increasing the viability of a planet" Ryder certainly doesn't do a lot of that.  

Wait a second. The Nomad can easily disengage from anything you don't want to fight, even without upgrades.

I definitely set my expectations too high. I bought into the Initiative videos more than I probably should have. All of the first boots on the ground, making first contact, studying water and plant life to determine the most suitable place for the colony. I really thought bough into all of that, the whole being a Pathfinder thing.

However, what I got was go activate these three vaults, and the then go to the marked point on the map and start a colony that you could ignore the rest of the game and nothing in the story will change. The whole choice about making a science or military had no bearing on anything after the whole this will set the tone to the AI presence through Helius.

You could have been part of a security force for Kandros assigned to go secure locations for colonization and nothing about this game would have changed because Pathfinder was title without any real meaning or specific function.

They could have done so much more with the colonization aspect of this game, as well as actually making first contacts and getting by all those early roadblocks. Landing on previously undiscovered planets, learning about the ecosystem, inhabitants, making a decision about the impact starting a colony have, that would have been awesome. Leave the planet be, or take it anyway by force.

Each planet could have had unique circumstances, and you could have still discovered the same ancient tech on the planets and started to look into why it was showing up on these worlds and found out that the planets were all created by the same race. No need to have the vaults for viability, the unique circumstances would have more preferable to the repetition of activate these three vaults, go the marked point on the map, rinse and repeat.

Then actually have the colonies offer something to the player and the AI based on what type of colony you picked, and decisions you made about their growth.

I had high expectations, not all of what I said in this post, but more than what I got.

I agree wholeheartedly that they could have done so much more with this game... however, I translate that into potential that still exists for where a second and third game in this story line could still go.  I see ME:A as merely a beginning... one that they were unable to finish the way they wanted to because they ran out of time and had to make the release deadline.  I was extremely disappointed when EA shut down any hope of DLC for this game because I think they could have done some amazing things in DLC.  They could have explored entirely unexplored planets and even, similar to Fallout 4's Nuka-World DLC, could have enabled players to bring out a dark side to Ryder.  I still have hope for a sequel.

Hence the italed.

Loved exploration in ME1, MEA exploration is way better done though. ME2 and ME3 almost completely lack those, which was really disapointing for me personally.

And makes no RP sense. Why is Shepard even in those clusters?