Who exactly was this game aimed at?

Yeah, ok. Vetra is fine too. I'm doing her romance in hope of it being less cringe-worthy than the others. Drack and her are the only level-headed adults on the ship. OK, maaaybe Lexi. I like her too. Glad somebody is being professional enough on the ship not to screw her patient and compromise her job and the entire mission. I respect her for that.

Since I don't take any of them seriously really, I'm fine with Peebee. I like her as a person. Though I respect Suvi most as a geek. She seems stoned all day but she at least comes across as intelligent and competent despite it.

I've surrendered to the absurdity of the narrative and the characters and am currently focusing all my energy on not rage-quitting because of the inane quest design and overall boredom that is "exploring" and progressing the planets and squad missions at snail speed.

I was thinking more in a general sense that, perhaps moreso than Scott, she seems to enjoy the science and exploration of it all, and both Alec and Scott comment about her wanting to climb the highest mountain (there's a scene in one of the newer games it reminds me of). Sara apparently is also apparently always running off to look for some artifact (or wanted to)--Scott complains about this if you don't go visit him while he's in the coma. So she's an explorer, with the sort of looming father figure in the background, with secrets and mysteries surrounding him, and depending how you play her, she can be really driven. And yeah I do mean the newer version of Lara, not so much the older and perhaps more iconic version.

Scott having lack of ambition like Mal I can see. 

Obviously the are not targeting people who only like dark stories... which the Trilogy was a dark story and had attracted a fan base that liked dark stories (and was criticized for being just that). Prior to release, they continually said that ME:A would not be a dark story like the Trilogy and would have a lighter tone... and people who wanted a dark game should have known well in advance that ME:A was not that sort of game.

Obviously, they used younger characters... so were not targeting for mid-30s crowd, but trying to attract a younger fan base (i.e. in there late teens to early 20s). Again, long prior to release, they continually said that Ryder would not be the experienced N7 soldier that Shepard was. Therefore, people who wanted a character just like Shepard should have realized long in advance that ME:A principle character was not likely to be that sort of character.

I don't see the oil and water reference... since, in my area of the world, many teens discuss sex in pretty explicit terms at a very young age and PG13 movies these days contain a fair amount of skin. Prior to release, many people here were going on about the 18+ rating likely being too high.

Also, since when, in literature, has "containing explicit sex" arbitrarily equated to "being a sophisticated work." If you want to read a sophisticated work, pick up War and Peace... if you want explicit sex, read a Harlequin romance. It has been ever thus.

You are right it might be down to how we role play them. I didn't particularly see Sara as shy  (and especially when flirting with Reyes who I romanced). A little bit eccentric and awkward at times, but by the end of game she's pretty confident I thought.

War and Peace can be pretty racy, tbh. It is not as risqué as his Sunday or even naughtier Russian classics (as teens we got kicks out of our classic lit because we did not exactly have pornographic sources), but it touches upon the society's degenerative sexual practices, and open sexual desires of rather young aristocratic girls, seduction, trades of sexual aspirations for monetary gain, incest... viewing War and High Society (that's the correct translation of the title in English)  as something more elevated than Arlequin is not entirely correct imo. It served the same purpose at the time it was written, the Regency Romance of its time, really. 

42.  The game is very meh.  Not the dumpster fire of ME3, but not exactly impressive either.

Doesn't count. Deep Thought isn't impressed by anything. 

Should we start trading lifestories to try to find commonalities in backgrounds? There will be none. there is no causality to tastes. They differ.

I never had the feeling of ME3 being dark let alone too dark. It told a dire story, but there was a lot of lighter moments, such as the crew really roaming the ship and engaging in activities together. Playing cards, entering into a contest of telling outrageous stories. Drunk Ashley or Tali. Javvik starting to give a speech on the Citadel of everyone being doomed, before being interrupted by Shepard. Javvik destroying Liaras enthusiasm over protheans by stating he was amazed that Asari had finally mastered the art of writing. A few little side missions, such as Kasumi showing up to hunt the Hanna saboteur. (of course you needed her DLC for that to happen)

A friend found out if you don't save Greer you find his body ripped open from the inside later, so MEA isn't all rainbows and sunny skies. I found that stuff pretty dark compared to ME3.

I thought ME3 was dark/moody in both PTs, with cool ending. Andromeda was all cool with a cool ending, and I don't think the mood is the main misgiving anyhow. It's more that the game does not subscribe to the cult of competence. Which I actually expected, because I expected Star Trek: Andromeda. But I am happy with what I got.