Where do you rank MEA with the rest of the Mass Effect games?

They are probably going to merge this with the other listing thread.

1 - Mass Effect 2:
Timeless classic, one of the best videogames ever created. I'd be very hard-pressed to find any fault or flaw in this game. The only thing I can think of is that the planet scanning can get a tiny bit repetitive over time. It still looks great in visual terms, even when compared to current titles.

2a- Mass Effect 3:
Still flawed in many ways, especially toward the end of the game, annoying planet scanning minigame, super-dumbed-down upgrade system, and very poor side missions, but the oppressive sense of onrushing doom from the Reaper invasion is marvellously done. The excellent DLC and the extended cut go a long way toward fixing things, couple this with the MEHEM mod and the entire ending controversy is fixed.

2b Mass Effect Andromeda:
I honestly can't decide if I prefer ME:3 or Andromeda, they are both very different. 3 possibly has more story depth, but having said that, I'm only around 25 per cent through the game, but Andromeda has far deeper and richer game systems, crafting, exploration etc. It's a highly complex game. Thus far all the side missions I've done have been excellent, a million miles better than ME:3's poor 'find and fetch this to the Citadel' efforts. Until I actually complete this game, it's hard to rank it objectively. All I can say is I'm loving it so far.

3: Mass Effect 1
Don't get me wrong, it's still a classic, but if I'm asked to rank the games, I have to admit that I consider it the least enjoyable when compared to the others; that doesn't mean I haven't played it a million times, and will continue to do so. I find the combat a bit less satisfying, and obviously the graphics are a bit dated, but the gameplay is still solid, and the story is timeless. My main problem with it is that there's just so many repetitive planetary missions - land - drive around - go to generic base - shoot stuff - repeat, repeat, repeat... that I find myself feeling a bit burned out after a while. I try to pace things, by doing a set amount of side missions before each main mission (which are all superb, especially Noveria) but it's still a real grind.

Other thing is, users of current-generation Nvidia graphics cards experience a horrible glitch in some areas of the game, turning all party members and non-landscape objects into fuzzy black blobs. The only 'fix' is to go to the console, and set the lighting to fullbright - which makes everything flat, 2D-looking without any light sourcing, and ruins immersion. This really detracts from the game's enjoyment. I wish there were some kind of fix, but, other than installing an older graphics card into your PC when playing, there isn't.

I found the story compelling and exciting. It was a Dirty Dozen kind of story, and I'm a sucker for such things. I don't particularly mind linear games either. I often tire of open world games with their endless 'MMO-style' quests, and long for a tighter, more focussed story. The explorable areas in ME:2 were linear, but they were cohesive and rich in detail. The actual game, in terms of where to visit, and in what order was not linear. I liked the Normandy upgrades, it made me feel like I was really getting prepared for the Collector confrontation. Best of all - the choices you make and the things you did mattered. It meant life or death for your squad, and even yourself. Couple that with superb DLC and great combat and it's perfection as far as I'm concerned. I can understand why many players didn't enjoy it so much, but everyone has different tastes I guess.

I agree about the Hammerhead though - but given that was tied to a single DLC mission, and a few free platformy side missions, I don't consider it a big deal.