Viqor played Mass Effect 2

Played for a good long time today. Something that I am growing to really admire about Mass Effect 3 is it's focus. Simply put, Mass Effect 3 is about fighting the Reapers and everything in the game serves to support that story. Every mission, conversation, side-quest, and environment helps to further the narrative, and I think that's pretty brilliant. In most RPGs, side-quests are designed as diversions from the main story; fetching something from a local townsperson or settling an unrelated dispute. While not necessarily unenjoyable, it does introduce a certain incongruity in the narrative: why is our hero wasting time helping random passerby's when the fate of the world/galaxy/multiverse hangs in the balance. Mass Effect 3 solves this issue by giving narrative importance to every quest. I don't think that this approach could work in every game, but for what it's worth, I can't think of a more tonally consistent RPG. The weight of the situation is almost crushing at times, but, again, it works to the benefit of the story.