Mass Effect is a better game than DA:O. I wholeheartedly agree. You're thrown plot twists that actually make some sense in ME and the main plot is sufficiently resolved in the first game without tossing the necessity for a continuation of the universe's story out the proverbial airlock. DA:O you're thrown what is basically the same damn incentive each and every time - fix someone's stupid shit in return for their help in fighting off the Big Bad's army of mooks because our nation's king was a glory-seeking fool and his advisor was the only sane man.
But anyway, D2's plot itself is actually pretty good, nonsensical plot twists notwithstanding. You can chalk up the Big Bad's stupid decisions (and there are a LOT of them, starting with his first meeting the Protagonist - why didn't he simply kill the Protagonist right then and there? oh cuz then the game would be over, right? so why do we even MEET the Big Bad in the first place?) to being a classical villain drunk on power and having spectacularly flunked out of magnificent bastard school (no "C for effort" reward here - his dead girlfriend's the true magnificent bastard in the story) while the protagonist systematically ruins his plans - token victories really, cuz you're never really given the opportunity to hand Damian his ass on a silver platter. My willful suspension of disbelief stayed relatively intact up until the ending when the writers seemed to decide "screw it, we'll tie up all the plot holes in the conclusion and ship it as is," handing us a twist ending that makes no sense whatsoever simply for the sake of having a cliff hanger to leave us anticipating the series' conclusion. Hence why I've got an obvious axe to grind with Larian's writing staff, and anyone else who thinks the ending was reasonable.
