Dragon Age on the other hand I am wondering if any of these 3 games are of the same franchise.
This is really the main reason for the feeling. While I do agree that ME had the better sequels, one thing must be considered. Despite everything we might say about ME3 story/ending, the change in tone, the change of writers, Origin/EA buyout, etc, the ME trilogy has done something no other games have which gives it an utterly unfair advantage: the ability to import the save into subsequent games and have things from the previous game matter in the new one.
BG2 let you import from BG, but only a couple of items carried over, and the character of course. The Witcher games also accounted for a few minor choices but nothing that actually altered the game. This was primarily because of the change in platforms each game from PC to Gen7 consoles to Gen8 for TW3. Mass Effect is unique that we can bring a character thru from the start to the end, despite all the issues with ME3.
I don't care for standard 3rd person cover based shooters. I think sticky cover is a stupid mechanic. Saying that, despite the addition of both sticky cover and reloading, both of which ME1 did better, the actual gunplay was better in ME2. I also didn't like the global cooldown which meant multiple powers couldn't be used, but considering they removed most abilities it didn't much matter. Also, Biotic Charge and the Claymore make me happy.
Dragon Age:Origins was brilliant. While it didn't necessarily excel at either storytelling or combat, it was a great party-based fantasy adventure with a memorable cast. It was dark, violent and filled with racism, backstabbing, distrust and evil. My favourite part was the Origins themselves and IMO was the defining factor of the game whose absence in sequels absolutely baffles me. Each gave us a unique backstory and investment in our character and the world at large. As a dwarf commoner, we help our sister and land in trouble. As a human, we are betrayed and watch loved ones die. My favourite was the female city elf. The preparation for the wedding, getting read for the ceremony only for it to be interrupted and end in bloodshed and kidnap. Waking up with the threat of rape and murder, my PC carved her way through the offending Lord and his lackeys. Duncan found me, covered in blood, a dagger in each hand standing over the bodies of those who would do me harm and killed my fiancee. Later, on returning to the slums, discovering the slavers, my "chaotic good" Warden took off the kids gloves. While I had been forgiving and good until that point, when seeing the Slavers there was no mercy shown.
Origins let that happen and it was glorious. I had so much invested in my character that these things mattered and had emotional impact. Dragon Age 2, mum gets kidnapped, couldn't give less of a damn. Older brother becomes a templar? Don't care, he was a prick. I had no investment at all. Why they wouldn't continue the story from 1, by far more epic than anything that came later, is beyond me. I appreciate that execs chose to do something completely different, set elsewhere with wholly different characters, but why? We grew to love the characters from the first game and the story of the Warden(s) was great. The ending was fairly final, but that wouldn't stop good storytellers.
DA2s biggest issue was that is was single-player WoW. From the hotbar rotation/cooldown combat to the nonsense story, bland characters and poor execution (The bloody cave!). DA:I was different. It was conceptually sound but badly executed. Combat and questing were dull as dishwater and I cannot remember half the characters or any of the story. The highlight was the party at the palace which was utterly unique and brilliantly done. Apart from that, a boring game, a boring story, boring combat, boring boring boring. That's not even getting into the shameless retconning of the world....gone was the violence, racism, backstabbing politics and instead was a society more liberal than contemporary western ones where qunari are lovely and welcoming and go on tirades about SJW issues at the slightest provocation.
ME3 was a terrible story, awful writing and horrible ending. But it was a good enough game and part of a trilogy with good constituent parts. DA:O was brilliant and had its support ended before its time. DA2 shouldn't have happened and DA:I was just boring despite promise on paper. The most unique thing about Dragon Age, the origins, were taken. For whatever reason, BW decided all their games have to have voiced, specific protagonists now. As much as I love Shepard, I hate Shepard for doing that to BW games.
