With Mass Effect, I think I know where you are getting at with the protagonist; but it also has other problems as well that some game reviewers have mentioned before. The first thing that would make that series better is a stronger protagonist. Bioware took the easy way out and made Commander Shepard ubiquitous, unlike say Nathan Drake, John Marston, or Kratos who all have a definitive character arc throughout their games. That makes it easy for players to connect with the protagonists motivations better than say just allowing them to change it every time there is a cutscene. The second problem is Mass Effect's scale, the way the game allows you to explore it's universe is at odds with what gamers expect it to be. The first game used the rover, which was horrible and clunky, and the second game used a drill of some sort, both of which were crap. If Mass Effect had just borrowed elements from shows like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Firefly, and even maybe Cowboy Bebob or something the space segments would have made the game even better. The final issue would have to be the shooting mechanics. When a game as big as Mass Effect features combat, it should not mimic Gears of War with a brain on it's head. Instead they should have focused more on fine tuning it to fit with the game, and not just copied and pasted old shooters. If you can fix those things, than Mass Effect would be a perfect game.
