For everyone claiming Mass Effect, think about this:
First of all, you wouldn't be Shepherd. Why? Look at you, you're not a super-soldier, you're just a regular person. Not everyone in the Mass Effect universe gets to be Shepherd, and that includes you. So what's it like to be a Mass Effect civilian?
1) The universe is about to end, and your one hope of salvation may or may not have died on the Collector Base in the middle of the galactic core.
2) The government is more corrupt and ineffective than it is in our world, and that's saying something. The universe is about to end, and the government just sits there and says: "So what? We have more important things to do." And what exactly is that, anyway? You only see government influence on the Citadel, and that place is overrun with criminals and an Asari prostitute.
3) Aliens would hate you. Yeah, maybe some would be your friend, but the vast majority think you're the hotshot new species in the galaxy and would rather you not be there at all.
4) Living on colonies is basically a death sentence. Between the Geth, the Collectors, the Batarians and Cerberus, colonists are basically ground-skeletons in waiting.
5) There's nothing to do. You can watch holo vids (TV), work at a store selling junk, drink, or watch an Asari dance on a pole. Welcome to every single city in the world right now.
On the plus side, there is one small silver lining: the woman are hot, and it only takes 4-5 deep conversations with them until they throw themselves at you in the engine room. Of course, this only appears to happen to Shepherd, as you really don't see ANY OTHER RELATIONSHIPS in the course of the first 2 games. Maybe every woman in the universe has the hots for Shepherd, but that's too bad for you because YOU'RE NOT SHEPHERD. Also, even HE can't get laid until he brings the woman on a hopeless suicide mission.
No thank you. I'll stick to the world of Alan Wake, with its beautiful mountain views, its helpful and friendly town folk, and the bad guys who die when you shine a light in their face.