What a mess this turned out to be! Points for the concept but not so much the execution.

Speaking of which... I've been reading a three-part essay on the aberration that is the first game's interface. The guy who wrote it obviously appreciates the storyline and the actual gameplay, but he has some really valid points on what makes the interface of virtually every screen in the game so damn borked. The ridiculously hampered inventory screens and the galaxy map button commands are probably the parts that hit closest to home for me.

You can read them here: 1 | 2 | 3

It's funny—I've never really understood why gamers were so divided on these games 'til I read those articles. Gripping as the storyline might be, the interface could definitely have been a deal-breaker for the best of people. I know it bugged me to the point of giving up for weeks at one point and I probably never would have fallen for the franchise had I not lost internet access for a week and been forced to play ME1 to completion or die of boredom.