I feel like ME2 was a long series of intense action movies, which was a blast to play through, and did definitely have a lot more focus on your pals, which I too enjoyed a lot more, and were mostly thrown aside in the third game

While ME3 was more story-adventure focused. Which was also sprinkled with poignant intensity, as well as a lot of more story-driven poignant moments. And yeah, the "big picture" thing. So it's definitely a good debate on which one is better. 3 is definitely a better adventure, a better designed game, and gives a lot more options

I personally actually enjoyed the second one more (I've never beaten Mass Effect 3). All that non-stop intensity and action was like the video game equivalent of a page-turner. I couldn't stop until it was done. I guess 3 had more down time. I felt more compelled to complete unnecessary quests and lost steam, and eventually interest. Which is sad because it's still a fantastic game. But my girlfriend loves the entire franchise so much, a little lacking love from me won't hurt it any. Our household is still generally a massive BioWare boner (and Bethesda)