Obviously I'm not a fan? I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you about who is a bigger fan of the series but for the record I've been playing Mass Effect since 07/08 so I'm not new to the franchise.
Being a fan does not mean that you have to accept everything a developer/publisher puts out. Expectations are set and when they fall short of those expectations, fans should be allowed to voice their criticism. You would think that after promising that the decisions made across the first 3 games would result in various endings and falling short of those expectations with ME3, Bioware would have focused a bit more their writing.
I personally don't think the animations are a huge issue, its disappointing, but I agree that it doesn't take away from the game. ME:A does certain things incredibly well; for example, combat was vastly improved IMO by introducing versatility.
However, to tell me that the lack of species is being nit picky? Thats a bit absurd when the main theme of the game is exploration in a new galaxy. There should be an abundance of new flora and fauna that is somewhat different from what we seen in the milky way.
Continuing with the theme of exploration, the opening ACT was terrible at creating a sense of awe. These explorers have traveled 600 years to set foot on a new world but their first encounter was very lackluster. There was no sense of emotion, it seems as if its another day in the park.
ME:A is not a bad game but it is the weakest installment in the series.
