For me it was the exact opposite with ME1 to ME2. Sure, ME1 was more sandboxy, but it was an empty sandbox. 90% of ME1 simply was empty, so all you did was driv

For me it was the exact opposite with ME1 to ME2. Sure, ME1 was more sandboxy, but it was an empty sandbox. 90% of ME1 simply was empty, so all you did was drive around, drive around, drive around and find nothing. ME2 was far more focused with the sandbox parts (planet scanning + finding anomalies) leading at least to something with a certain regularity. Exploring a sandbox is only interesting when it's actually filled with something to find. Still, I think the game play of both ME1 and ME2 (and ME3) actually fit their respective points in the story line. ME1: You don't really know what's going on, you have a vague feeling, but it's mostly "let's stumble around and see what we can find" ME2: Okay, you know what will happen, but almost everyone else is in denial and doesn't want to help you, so you have to be laser-focused to fix the immediate problem with whatever you have at hand. ME3: Denial is over, the problem is squarely in everyone's face and even if some people still want to ignore it your focus is more on showing people that your way to deal with the problem is in their best interest as much as in yours.