I think that when you started playing the franchise affects your view of Mass Effect 3. If I hadn't played the first two games and just played the third. Most of my problems with ME3 would disappear.
I wouldn't have the same attachment to the story or the lore. I wouldn't have gotten to "know" the characters as well. I wouldn't have noticed limited the conversation options had become nor how terrible the quest log was. The plots holes or out of character behaviour wouldn't stick out like sore thumb to me. I also wouldn't be annoyed by the complete sidelining of all but two characters in the ME2 cast.
I wouldn't know the franchise well enough to notice the flaws and problems. It's why I found the game so disappointing. It's also why don't understand how people can say it was great "except the ending."
