I won't deny EA's blatant reach into it (see the end of the credits with a smelly advertisement for "further gameplay" and DLC), but Mass Effect 3 is still a spectacular game. And if you're going to hate a game just because it has a few odd homosexuals (regardless of your view on the topic), then you're too picky to actually find a good game.

After Mass Effect 2's incredible soundtrack that did made the already epic scenes ten times better, I find it hard to imagine a better sequel (musically, at least) without Jack Wall. But the people stepping in aren't novices by any means, so hopefully they will stick to the example that Wall set - big, epic, and loud.

Far Cry 2. Darksiders. Two games, among many, that just don't have good stories to complement their good gameplay. And for that reason I rarely touch them. If a game doesn't have a good storyline I kind of don't bother much with it, unless it has really good features to back that up. Starcraft II. KOTOR. And yes, believe it or not, Call of Duty does do a good job at storytelling (especially, at least, MW2). Games like this with good or great stories and plot development draw me in. Heck, even older games like Warcraft 3 are great plays because of their storylines.

Watch a Starcraft II cinematic without music, or play a Kingdom Hearts game (thanks Sandros) without sound, or play Red Dead Redemption without music (I almost cried to that song that started playing, right after you started playing as Jack before the game ended), or cut your speakers while playing Asassin's Creed (especially for chase scenes in the first one, my God). Hell, I find myself listening to the Mafia II soundtrack on a daily basis. While some games do include horrendous voice acting and blank music, most masterpieces wouldn't be the same without their OST. Music isn't the most important part of a game, but it's one of the essentials to a great game. More games with great soundtracks/music: Mafia II - as mentioned. Almost tears me up. Amnesia - I swear, a good part of that game's horror is in the music/ambience. That game practically disproves Stephen Totilo by itself. Any game by Blizzard - Warcraft, Starcraft, whatever. They are experts at music.