Sorry if this has been asked many times. If I've missed it, please link me to an appropriate thread. 
 
So I'm geting pretty psyched for ME3, though it's still a long way off. A few awesome games are on the horizon before then, so to fill thegame before them (Skyrim, mainly) come out, I'm looking at sorting out my Mass Effect runs once and for all.
 
I played ME1 a loooong time ago on the PC, enjoyed it, finished it. When ME2 came out, I downloaded a save file similar to my previous run (I lost my previous save) and played it, also on the PC. During that run, I realised that Mass Effect is probably the best game series (or close to) I have ever played. It dismayed me that I have had such a fragmented play through so far - not carrying on a previous save, mainly - so I'm planning on playing it through entirely when the finale is released. Thinking about this, I've also decided that I will probably want to be able to come back after that run, probably a few months after that run, and do an insanity run. I'd also probably like to pick up all of the achievements for all 3 games. That means doing at least 3 runs (total) of ME1 - a Veteran run, a Hardcore run and an Insanity run. I'll probably do the Veteran run soon, and then the hardcore run of 1&2 in the run up to ME3.
 
ANYWAY - backstory aside - this means that I need to decide which platform to play them all on. I have both a PC and a 360, so could play on either. I borrowed the game from a friend to play it on PC, but because I enjoyed it so much I'm going to buy it on one of these platforms. So which is best? I have been told that the PC version has much better graphics, better puzzles in ME1, better mining in ME2, faster load screens, and is generally a much better game. Is this true? The benefits of the 360 seem to be that its easier to play from bed (would need an HDMI cable and a controller dongle at least, if playing on PC) and that ME3 will have Kinect support. 
 
tl;dr - If you had to start afresh on either PC or 360 for a full set of runs (culminating in Insanity) and with the aim of full completion, which would you choose?

Mass Effect feels like a console game to me.  If I wanted to play an RPG on the PC I'd probably go back to Icewind Dale 2.

I don't own a 360, so I had to play it on PC. That said, even if I did have a 360, I probably would've chosen the PC version as well, mainly because the visuals are a lot sharper, I prefer mouse and keyboard for what is a shooter at its core, load times are faster and if I want to be more picky, I don't have to change discs.

Ok so 1 each so far. Thanks for the response.
 
I've also been told that you can't play ME1 on the PC with a game pad - is that the case?

I've only played em on xbox. But i havn't heard anything bad about them on the PC. So if you got a good rig. Why not? Like stated earlier, better visuals, faster loading

If it works properly, PC. But overall, the 360 versions. I like that I don't have to buy the DLC to play it; my brother does that. But on the PC, that's a different story.

If you have a halfway decent PC I have no idea why the answer wouldn't be PC every single time. You can plug in your controller if you prefer and just enjoy the game at a higher resolution and general visual quality and with shorter load times. The games run great on PC and on top of that they're generally cheaper. Both have been available at or around 5 bucks a pop on PC. Dunno about ME1 and controllers on PC - you'd have to Google that.

I'm a 360 and PC gamer who wishes he'd known about L.A. Noire hitting PC before he bought the 360 version.

@Duncs: I've only played the original on PC and I can confirm that you cant play it with a gamepad, since the combat interface has been redone(no more ability wheel). That was the decider for me. As much as I liked the improved visuals and better load times I prefered playing it with a controller. I also think since the games so cinematic you'll want to experience it on a big TV from the couch, but if your not bothered with that get the PC version.

The benefits of the 360 seem to be that its easier to play from bed (would need an HDMI cable and a controller dongle at least, if playing on PC) and that ME3 will have Kinect support.  

Can I say both cause I completed it on 360 first both paragon and renegade before the dlc came out then after all the dlc was out I played it on PC on a more neutral sorta tone.

If you have a halfway decent PC I have no idea why the answer wouldn't be PC every single time. You can plug in your controller if you prefer and just enjoy the game at a higher resolution and general visual quality and with shorter load times. The games run great on PC and on top of that they're generally cheaper. Both have been available at or around 5 bucks a pop on PC. Dunno about ME1 and controllers on PC - you'd have to Google that. I'm a 360 and PC gamer who wishes he'd known about L.A. Noire hitting PC before he bought the 360 version.

For an action type RPG like Mass Effect, I would say console for sure. Either 360 or PS3 both will be good. If we were talking about Dragon Age or a MMO then PC for sure.

@Ahmad_Metallic: The first one doesnt and from what i've played from the demo the second doesnt either..

..And to answer your second question,(with another question) have you ever played a game on your TV with a M&K? it's very awkward.. only reason I play games designed for consoles on my pc is because they play better, look better & generally support gamepads.

I have both Mass Effect games on the 360 and, even though I swore I wouldn't buy games I already owned again, picked up the Mass Effect pack during the Steam sale.

I just finished a play through of Mass Effect on PC and found it much better then the 360 version. It looks better, has way less texture pop-in, faster load times, and I found the UI and inventory management stuff to be much improved. After starting my Mass Effect 2 PC play through, I'm less impressed. I haven't noticed that much of a difference between the 360 version and the PC one. The mining is better with a mouse, and it does look a little sharper, but that's it so far.

Still, I'd say the PC is the way to go just because of how much better the PC version of the first game is. I'm kind of torn on which platform to get Mass Effect 3 on though, since I have played through the 360 games so many times already.

Why people keep starting these Game X PC vs 360 threads ?

hmmm, should I play it on a good hardware with good graphics or the shitty hardware ?

Buy a damn gamepad and enjoy the same game running native resoution, anti-aliasing and high framerate.

Been poking around looking into the gamepad stuff, seems @BoOzak is right. Which makes the whole thing a lot trickier. Usually, I'm a PC supporter (esp. for Elder Scrolls games), but the appeal of playing Mass Effect from the couch is pretty strong...
 
Thanks for all the advice, guys. I'll have a think.

@Mumrik said:

If you have a halfway decent PC I have no idea why the answer wouldn't be PC every single time. You can plug in your controller if you prefer and just enjoy the game at a higher resolution and general visual quality and with shorter load times. The games run great on PC and on top of that they're generally cheaper. Both have been available at or around 5 bucks a pop on PC. Dunno about ME1 and controllers on PC - you'd have to Google that. I'm a 360 and PC gamer who wishes he'd known about L.A. Noire hitting PC before he bought the 360 version.

ME2 does not support controllers, probably the only console port in resent years to not support it, and the menus were bad with mouse and keyboard.

PC version looks better and you can download other people's saves.

@Liber: Only problem is that PC version of Mass effect 2(and maybe 3) doesn't support gamepad at least without having to program it yourself. And I don't see a problem with people asking this question cause it's a good question. 360 has the community aspect of gaming down. While PC has the ability to do those things, It's much harder to do via PC. Comparing achievos, doing party chat, and an overall easier way to buy things via xbox live(at least as far as anything Bioware) are some reasons why people might choose 360 over PC. Buying ME2 dlc was a pain having to go directly to Biowares site rather then just buy it via steam unlike the 360 version where I just hit the home button and its there within additional game content tab. Also not all console ports to PC are great on PC. I have RE5 on PC and sure it looks a lot better then the console versions but the co-op is broken with a game unable to keep a game running for longer then 5 minutes while on 360 I don't have to worry about my co-op game crashing.

I played it on PC with xbox controller

I have played through both ME1 and 2 several times on both PC and 360, I can't believe I've spent that much time playing Mass Effect...

And I would say the PC versions are the better versions, especially ME1 since that was released afterwards and therefore have improvements that isn't in the 360 version. For ME2 you also don't have to change discs and the load times are faster, that kinda depends on your PC actually, but still.

What really motivated me to play them on 360 was achievements, since I wanted S-Ranks, damn you Giant Bomb! Also, the fact that I didn't have to sit at a desk the whole time made it better on 360 sometimes.

Then there is also the different controls for PC and 360, which doesn't really have a definitve answer to which is best. What really makes this a differentiator is that you can't use a controller on the PC version, which actually would make that the best choice I guess, so what it really comes down to is whether you prefer mouse and keyboard or 360 controller.

I'm actually in the same position, I can't decide whether I want to buy ME3 for PC or 360, and that is actually mostly because I have S-Ranked ME1 and 2 on 360 and I kinda want to have the full trilogy S-ranked...

So, what this ridiculously long post comes down to is basically:

Choose the one with your favorite controls and decide whether you think achievements or faster load times/no disc-change is more important to you.

Okay. Thanks for all the advice people, very helpful. Think I'm going to have to go with the 360, shame I'll miss the prettier graphics.

I like playing on my couch, so 360 all the way.

You would need a controller either way. I feel like achievements/trophies do a great job of making you explore the universe more, so of the two options proposed, I'd pick up 360. However you're talking to the guy who has the game on all three systems.