I've finished a second playthrough of Mass Effect 3. That should show that I have gotten over the ending enough that I could play it again, and (thank goodness) this time I wasn't completely crushed by the ending. Maybe because I made sure to get the "BEST" ending (Shepard may have lived?!) and my romance from ME1 (Ashley) took me back even after I boned genetically-perfect Miranda in ME2 (too bad Miranda died this time). Anyway, I have 2 problems that I'd like to address, and one of them requires some input from the community.

Minor point to start - the soundtrack is AWESOME. Like, wow. Really epic music, very well done. Period.

After completing a second playthrough, and reading explanations from various sources (Rock Paper Shotgun has a few excellent articles that their various authors have penned regarding the endings, I highly recommend them) I have slowly come around to an understanding of the endings. I'm not a fan of deep convoluted endings to begin with anyway (Matrix, 2001, etc), so throwing an all-knowing Star Child into the mix at the end was a big bummer anyway. However, I accept that BioWare told a story, and while the finale was a letdown, the buildup to the final battle was nothing short of breathtaking. Even on the second playthrough, and even after seeing several different outcomes on YouTube, I was still drawn in on a couple outcomes (Mordin and Thane still tug on my tear ducts; Miranda and Legion were bittersweet as well), and Liara's good-bye was touching, even though I wasn't her love interest (this time). My point is, the journey was just wonderful, but I feel the destination didn't live up to expectations, and that did sour the entire experience a bit.

Be that as it may... filing a complaint with the FTC is WAAAAAAY beyond extreme. In a way, EA and BioWare should use that as a selling point. I want it known that, while I'm disappointed in the ending, and would've liked something different, I'm not insisting on a change. While the Child's Play charity drive is a great way to display your displeasure, I believe that BioWare told a story, and that story had a conclusion. I also want to give a thumbs up to Penny Arcade's comic regarding the brouhaha.

My second problem is one that I'd really like feedback on. I cannot deny that the Mass Effect trilogy was a wonderful use of my time. I am so drawn into the world that I would love to introduce my wife to the series. She plays some games, but she has a fairly short window of introduction. My problem is Mass Effect 1 - I didn't think it was that good, at least gameplay-wise (especially compared to ME2). No matter what EA/BioWare says, I don't think it's fair to introduce someone to the ME universe with ME2, let alone ME3. And while I feel that ME3 was the best GAME of the series, I cannot ignore the story arc that spans the trilogy.

But that's my opinion. Can anyone help me with this choice? Should I force her through ME1, or just try to start her with ME2 and say "good luck"?

I say force her with ME1. Just put it on the lowest difficultly and play with her. You can help her along the way.

Make her watch you play the important parts of the first game and let her play the second one.