The funny thing is they set up their goofy little mystery box "collapsed advanced civilization" plot, complete with a quirky Asari researcher, then fucked the actual gameplay into the ground and wondered why no one really cared about the reveals or further mysteries.

You already did this, and now you're making it a chore to get to the story. At least make it a nerdy Krogan or something.

I actually liked the direction the plot was going, because I'm always a sucker for an AI story, but just... Don't do that. You needed another Mordin to get people to care, not a manic pixie dream Asari.