I'm in the same boat as you for FF13, but yeah early in the next chapter (You're almost done 10 iirc) is when it really starts to pick up.
I'm also in the same boat as you for Mass Effect, weird. I started a Femshep renegade named Bidoof a couple of days ago, Mass Effect 1 feels a bit dated to play, but I'm looking forward to replaying 2.