[...] but I just feel like not many games have made me care about those other characters as that one [...]
Okay, I can understand that. I've played the game and it felt "cinematic". And that's precisely the issue. It was simplistic, straightforward and forced. That sounds negative, but I don't really mean it that way (except for the forced part). The devs made a choice to deliver the game in a certain way, less subtle and more "in your face". It's like a rollercoaster. You go along for the whole ride and you cannot get off halfway.
Now, let's take almost the exact opposite game: Planescape: Torment. That game didn't spell out anything for you. You actually had to look for the story and character development yourself. It was basically possible to speedrun the game and skip every character development and pretty much most of the story. In these situations you can truly discover the game. And because of that, it felt like your choices mattered more. Incidentally, the choices weren't streamlined down to 3 (good, neutral, bad'ish), either.
While on the subject of PS:T, I have to mention Baldur's Gate, which had one of the most complex character relationship mechanics ever seen in a videogame and the game wasn't even about that. However, it added one extremely crucial aspect to the game, which almost every RPG gets wrong: the social interaction. When you put two people in a party who don't like each other then they are going to complain. Throughout Baldur's Gate (and PS:T), you'll have these little chats between party members when they respond to a particular situation. It's not always the same and it depends on your actions and the party members. Because of this, every time someone starts a discussion, it feels like you have actual people in your party. These little details flesh out the game, not a super cool cinematic script and/or a forced choice who you'll have to sacrifice.
Don't get me wrong, I like Mass Effect 2 for what it delivered, a streamlined cinematic experience. Cool? Yes. Top 10 cool? No.