Take one good RPG and dumb it down for the masses.
Graphically the game doesn't seem to have progressed all that much, textures can still look fuzzy and some of the cutscenes are just plain not finished. They do a reasonable job on enviroment diversity but its just not that much different from the first Mass Effect. Not that it should be a problem as the first game did a wonderfull job of making the solar system come to life but I guess I was just expecting something a little more polished. That said the graphics are adequate for the most part but some unsightly glitches in animations can ruin the effect. Sounds are loud and impressive but some of the guns can sound a little like sewing machines instead of bullet spewing weapons of alien destruction.
The story is somewhat compelling but I wont go into it much so as not to give it away for anyone still playing. The same cannot be said for what the designers have done to the RPG elements of the game. The whole system of experience points vs skills has been dumbed down to a paltry level allmost holding your hand and leading you through like you have never played an RPG before. Exploration for new armour/weapons etc has been swapped for buying said upgrades from merchants and changing your costume in your main quarters, sorry to say but I like the idea of combing every nook and cranny to find exclusive items, somehow feeling like it was worth the effort. Weapons are now upgraded via your ship and new weapons can simply be purchased to complete your arsenal. Gone is your rover/scout vehicle the mako, replaced with a....cutscene. The game is loaded with them and after a while leave you feeling detached from the game because you no longer have control but are simply forced to watch when you find new planets. Firing probes into planets when you controller vibrates is cool for about 10 seconds and then simply becomes annoying. They seem to have wrestled all control from you as far as the ship itself, having a huge crew to do it all for you is nice but c'mon....why cant we fly the bloody ship ourselves.
Gunfights are fine untill you equip the sniper, watching enemies stand motionless as you fine tune your sights on his skull and then watch as his body falls another take his place with no reation at all, puzzling to say the least. Bodies disapear almost as soon as they hit the ground leaving no trace behind but for a shadow of the body that quickly disapears as well. Finishing a gunfight only to find no bodies and no ammo is dissapointing and frustrating considering the amount of ammo expended. Why did they change the format from the first game? The enemy AI borders on the retarded as well as your friendly AI, both perform rediculous moves from time to time suspending belief just that little further.
The game just feels flat and lifeless, missions are no longer the exploration fest from the first game but levels to be loaded and statistics to review. While the game does most things right it just doesn't do them with any real flair or smile on your face moments. I guess nothing can top the originality of the 1st episode but I think its a step backwards for the series. Why is it that game designers seemingly lose their way sometimes ? Why make the ship bigger when a smaller ship with a more personal feel (and flight controls) would have given you a stronger connection to actual space travel. If we wanted to travel the galaxy and explore all the wonders would we do it on the solar systems equivelant of a bus? Or would we do it in a personalized space ferrari complete with lazer cannons, torpedoes and FLIGHT CONTROLS. I guess I was hoping for the Oblivion in space game instead of a dumbed down cut scene troll around the galaxy. RPG's have allways been about fiddling with everything, even stuff you shouldn't! Removing these elements from the gameplay leaves us with what? I'm not quite sure.
As a pick up and play title the new MASS EFFECT 2 does all it was designed to do and needless to say some people will love it as much as I enjoyed the first one but for me it just didn't feel right. I didn't want a gears of space game but a compelling stat filled RPG that takes an hour to get your space hair just right....maybe thats just me.
Footnote: Having received some negative comments about my review I will clarify that this review was for ME2 being a sequal. As a stand alone game it probably deserves at least an 8 or higher but I reviewed it from the standpoint of it continuing the story in the Mass Effect universe. And as such I stand behind my review and I thank everyone for their input.