great combat and role-playing elements make this a must play game
First time through I imported my M.E. 1 character – and I enjoyed it that my decisions carried through to the sequel. Playing as a soldier is definitely the easiest way through – although I still found it challenging on the insanity difficulty level. Playing as an Adept was the most fun – the biotic powers are fun to use as you toss enemies around the environment into walls or off ledges. Engineer was the most challenging – I played through the third time without any damage or health upgrades as a further challenge. Combat is exciting and entertaining, and is a huge improvement over Mass Effect 1.
Mass Effect 2 features a pretty unique role-playing setup, with the leveling and talents being fairly streamlined. I personally thought it was an improvement over the first game. I found myself using the various biotic and engineering powers far more frequently, and I fully controlled my squad power usage, which I never did in Mass Effect 1. what makes M.E. 2 qualify as a real role-playing experience is the interactive dialogue and the decisions you have to make throughout.
The characters are great – although some are distinctly better than others. There's some really great dialogue in the game from characters like Mordin. All the recruitment missions are great – as well as being some of the most challenging. Some of the side missions, particularly the non-combat ones, are fun the first time through but don't have much replay value. The main plot is good – I found it compelling right up until the end, fairly standard sci-fi although with some nice innovations. I've noticed a lot of user reviews on Gamespot saying the plot is worse than the first one, and I don't really agree with that. Maybe the main plot, but all the squad mates are definitely more fleshed out in mass effect 2.
Overall – I would highly recommend this game as a nice blend of action and role-playing with a high replay value and a good story. Some of the most gaming fun I've had in years.