An amazing game that is a must play, especially for fans of the series.
If you did manage to play the original 'Mass Effect' on Xbox or if you played it on your PS3 (it was FINALLY recently released), you will notice some changes when you start playing this sequel. BioWare leaned more towards the action side of things this time around and that makes for more enjoyable battles. The controls are more fluid and it's just easier to shoot your enemies. Overall, the gameplay is a blend of shooting and RPG, but it's really more of a shooter now.
While I like the new shooting mechanics, I do not like how they changed the way you can level up your character. I know companies like to make games that appeal to a mass audience, for obvious sales reasons. This kind of thing usually irritates me, & this is one area where 'Mass Effect 2' is worse than the original. Instead of giving you many different skills to level up and craft your characters how you want, you only get 4-5 skills here. And you can only level them up 4 times, max. That is ridiculous. I was out of things to level up before I even finished the game. And that shouldn't happen.
Also, a lot of the side missions are just flat out not interesting. Especially when it comes to the "loyalty missions". What is a good idea, in theory, end up being the same thing every time. Go here. Kill this person. Character becomes loyal. Over and over. And while I HATED the vehicle from the first game ("The Mako"), somehow BioWare has topped itself and made a bigger piece of dung in the form of the "Hammerhead", and it had me screaming at my TV and it's complete lack of armor or firepower. BioWare, please, stick to what you do best. And that's CLEARLY not vehicle sections of games!
Other than those gripes, this game is outstanding. While it does have more action, the game still tells an excellent story and it had me glued to my TV until the very end. And I love how this sequel streamlines everything to feel more organized. This PS3 version does come with the majority of the DLC (it's missing, 'The Arrival'), including the excellent 'Lair Of The Shadow Broker' & 'Overload'.
Also, BioWare has this PS3 version running on the 'Mass Effect 3' engine. The game looks great and is a big step up from the original. Of course, the music and voice acting are top-notch. It really does feel like you are playing a movie sometimes.
If you are a fan of the first game, then I highly recommend picking this up. And now with the original available on PSN or via the 'Mass Effect Trilogy' box set, you can get all three games in the series and import your character through the whole story.