Despite the games technical issues, Mass Effect 2 is a game you cannot afford to miss...
The gameplay is very easy to get into; whether you're new to the RPG style of gameplay or not, Mass Effect 2 isn't heavy on the whole statistics and levelling up that most RPGs mainly concentrate on. The shooting side of the gameplay will be a breeze for anyone who's ever played a shooter in their life. Simply aiming and shoot, and there's a cover system to help out too. One thing the game is heavy on, which veterans of the original will know, is the interactive dialogue which can completely change the way your story turns out. But whether you choose to be the good 'Paragon' or the bad 'Renegade' is completely your choice, and dialogue and other options throughout the game will help render what type of character you really are.
Mass Effect 2 has a well driven story, and you won't have to have played the original to understand some of the relationships between Shepard and previous returning characters. Though it is sad for PS3 users not being able to port their save files over like the Xbox 360, it doesn't ruin the game much at all. The characters, old and new, will become likable the more and more you get to know them; even the more aggressive characters such as Jack show their softer side as you help them through their pasts.
Despite the game being an absolute joy to play, there were a couple of problems I encountered. One of the main problems were the load times, and this really slowed the action down at times. I'd find myself on the Normandy ship, the home of the crew, switching between floors only to find myself waiting nearly 3 minutes just to go one floor down. This is quite the joke since the game installs a 5GB file on to your PS3 before you're allowed to play. Another was the occasional times during combat where Shepard would refuse to get back into cover, or climb over walls when it was most necessary, hiding from heavy enemy fire. With no crouch button, and finding boxes and fences as your only cover, it was annoying when Shepard's cover technique would completely fail. But of course, this wasn't always an issue, and the combat was very fun to get into and to mess around with all the new special powers you and your squadmates can gain.
Mass Effect 2 is a fantastic game, despite a couple of bumps. The story and characters are both deep and well thought out. The gameplay is easy to get right into and doesn't throw strong RPG elements at you to slow you down, and with an average of 30+ hours of gameplay along with the bonus side-missions, it is a game you really can't afford to miss, especially if you loved the original.