Yeah, your perception of the criticism of ME2 isn't accurate. I really don't know who is faulting ME2 because of the lack of RPG elements. Guess I'll have to make the same post again explaining the flaws of ME2, again!REV 09 said:It just has different strengths than the first. If ME2 came before ME1 then everyone would bitch about the steep decline in the quality of the combat, the cookie-cutter side missions, or the less interesting squadmates who are all missing dedicated loyalty missions.
I think we can all agree that ME1 is a flawed classic. It tried to do a lot of ambitious things, but in some areas it fell short. Everyone knew that if Bioware fixed these issues, then they'd be onto a real winner. However, instead of fixing these issues Bioware either radically scaled back or removed features.
So heres a few examples:
The inventory was pretty rotten in ME1, and was was one of the things most criticized. It was clear what Bioware had to fix, but instead Bioware removed this entirely and scaled back the number of available weapons and upgrades. Pretty unnecessary.
Story. I'm not going to get into technical details, but for a series that is heavily story focused ME2 really didn't contribute anything to the series (because it didn't have a story). Yes I know character stories and everything blah blah blah. One of the bigger flaws.
The side quest missions in ME2 are radically scaled back. In ME1, what they tried to achieve was a lot more ambitious with a better sense of exploration, variety and story arcs. Yeah, there were problems with repetition and the mako, but it was clear what needed fixing. In ME2, you scan a planet and get a 15 minute linear side question were you just shoot stuff. Okay, so the environments are unique but there's really no reason for me to care. It's a really safe idea and they achieved the execution of it, but at the end theres really no point and it's not enjoyable.
Combat. Alright, the mechanics and gunplay of ME2 is much improved, and if you a soldier class then its a clear improvement. However the changes to biotic/tech powers are really stale, and I'd actually argue that they're less enjoyable to play in ME2 than they are in ME1. If I remember correctly, the shield/armour mechanics further gimps them.
I'm trying not to go into too much detail cause I don't want to scare people off, but the bottom line is that ME2 is a really safe and unimaginative sequel.