Just finished it, I think I enjoyed ME1 more.
The combat is a huge improvement over the broken shitty mess that was in ME1, but a lot of things around that left things to be desired. The 19h before the ending I felt like I was going on autopilot. Press the top right dialogue option for paragon points and press the blue "I win"-button (the good option usually without consequence) when it becomes available. Playing by that mantra got me through every situation with the best possible solution; I barely even read the options after a while since I already knew what would happen. The inventory was dull, interesting skills were scarce and I had more money/resources than I could/would spend throughout the whole game.
Felt like they stripped back the RPG aspect waaaay to much this time.
Im also disappointed that they saved all the good stuff for the very last hour. There you have plenty of tough choices if you manage to care about the characters, its too bad that they dont give you any time to think about the losses since the game ends shortly thereafter. Weak Bioware, weak. And then there was the repetition between the companion related stuff, I think I had grabbed someones gun to stop them from shooting someone else at least 3 or 4 times when all was said and done.
In ME1 you had plenty of choices that you felt as though theyd have an impact later on. Like the insect scenario, diplomatic relations with the council, the Wrex bit (though you could get out scot-free from that) and then in addition tons of stuff at the very end. It does share a lot of the same weaknesses though, and if I really cared about the combat instead of the stuff surrounding it then ME2 would be my go-to game. As it is now though, Im mainly just disappointed with it.
Oh and on a completely different note, why did Miranda insist on doing the naughty in the engine room, of all places? Only the best is good enough for me!, sure, a cold metal floor is really the height of modern comfort. I love what you did with the place when you prepared it by the way, I was expecting maybe some candles or flower petals, but this stark nothingness really caught me off guard. A pillow wouldve been nice. How about next time I get to choose the spot? Maybe in one of the observation rooms, or even the captains cabin! I could clean out the dead fish if thats whats bothering you. Hell what about yourah never mind, Im sure you have a really good reason for all of this.
I mean, they couldve at least picked a more practical room for safety reasons, like maybe the bathroom, where someones ass could be planted far away from vital ship systems. Im sure EDI was bouncing against the walls of her digital prison when Mirandas chiselled buttocks were rubbing against the controls for the magnetic-stabilization field holding the ships core in-place.
And about the bathrooms, Cerberus sure is lucky that Shepard has such a strong affection for bi-pedal alien companions, all fit for the human way of life. Im unsure if Grunt would fit in there though, if not theres always the airlock I guess.
Anyway I hope all this counts as story related.
As for my endning, 4 coffins, one containning a character I thought had potential (Legion). The bugs caught him, which I thought was a bit weird. Why didn't the "bug stealth" work by the end again? And didn't Mordin have enough time to improve it before we got there? Bleh.
*Oh and could you do anything with that "information on Cerberus" you found in the side-quest installation with the rogue AI? I kept it for myself and never got to do anything with it.
