Jeremy Parish: "ME2 is a step back from the original game in a number of ways. It"s also a step forward in many others, though, and I don"t doubt that it will appeal far more to the average gamer than the original game did -- and for the exact same reasons it feels a little underwhelming to an RPG fan like myself. When Mass Effect 3 rolls around to bring this tale to its finale, I"d really like to see BioWare strike some sort of happy medium between the clumsily executed RPG mechanics of the first game and the stripped-down shooter feel of this sequel. But even with its simplified mechanics, ME2"s story makes for a compelling odyssey, and I can certainly think of worse things than another adventure that builds on this one. So long as the galaxy keeps busting Yukiko Shepard"s chops for all my noble choices, I"m eager to see this series to its conclusion."