Mass Effect 2 - Final Thoughts @ 1Up

1Up's RPG blog The Grind has some Final Thoughts on Mass Effect 2:

What I appreciate the most about Mass Effect 2 though is how ruthlessly the fat has been excised and perceived flaws corrected. What it sacrifices in depth it gains in the purification of its gameplay, as I discussed in my most recent entry. I actually enjoyed the combat, which is a lot more than I can say for the first Mass Effect. It's a pity that BioWare opted to significantly pare down the skill trees (they're more like skill bushes now), but I feel like they had to perfect the game's mechanical foundation before they could expand upon it. Now that they've got the actual shooting down, there's plenty of time to add increased armor, weapon and skill customization.