• Unlike the first Mass Effect, where just a few locations stood out from all the concrete bunkers and steel prefabs (most notably Eden Prime) Mass Effect 2 consistently provided interesting and distinctive settings.  Possibly the best of all were to be found in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, but the sequel lifted the bar considerably here.
  
• Combat was fast-paced and fun without being frenetic.
• Mordin Solus, the scientist salarian you recruit.  He fills in a lot of back-story, and not in a dull way.
• While I did say that the loyalty missions got a bit repetitive after a while, what with eight of the eleven characters dogpiling me with their problems, they do mix things up a bit.  There's more than one way to succeed with Garrus' unfinished business.  And failure is an option with one of the others.
• Lair of the Shadow Broker.  Just brilliant.  It's only short, but it contains mystery, romance, adventure, betrayal, a car chase, and a running battle on the outside of a spaceship in a thunderstorm.
• Many of the decisions you made in the first game reflect strongly in the sequel.  If someone died, they're still dead.  If you pursued a romance, it's still in effect.
• Not being able to interrupt a cut scene is annoying.  Being able to interrupt a cut scene by setting an enemy on fire in mid-megalomaniacal rant is awesome.
• This:

  You might have an ending where Shepard’s entire team survives, or where the entire mission is a bloodbath and everyone (including Shepard) is killed, or anything in between.

  There's no single predestined ending; how the game ends depends on how you played it, up to and including the death of the main character, which leaves you unable to import your saved game into Mass Effect 3.  For my part, I lost two characters in the final battle; I think I know why, but this hinges on conversations and actions that took place much earlier in the game.
• Speaking of which, the suicide mission itself, particularly being able to meaningfully deploy your entire team.  I'd like to see that taken even further in Mass Effect 3.
  
• The apologetic security droids.
• The game allowing you to call the shots when it really matters, even if this leaves the developers with an exponentially expanding cloud of possibilities to support.
  
• A very atmospheric score and generally strong voice acting.
  
• You don't actually have to use the Hammerhead.
  

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at Tuesday, May 03 2011 05:58 AM (+rSRq)

2 Not in this case.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at Tuesday, May 03 2011 12:57 PM (PiXy!)

Posted by: Wonderduck at Tuesday, May 03 2011 01:24 PM (n0k6M)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at Tuesday, May 03 2011 02:00 PM (+rSRq)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at Tuesday, May 03 2011 02:17 PM (PiXy!)

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