Atypical, but definitely a (action) RPG!

I call 'the conscious any details or names in order not to spoil.
I also want to stress that this reflects my personal opinion, but I'm trying to justify everything well.
Who does not want to read everything, I recommend the conclusion at the end. But those who still want to understand the bottom line and wants to read my reasons to which I recommend but the long variant.
I'm trying to address all the key aspects, which is why the text a little longer fails.

General
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The staging of the game in general, since consent to the 2-star reviews, filmreif. An absolutely cinematic adventure.
The story does not seem to be quite as beautiful as in the first part (the first hour of play, however, is the purest dream for role players who also like action), but shorter, darker and more dramatic. These can not and I will not say anything more exact, since I have not yet played the game.

Addendum: I have now finished the game and was tied at the end as at the screen. A great experience - with replay value (different combat classes / "good / evil" system). Since you can forget everything around.
The storyline itself is not very strong driven, but if, then "hui". The focus is in Mass Effect 2, another aspect, putting together an exceptional team, but that's great stages and surprisingly full of variety.

Sidequests
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The side quests seem to be less than in the predecessor, but much better, much more loving designed. No more of this far too often repeating "Travel to Planet A, Station B and find there something to do with person C" (where the stations almost always looked the same). A significant advance.

Addendum: So few side quests, as I thought, it's not. The locales each Quest are all uniquely furnished and differ in most cases very greatly. Triste, boring and always repetitive interiors (and planet surfaces) no longer exists. Some of the tasks are even extremely creative.
The quests of the individual crew members are also once again a class of its own - and again, full of variety.
Since BioWare has really kept what they promised.

Inventory and equipment system
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There is no RPG-typical inventory more. Honestly: In Mass Effect 1 the inventory was overcrowded by nearly every mission and you had to compare new weapons with their own again, only to find that everything's just useless. The same with the weapons modifiers. In my opinion, a weak point from Mass Effect 1 and thus I personally like the new solution entirely.
Now, my no oversized "pack" more in the 20-30 weapons, universal tools, etc. fit, but the property is located on the own spaceship. "Useless" there is this much less often.
Man puts his equipment on a mission together, and then sets off, but can often back at any time to change something. From time to time there are between also gun cabinets, where you then again allowed to change the equipment during the mission.
The group members can no longer provide quite as free one. But even that is a step forward in my eyes. Why should a krogan can deal with a sniper rifle, or a pure biotics a top talent in dealing with weapons?
In "Dragon Age: Origins" is indeed a magician not as good with a bow and arrow or a villain with sword and shield.
Of course, you could have let the opportunity to press a krogan a sniper rifle in the hand in the game, but in my opinion would be unnecessary after.

It (not armor are now only a part as a jumpsuit, but are separated by legs, chest, shoulder, etc armor) are a total of less weapons, armor and universal tools, but loving designed.
Other items were also in Mass Effect 1 not, apart from the weapon modifiers.
These have been replaced by the explorable upgrades. Also a positive development, when one thinks of in my opinion, annoying, overcrowded inventory.
I am not fundamentally opposed to the good, old inventory. Dragon Age: Origins does everything right, as there are to find a variety of items. In Mass Effect 1 but only weapons and armor.
I hope my opinion is understandable. Mass Effect 2 has a non-standard alternative solution found and thus makes much better.

Combat system and AI
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The combat system is action and effect-rich, but acts not cheesy or colorful. The fact that only "laid down by programming points Search [cover]", as a previous speaker described, but is completely normal. Where else than behind all sorts of boxes / rocks / debris / walls?
You really can not, however, simply crouch in the open field to insert fewer hits, that's right. But there is really no end cover options.
The AI ​​is certainly not the best, but perfectly adequate. She takes cover, shoots from cover a few volleys and opponents as krogan and heavily armored robot also like to go into the assault on and provide as high a level of difficulty threat by the great damage they cause.
More complex actions such as flanking, I have not yet seen. The AI ​​is similar to the from Mass Effect 1.
A little thing that struck me immediately: even the own krogan can now enemies umstürmen and not only hostile krogan the player. Wrex from Mass Effect 1 has never done this with me at least.

Character Development
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The character development has remained very similar from Mass Effect 1.
The skills are highly dependent on the class that you play, each class has a specialty.
As far as I can tell, there are a few less skills or both, which are a different class reserved I miss (biotic shield barrier, rapid plate charge).
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Addendum: Each team member has an unlockable, unique ability. One example is the biotic shield barrier. The other Unique are new, not from Mass Effect 1 known if I am not mistaken.
One of these skills your character can learn on request. Also a nice feature.
==
If you build a skill completely, you may opt at the final stage between two improvements. When biotic throw for example, either the union force received an immense boost, or the radius of action is greatly increased, reducing the chance of throwing more enemies at once, increasing.

What I absolutely do not like, that life now recharges within a fight on its own, if one is not made for a certain time. In my opinion, that takes a bit of the possibilities. An assault and while running a Medigel? Not possible anymore. Medigel is now reviving of comrades within a struggle. But I like it. Previously this capability was a need that had to be free to play, now everyone has this ability from the start, provided you have Medigel.
But do not worry: the possibilities mentioned are still much larger than in Mass Effect. 1
There are, to return to the targeted assaults, now correct melee classes that are fully dedicated to the shotgun and make possible with skills instead Medigel assaults - and make it look much better.
That the combat system is boring, is not comprehensible for me. Not boring than in Mass Effect 1. No way - and even there it has already fallen to me very well.

Dialogues and Speech
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The dialogues have improved compared to the first part again. The tone is a little rough, but here and there also humorous. The verbosity of dialogues remained about the same and at times allusions to the first part or the books will be made. If you have not read this, it does not fall on a but also. One must never ask "What are talking about?".
If you have not played Mass Effect 1, often provides the opportunity to select the Options dialog (if it is just appropriate) explaining the recent events. In-game conduct this can be found information.

The English voice acting is superb, the German also very good. The German, male Shepard has a new voice that is a matter of taste. It is slower and rougher. If you play a female Shepard, everything is as usual (Mass Effect 1). Every now and then the wrong word is stressed on the whole but good German speaker.

Mini Games
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The mini-games are the first part has improved in comparison, a little more exciting, more varied, but not exactly brilliant.
I like that the collectible resources now have a meaning (for research into new weapons or armor for example) and not only a mini-quest without reasonable rewards are.
The scanning of the planet for these resources is boring in the long run, but it's still better than huge, to depart monotonous planet as it was the case in Mass Effect 1. While we previously had ever rumschlagen on an empty planet itself, you can now with a few planets scans (scanning is even later through research even faster) have a lot of resources to very, very much to explore, so my impression.

Conclusion
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Why all the voices that Mass Effect 2 is not a RPG or RPG is much less Mass Effect 1?
Mass Effect 2 is a lot new, what one of an RPG rather not know so.
It is perhaps not typical RPG, but that is why it is far from "no roleplaying".
I think you should be open to these new things that BioWare has built, after all, they have been thinking a lot.
Of course it's more action include, but so far less RPG.
There are to be found much less weapons, but they are much individualized and the new inventory system is but compared to the inventory from Mass Effect 1, which was chronically overcrowded and only modifiers, weapons or armor contained a great advance. I personally went the ME1 inventory just as the nerves of some scanning from ME2 (which is a great advance for boring planet explore in my eyes from ME1 is).
However, a Dragon Age inventory is still the best solution. It is nicely decorated and besides weapons and armor, there is still to find many different items that provide variety.
To date, the game has given me a lot of joy and I liked the new features compared to the first part, almost without exception (and I really like to play role-playing games).
It is an unusual action RPG, but it's definitely an RPG.