Mass Effect 2: Initial Impressions

I've had a little time to delve into Bioware's latest video game that released this past Tuesday.  I have to say that I am extremely pleased.  The game has definitely been given a visual upgrade.  Gone are all the texture pop-ins that I complained about from the first game.  The inventory system has been revamped, as in, completely dropped from the game!  In its place is an upgrade system that requires you to either buy or research upgrades for your team's weapons and armor.  This is a much better replacement to the massive amount of loot garnered from enemies and boxes from the original Mass Effect that clogged up your inventory and made it difficult to find the best items amidst all the crap that was lying around.

The cutscenes are much more enjoyable this time around.  You can tell that Bioware has learned a lot about composition in the years since Mass Effect 1.  The opening scenes are some of the best I've seen in a video game and set the tone for the rest of the game.

The combat system has been revamped as well.  Now multiple powers can be mapped to the controller for quick use during combat.  Your abilities also recharge much faster.  When you use an ability, all of your abilities go through a cooldown period before you can use another ability.  It is slightly annoying that using one ability blocks your use of your other abilities, but this new combat mechanic lets you use abilities much more quickly.  Your weapons now require ammunition, which keeps you from going gun-crazy.  My problem with this mechanic has been that running out of ammunition in a battle is a frequent occurrence.  You can upgrade your characters to carry more ammo, but it is still a little annoying. 

After I've played more I'll post more thoughts.  However, I know already that this game is worth the money if you are interested in it.