BioWare's latest masterpiece is here, and our review is up if you are curious as to how good it is. The only "spoilers" in this article talk about abilities, upgrades, and powers Shepard and the team will receive, so you can go ahead and read before booting up the game. There are no story-based spoilers here at all.
Importing from ME1
You don't have to import your characters from the first Mass Effect to enjoy this, but hey, if you've got them, then go for it. On the PC version you need to go into ME2's config utility to do it, and you won't get any feedback that it's complete, but jumping into the game should show your saves. Importing games on the 360 is pretty self-explanatory, but if you've had any hard-drive switcheroos, you may find that your games are no longer there. If that's the case, don't worry too much about it - just play.
So what do you get for importing your character, aside from a customized story? You can get extra levels if you were high-level in the first game, maybe some extra cash or minerals, and that's about it. It doesn't make a massive impact, but it's nice to have something. The more important part is the choices you made. Those that don't have real quest-based ramifications will often get you an email at your terminal instead, keeping the continuity going from the first game in small ways.
Overall, importing is nice if you've got it, but you don't have to rush out and get a copy of ME1 to enjoy ME2. But I will say this: if you decide that's what you want to do, then go for it - but do not start playing ME2 first, even for a few minutes. Just go in blind and play and have fun.
Outie or Innie
Shepard can be either male or female, and while there are some exclusive things for each gender, you'll find that the story is generally the same. Both Shepards are equally as tough, and many believe, myself included, that the female version is the better choice. It's not really about gender at all, but instead the quality of the voice work by the actors (Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, if you're curious). The decision is of course yours, but if you're on the fence, you don't have to follow the EA/BioWare marketing. "FemShep" is a fantastic choice.
The Classes
Mass Effect 2 has three basic character types - soldier, biotic, and tech, and the six classes you can choose from are derived from these. This is the same as the first game, but now, each class also has an ability that's unique to that class (and, in some cases, unique to Shepard, too). The Soldier can use every gun in the game, go into slow motion with Adrenaline Rush, and fire rockets with Concussive Shot. The Engineer uses tech powers to specialize in fighting synthetic creatures and has the Combat Drone as a unique power. The Adept only uses pistols, but has powerful biotic abilities including the Singularity for damaging and controlling small groups of enemies.
The other three classes are combinations of the two. Sentinels combine Tech Armor along with biotics to make themselves very tough and quite versatile. Vanguards can use a biotic Charge to get right into the fight (and know how to use a few guns and biotic powers too), and Infiltrators can become invisible to flank the enemy or just snipe from a distance.
When you're choosing your class, think about how you want to approach combat. Want to shoot people a lot? Soldier, Vanguard, and Infiltrator are great choices. Don't want to aim weapons so much? The Adept is the best choice. If you want to get in people's faces, the Vanguard is the best. Want survivability? Sentinel. Stealth? Infiltrator. And if you want to fight from a distance, the Infiltrator and Soldier both do very well. Do keep in mind that at one point in the game, non-Soldiers have the option to start using a new weapon type, so you're not necessarily locked out of guns permanently. (At that point in the game, Soldiers instead get the chance to unlock one of three super-powerful guns that replaces a shotgun, sniper rifle, or assault rifle.) Playing as a Vanguard that can fight with a shotgun at close range and still snipe people at a distance is very handy.
Unified Cooldowns
One new change from ME1 is the unified cooldown system. Now, any ability you use will set all the rest on cooldown, so you won't be able to spam abilities. To counter, they're much more powerful than before, but it does also mean that you should start out by maxing out a well-rounded ability rather than spreading your points all over the place. Why? Well, if you've got the same cooldown for all abilities, you might as well use a top-tier ability as much as possible. Good choices for a well-rounded ability are Concussive Shot, Incinerate, and Warp.
Also, keep in mind that some abilities will still have a longer cooldown than others. If your Sentinel is going to rush out there with Tech Armor on and firing biotics out, make sure to put the first one on ahead of time so that you're not sitting there waiting for the long cooldown.
Paragon/Renegade
If you want to get the most out of Mass Effect 2's story, you should invest early and heavily in Shepard's passive bonus ability which, if you're just starting out, is at the bottom of the list. All six classes have one tree you can drop points into that give bonuses to Paragon and Renegade rewards (amongst other perks), so get in early if you want to have more conversation options.
Heatsinks
The new heatsink system speeds up the action in ME2, but it also takes some getting used to. Each one you pick up adds a small amount of ammo to all of your regular weapons, so you can't just rely on one gun for the whole game. You'll need to use your abilities and switch weapons often based on the type of fight you're going up against. And when fights are over, do make sure to quickly comb the battlefield for heatsinks left by enemy corpses - it's the only loot they drop now, so make sure you've got enough firepower for the next group of enemies around the corner.
Find your Range
It's important to pair up the type of weapon you're using with the range you're fighting at. Sniper rifles work very well against distant enemies, but once you get the rapid-fire one, it can also be used to quickly strip armor and shields off of a really tough target. If you're planning to use Charge with a Vanguard, pull out your shotgun first for maximum punch once you, uh, "arrive" at your target. And don't forget to pop back to your pistol here and there, as it's a pretty solidly accurate weapon at medium ranges. Just make sure to score headshots if you're going to bother.
