Thanks for sharing.
Let me just clarify: The core game works perfectly, and I am already enjoying my Vanguard Shepard. The DLC is kind of hinky, but whatever.
And now the Cerberus network works. So everything shiny.

I must say I am shocked. Absolutely shocked.
Sorry, just had to get that in.

Switched my Shepard to Vanguard right away, awesome class.
This game is incredible. If you like a good story, play Mass Effect 2. And the combat is actually sort of addicting this time around, you really feel the impacts now. Plus, the interface is a LOT better.
I'm more in awe of the first hour of this game than the entirety of the vast majority of games I've tried in my 20 years.

You'll say that about Mass Effect 3.

Is it thaaat good? :O
Haven't played it yet. But I was sure it would be better than the first game (as it got nowadays with games and movies: make the 1st ok, and blow the expectations up in the 2nd game releasing a quality game), but not sure of how much good it would be.

well... to be fair it is exactly what i like in a game--a bit of fun combat, and a lot of story--so i probably enjoy it more than most people out there.
also, it's incredibly cinematic, and i am a huge sucker for cinematic games.
EDIT: A couple of other things: It somehow manages to simultaneously look better and perform better. Don't ask me how they did it but both are clearly true, at least on my rig.
Characters are better, the story moves along at a faster clip, everything is more streamlined, side missions are well thought-out, the new convo interrupts make for some great moments... everything is just better than ME1. ME2 is to ME1 like AssCreed 2 was to AssCreed 1, just a better game. Major devs are learning quickly these days, I like that.

downloading my copy from gamersgate right now the delux version although having to wait till the 29th is a pain as already downloaded the bonus items and the documentry has it going play me play me and i cant sigh.
Also the music is great from the tracks you get its good to see that this is an area they have not forgoton as how many games these days have great graphics but terrible music.

*Minor spoilers?*
First ~2 hours were fun, but rest was disappointing, it's not like i expected anything more actually. Basically What you do is assemble crew of super ninjas, then Bioware's classical soap opera starts and everyone goes emo. You run some errands for your team members to cheer them up. In the process way how you can travel to Bermuda Triangle is discovered, you go there, kick bad guys in the buttocks, the end.
I get a feeling that it's just a filler for Mass Effect 3. Most of the team can be killed at the end of the game, dunno how they can gonna work it in ME3. It might be ~30gb large, or team members will make cameo like Ashley and... uh... the other guy. Then Mass Effect 2 would be truly waste of time.
*End/ minor spoilers?*
With Dragon Age Bioware created new kind of character - "Annoying hot bitch that you just cant get rid off" in persona of Morrigan. And now they continue it in ME2 with Miranda.

Thanks for writing about it. Well I agree that devs are doing it fast, and using the gog word, excelling in their games. Probably bioware shared their team experience from dragon age to help build mass effect 2 at this high quality.
But I don't think that learning may be the right word in SOME cases, I see this happening often then it starts looking as a tactic from publishers/whatever. My first thought of this, talking major games, was exactly AC1. And we'll see a lot of that coming with deadspace 2, crysis 2 and so on, overall: better for us, they are better games.

God I hope so. Because if Bioware keeps this up, I might very well cream my pants at the mere mention of ME3.
But yeah, ME2 is just another step on Bioware's path to RPG godhood.
Baldurs Gate 1 and 2 were all about the intriguing story.
Neverwinter Nights brought more personalized gameplay to the table, in that we began to focus mostly on a single character.
KOTOR brought back the party, and showed that they can do guns :p
ME1 brought the meaningful and semi-thought provoking decisions to the table.
Dragon Age brought the "Oh my god, this is so freaking awesome"
And ME2 is one of the few games to ever leave me awestruck upon walking through a doorway.
I'll admit, I prefer the cover system from ME1. While it is nice to not go into auto-cover every time I walk up against a wall, I find that I pretty much want to be in cover any time I walk against a wall anyway.
And yeah, everyone should Vanguard up. Shotguns + Super-Psyker-Tackle = Awesome

Yvonne Strahovski is hot.

Ok, yeah, Miranda=Morrigan, but Miranda is a babe and I didn't actually mind her. Plus, she's such a perfect look for the classic Space Opera Heroine that I get all giddy whenever she does something cool. Subject Zero is the one who annoys me because she's like the fifth character that bioware has created for mass effect who's persona is "I fight... BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I'M MEANT TO DO!" and she's not as cool as the Krogan who are actually a race that have a deeper culture in warfare.
And about the storyline: this is the middle part of a trilogy, it has to be like that. It's setting up for the third game, which I am brain-meltingly anticipating. I can't even describe in words how much of a fanboy squeeeeeeee rings in my head every time I think about ME3.

Does that mean that you can switch the class of an imported Shepard?

Yes. Appearance and Class can be altered. Gender and name are probably fixed.