So I'm thinking off pulling the trigger on this one while it's on sale and was wondering what the combat / non-combat options were like, particularly systems. The first game featured a lot of power management, many varied systems (Engines, Repair Teams, Sensors, etc etc etc). Has this been scaled down a bit for IW2? I read a lot of the reviews and didn't really see any detailed descriptions of the various ship systems at the player's command and was hoping someone would fill me in. Thanks in advance!

Powermanagement is the same as in I-War.
You don't have repairteams, repair is done by automated repair systems this time around but because you start in a weak tug your reactor will go critical rather quick, so you won't have those idle drifts in space while your systems come back online a lot until you get the tougher ships.
Sensors are mostly the same as in the original game with a few twists, most of your systems are customizable and so are your sensors which can gain new features, also stealth plays a role now, be it just a minor one.
The main difference between I-War and I-War 2 EoC is that the latter is an open world game, like Elite or Privateer, only trade is very limited and you gain most new weapons and equipement by fencing your pirated stuff, which is awesome.

I-War 2: EoC like the first has some bugs which you may or may not run into, still the game is IMO a must have.

Thanks I appreciate the feedback!

The power management is there but it's not a critical part of gameplay except in maybe a few specific encounters.

I'm not sure of the role of the sensors and stealth gear, in regards to the actual effect on play. By this I mean that I haven't noticed a difference, when just plain flying around shooting stuff and pirating between formal missions, that the sensor and stealth mods make a difference in combat. I could be wrong, and I think they are important in a few storyline missions. Doesn't hurt anything to have them installed...

I think trade is of the "just-enough" variety, in that it doesn't overwhelm the gameplay. As mentioned, its entire role is to provide trades for upgrades. There is no 'cash trading', as it were, wherein you accumulate a bajillion Space Dollars to buy this or that upgrade. Instead, it's more along the lines of "trade 5x foodstuffs for a quad-light laser," and foodstuffs could be any combo of half-a-dozen different cargo types you'll "find".

Quad-light lasers are great little weapons, by the way. ; )

When I play, the most noticeable systems are weapons and turrets, power, heat and recharge, and repair.

Is there a decent set (or subset) of missions that involve using ship systems in a creative way to solve problems? Or is it mostly a combat and positioning game? I'm not talking anything like 50-50, as I assume most of the game is a combat sim - but I'd like there to be a nice smattering of interesting "Star Trek" like missions (oh, we have to carefully manage several systems to tractor that barge out of a crumbling orbit or gee how can we analyze and find a specific particle to disperse in that nebula to reveal a cloaked ship... that kind of thing).

Sort of? There are a couple one-off missions that have you piloting a different vessel, doing some sneaky retrieval work, that sort of thing. There are also one or two puzzle missions (one in particular stands out toward the latter half of the game), plus some scout work and "see where this guy goes" type stuff. Also some escort work of varying difficulty. The story missions are laid out to be more than just "go here and shoot up x number of bad guys", though there are a few that are that simple. Sometimes you'll have wingmen to command, other times you'll be going solo.

There aren't any random missions that I know of but you're free to go wander off and do whatever you want most of the time; only a few times will you be forced to take on a story mission, and that's usually triggered by something you did. Want to go exploring just to see the sights? Do a little pirate work? Shoot up some bad guys to blow off steam? Try to acquire the proper goods to get the new weapon that just popped up on the trade screen? Go nuts.

I would say the UI, HUD, and control systems in IW2 are just as complex as those in IW1, but they're also much easier to use. If you have a joystick with a hat switch, it's brilliant. The best I've seen in a space sim.