Hello everyone, LONGTIME lurker (including KAST and KAAS). I've been reading all of your wonderful posts and enjoying all of the wonderful art as catharsis because...well...I've been conflicted. You see, I HATED ME2. Not because of what happened with Kaidan (much); I knew before the game came out that Kaidan was not going to be in it via the info we got beforehand about how they wanted to make sure the VS survived for the third game. No I hated ME2 as a
Bioware game.
*Before I continue I want to make clear this is just my personal opinion. Everyone who really liked ME2, I'm very glad that you did, and I in no way think how I feel is how everyone should.*
I hated the gameplay. I hated how shallow the story seemed. I hated the use of the dying/ressurected mechanic. Most of all, I hated the fact that it seemed that in order to cater to the shooter fandom, Bioware ripped out everything that was even remotely RPG, and sold out their core fans, everything they were, to attract more fans, and more sales. Basically, as someone who has bought almost every game Bioware has made since Baldur's Gate, I felt...betrayed. I know that's strong, (and the parallels between how I felt and how Kaidan must-have felt in ME2 do not escape me...

) but still it was there. I felt like shooters are a dime-a-dozen, there is
always another one coming out for those fans. But as someone like me, for whom the depth of the story, the depth of the charectors, and the ability to make the story path my own is everything, there are damn few games, heck game
companies for me. Bioware was the best, most reliable one, and I felt betrayed, angry and, again as someone who'd supported Bioware for so long, through so many games, I felt bitter. I played the game through once, with my cannon Fem Shep (who OF COURSE romanced Kaidan), and never played it again.
However, looking back now, I was going through some really awful stuff in my real life when the game came out, and I realize how much I was depending on that game to act as a distraction, to get me through, and I now am unsure how much the game actually deserved my ire. After reading through these posts, and through all the FF linked, I'm giving ME2 another shot. The core story arc is really good, and even though I'm on the fence about pre-ordering ME3 (because I really need to know how Kaidan and Shep's story ends), or waiting to hear reviews and see then if I'll buy it (the fact that it has been slightly acknowledged that they need to add some customization back in is sort-of hopeful, on the other hand I think I heard there will still be no inventory, so...) I most likely will end up buying it because, let's face it, I love Kaidan. And despite everything else, the one thing Bioware has said since before ME2 came out, is that the relationship between Shep and the VS was important, and a major story arc, and I really want to see how it ends.
Gosh, this was long. Sorry! And sorry for the venting, I promise I'll do happy posts in the future.