We just had an excellent
thread about stats and meaningless problems (not choice) that plagued ME1. Long story short: ME2 got rid of all the stuff (such as equipment) that was just a matter of problem (that is, there was just one solution) and replaced all the equipment with meaningful choices, that is, there was actual thinking involved instead of just "which is better" and there was now a clear difference between weapons and equipment.
This does not have me worried, as stats are just a relic from the days of DnD and when visual representations/actions were limited. Now that we can have the characters ACTUALLY do stuff instead of just having the computer roll a dice to see if we were successful.
Now we have to use skills instead of luck to perform actions, which is the logical evolution for the RPG genre.
So my dear Escapists, an RPG is not defined by how much it resembles an accountant's work, but if there is character progression (this can manifest itself in many ways), cause remember: RPGs should be about choice, not min-max'ing and problems. So Bioware is not getting rid of the RPG elements, but are advancing them, taking them from their non-visual past and bringing them into visual future. Crying over stuff like this is the same as crying over cars no longer having to use that old-timey handle on the front.
PS: future posters, please do not try to make yourself look superior by insinuating that you somehow have higher standard, for one you are wrong and two it makes you look like an elitist dick.