After scouring various forums and a brief encounter with some leaked scans of the May GI issue, I'm seeing that Bio tweaked the combat system more, since they've added scopes, more melee attacks, peeking, improved vaulting, and rolling to the mix. Looking great for all shooter fans, although I'm not sure how will that get received by those who prefer more classic RPG gameplay (the evolving powers might be it)
To all those not afraid of reading a little info, a Bioware mod posted the gist here:  http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/103/index/7021128/1

OMG Better combat. Stop dumbing down MY RPGs Bioware!

" OMG Better combat. Stop dumbing down MY RPGs Bioware! "

" @McGhee_the_Insomniac said:

" OMG Better combat. Stop dumbing down MY RPGs Bioware! "

Yeah, Dragon Age 2's combat was a blast. "

Good. If the combat is as big an improvement over 2's as 2's was over 1's, it might actually be fun this time around.

I demand Mass Effect-powered boost cannons instead of ladders.

" I demand Mass Effect-powered boost cannons instead of ladders. "

" @overbyte: You're saying that everybody in the future needs elevators to clean their eavestroughs or hang their Christmas lights? Leave the ladders alone. They make sense. "

"One thing that puzzles me though, is the inclusion of ladders. Maybe they wanted to make the levels more vertical, although for me it doesn't seem to fit the high-tech nature of the universe in a way when we have mass-effect technology powering everything left and right.

EDIT: LOVING the new look of what seems to be Cerberus soldiers (even if a bit your typical bulky Space Marine armor with menacing helmets). And they seem to have some Iron Man-style rocket feet :P

"

"

One thing that puzzles me though, is the inclusion of ladders.

"

I cannot come up with a single time ladders were anything but a pain in an fps.

I hope to god the improvements to the combat are actual improvements because the combat and movement in ME2 were at best average and at worst frustratingly bad. I mean ME1 was not a good shooter but it wasn't as frustrating to play as ME2 which required you to use the cover system to survive.

" @overbyte said:

"

One thing that puzzles me though, is the inclusion of ladders.

"

Would you rather have elevator rides? *shudders* "

The scale will still be small, linear, and unambitious--things that don't make an RPG. I'm sorry, but ME2 ruined and soiled the definition of RPGs: dice rolls, free choice and consequences, things that true RPGs had like Dungeouns and Dragons, and Dragon Quest. Bioware just doesn't have the time to do things like this, and EA doesn't want them to invest money in games they truly have passion to create; EA demands their money from cheaply made products NOW!!!