A while back I posted about buying ME2 because it was $20 and I figured it's accolades alone amongst the gamer community made it worthy of purchasing. I haven't played it yet, because i was convinced that I needed to play ME first to get the whole experience.
 
So..I've been playing ME and not really digging it so far. I've just been inducted into the Spectres and have landed on a planet looking for Liari T'soni I believe? I don't think I'm very far into the game but so far, I'm not really enjoying it. The story and characters thus far haven't got me hooked or interested, the weapons and items are meh, the combat system is pretty run of the mill and the inventory system is clunky and a pain to access and load out members of my party. And the Mako is a nightmare to drive. Overall I'm not really impressed with ME at all compared to the other BIoware titles I've played (KotOR and Dragon Age). So this far in and not enjoying the core gameplay, story or inventory system should I persevere through this because it get's better or because I need to, so I can enjoy ME2? Or is ME2 more of the same?

It sounds like you are not even an hour into the game.  
 
And so far the stuff you stated was fixed in ME2. 

i thought the same thing. the first hour of mass effect is amazing, but some time after reaching the citadel the whole gameplay takes a nosedive. i was ready to declare mass effect the best game ever and then i played passed the first few hours ~_~
 
also...i thought dragon age was similarly awesome at the start and crappy at the end. both can't hold a candle to kotor
 
PS: if you really wanna give ME2 a shot you should at least try and go through ME. also take note that some of the secondary stuff you do may also affect your game in ME2 (if you choose to import). most of it is cosmetic though

ME2 is much better, just read the story on the wiki if you really can't stand the first one.

I would encourage you to keep playing, as someone stated before the game is a bit slow at first.

TBH, I was not really a fan of the first game. ME2 has much better pacing and more enjoyable combat. It's more streamlined, so the micromanaging you do in ME as far as armor and weapons has been replaced with a more basic selection. You find and unlock various guns and armor upgrades, but you only swap these out out of combat in places like your ship. There is no inventory really, there's an all purpose weapons locker thing you have to choose from. 
 
Definitely ME2 is worth picking up, it's a great improvement on the first game. It's more action oriented than the first, but the RPG elements are not entirely cut. People complain about the story feeling shallow, but when I was playing I was so into my mission that I didn't have a lot of time to pick it apart. I'm a big Bioware fan, and ME2 very quickly became one of my favorite Bioware titles.

I thought the first one was ok, until about halfway through. I thought it got really good in that level with the plant people. Stick with it, though, because I think ME2 was the best game of 2010.

You might get more into the story as it goes on. 

There were a lot of flaws with the first game, though remember it is a much older game than Dragon Age and as others have said, a lot of the gameplay was massively enhanced or streamlined in the second.  The mako sections are done away with and the clunky menu and needless item management are gone too.  The gameplay during the enemy encounters is much more action based too and plays a lot more like a third person shooter.

The Mass Effect series isn't really Bioware's best work. Especially if you go in expecting a deep RPG experience like with KOTOR or the Baldur's gate series. 

It gets SO much better after the first 3 or so hours. TRUST ME.

 
I find the first ME to be better overall. These games seem to be more like interactive movies than games. Since I work with movies, I think they hit the atmosphere right on. Stick with it, the only time the controls of the game and the mako negatively affected me was in hardcore and insanity modes. Even then I could deal with it. Also, the planets are more interesting in the first, as are the side missions. You're early into the game also. Remember: You're exploring space! The final frontier! Nothing better than landing on a desolate planet and driving around. I'm not being sarcastic there either.

I only finished ME1 so that I could have a save for ME2...but that was AFTER I had already ploayed through ME2 once. It is totally worthwhile to finish ME1, despite the rather serious problems that the game has.

"Remember: You're exploring space! The final frontier! Nothing better than landing on a desolate planet and driving around. I'm not being sarcastic there either. "

I prefer ME over ME2. You just have to give it time to set in. Liara's planet is pretty forgettable, but Noveria and Telos have really cool storylines attached, and by Virmire, you'll be hooked.

Keep going. It sounds like you just started.

Okay as usual, thanks for the excellent advice and opinions guys. You are right, I'm not too far in and haven't really given the game a chance to suck me into the story yet. Persevere I will. 
 
Thanks again!

The story will get better. Focus on trying to get to know the characters for now.

Yes keep playing, the game gets so much better. I am part of the select group who prefers story over gameplay and because of that i achnowledge that ME is better than ME2. ME2 fixes alot of the problems that ME has gameplay wise but the story is nowhere near as good.

" @MetalMoog: For one, the first isn't as good as the second. And two, you're where I'm at on the PC version which is only about two hours in including some missions you could have done already which you probably didn't do yet. You can't be serious about saying that you aren't into the game because you're no where close to where you would be interested. The game has somewhat of a slow start, but by the ending it'll be good enough to make you want to play the second. "

Don't keep going, I thought it would improve but it didn't. 
 
Terribly overrated, boring game, like most Bioware games.

Like a lot of people mentioned, I would keep playing a bit longer. At least until your free to more or less do as you please (after this planet and the citadel start). The inventory is a drag and as people mentioned ME2 is overall (at least in my opinion) a better more accessible game. But things like the inventory become a minor issue once the story picks up. I actually largely ignored it and didn't spend hours micromanaging it. Just turned everything except something obviously better into Omnigell and was done with the entire inventorysystem. Didn't hinder my game much that I didn't micromanage it most of the time.
 
Of course it is important that you do enjoy a bit of a SF style RPG/Adventure. Personally I love those above the Fantasy ones. But that is a personal taste. Once you find out more about the forerunners and the mysteries in the universe it's basically one big SF detective trying to figure out what's going on and what happend. The strong point of both ME games is that the game world is very complete, whole and you feel like your an actual part of the game world, it's history and partake in the events going on. Making it fun to discover things about what happend in it's history and why. Even small details that don't directly impact the main story or game. But that becomes more clear in the game after a few hours of gameplay.

I tried to play ME first (and didn't finish it) and hated it. Played ME 2 and its my GOTY. 

I love the story of the first Mass Effect but I do understand the game has big problems.  I'd recommend flipping ME to easy and blowing through it as fast as you can skipping all of the side missions so you know what's going on in 2 and have a save (which makes it way cooler in a ton of ways).

The first game's story really picks up steam later on, but i found the middle to be sorta meh.  One of my favorite end games, though.
 
The second had much improved gameplay, but i was disappointed in the story.  So i'm really, really hoping part 3 takes the best of each.

@Mr_Faraday 
 
I'm on the same page. It's a curse.

" The Mass Effect series isn't really Bioware's best work. Especially if you go in expecting a deep RPG experience like with KOTOR or the Baldur's gate series.  "

" Don't keep going, I thought it would improve but it didn't.  Terribly overrated, boring game. "

Just rescued Liara T'Soni and have arrived at the next planet Noveria. I'm enjoying it more now, but still find I die a lot during combat because my teammates run around like chickens with their heads cut off and get annihilated, I tell them to hang back and chill and they still get toasted. Definitely some frustrating aspects to the controls and presentation of the game thus far that are taking the shine of the engrossing story and interesting characters. I'll keep plowing through this if anything to witness the end of the story, so I can move on to Mass Effect 2.
 
My overall impression so far has been one of indifference. I don't hate it, but don't love it. It certainly hasn't grabbed me as quickly as Fallout 3, KotOR, Oblivion or Dragon Age did. Hoping all of the new tweaks and developments to ME2 will move this game from an average to an unforgettable one like the ones I just mentioned.