This game is going to be so badass :D

influenced replayability in a major way (like how you could unlock weapons and powers for later characters by using them enough, or how you found yourself choosing different party members for each playthrough so you could get the "complete the majority of the game with x teammate") Hopefully the "gain loyalty of x teammate" ones provide some kind of bonus. These...not so much. I see myself unlocking virtually every single one of them in one or two playthroughs. (They actually remind me of the dragon age achievements)

However, to comment on the level 30 deal, it's probably because they raised experience requirements for levels (did you notice that each power has only like 4 levels rather than the 20 or so from the first?) they're just streamlining the progression system.

I don't know if they had mentioned anything about upgrading weapons yet (I try to keep track of this one pretty closely) but that has me excited. Rather than just slapping different mods and ammo on a gun like in the first you may actually have to spend points increasing it's power?

The combat training vids sound like a vastly improved tutorial system. Fortunately I read the manual before I play a game (old school!) so I typically know all the controls going into it, but nonetheless it sounds pretty nice.

anyone notice the achievement for upgrading a weapon fully, i'm guessing that weapon upgrading will be exclusive to the soldier class, now that all classes can use all weapon types. Though we'll probably find out in a couple of days when they post the soldier class walkthrough

It seems to me that the achievements of ME2 should be easier to get than those (already quite "easy") in ME1...