I don't think it's fair to say that ME2 was a Michael Bay "devolution" at all. What makes you say that? It may have had a few more intense action-packed moments, but the game was still full of a sense of depth and thoughtfulness that few games, if any, reach these days. Or are you one of those people that viewed the removal of the pointless inventory system of ME1 as some kind of "dumbing down"?
+1 totally agree.
ME2 if anything was a more compete game over its predecessor. The unessential excess of the original removed, (tedious basic inventory and waffling conversational arch to name but two) improved the game immensely. I haven't played a game with such a compelling story, that was as superbly realised and told with clarity in many a year. Sometimes less is more, I applaud Bioware for a brave new direction. Devolution more like evolution.
Hopefully the transition will pay dividends once again with the imminent release of DA2.