Mass Effect 2 Interview

MLive has kicked out the results of an interview they recently conducted with Mass Effect 2 project director Casey Hudson, with the topics ranging from the game's primary mission to the team's casting choices.
One of the most common criticisms against the first game was that there was an invisible line between the conversation mechanic and combat or exploration. How is that addressed in the sequel? Can we have deep conversations with party members outside of the Normandy?

The system we introduced for Mass Effect 1 was considered quite revolutionary by allowing players to have the first fully realtime, fully voiced interactive cinematic conversations with in-game characters. We've added a few things to make conversation even more dynamic and engaging, such as the Interrupt system which provide players with moments where they can take more physical actions to drive the conversation in a different direction.

We've also done a lot of work to create conversations that occur in a wide variety of situations, from ducking under gunfire during combat to talking while walking through a tour of a prison facility.