I've noticed there are a lot of people who don't like games because they have timers in them. Manjoras Mask and Pikmin come to mind. I can only assume these people don't like challenge, because I thought the time management aspect of the games really added to the experience. Enough of my little rant.
I haven't played Mass Effect 2 yet, and I only played Mass Effect 1 for about 5 hours (I do plan on playing it more later). I have played other Bioware action/rpgs however. Even better than having a timer for suspenseful moments, you should have no timer, but know the building will blow soon (for example). You may see visual clues that the detonation is drawing near, but leave you in suspense as to when that exactly is.
It isn't a matter of "this is an RPG not an action game". Rather, it is an issue of challenge and suspense. RPGs can have suspense, several classics have time based sequences in them.
