Mass Effect 2 didn't get much buzz at all until close to release. It was more of a muted anticipation. Certainly not the kind of game to pop up them fanboy 'lists' for 3 years running. Quite frankly, Uncharted 2, God of War, Gran Turismo, Halo, Gears etc would be better targets for an article on how bad hype is.
Do you know what its like to live on the far side of Uranus?