I always play with the default stuff at first (which means I pick the original male Shepard too). I think the first choice you see is Soldier so I pick that. Makes the game a heck of a lot easier with Adrenaline Rush, but I get to try all types of weapons so it's cool. Then it's always Adept or Vanguard.
Also, doing a new game with the story elements they give you at the beginning (meaning not loading your previous save file) and doing the Renegade path is the best way to play this game at first as it fits the tone and atmosphere a lot better I think. Then it's Paragon all the way! 
Random game thought :
Why is Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 getting so much hate? We finally get a real game and they're not even satisfied... I'm starting to hate the gaming community so f****** much...
