Soldier or Sentinel are by far the best "Run and Gun" classes in the game. So if thats your playstyle, then restart IMO.
Pretty much everything Jsin posted is spot on. One thing I will add is that the Order you do missions, as well as the people you take on those missions will vary what your outcome greatly.
I ended up using Garrus for about 80% of the game, Tali for about 50%, Wrex (??? Damn Krogun, can't remember their names) for about 50%, and then the others as needed.
Always look for the Colossus armor types. They are expensive as hell, but worth it, beating out even the Spectre gear.
I dont' remember what weapon manufacterers I used.
I've done 4 play throughs so far in ME1 and 2. Adept, Vanguard, Soldier, and Sentinel. The only ones I enjoyed were Soldier and Sentinel, mainly as I love the Run and Gun gameplay. Sentinel is by far the best for this, as those Shields ARE AWESOME!
I will dig through my wifes laptop when I get home, at one point she created a spread sheet for ME1 and 2 that listed every quest, every quest giver, and what order you needed to do all of it in to unlock everything. If I still have it, I will share it for you guys.