Mass Effect 2 - E3 Previews @ GameSpot, IGN

Well, BioWare has never been known to be masters of game balance, which might be a problem in SW: Tor, considering how many balancing issues Blizzard has had in WoW. Blizzard is generally exceptionally good at balancing (esp SC and WC3). At any rate - BioWare planned Mass Effect as a trilogy from the start, so if they wanted to bring characters through the series, they would probably have designed certain mechanics differently (such as the most powerful biotic abilities). I agree with you - it definetly doesn't sound hard to do such a thing, especially when you know that you're making follow ups.

However, I'd like to see how this all plays out before making up my mind on whether the solution was good or bad. They might just have a very good reason for resetting the character (from a story point of view). As far as mechanics go, it would've been easy to avoid such a reset if they had truly wanted to.

Bottom line: It certainly can't be a case of "woops, characters are too powerful now, we just can't let them be this powerful in ME2". Right now, certain classes are too powerful to start ME2, but it would've been easy to avoid them getting this powerful in the first place (or rebalance the abilities for ME2).

Maylander said:

Well, BioWare has never been known to be masters of game balance, which might be a problem in SW: Tor, considering how many balancing issues Blizzard has had in WoW. Blizzard is generally exceptionally good at balancing (esp SC and WC3). At any rate - BioWare planned Mass Effect as a trilogy from the start, so if they wanted to bring characters through the series, they would probably have designed certain mechanics differently (such as the most powerful biotic abilities). I agree with you - it definetly doesn't sound hard to do such a thing, especially when you know that you're making follow ups.

However, I'd like to see how this all plays out before making up my mind on whether the solution was good or bad. They might just have a very good reason for resetting the character (from a story point of view). As far as mechanics go, it would've been easy to avoid such a reset if they had truly wanted to.

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Yeah, that's my point

The only official explanation has been from that IGN interview, in which a Bioware dude simply stated "balance issues" and it's exclusively THAT my criticism is based on.

If it turns out there's something weird in ME2 that would make the balance challenge non-trivial, then I'll gladly concede I've been too harsh. From a story point of view, I fail to see why they'd neglect this - unless Shepard as whole is entirely "reset", which might also just be a convenient way of circumventing this minor problem. I guess we'll have to see what the story says - but in a trilogy of this sort, you gotta admit it'd be weird to destroy what has gone before like that. It would seem a major aspect of carrying the same character through the experience, and starting over from the sequel would almost entirely defeat the purpose.

My imagination won't let me see any reason beyond simple disinterest in character build consistency - and since I'm in the minority about wanting this badly, I guess it's understandable that they'd ignore it.

It's just another step in the whole streamlining mechanics trend visible in all AAA games, and it bothers me just as much as the "minor" issue of not having traits in Fallout 3, as in streamlining the whole thing into perks.

Mass Effect already streamlined traditional CRPG mechanics SEVERELY, and that they'd ignore something like this makes it all the more evident, to me, that the old ways are steadily fading. Let's just say I don't really agree with this mindset of simpler being better - except in specific cases. Usually, there's a reason for a tradition in the first place - and it's not always just stupid designers in the past not knowing what they were doing. In fact, I'd like to suggest designers of the past understood GAMEPLAY - and designers today understand ACCESSIBILITY. Not really the same thing, but ok, a gross simplification.

Oh well.

Bottom line: It certainly can't be a case of "woops, characters are too powerful now, we just can't let them be this powerful in ME2". Right now, certain classes are too powerful to start ME2, but it would've been easy to avoid them getting this powerful in the first place (or rebalance the abilities for ME2).

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That's EXACTLY what I suspect the case to be, but I doubt you'd hear that from the developers themselves.