RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

According to a post on Bioware’s Mass Effect forums by lead designer Preston Watamaniuk, Mass Effect 2 will not have the same so-called “new game +” feature that its predecessor had.

“After finishing ME2 can I take my character and restart a new playthrough preserving that characters gear and abilities.”
The short answer is no.

The reason is progression. We have been working very hard to make sure we design the abilities system to offer smooth progression into ME3 from ME2. Allowing double progression on characters makes that almost impossible. We have to have reasonable knowledge about where a character could end up finishing all content on a playthrough. We also want to offer choice of character build within specific classes.

We replaced that feature with playing after you were done because it preserves progression and allows for smoother downloading of PRC.

This makes sense in light of what we learned at E3 about the severity of consequences in Mass Effect 2.

In related news, Mass Effect Galaxy, a side story that provides further insight into the Mass Effect universe, is now available via iTunes for the iPhone and the iPod touch.