Mass Effect 2 has no 'new game plus'

Feature sacrificed in order to allow for character progression into the third game.

New game plus - the ability to level up characters in a first-play through of a game, which can then be taken back through the game complete with enhanced attributes - was a welcome feature of Mass Effect 1, but fans won't have the same luxury in the sequel.

Addressing the question of new game plus on the BioWare forums, lead designer for Mass Effect Preston Watamaniuk said:

"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."

So you'll be able to continue playing once the story is completed, but won't be able to restart the story with an ultra powerful Shepard and co.