14 DAY TRIAL // When role-playing games get a sequel, if they make use of the same cast as the original title did, the protagonist usually suffers some sort of physical or mental catastrophe that renders them helpless as they were when they started the first game. This is mainly because character progression is the strong point of the genre, and, by the end of the game, developers tend to turn your character into a superhuman. But, if a sequel comes along, you can't very well start as the superhuman you were at the end of the previous title, as that would completely ruin the entire difficulty balance.
An option would be to scale the entire world and pit you against a challenge that would match your new strength, but there is a limit to just how much over-the-top a game can go without just being sad and downright awful. So, RPG sequels that use the same protagonist tend to abuse "amnesia," and, while Gothic is a great RPG series, the number of memory-wiping blows to the head its hero took somewhat took the fun out of role-playing game sequels. But BioWare's Mass Effect 2 promised to take a different approach to the subject, and Shepard has no brain-wipe in store for him.
The game's official forum provided an update on the character transition from the first Mass Effect to the ME2 feature, and details the rewards dedicated players will receive. That means that, if one just sprinted through the game rather than doing a lot of side-questing, they won't receive some of the bonuses that the more fanatic gamers will.
"If you finished ME1 as a high level character you will receive greater bonuses than those who finished at lower levels," community coordinator Chris Priestly said. "Ex, if you finished ME1 as a level 35 character, you will receive a bonus, but if you finished ME1 as a level 50 character, your bonus will be larger." What exactly these bonuses were wasn't detailed, but they could include "a monetary boost at the start of the game, or additional research resources for use at the Normandy's Tech Lab."
However, this isn't a tragedy for those than didn't play the first ME or for those that don't have a saved game to carry over. The bonuses won't be significant enough that their absence would hinder gameplay. For example, some of the players' Paragon/Renegade orientation will be carried over, "making it easier to access certain dialogue options."