The rout the franchise is going is to give players complete control over the skill level of their weapons, hence the people complaining its too much like Gears. Its no longer a dice roll and instead pure player driven, which in my opinion is much better for a shooter RPG.
Because the game went this way the game needed a total overhaul of how loot works. Having weapons with stats is pointless now, because dice rolls in combat are nearly removed entirely. Weapons need physical, functional differences that are apparent to the player right from the get go.
So instead of looking at a gun and going "Okay that has a damage ratio of 328 and this one has 334 so I better use that" we can select weapons that have the most logical performance and function for the situation.
The sniper rifle is the best example. Just because you find the semi-auto doesnt mean its worth using for your style of play. I ignored it and instead stuck with the Widowmaker. I much prefer weapons that deal a lot of damage instantly, especially with snipers, over spamming shots and doing damage over time.
This is the kind of variety their going for, the kind of 'loot', and its definitely the best direction for the franchise. But, as I said, there needs to be a bit more of it. Double the amount at least, really, so players still feel some worth in finding new weapons. The heavy weapons come out best due to how many there are, especially with the codes, and the huge variety between each one.
Armor falls into a similar boat. Buying pieces is actually more 'traditional' than the original Mass Effect, and its great they went for a flat out single stat bonus for each one. Do I want these greives that increase shield power, or do I want the ones that increase my storm speed? Perfect concept for this style of game, having peices of armor with individual basic stats that we can mix and match, but again much like the guns the game just needs a bit more of them.
The sense of progression with loot is a bit lost, I guess, and thats where it hurts the most. They took Mass Effect's loot, overhauled it into a much better idea, but didnt quite deliver it in a way that made it shine. Fingers crossed ME3 pulls it off.
