Removing a gender option fundamentally limits gameplay and takes away options that were once available. I'm a little confused as to how having a voiced protagonist does the same thing. It's not as thought having a voiced PC sent our dialogue options from 3+ to 1; the number of dialogue options are basically the same. And I agree with the person above who said DA:O was bizarre when it would cut to your PC staring blankly while supposedly "talking." And I'm unsure how a voiced PC takes away "clarity on what 'their' character is going to say, do or think" since the dialogue wheel with the "intent" icons has simultaneously made gamers angry because it's made it TOO obvious what the PC was thinking and (potentially) what the reaction would be.
Gender, in the ME series especially (less so in the DA one, but still much the case) has incredibly little effect on options, gameplay or content. Romance is one of the very few arenas where this comes into play, and even then, those were limited, as the vast swath of romanceable characters are "player" sexual.
There are very few examples of characters mentioning or reacting to gender. There are no examples where it affects actual gameplay (gender affecting stats, abilities or equipment limitations). It is, by and large, strictly a role-playing mechanism.
The same is true of the voice. It's inclusion helps some immerse themselves in the experience, where they are able to watch the personality of the protagonist come out. It's inclusion hurts others and makes it impossible for them to play.
Say my character does not believe in the Maker, for instance. They believe in the Old Tevinter gods. With the silent protagonist, there are no options expressing belief in this BUT all dialogue is clearly laid out, so I know, word for word, what my character will say, so I can be sure to NOT express belief in the Maker, or the Elven pantheon, or the Dwarven Paragons, etc.
With the paraphrase system of the voice protagonist, I can choose the tone, but not the words. By choosing a diomatic tone after you mother's death in DA2, the paraphrase says something along the lines of "she is at peace" but your character actually says "She is with the Maker now." Suddenly, the character I've been playing has just violated one of their core, tenet beliefs and I, as the player, bad no idea that would happen, let alone any control over it.
Paraphrases aside, there are many instances of Auto-dialogue, where the character acts or says something with zero input from the player. Again, in DA2, a dialogue option has a scene where Isabella and Aveline go at each other's throats, angrily insulting one another, when Hawke jumps in, apologetically, saying "hey, everyone, let's all just take it easy!" That violates a character mold I could be playing where I would not care about the two fighting, or would be too timid to try and break things up, or would strongly agree with one over another of a number of other scenarios. Bioware says that Hawke must hop in sheepishly for the lulz, though. So it becomes their control over the character over mine. Again, harmful to role-playing.
Lastly, even the thing we get to control the most in DA2's dialogue, the tone, is incredibly volatile. Diplomatic can range from uber-hero/chivalry to spineless swimpering. Sarcasm can range from hilariously funny to disturbingly macabre, on the border of sociopathic. And aggressive can engage from cold smoldering contempt to genocidal rage... all with the exact same icon. I don't know if I am going to hurl and insult or hurl a dagger at someone. I don't know if I'll make a bad joke or say something that will sound like I need professional therapy. And I don't know if I'll say something "Save the day... EXCELSIOR!!!" or "but pleaaaaaase, guys, let's just try not to be so evil, okay?"
Was every choice this schizophrenic? No. But all it takes is one mess up and suddenly you be one fearful of it happening with EVERY dialogue choice. You have no clue and are flying blindly in the dialogue darkness, with no sense of control on your character and more just a passive role, watching the "cool" character Bioware has written for you to through the motions of the adventure.
That, to me and many, is far more of a violation of a game's experience than whether or not the face and voice of a character are female. Especially in the small, nearly insignificant way Bioware handles gender.
The thing is? I know that's my opinion. And I know that there are many who would cry foul if gender was removed. But I do know both are important to the overall fanbase and removing he role-playing abilities of either group (in a role-playing game series) is a bad move.
Bioware is perfectly fine to make an IP/new series where they try out new ideas and methods. Mass Effect would have been a very different series if Shephard and been silent. But they never did that in their games, so changing mid-way (just like removing gender mid-way) would have been harmful. Changing the DA series mid-series on such a fundamental role-playing level as adding a standard voice to the protagonist was similarly a bad idea.
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