Not arguing any of that, I'm just saying this isn't anything new for BioWare. They've been doing it for a long time.
As for ME:A, I've on my third playthrough of it now, and I have to say there are aspects of it I like more than the original trilogy, but it's lacking in certain areas where I would call it an improvement over the first three. There are aspects where it has in some and fallen backward in others. In terms of story, I think it's the most engaging since the first one(ME3 would've had the best story until it was all botched in the end, thus ruining it).
So for now, I'm going to rate how I personally set all four games thus far.
Story:
ME1
MEA
ME3
ME2
Combat: This is sort of a no brainer. Your combat should improve as series progresses.
MEA
ME3
ME2
ME1
Squadmates:
ME2(ignoring bland man Jacob)
MEA
ME3
ME1
Vehicle
Mako
Nomad
Hammerhead(really, who cared about this thing)
Armor/Weapon customization
ME3
MEA
ME2
ME1
Villian
ME1
ME3
MEA
ME2
DLC
ME2
ME3
ME1(Pinnacle Station lol)
MEA TBD