To me, there's something about gating off old areas (with good reason) that actually makes moving forward more exciting.
I really hope they don't do that: closing off areas is one of my top three most disliked things (the others being timed missions and escort quests). That's one of the few things that spoiled the otherwise excellent Ego Draconis for me.
That's not to say you don't make a good point, but it's a feature I really don't care for.
