User blog comment:Legionwrex/Comparing the Mass Effect Trilogy!/@comment-3492791-20120921192248/@comment-24174486-20120922052628

Or you just switch your weapon as soon as it overheats. Or slap a couple of heat-reducing mods on it and literally fire endlessly without having to cool down or reload.

Just like everything else that determined your killing power in ME1, the heating system was completely weak early in the game and completely broken late in the game. I prefer thermal clips, since it gives you a precise figure on how much you can continue to fire instead of a vague meter that prohibits you from shooting things for about ten seconds if it fills up.