My take on it relates to my semi recent playthrough of D:OS, I enjoyed the game, even if I agreed with a lot of the criticism. My goal near the end was to finish the game in order to have fun replaying it with a different build, since points were relatively sparse in the game(Just how I like it.), it felt like I could have a drastically different experience playing through another time. Finding the respec option completely killed that desire for me, it was pretty much all-encompassing, and topped off with the appearance editor? It felt akin to choosing your head and loadout in Borderlands as opposed to taking a unique character through the world. Why bother trying to build a new and interesting character when I could just do it right now? my choices in creation, and in leveling, were pretty much worthless. Sure I could just ignore it, but that kind of logic is a slippery slope when it comes to RPGs, I like RPGs specifically because I don't have to LARP that I'm playing a certain character/role. I know there's a line of thought that says: "Don't like it don't use it, y u try to dictate how I play me game cause u hav no self control?" But in my eyes, limitation is a part of RPGs, doesn't sound too glamorous, but it's all quite glorious I assure you.
It does look like a self-control issue, though. Do games with an easily accessible console bother you, too? You were having so much fun that
before finishing the game you were already thinking of playing it all over again, until you noticed the optional thing that was so out of the way that you didn't even realized it was there until the last minute. This makes me think of an young adult not being as interested in porn just because now he can view it anytime he wants and not just when the parents are at work. Are you having fun with the titties or the fact you're only allowed to look at the titties while you are alone?
btw the choices were not worthless because they had an effect on the game, changing your mind about something when you're an old man doesn't make your life meaningless in retrospect.
edit: hey, the fact there is respeccing means characters are diverse enough for it to matter. Making classes meld together and allowing one character to be simultaneously good at everything is where decline is at. Funny thing is that Skyrim introduced respeccing in its latest espansion, and it predictably makes practically no difference to gameplay.