BioWare probably showed a little too much of Mass Effect 2 to press at E3, at least in terms of important plot points that readers may not want to know about.
If you don't mind touching on some stuff that otherwise may be considered "spoiler" territory, read on! If you do mind, though, don't read on. Simple.
Seeking to clarify comments made at E3 regarding the future of Commander Shepard, BioWare's Casey Hudson has gotten specific about the future of the series' hero character, saying (SPOILERS)
When you get to the very end of the story in Mass Effect 2, you will get one of a wide variety of climactic and satisfying endings. Depending on how prepared you were, your ending may involve Shepard making the ultimate sacrifice to accomplish the mission.
He adds that "Part of what makes the final mission dangerous in a more profound way is that each squad member could potentially die a real, story-based death during that mission as well".
"You might have an ending where Shepard's entire team survives, or where the entire mission is a bloodbath and everyone (including Shepard) is killed, or anything in between. And for all characters, death in Mass Effect 2 means they won't show up in Mass Effect 3".
(END SPOILERS) Interesting! It's a bold attempt at story-telling from the team, and on the one hand, such ballsy creative moves should be applauded, if only on principle.
But on the other hand...did we really need to know this before the game is out? I feel kind of bummed that I'm going to go into the end of the game knowing all this, instead of being genuinely surprised that "oh, wow, shit, my Shepard is dead".
Just the Facts, Man… [IGN]