This post relates to the new ME2 teaser trailer, so if you haven't seen it, go see it... somewhere. Like masseffect.com.

OK, you're back? Good.

Is Shepard really dead in Mass Effect 2? Maybe, maybe not, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that one way or the other, you're not going to be playing as Shepard in the second game.

When BioWare said that you'd be able to port your saves over from ME1, they never said you'd be playing as the same character. Instead, the save will affect ME2's backstory - for instance if you played a female Shepard and don't port your save over to ME2, then the supposedly dearly departed Shepard will be male. If you do port the save over, however, Shepard will be female. Other likely influences: whether Shepard was a Paragon, Renegade, or both, whether Shepard had a romantic liason with Kaidan, Ashley, or Liara (I can't wait to talk to my Shepard's asari daughter), whether Shepard killed the rachni queen on Noveria or the asari communicator on Feros, etc.

This is similar to what they did at the beginning of Knights of the Old Republic 2, where they had the player fill in details about Darth Revan which were variable in the events of KotOR 1 (male or female, Jedi or Sith). So BioWare's pulled this trick before, they're just finding a smoother way to do it.

This post relates to the new ME2 teaser trailer, so if you haven't seen it, go see it... somewhere. Like masseffect.com.

OK, you're back? Good.

Is Shepard really dead in Mass Effect 2? Maybe, maybe not, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that one way or the other, you're not going to be playing as Shepard in the second game.

When BioWare said that you'd be able to port your saves over from ME1, they never said you'd be playing as the same character. Instead, the save will affect ME2's backstory - for instance if you played a female Shepard and don't port your save over to ME2, then the supposedly dearly departed Shepard will be male. If you do port the save over, however, Shepard will be female. Other likely influences: whether Shepard was a Paragon, Renegade, or both, whether Shepard had a romantic liason with Kaidan, Ashley, or Liara (I can't wait to talk to my Shepard's asari daughter), whether Shepard killed the rachni queen on Noveria or the asari communicator on Feros, etc.

This is similar to what they did at the beginning of Knights of the Old Republic 2, where they had the player fill in details about Darth Revan which were variable in the events of KotOR 1 (male or female, Jedi or Sith). So BioWare's pulled this trick before, they're just finding a smoother way to do it.

I personally think that Shepard is dead. However, depending on which female you decided to fuck in the first ME, I'm thinking you may get to play as the son or daughter of Shepard, be it alien or human.

Now I am aware of how many loop holes there are in this theory, things like whether one decided to let Ashley or Kaiden die in the first, or if anyone even pursued trying to screw Liara or Ashley, or Kaiden at all. I love speculation like this, but knowing Bioware, they did something incredibly similar to what we're describing OP.

Who knows, maybe we'll play as a Geth, even though that would be incredibly lame and unlikely.

^^^

Shepard dies and comes back like Robo Cop but inside of a Geth sub-form of your choice at the start of the game with your previous stats intact, seeking vengeance on those who have wrong the Galaxy.

ME is about how humanity fits into the galaxy, with all these other species. The way you, as a player, reacted to all these. If you read the novels, (they aren't that bad, give it a try), you get a sense where they intend to lead with their story line. I am pretty sure, that Cerberus is going to take a bigger part. And politics too.