Mass Effect 2 is one of the most talked about games for the PC right now. I admit to not having played it, with the understanding that this limits my insights into the game and may cause my immediate demise from a rampaging horde of Mass Effect/Bioware fans who see my nonconformity as a dangerous abnormality to be corrected by any means necessary.

However, this post is not about the game itself, which has received tremendous praise from almost every quarter. It’s about marketing vs. storytelling and how I’m confused about the lack of communication between one seemingly amazing department and another, much more confused one.

On the official Mass Effect 2 site, specifically the Info Page, they have the following bullet point under the Features List: “Prepare for a suicide mission to save humanity.”

Now, I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure someone from the marketing department took a brief look at the writing department’s summary and failed to grasp some very basic concepts. The idea that a game’s features include the unavoidable death of the player is not, on the whole, a desirable aspect, but someone decided this was not only a good thing, but among a sufficiently few laudable qualities that it should be highlighted specially.

Whatever the merits of the game, someone at this organization needs a good talking to.