Mass Effect 2 will have a big presence at E3 next month, but if a rumored article from the next issue of Official Xbox Magazine is to be believed, we don"t have to wait so long to find out some of what BioWare plans to show. Members of the NeoGAF forum (via VG247) claim to already have the issue, and have posted some of the details online.

Keep in mind the veracity of this information is still very much in question, although it appears to be accurate. Also note that some Mass Effect 1 spoilers may be contained below, so if you still plan on playing it, read on at your own risk.

The information, unsurprisingly, doesn"t go into too much detail, but if true, it gives us a better idea of what to expect from the sequel. For instance, the ultimate fate of Commander Shepard (called into question in the first Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer, shown above) is still up in the air, as the article reportedly explains that "we definitely play as Shepard for at least a decent chunk of the game" -- although that leaves open the possibility that a different main character could come in at some point. The article also mentioned that human civilizations are mysteriously disappearing, and Shepard must investigate why in what is apparently a "suicide mission."