How about a gameplay mechanic where dead is dead outside of reloading, and party NPC death has definite effects on the relationship between the player and the rest of the party? Heck, it will even help create an empathetic bond between the player and the NPCs, thus giving weight to the narrative and its characters through gameplay. After all, if Bioware are the self-proclaimed champions of storytelling in games, they could starting acting like it, instead holding the development of narrative in games back.