FemShep 5: Why is this such a big deal?

[MATRiX]

You know you're gonna customize her anyways. I mean I won't, she looks like a cross between mine and Vash the Stampede, hardly any different than my FemShep. So what's the big freaking deal? She's less girly than most of the military women I know. You don't have to be a super super mega lesbian to be a soldier. So what the hell is with all the whining?

[PiercePierceBinks]

I assume your talking about this: http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/27/ma...londe-shepard/

Basically, the person who wrote the article just wants to complain about something.

[MATRiX]

I chose default BroShep because I look like him, coincidentally. That, and that chargen is hard as hell to deal with. I know with 2 you could chose the default, eschewing your customized character's appearance from the first game. I've seen more than one article complaining, and it's stupid. It's a vote, damn it. You don't like your politicians? Well others do, which is why they won. Granted there is backroom, under the table junk with that, but the concept is basically the same. Personally, to shut everyone the hell up, you should be able to chose any of the six, and the winner would be on the box.

[Revuhlooshun]

I thought the blog post made a lot of valid points. It was sort of a beauty pageant, and an unprecedented level of control and influence handed over to consumers using sex appeal as a marketing tool.

At the same time...yeah: How big of a deal is this really, in perspective? You can cut it both ways: It's kind of neat consumers actually have some say and influence in this sort of thing. Is it unprecedented and perhaps sexist? Maybe. But if it is, it's on behalf of the developers, not the people voting.

I don't know if it's the worst thing in the world though. It also assumes that if it were a male Shep contest, it would be judged by different standards, which is absurd. People would be voting for the Shep that they thought looked the best, just like they did with the fem Shep. I think that's what bothers me about this argument and this post, granted the good points it brings up: It acts and assumes the criteria would somehow be different if it were a man, when a man would be judged by his looks in the same situation.

But the fact we don't get to vote on a male Shep at all maybe also plays into the discussion. I can see it both ways. I just think it's a lame controversy to begin with really.

[MATRiX]

I feel if they were using sex appeal, they would have shown more than just above the neck naked, or at least in a more sultry pose. It's the same pose they have male Shepard in, and damn it he looks fine. Okay, that didn't help my argument. Really, FemShep, like it or not wasn't so much of an afterthought, but they new going in that more people would play as BroShep, so they put focus in him early. Now that FemShep support has picked up steam, they decided to revamp the look of their leading lady. But the women get choice, as the existing default FemShep in most cases was bypassed for a custom FemShep. Having a preexisting hi res FemShep would have helped, but to cut development time and costs, they decided to forgo it. Good thing, too. I don't know a single female who doesn't like to edit their characters. To complain that "democracy failed" is just begging for devs to not allow for customer input. FFS, they gave you a means to pick a main character. Be grateful, #5 haters.

[Revuhlooshun]

I don't think it was overt. If it was, like you said: We would have seen a lot more.

It's more an unintended side effect, I think. Not one that warrants such an outrage though, in my opinion. But even so, it is a little bit like, "Well...why not vote on male Shep?" I thought that was a valid point, the fact that we don't see male characters ever being put to such a judging contest.

And yeah, she looks like a Western woman. What were Westerners supposed to pick? Beauty is highly subjective and differs from culture to culture. I don't know if it has anything to do with Aryan eugenics, though that may have been simple hyperbole.

I just think it's a non-issue, personally. It reminds me of the RE5 racism debate.

[MATRiX]

It's definitely a non-issue. I'm glad we didn't vote on BroShep, personally (I mean it when I say I look like him), but it is a VERY valid argument. As for the Aryan bit, I don't think the... ah... carpet... matches the drapes, if you get my drift. It's not like they wouldn't exist, but they wouldn't be likely, as described in the first novel. Even then, this is 170 or so years in the future. We are already able to more or less customize our babies in utero, why wouldn't we be able to then? Why, for that matter and knowing Western culture, would anybody look less than "gawgeous?"

[Revuhlooshun]

I kind of wish we could vote for the male Shep honestly though, on a side note. Not for any sort of fairness, but just because I feel like the voice doesn't match the face at all, and his expressions come off as creepy and date rapey.

...Maybe that's just me. But I digress.

[MATRiX]

Eh, Mark Meer acted fine, but his voice... not so much. He's capable of more fitting voices, too, which is what bugs me most. Why do the acting well, but sound... wierd? Rather change the voice than the face.

[Revuhlooshun]

I'm just saying.

[Sir Legendhead]

Pic used in article:



Author's avatar:



Am I the only person to notice how her custom Shep has the exact same non-blonde hairstyle that she has in real life?

Not that I'm trying to take a cheap shot but you have to admit, it is pretty funny.

[MATRiX]

That face looks creepy no matter what character model you have. Case and point. @Sir Legendhead, I noticed, but I thought most female Mass Effects did that.

[Revuhlooshun]

Well jeeze, when you put it like that...

[Sir Legendhead]

I noticed, but I thought most female Mass Effects did that.

Hell, I'm a guy and I did that. I made the one in my avatar back when it was a hundred degrees out and I still had my head shaved. lol

[MATRiX]

Not that I'm trying to take a cheap shot but you have to admit, it is pretty funny.

You know, just a little recoloration and...

]

[MATRiX]

Hell, I'm a guy and I did that. I made the one in my avatar back when it was a hundred degrees out and I still had my head shaved. lol

Looks a lot like mine... Hrmmm... My head is shaved as well...

[Sir Legendhead]

Looks a lot like mine... Hrmmm... My head is shaved as well...

Come to think of it, why didn't they have a shaved head for one of the female options? The whole thing was rigged!

[MATRiX]

Come to think of it, why didn't they have a shaved head for one of the female options? The whole thing was rigged!

Verily! For you:

I really hate how this Mobile Edition doesn't allow returns.

[Sir Legendhead]

I'm using this as a model for my femShep in 3:



Because then when I hijack one of the mechs, I can say this:

[Harris Bueller]

I think the problem is that Bioware gave people a chance to do something other than the completely expected, bland, standard choice and gamers leapt at the chance to disappoint and do exactly what any company would have done if they were just going through the motions. FemShep5 looks well done and whatever but when a company says "We'd like your input on this" and people do the equivalent of "Why are you even asking us? Just make the fucking game" it's kind of pathetic. If Bioware had actually provided a handful of designs that were less standard and FemShep5 was among them I'd be mad about it. Bioware gave the same character with different hairstyles/colours and two of them were also dark-skinned.