Mass Effect 3

[SPCTRE]

^ Well, I also thought it would be impossible to re-create Gillian Anderson's face with the ME character editor - I was proven wrong

You may be right of course, but at least an approximation might be feasible.

[Reverend]

Skywalker wrote:

---

I actually like FemShep #3 the best, but I like FemShep #5 too, and I'm not surprised she's winning. I don't know why BioWare didn't have a high-quality default face for FemShep like they had for ManShep from the beginning, though.

SPCTRE, I think it's going to be impossible to recreate this face on the editor, just like it's impossible to recreate the Sheploo face.

I think up until now FemShep has on the whole been something of an afterthought and I think in a way that's been a real strength. By sheer practical necessity, 99% of character interactions are the same regardless of Shepard's gender. The net result being a strong female character with out the self consciousness or overcompensation of the more common "tough chick" type personalities. She's a battle hardened marine and naval officer who just so happens to be female. *climbs off soap box*

Plus I think the marketing people probably just assumed that consistently sticking with a "safe" looking protagonist would be a better way to promote the games. They're probably right too as I gather the vast majority of players pick the soldier male Shepard, at least for the first play through.

SPCTRE wrote:

---

^ Well, I also thought it would be impossible to re-create Gillian Anderson's face with the ME character editor - I was proven wrong

You may be right of course, but at least an approximation might be feasible.

I think Skywalker is right, just looking at it I can tell the face editors for ME 1&2 aren't nearly flexible enough to recreate *that* particular face shape (to say nothing of the hair.) Right off the bat I can see that the bridge of the nose is too wide, the eyes too big and the

The face creator in the Dragon Age games for example has a lot more options (but then it is a fantasy game) but neither have anywhere near the likes of Saints Row 2. Now *THAT* is what I call a face creator.

[Skywalker]

Reverend wrote:

---

I think up until now FemShep has on the whole been something of an afterthought and I think in a way that's been a real strength. By sheer practical necessity, 99% of character interactions are the same regardless of Shepard's gender. The net result being a strong female character with out the self consciousness or overcompensation of the more common "tough chick" type personalities. She's a battle hardened marine and naval officer who just so happens to be female. *climbs off soap box*

I don't know if it's really been a strength. They never even bothered to program the FemShep model with appropriate female movements and positions until the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, if I remember right.

And I'm not going to comment on the latter part of your post, except to say that I disagree about FemShep not being overcompensating. Hale's vocal performance is the very definition of overcompensating.

I just think it was kind of short-sighted of BioWare. They know they have a strong female fanbase, unlike many other gaming companies out there. It just seems weird that they would treat FemShep as sort of an afterthought in the first two games, considering the amount of female fans they have.

[SPCTRE]

Skywalker wrote:

---

I just think it was kind of short-sighted of BioWare. They know they have a strong female fanbase, unlike many other gaming companies out there. It just seems weird that they would treat FemShep as sort of an afterthought in the first two games, considering the amount of female fans they have.

I don't think BioWare was short-sighted, at least not in that way. I'd wager one month's salary that most FemShep proponents/fans are actually male.

Reverend wrote:

---

The face creator in the Dragon Age games for example has a lot more options

You know what pissed me off most about DA2's editor? That I couldn't have that blood-smear thingy on my nose with a custom FemHawke

[Skywalker]

You're probably right. I guess I'm just basing my opinion about the situation on a female friend of mine, who is a big BioWare fan, prefers FemShep over ManShep, and was annoyed at how BioWare always seemed to be giving preferential treatment to the male Shepard over the female one.

[SPCTRE]

Skywalker wrote:

---

You're probably right. I guess I'm just basing my opinion about the situation on a female friend of mine, who is a big BioWare fan, prefers FemShep over ManShep, and was annoyed at how BioWare always seemed to be giving preferential treatment to the male Shepard over the female one.

I can definitely see her point. So far, marketing chose the straightforward, easy way (same with DA2, BTW - MaleHawke only) to drive the Mass Effect protagonist home with people.

Looking forward to seeing FemShep on that box <3

[Reverend]

SPCTRE wrote:

---

I don't think BioWare was short-sighted, at least not in that way. I'd wager one month's salary that most FemShep proponents/fans are actually male.

Well of course that's a pretty safe bet considering that even these days the majority of (non-casual) gamers are still males in that 16 - 35 demographic. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot more girl and women gamers now than there were even a few years ago, but it's still *mostly* a "boy's hobby."

Still, i think it's a fair point that Bioware games (and RPGs in general) have a higher proportion

Skywalker wrote:

---

I don't know if it's really been a strength. They never even bothered to program the FemShep model with appropriate female movements and positions until the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, if I remember right.

Depends on how you look at it really. On the one hand, yes, a lot of the animations had a distinct "masculine" quality to them (especially the walking/jogging cycle) but on the other hand this person is a career soldier who's spent most of his or her adult life wearing armour and crouching in the mud while dodging hypersonic projectiles. In the case of my main soldier FemShep she's EarthBorn and so a former street rat and gang member. Not exactly a recipe for girly behaviour.

In a way it was especially appropriate with the Kasumi DLC to see her trundle along in her mannish gait, looking very uncomfortable in a dress and high heels.

Actually, in Dragon Age II, one of the things that completely took me out of the game was the female Hawk's idle animation. Here I was with my aggressive, great-sword wielding warrior, looking all tough an mean, but as soon as she stands still for a few seconds, she strikes this demure little pose that looks so completely inappropriate.

And I'm not going to comment on the latter part of your post, except to say that I disagree about FemShep not being overcompensating. Hale's vocal performance is the very definition of overcompensating.

You know I have heard some people complain that Hale's performance sounds "butch" (I'm assuming this is what you're referring to; if not then my apologies.) Personally, I just don't see it.
Earnest? Certainly. Strong? Absolutely. But butch? Nah.
See now I've known some proper butch types in my time (power lifters, bouncers, construction workers etc.) and Hale isn't even *close*. I wouldn't even call her performance tomboyish.

I just think it was kind of short-sighted of BioWare. They know they have a strong female fanbase, unlike many other gaming companies out there. It just seems weird that they would treat FemShep as sort of an afterthought in the first two games, considering the amount of female fans they have.

Well they did and the didn't. It'd probably be fair to say that the character of Shepard was written to be mostly gender neutral. It just so happens that there are so few female "hero" characters in video games to compare her to that (combined with the MaleShep oriented marketing) tends to lead people to think of the male version as the "preferred" version.

Either way, I think it's to Bioware's credit that they haven't gone out of their way to overtly distinguish between the two gender options, at least from a story point of view. More than anything, I like how it plays against one's expectations of how a female protagonist is normally characterised.

Case in point, for a lark I used the gibbed save editor to set my last playthrough as a vanguard as a femshep in a relationship with Ash. I half expected it to break the game, but lo and behold, when I got to Horizon all the relationship stuff worked without a hitch. Granted it's because the same conversation with Kaiden is essentially identical, but the character dynamic for both the male and female Shepard with their (possible) respective paramours was the same, regardless of gender.

SPCTRE wrote:

---

I can definitely see her point. So far, marketing chose the straightforward, easy way (same with DA2, BTW - MaleHawke only) to drive the Mass Effect protagonist home with people.

Looking forward to seeing FemShep on that box <3

^Agreed

[SPCTRE]

Reverend wrote:

---

Depends on how you look at it really. On the one hand, yes, a lot of the animations had a distinct "masculine" quality to them (especially the walking/jogging cycle) but on the other hand this person is a career soldier who's spent most of his or her adult life wearing armour and crouching in the mud while dodging hypersonic projectiles. In the case of my main soldier FemShep she's EarthBorn and so a former street rat and gang member. Not exactly a recipe for girly behaviour.

In a way it was especially appropriate with the Kasumi DLC to see her trundle along in her mannish gait, looking very uncomfortable in a dress and high heels.

QFT, that's exactly my interpretation of her character.

She's a freaking Space Marine, she's supposed to be a tough gal with a very distinct military vibe to her.

[-Brett-]

I always use custom Shepards, so it's sort of academic for me. They all look pretty good though.

Seems blondie is the winner. Nearest competition only has half of her votes. I would have voted for Shepard's 2 or 3 myself.

[Saquist]

I can go with her...but I create my own too.
That seems to be the whole point.

[Reverend]

-Brett- wrote:

---

I always use custom Shepards, so it's sort of academic for me. They all look pretty good though.

Seems blondie is the winner. Nearest competition only has half of her votes. I would have voted for Shepard's 2 or 3 myself.

Well I think they said the vote will run for a few weeks at least so it's not decided yet...but yeah, unless there's a dramatic shift or some big fan drive to get people voting for another one then it does look like BlondyFemShep will be the winner.

I just hope that close shorn hairstyle will be available because it'd suit my infiltrator shep very well. After two games she's probably a little sick of the shaved head look.

[SPCTRE]

Reverend wrote:

---

Well I think they said the vote will run for a few weeks at least so it's not decided yet...but yeah, unless there's a dramatic shift or some big fan drive to get people voting for another one then it does look like BlondyFemShep will be the winner.

I just hope that close shorn hairstyle will be available because it'd suit my infiltrator shep very well. After two games she's probably a little sick of the shaved head look.

I will cry tears of joy if that short haircut in my av becomes available in the editor, tears of joy I tell ya

[SPCTRE]

BTW, I feel that I've fixed* FemShep #1 by simply ever-so-slightly stretching the image vertically.

*and when I say 'fixed', I really mean 'made even awesomer'

To illustrate, here's my avatar:

Original version:


Stretched version:

[Saquist]

I do like that.

[SPCTRE]

Saquist wrote:

---

I do like that.

Thanks

I forgot to mention for reference, there's a bigger version of that image set up as my profile image.