You may miss it, but if you look closely, you can see that the standard Commander Shepard model for women in Mass effect legendary Edition is a little different. Easier on the eyes – according to BioWare.
During a practical presentation outlining the changes in the rasterized version of the scientific trilogy, Kevin Meek, director of the environment and character, noted that the iconic female version of Shepard was first introduced. Mass effect 3. It had, according to him, an inherent decoupling: you could have played the first two games in one way, and then started the last game, but just looked different. The remastered version does not have this problem, as the standard FemShep that we all know and love is available from the beginning.
And she was touched.
‘I think she was a very good example of a ME3 character who, nevertheless, still had room for improvement, ”said Meek. The team decided to do another passion on her, where they slightly changed some larger shapes of her face, or broke up some medium and fine details like wrinkles and pores and speckles.
The average player may not see the difference, he admits, but the hope was that the newer model would ‘catch the light better’.
“She’s now competing more with the iconic shepherd in terms of overall quality,” he continued.
Polygon asked if the male version of Shepard would also get a face, but has yet to get an answer. Cynically, one might consider it a tacit acknowledgment that BioWare did not do enough work in the original FemShep model. At the very least, it’s a spiritual continuation of the strange beauty pageant that FemShep created in the first place. In 2011, BioWare held a voice contest where fans could choose what FemShep should look like, as well as the standard game model, but also in marketing materials such as trailers. A second follow-up vote was also held by BioWare to determine FemShep’s hair color.
At the time, the initial contest was a bit of a triumph for fans who encouraged BioWare to give FemShep to her, but it feels weird. When the votes were counted and the Blonde Shepard won, you could not create the feeling that people just want the most Barbie-like conventional attractive woman. BioWare then has to come back years later and keep adapting to her, while Male Shepard apparently stays the same, is a scary thing.
Or maybe there is a more optimistic way to look at this. We can not change what unfolded in 2011, but in 2021 there is no vote, no massive supporter campaign to even boost BioWare consider emphasizes FemShep.
Quiet was FemShep just in the big unveiling trailer that announced the release date for Mass Effect Remastered. It’s just a few seconds near the end, and yet it feels monumental. Do not just take it from me. Just watch FemShep’s voice actor, the indelible Jennifer Hale, tear up after seeing from the start how her own character is the star of the show.