But now how I can rage about how awfully unfair it is that FemShep is blonde? What of the body images of every young girl out there!

And yes, even the most butch Commander Shepard might choose to use a bit of makeup to make herself look a little better. Default Male Shepard has groomed his facial hair, he must shave regularly to keep his facial hair at that steady level. I actually find this incredible telling about most people's real feelings towards women... wearing makeup and attempting to look pretty is considered a feminine trait, and thus people don't expect that a galactic hero like Lady Shepard can have any feminine traits. It's this constant problem in media where for a woman to be seen as an acceptable hero, they have to strip away everything that makes them a woman. Turns out people don't want a story about a woman saving the world, the want a story about a man saving the world except want him to have a vagina and breasts.

Thank god she's not blonde... Blondes can't save the galaxy pshhhhhh

@Brodehouse said:

@ThunderSlash said:

@mracoon said:

My only problem is I don't think Shepard would worry about or have time to put on mascara when the fate of the universe is hanging in the balance.

Obviously the Lazarus Project permanently injected the mascara into her skin.

In the future, you can get makeup applied that lasts for months and months without coming off or needing reapplication. It explains why your Shepard will still have blush, lipstick or eyeliner after being knocked unconscious for a few days. It's super convenient, as the idea of marketing makeup that works with all the galaxy's different skin types and atmospheric environments is extremely difficult. The makeup is really just a high tech tattoo, only fading after a few months as your skin cells begin to clear it up. You didn't think Kasumi applied that purple lip makeup every time you ran down there to see her?

And yes, even the most butch Commander Shepard might choose to use a bit of makeup to make herself look a little better. Default Male Shepard has groomed his facial hair, he must shave regularly to keep his facial hair at that steady level. I actually find this incredible telling about most people's real feelings towards women... wearing makeup and attempting to look pretty is considered a feminine trait, and thus people don't expect that a galactic hero like Lady Shepard can have any feminine traits. It's this constant problem in media where for a woman to be seen as an acceptable hero, they have to strip away everything that makes them a woman. Turns out people don't want a story about a woman saving the world, the want a story about a man saving the world except want him to have a vagina and breasts.

Don't you think it would slightly absurd that a person would apply makeup before going into a firefight? The only reason BioWare put makeup on default female Shepard is to increase her sex appeal and I'm saying that a person who is fighting an intergalactic war wouldn't worry about those things. As for male Shepard shaving, the military explicitly prohibits having a beard for hygiene and safety reasons (like wearing gas masks) so I would expect him to adhere by these rules even if he isn't in the space army any more.

I have no problem with women wearing makeup, I just think it doesn't make sense on this character.

@mracoon: How is she possibly going to get Garrus to test her flexibility without makeup!?

I'm quite partial to this high tech tattoo fan fiction by @Brodehouse

@mracoon said:

@Brodehouse said:

@ThunderSlash said:

@mracoon said:

My only problem is I don't think Shepard would worry about or have time to put on mascara when the fate of the universe is hanging in the balance.

Obviously the Lazarus Project permanently injected the mascara into her skin.

In the future, you can get makeup applied that lasts for months and months without coming off or needing reapplication. It explains why your Shepard will still have blush, lipstick or eyeliner after being knocked unconscious for a few days. It's super convenient, as the idea of marketing makeup that works with all the galaxy's different skin types and atmospheric environments is extremely difficult. The makeup is really just a high tech tattoo, only fading after a few months as your skin cells begin to clear it up. You didn't think Kasumi applied that purple lip makeup every time you ran down there to see her?

And yes, even the most butch Commander Shepard might choose to use a bit of makeup to make herself look a little better. Default Male Shepard has groomed his facial hair, he must shave regularly to keep his facial hair at that steady level. I actually find this incredible telling about most people's real feelings towards women... wearing makeup and attempting to look pretty is considered a feminine trait, and thus people don't expect that a galactic hero like Lady Shepard can have any feminine traits. It's this constant problem in media where for a woman to be seen as an acceptable hero, they have to strip away everything that makes them a woman. Turns out people don't want a story about a woman saving the world, the want a story about a man saving the world except want him to have a vagina and breasts.

Don't you think it would slightly absurd that a person would apply makeup before going into a firefight? The only reason BioWare put makeup on default female Shepard is to increase her sex appeal and I'm saying that a person who is fighting an intergalactic war wouldn't worry about those things. As for male Shepard shaving, the military explicitly prohibits having a beard for hygiene and safety reasons (like wearing gas masks) so I would expect him to adhere by these rules even if he isn't in the space army any more.

I have no problem with women wearing makeup, I just think it doesn't make sense on this character.

Actually the reason they give her makeup is to not make her face look bland. A dude looks quite bland without some beard or some stubble. A dudette you give some makeup. Sex appeals apply to that as well, but again they didn't give dudeShep stubble without reason.

looks great

Wow, they really nailed it. Looks just like my version.

That is not an attractive character IMO...

Ah whatever, I have my own Fem-Shepard to take in.

I'm happy the redhead was chosen.

@mracoon said:

@Brodehouse said:

@ThunderSlash said:

@mracoon said:

My only problem is I don't think Shepard would worry about or have time to put on mascara when the fate of the universe is hanging in the balance.

Obviously the Lazarus Project permanently injected the mascara into her skin.

In the future, you can get makeup applied that lasts for months and months without coming off or needing reapplication. It explains why your Shepard will still have blush, lipstick or eyeliner after being knocked unconscious for a few days. It's super convenient, as the idea of marketing makeup that works with all the galaxy's different skin types and atmospheric environments is extremely difficult. The makeup is really just a high tech tattoo, only fading after a few months as your skin cells begin to clear it up. You didn't think Kasumi applied that purple lip makeup every time you ran down there to see her?

And yes, even the most butch Commander Shepard might choose to use a bit of makeup to make herself look a little better. Default Male Shepard has groomed his facial hair, he must shave regularly to keep his facial hair at that steady level. I actually find this incredible telling about most people's real feelings towards women... wearing makeup and attempting to look pretty is considered a feminine trait, and thus people don't expect that a galactic hero like Lady Shepard can have any feminine traits. It's this constant problem in media where for a woman to be seen as an acceptable hero, they have to strip away everything that makes them a woman. Turns out people don't want a story about a woman saving the world, the want a story about a man saving the world except want him to have a vagina and breasts.

Don't you think it would slightly absurd that a person would apply makeup before going into a firefight? The only reason BioWare put makeup on default female Shepard is to increase her sex appeal and I'm saying that a person who is fighting an intergalactic war wouldn't worry about those things. As for male Shepard shaving, the military explicitly prohibits having a beard for hygiene and safety reasons (like wearing gas masks) so I would expect him to adhere by these rules even if he isn't in the space army any more.

I have no problem with women wearing makeup, I just think it doesn't make sense on this character.

Uhm, Default Male Shepard does have a beard. He maintains a constant stubble. And since I doubt it's accidental on Mark Vanderloo's part, it's probably not accidental on Commander Shepard's part. Furthermore, Jacob has a well-groomed moustache and goatee. Miranda wears makeup. Jack is as undisciplined and hard as it gets, and she wears makeup. Zaeed Massani never says anything about anyone's looks, and yet he gels his hair back, probably because he thinks it looks good on him. I'm sure there's some sort of physical imperfection on the drell face that Thane has been taking care of (maybe they grow little toad warts like pimples and he's been using an application to hide or shrink them?). The only exception to the rule is Garrus, and that's because he's gone a little crazy the last couple years.

And you're telling this to a guy whose main Shepard doesn't wear eyeshadow or lip gloss (I think she has very, very slight foundation).

And like I said, assuming makeup works the same 170 years from now is kind of silly. Imagine if you wore makeup today from the Jackson adminstration? Because of the limitations of the tech, Shepard's makeup/hair/beard is always the same no matter what... I'm sure years from now there will be an option where you can choose how you want to wear your hair depending if you're going to a battlefield on Tuchanka or to a fancy dinner on the Citadel, but it's still 2011, so let's just ease back.

Lastly, it's visual fiction. It's something you have to accept, that when someone creates something for you to look at for several hours, they're going to work at making it interesting or pleasing to look at. If you want to get mad at Mass Effect characters for having sex appeal (there's nothing about being the strongest human biotic that should make Jack hot), you should also wonder why some of the most attractive people in America all seem to work at a hospital in New Jersey, or all became crime scene investigators in Miami. In real life, Dexter would probably look closer to John Wayne Gacy than the bronzed adonis that Michael C. Hall is, but we live with it because it's fiction.

Considering that the default FemShep was a redhead I think I can safely say gamers are afraid of changes.

Looks great.

Well, there you have it. This is how video games are made.

Really, who was this voting ever relevant to? By the third game, I would assume most players have already created their own Shepard. She looks nothing like my Shepard, and isn't linked to any of my choices in the past 2 game, so why would I ever choose to play as her?

This entire voting thing was stupid.  Almost as stupid as that haircut.  

@Brodehouse said:

@mracoon said:

@Brodehouse said:

@ThunderSlash said:

@mracoon said:

My only problem is I don't think Shepard would worry about or have time to put on mascara when the fate of the universe is hanging in the balance.

Obviously the Lazarus Project permanently injected the mascara into her skin.

In the future, you can get makeup applied that lasts for months and months without coming off or needing reapplication. It explains why your Shepard will still have blush, lipstick or eyeliner after being knocked unconscious for a few days. It's super convenient, as the idea of marketing makeup that works with all the galaxy's different skin types and atmospheric environments is extremely difficult. The makeup is really just a high tech tattoo, only fading after a few months as your skin cells begin to clear it up. You didn't think Kasumi applied that purple lip makeup every time you ran down there to see her?

And yes, even the most butch Commander Shepard might choose to use a bit of makeup to make herself look a little better. Default Male Shepard has groomed his facial hair, he must shave regularly to keep his facial hair at that steady level. I actually find this incredible telling about most people's real feelings towards women... wearing makeup and attempting to look pretty is considered a feminine trait, and thus people don't expect that a galactic hero like Lady Shepard can have any feminine traits. It's this constant problem in media where for a woman to be seen as an acceptable hero, they have to strip away everything that makes them a woman. Turns out people don't want a story about a woman saving the world, the want a story about a man saving the world except want him to have a vagina and breasts.

Don't you think it would slightly absurd that a person would apply makeup before going into a firefight? The only reason BioWare put makeup on default female Shepard is to increase her sex appeal and I'm saying that a person who is fighting an intergalactic war wouldn't worry about those things. As for male Shepard shaving, the military explicitly prohibits having a beard for hygiene and safety reasons (like wearing gas masks) so I would expect him to adhere by these rules even if he isn't in the space army any more.

I have no problem with women wearing makeup, I just think it doesn't make sense on this character.

Uhm, Default Male Shepard does have a beard. He maintains a constant stubble. And since I doubt it's accidental on Mark Vanderloo's part, it's probably not accidental on Commander Shepard's part. Furthermore, Jacob has a well-groomed moustache and goatee. Miranda wears makeup. Jack is as undisciplined and hard as it gets, and she wears makeup. Zaeed Massani never says anything about anyone's looks, and yet he gels his hair back, probably because he thinks it looks good on him. I'm sure there's some sort of physical imperfection on the drell face that Thane has been taking care of (maybe they grow little toad warts like pimples and he's been using an application to hide or shrink them?). The only exception to the rule is Garrus, and that's because he's gone a little crazy the last couple years.

And you're telling this to a guy whose main Shepard doesn't wear eyeshadow or lip gloss (I think she has very, very slight foundation).

And like I said, assuming makeup works the same 170 years from now is kind of silly. Imagine if you wore makeup today from the Jackson adminstration? Because of the limitations of the tech, Shepard's makeup/hair/beard is always the same no matter what... I'm sure years from now there will be an option where you can choose how you want to wear your hair depending if you're going to a battlefield on Tuchanka or to a fancy dinner on the Citadel, but it's still 2011, so let's just ease back.

Lastly, it's visual fiction. It's something you have to accept, that when someone creates something for you to look at for several hours, they're going to work at making it interesting or pleasing to look at. If you want to get mad at Mass Effect characters for having sex appeal (there's nothing about being the strongest human biotic that should make Jack hot), you should also wonder why some of the most attractive people in America all seem to work at a hospital in New Jersey, or all became crime scene investigators in Miami. In real life, Dexter would probably look closer to John Wayne Gacy than the bronzed adonis that Michael C. Hall is, but we live with it because it's fiction.

I never said I liked the default male Shepard and it's not going to stop me from playing the game either (I use a custom Shepard, anyway). To me it doesn't suit the character, that's all. I'm not sure how you extrapolated that to me disliking the whole Mass Effect series or having a problem with attractive people. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean I can't criticise it.

Really!? That's ugly as hell! It's like she has an unnaturally red haired mullet. That's super ugly. Why would people vote for that shit? Why couldn't she look like a regular person instead of some type of dumb bad-ass. I mean, would you go out with that chick if she was real? No.

@mracoon: I never made any intonations that you didn't like Mass Effect. I just think the 'Shepard would never wear makeup!' to be a little pedantic, especially considering the rest of the Mass Effect fiction. Other characters care about their appearance, I don't think it breaks any part of the fiction that one version of Shepard might do the same.

I also just realized that for some people, maybe Shepard is concerned with her looks. My friend Sheldon is just playing through them now, and I thought he was being silly for giving her some eyeshadow and he just said that she doesn't want to look ugly. His Elise Shepard obviously has a different attitude from my Catherine Shepard. I had the same twinge when I was making Rebekah Hawke in Dragon Age 2... I accidentally looped into some green eyeshadow and I was like "no!" and then I thought for a second... my Hawke kind of had a chubby face, maybe she would put on some makeup for the self-image boost.

my FemShep was already a redhead, so this works for me

Awesome! She's the one I wanted to win. Can't wait to see what she looks like in action.

@Brodehouse: I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

Never understood why this wasn't a decision that was made between the concept artists, character artists, and art director.

Red hair is all that matters.

She's so unattractive that I'm not even going to try to make her have sex with other female crew members

Looks fine to me, though of course the internet will find something to complain about.

Would have preferred the blond Shepherd, but I'm OK with a redhead Shepherd.

i like it.

Looks fine to me.

The only Shepards that matter are my own defined Shepards; there's a Shepard for both genders, with every kind of skin tone, hair colour, varying personality and a differing assortment of imperfections and I like to take advantage of that. It's cool that they've put so much effort to at least evening the scale towards the marketing Sheps, though I could never go with a default because of how more unique and fun I find to go with my own Shepard's. I don't particularly have a canon Shep, either. I kinda look at them all as apart of their own separate Universe or some shit.

@PhatSeeJay said:

Looks like Patryk's talent has come to good use. I'd buy the litho.

My new wallpaper!

@Hector said:

@PhatSeeJay said:

Looks like Patryk's talent has come to good use. I'd buy the litho.

My new wallpaper!

Definitely. Currently my wallpaper at work. ^_^

I look forward to no playing as her. MalShep 4 lyfe!

Although the whole predicament was a bit distasteful, the end product turned out pretty good to me personally.  Now on to the game itself hopefully.

i'm going to have to try extra hard to make sure i never come across the female promotional work.

@PeasantAbuse said:

This entire voting thing was stupid. Almost as stupid as that haircut.

I agree. Look to my personal touch on female-shepard character and after that compare it with that crap you call ....female character.

It's six months overdue, but here it is. The Female Shepard trailer.

Creative crowd sourcing is a dumb and bad idea.

She looks about 15 years old. Kind of weird.

Looks fine to me. Not as good as male Shepard but personally I feel it looks better then default female Shepard. Probably gonna get some hate but, eh, I used Male throughout the other games, never had an attachment to the female version.
 
Also, I guess this means female Shepard is actually gonna get recognized in the promotional material, so that's cool.

She doesn't suit the game or voice, obviously voted for by sexually frustrated teenagers. She should be a vet, not straight out of school....teacher not student.
 
 
Not that it matters with the customization options anyway, the above posted Shepard is faaaar more like it.

Man, stupid LA Noire fucked with my lip syncing standards.

I saw Legion, Jack, Miranda, and Samara in that video. I am now no longer worried about this game.

Default FemShep was an ugly thin lipped she-beast just like every other monstrosity the create-an-uglyassedcharacter could generate.

This new one is essentially the same, just with about 60% less ugly.

My FemShep is better looking and more bad-ass than this chick here.

Can´t wait for the demo. I hope the final game doesn´t turn out to be even more corridor like and action-y than ME2.

Honestly, the game seems worse to me with every trailer. Don´t care much for the look of FemShep, but seeing her fucking destroy a Reaper by shooting out the side of a vehicle with a goddamn blaster.. idk how I feel about that. The whole Reaper invasion thing should have been used to put tactical space combat into the game, not make it one giant railshooting sequence.

I'm glad they're giving focus to the female version But as a person who has four of my own custom Shepards, it always irks me when I see the default Shepard on the cover. I'm way too excitied for this game though.

Finally we get a glimpse of some ME2 squad. Hopefully, they will be in more than just one cutscene. Especially Miranda.

She looks fine, and that is one awesome graphic.
But then, I haven't played Mass Effect yet, so maybe I'm not nerdy enough.