" Is that from that awesomely boring fishing simulator Nier?  LOL "

I don't like Shepard, but not for this reason.
 
But playing through the game as renegade Samuel L Jackson was so fucking badass.

 
That's just disappointing, Bioware.  Not as disappointing as stripping Dragon Age's rather awesome character creation choices down to Mass Effect's level, but disappointing all the same. "

" @McGhee_the_Insomniac said:

" @Hailinel:  It's a guy's face. How exciting can it be? "

But why make that face the face of the game?  They've got a character creator, and yet they shirk its use in favor of getting a live male model to serve as the default. "

" @SeriouslyNow:  Given your penchant for starting useless arguments (and I am aware of the irony, given that this is a thread about a customizable character's default design), I'll grace you with one cursory reply in this thread to point out that:
 

1. The default Shepard is a customizable character.
2. The defautl Shepard is a heavily marketed human model.
3. The Final Fantasy series is not known for custom characters, outside of games that allow for selecting job classes.
4. The characters in the Final Fantasy series are based on original design sketches and drawings and are not direct scans of live people.
5. Square Enix was responsible for publishing an awesome game featuring this guy:

 

"

Meh, I ignore the canon face.
I got my own female and male Shep's that look amazing, they just need marketing material.

just use female shepard.

" So Hal doesn't like Mass Effect or the character design, and then people take it personally and white knight this place up trying to defend a game? Oh internet, you need to get out more. It's a game, not your wife. "

Vanderloo is the reason there are no gay romances in ME2.  
 
They had planned to let you romance who you liked, the voice actors even did the lines, there was Tali romancing femShep even. But when Vanderloo found out that his likeness could be use to romance a guy he put a stop to it, so they had to cut the femShep romances too. 
 
I would say that's a bigger reason to dislike him.

" @Jazz said:

" So Hal doesn't like Mass Effect or the character design, and then people take it personally and white knight this place up trying to defend a game? Oh internet, you need to get out more. It's a game, not your wife. "

So people don't like redundant topics that are trivial and filled with flawed logic that has a topic name designed to be clicked, and you white knight this place trying to defend a topic?
Oh you, you need to get out more. It's a forum not your wife. "

extensive character creation system    

Male Shep is amazing. There is no other shep. NO OTHER. Earthborn/War Hero/Soldier.

" @KingWilly:  That default model, which has become the face of the series even though there is a character customization system behind it.  That's my point.  Making the generic default the face rather than doing anything to promote individual creativity.  You never see Bioware releasing screens of more creatively designed Shepards.  It's always Commander Bland.  If they have any sort of pride in their character creator, why not use it instead of going to the effort of scanning in the looks of a live model? "

Bland? Default Shepard (the only true Shepard) has more style and character in his pinkie than the entirety of Metroid Mother Hen and Deadly Prohibition combined! 
 
Also you're crazy.
 
And yes, that's an opinion on your opinion. Deal with it!

" So you didn't play Mass Effect, don't want to play Mass Effect, but want to take the time out of your day to bitch about the "generic" character design of the default model? 
 
That's kinda dumb, bro. 

"  @KingWilly:  That default model, which has become the face of the series even though there is a character customization system behind it.  That's my point.  Making the generic default the face rather than doing anything to promote individual creativity.  You never see Bioware releasing screens of more creatively designed Shepards.  It's always Commander Bland.  If they have any sort of pride in their character creator, why not use it instead of going to the effort of scanning in the looks of a live model? "

" @Jazz:  Eh? The OP obviously sought to spark debate with the post. I disagreed with him and was trying to figure out where he was coming from, mainly because I thought his reasoning was so nit-picky it was a little ridiculous. Your post, on the other hand, adds nothing to the discussion besides you trying to make yourself sound cool. You also began doing the very thing you were criticizing others for, which is funny. "

I understand. Lack of spikey hair and anime boobs and it just won't do!

The answer is very simple: recognition. 
 
If you show a different face during promotions every time, people won't be as quick to recognize what they're looking at. People make a mental link between the product being promoted, and the face of that promotion. Commercials, trailers, boxart, artwork; anywhere you look, you see the same face, and even if you don't want to, you'll remember that face--even if it's only sub-consciously--which means you are far more likely to remember the product that face represents. 
  
Think of him as a sort of mascot. If you know the mascot, chances are you will know the team that mascot belongs to.  
 
On another note, I think the character creator for Mass Effect is garbage. As bland as the default Shepard may look, there is absolutely no way one can make the a custom character look as good as the standard one. 

" The answer is very simple: recognition.  If you show a different face during promotions every time, people won't be as quick to recognize what they're looking at. People make a mental link between the product being promoted, and the face of that promotion. Commercials, trailers, boxart, artwork; anywhere you look, you see the same face, and even if you don't want to, you'll remember that face--even if it's only sub-consciously--which means you are far more likely to remember the product that face represents.   Think of him as a sort of mascot. If you know the mascot, chances are you will know the team that mascot belongs to.  "

   On another note, I think the character creator for Mass Effect is garbage. As bland as the default Shepard may look, there is absolutely no way one can make the a custom character look as good as the standard one.     

I haven't played Mass Effect 1 or 2 and I might get 2 (though I thoroughly dislike Third Person Shooters), and this might sound completely silly, but... 
 
Don't people like Def Shep because he is the physical representation of their own personal Shepard, a character they tweaked and molded into Paragon / Renegade, into a specific class and setup, decided plot points with him over the course of two games? In other words, because they're emotionally invested in the character? 

   On another note, I think the character creator for Mass Effect is garbage. As bland as the default Shepard may look, there is absolutely no way one can make the a custom character look as good as the standard one.     

This is also the truth. OP would know that if they actually played the game. "

It's a shame, because you're missing out on the absolutely stellar universe that the Mass Effect 1 presents to you. Mass Effect 2 not so much.

" Umm. . . Shepherd IS a space marine in a sci-fi universe that is going for a serious tone. What do you expect? A Final Fantasy costume covered in belts and zippers? "

 I'm not really convinced that Bioware has shoved "default" Shepard down our throats. He certainly has been used, there's no doubt about that, but judging by the statistics that they realised a few months ago in regards to players personal choices it hasn't influenced many people. He is simply there as a template and a face to represent the character, which in the context of character driven story-teller, is understandable. You could argue that the addition of a customisation feature makes that a tricky thing to pull off, but as I'm not sure what other alternative there is, unless you exclude Shepard completely, which probably wouldn't have worked. Regardless of whether Shepard is male or female, customised or not, he/she isn't your typical "shell" avatar that you create and impose a personality onto, such as Dragon Age, to give another Bioware example. That's not the way the game was designed. Shepard has a very distinct personality that you can influence one way or the other, unlike something like Dragon Age where you can create an entirely new character each time. There isn't a  good vs evil system as such, you see; all you determine is whether Shepard is your typical good, play by the rules type of guy (paragon) or whether he is a bit more reckless and aggressive (renegade). It's an important distinction to make because because even with those choices, which can often dramatically change the course of events, you don't fundamentally change who Shepard is. It's just his methods that changes, not his core personality. 
 
The only reason I am pointing this out is because if Shepard was just another mute shell of a character then I think your argument would carry more weight, as focusing on an specific default avatar that will never be the same for any two people would be a mistake and a waste of time. It sounds to me like the main issue you have though is more down to the design choice of Shepard more than anything else. In this case I would simply argue that rather than been 'bland', default Shepard is just modelled after the archetypal soldier or marine, which considering the character and the tone of the story in general is a very apt choice. It's a commonly used and well established look, so If that is 'bland' then you really have to discount it's use in all instances, regardless of genre, fiction or otherwise. Overall, I glad they decided to go that route. Anything more over-the-top would have felt out of place to me. If people want to change things up make a larger than life character then they are completely free to do so, but in terms of initial public image I think they needed to go for a more down-to-earth look. You know, keep their options open.
 
What this really boils down to is how much value you put on marketing for this game, or any other for that matter. It's really up to you if you pay attention to it or not, and if it bothers you it's very easy to ignore. I usually do. I tend to pay very little attention to it, other than mild curiosity, as I don't feel that it often gives a true representation of the final content, which ultimately skews opinion and alters expectations, something that I think has happened in this case. I always try and go into a game knowing as little as possible (same with movie's, books etc too). It's a personal preference, but I find that it works quite nicely. 
 
Anyway, I can understand why you are thinking down this route, especially if you are not a big fan of Bioware's design style, but I must respectfully disagree. :) I would recommend at least giving the games a go. You may not like them but there's no harm in trying, right?

You're not interested in the game because of what's on the cover?

1. My complaints are with the marketing, representation, and overall acceptance of the bland default male Shepard as the Commander Shepard.  This has absolutely nothing else to do with any other aspect of the games.
2. Yes, I know that you can change it from the default.  Once again, that's not my point.
   
3. Why in the heck are some of you so defensive over point number one?

1. Who said I had zero interest in Mass Effect?  All I had said was that I hadn't played the games.

 But even with the release of Mass Effect 2 on the PS3, I have no interest.  Not in the universe, and certainly not in Bioware's method of RPG design that involves stripping most all of the elements of RPG design out and glorifying a third-person shooter as a new genre standard.   

" @Hailinel said:

" @KingWilly:  That default model, which has become the face of the series even though there is a character customization system behind it.  That's my point.  Making the generic default the face rather than doing anything to promote individual creativity.  You never see Bioware releasing screens of more creatively designed Shepards.  It's always Commander Bland.  If they have any sort of pride in their character creator, why not use it instead of going to the effort of scanning in the looks of a live model? "

It's all done for effective marketing. If nobody is able to recognize Shepard from one released screenshot to the next, then how are they supposed to be able to comprehend what's going on? They'd think "Oh, who's this guy? Oh, that's Shepard?". The next day, "Wait, who's this? Oh, that's Shepard too?". Does that not make perfect sense to have some carryover while they're marketing a game? Do you have an alternative to this marketing strategy that wouldn't confuse people?  Almost everything you've argued in this thread comes off as ignorant. If you were to play the game and at least learn the ins and outs of the customization system, then I'd be more willing to take your points seriously. "

" @McGhee_the_Insomniac said:

" @Jazz:  Eh? The OP obviously sought to spark debate with the post. I disagreed with him and was trying to figure out where he was coming from, mainly because I thought his reasoning was so nit-picky it was a little ridiculous. Your post, on the other hand, adds nothing to the discussion besides you trying to make yourself sound cool. You also began doing the very thing you were criticizing others for, which is funny. "

His reasoning is his own, not yours. I find people how hated the Mako ridiculous...but that's life isn't it? Is this blog something to get offended by? Really? He finds the character design bland. THATS IT. No mention on the actual core gameplay, and yet some people take it as a stinging attack on the whole game. Anyway, I think Neko hit the answer on the head, and lord help me if that was me trying to seem cool. That would explain why nobody likes me..I was just trying to highlight how ridiculous the whole enterprise is. He doesn't like it, you disagree...and then what? Nobody's mind is going to get changed. You're arguing with a computer screen..much like I'm doing now. It's totally pointless and futile. Much like my job actually. There's an inherent madness in this whole thing, and it's rather amusing. "

He's "plastered everywhere" because you can only have 1 design to plaster. You can't just make infinite ads with the infinite creation choices. It'd make no sense. You have to pick one design and stick with it for the advertising/art. 
 
Then, if people - say you for example - don't like that design, you can make your own. 
 
Kinda a dumb complaint.

" @Hailinel said:

1. Who said I had zero interest in Mass Effect?  All I had said was that I hadn't played the games.

i'd just like to point out: well, you didn't say zero interest, but..  

 But even with the release of Mass Effect 2 on the PS3, I have no interest.  Not in the universe, and certainly not in Bioware's method of RPG design that involves stripping most all of the elements of RPG design out and glorifying a third-person shooter as a new genre standard.   

unless i'm totally seeing something wrong  "

" @Hailinel: hehe. i'm sorry Hailinel! i couldn't resist.  "

" @Hailinel: I can see where you are coming from. The Shepherd that is featured in marketing is far from definitive (though, he is my definitive version), but on the other hand, what do you expect them to do? Granted they could have opted not to feature characters on the artwork, but would it have ended up any less generic? "

" You're not interested in the game because of what's on the cover? "

" @natetodamax said:

" You're not interested in the game because of what's on the cover? "

No.  I find what's on the cover bland and misrepresentative. "

"

"

" @natetodamax said:

" You're not interested in the game because of what's on the cover? "

No.  I find what's on the cover bland and misrepresentative. "