It's quite amazing that we even have the option of choosing. the ME games have more dialog than most games out there and yet they recorded two versions. I can't think of any other game that does that except for Saints Row 2, but that game didn't have nearly as much dialog. Not many games that allow you to choose female or male even have voice acting for the protagonist. They could have made the game without the ability to choose female like most other games, but they went that extra mile and I greatly appreciate that.

I honestly don't see whats so good about Jennifer Hale. I think Mark Meer is by far the better voice actor in ME2. Jennifer Hale is a good voice actor, but ME2 isn't something that I think is particularly good of hers. 

Renegade FemShep for me. 
 
Meer just has no emotion at all.

Ugh Jennifer Hale by a mile.

I'm biased towards Jennifer Hale already because of other games, but I still think her voice as Shepard is so much better.

" @KoolAid said:

" You guys are all nuts!   Nuts I say!  Jennifer is the only Shepard.  Meer sounds like a robot.    Go into your living room, set up two xboxs, put a controller in each hand and play both Shepard's side by side.  You'll see your crazy. "

If he sounded like a robot he wouldn't be working for Bioware. That's silly to say the least. "

"  

   

  Even though both Shepards are Canadian for some reason Dude Shepard seems to slip in an occasional Canadianism.  I will be God damned if I am going to have a filthy Canuck spit out the occasional "aboot" or "gonch" or even a dreaded "eh?" when on a mission to save the galaxy.  You know how Canadians breed like cockroaches.   The next think you know there is a Tim Horton's on every space station where even the noble Elcor are forced to consume honey dipped jelly donuts and wash them down with a double-double.  Even worse galactic currency goes from credits to "loonies" and "toonies".    
 
 
I kid I kid I have nothing against Canadians. 

i tried the dude shepard in mass effect and he just sounded so disinterested with anything that happened, i had to start over as female to check it out, and i stuck with that. 
 
i never tried dude shepard in 2, because i had imported.

Hale is more dynamic, higher highs and lower lows overall.  After four times through ME1 and four more times through ME2 I definitely prefer Hale.

Jennifer, she's my Shepard.

Jennifer Hale.  To me Shepard has always been female.

About equal for me.  Enjoyed both of them immensely.

" Despite Jennifer Hale not being the best choice for a character like Shepard, and it shows sadly, I still prefer her performance over Mark's. "

I've played through the game only once with a male Shepard out of my 8 runs, so you can tell which I prefer.

I think we're all forgetting the real star of this game:  Michael Beattie  
 
  

Jennifer Hale is much better.

" Meer reads every single line the same way. He drones. I don't like him all that much, but he's still better than what we get in most games these days. Jenn Hale, on the other hand, does a much better job. She actually tries to *say* the lines, rather than just read them. Meer's renegade didn't bother me as much, but his paragon ... horrible. Absolutely horrible. Hale comes off much better both ways, in my mind. "

I've never been female Shepard because I hate women.

I'm just going to put this on the table, anyone who didn't play Femshep missed out. Mark Meer's performance in Mass Effect is comparatively wooden and stilted, and in addition Shepard is way more badass as a female. 

Mark Meer just for this   

Hale seems a lot better.

Jennifer Hale is the better by far. I'm willing to go ahead and suggest that at least 90% of the people who answered Meer, did so simply because they didn't play as female Shepard.

Jennifer Hale is the better voice actor judging from that comparison video, but I''m way more used to Mark Meer since I've probably never played a female Shepard. 

" I'd say Hale is slightly better, though I may be biased having enjoyed some of her previous work. "

I think Jennifer Hale is the better actress.

"Mark Meer just for this   

"

I can't stand the male Shepard voice. Jennifer Hale fo life suckaaas

My maine Meer motherfuckers.

I still don't understand the love for Jennifer Hale. She is good in most stuff, but in ME she acts like shes trying way too hard to sound like a rugged and tough soldier.

I'm going with Jennifer Hale....she's far better when it comes to showing emotion. Mark Meer sounds very monotonous most of the time and when there's a situation where he's supposed to pump up his teammates... he sounds so boring and if I was his crew I would be so unmotivated.  While on the other hand, I find Hale deals with those situations beautifully. She shows a lot of emotion and if I were to be blindfolded, I'd be able to recognize when one scene would be laid back and while another might be more tense.
The only line that Meer does better is "The big stupid jellyfish" ... Hale is just awful there while Meer does it perfectly haha

Jennifer Hale. I played through ME1 with both male and female Shepard. I'm probably not going to play through ME2 with male Shep at all. Hale is Shepard for me at this point. Playing as male Shepard just seems strange. I have an emotional attachment to female Shepard that I never really got for male Shepard and I think that's largely down to Jennifer Hale.

I have both a Male and a Female Shepherd in my game, and I am more inclined towards Female Shepherd.

" @guiseppe: Indeed, Bioware has revealed statistics showing that 83% played Mass Effect 2 as Mark Meer. "

I've never played female Shepard, but even I know Jennifer Hale is better.
 
Mark Meer sounds flat and his Canadian accent sometimes slips through.

" @Catarrhal said:

" @guiseppe: Indeed, Bioware has revealed statistics showing that 83% played Mass Effect 2 as Mark Meer. "

Is that statistic showing that they only played as Meer or that they have a file as Meer and also a file of a femshep?  I played Mass Effect 1 and 2 with Hale as Renegade...and I have to say I like Meer a lot better simply based on his voice. Hale's voice sounds like she's trying too hard, like a teenager trying to sound like an adult on the phone. Hale isn't that much better at showing emotions and as someone else had said Meer sounds like he's in control the entire time, cool under pressure. "

" @Doctorchimp said:

" @Catarrhal said:

" @guiseppe: Indeed, Bioware has revealed statistics showing that 83% played Mass Effect 2 as Mark Meer. "

Is that statistic showing that they only played as Meer or that they have a file as Meer and also a file of a femshep?  I played Mass Effect 1 and 2 with Hale as Renegade...and I have to say I like Meer a lot better simply based on his voice. Hale's voice sounds like she's trying too hard, like a teenager trying to sound like an adult on the phone. Hale isn't that much better at showing emotions and as someone else had said Meer sounds like he's in control the entire time, cool under pressure. "

I know this is what I've been saying. I don't understand the praise for Hale, she soundsl ike shes trying way too hard to sound rugged, and tough, but failing. She is great in other roles, but not this one. "

I disagree. She had this a bit in the first one, but she's almost perfect in the sequel. Especially since she went from the a bit annoying "tough girl" attitude to callousness when Renegade. She actually sounds in control there. And she's really much more seamless now, her assholish comments during Overlord and Liar of the Shadow Broker sound great.

Meer is just wooden. The only reason people like him as Shepard is because his stiff delivery makes lines like "a big, stupid jellyfish" even more hilarious. He intones the same all the time - his "come here" when hugging Tali may be put in the context of asking for a blowjob. It's narm, not badass. He has a good voice, just not the abilities.

Hale, definitely.

I liked the female shepard a lot more, I only played here as a renegade though.  Male does a good job though.

Jennifer Hale all the way.

Hail Hale.

I played FemShep as a Paragon (well, as Ryan Davis put it "Chaotic Good" with the occasional pull of the RT), b/c her voice seems to have a more calming diplomatic tone, whereas male shep is kick down doors and shoot people.

Hale. Not even a contest. 

Meer. I think both are good but for some reason Meer is just more bad ass.

 Mark Meer no contest.  

Hale if you go renegade, because she sounds more badass.