So I haven't played Mass Effect, nor have I played Mass Effect 2.  Part of that is because I have neither an Xbox 360 nor a PC capable of running 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.  Nope, screw that.
 
That in mind, there's something I really don't like.  Something that I feel that I can say unequivocally despite not having played the games and not sound like an ignorant asshat.  And that something is that Commander Shepard's design sucks balls.  I speak specifically about the default male Shepard.  The guy plastered all over the box art.  Now, I know that GeneriShepard's design was scanned in using a live model:

Shepard sucks. Then again, so does most of the ME cast.

I didn't like the default Shepard either, which is exactly why I spent a fair amount of time creating my Shepard in the first game. I ended up with this dude:   
 

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?

They might see him as the "Everyday Man," you know white blue eyed military generic from during/post world war 2. The standard everyone thought a war hero would look like. Though I'm not Bioware.
 From what I recalled a lot of people didn't bother with the customization and stuck with the default.

" 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 think the idea around his design is that he triggers a very neutral response when you see him. That way if you don't feel like customizing a character then you have this sort of generic looking guy that you feel OK about playing as. You don't super love the way he looks, but there isn't anything to particularly hate about it. He also doesn't look really good or evil, either. Again, he is just middle of the road.  So you can play him anyway you want and it will fit his appearance.
 
But the real issue is that the character creator was sort of weak, and it is hard to find a final model that you are happy with. If you are like me, you eventually give up and go with the generic guy.

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. 
 
I'm glad they went for someone "bland" as you called it. It gives you incentive to use the character creator, or if you just want to jump into the game, it gives your character a face that doesn't look fucking hideous (i.e. Dragon Age). Not everyone wants to spend an hour fiddling with nostril sizes to get "their perfect look", and I say this as someone who does just that. Some people just want to jump in, so having a default model that looks like a space soldier (which Shepard is) is... bad? Uninspired? Did you expect pink hair with pig-tails? This comes across as flamebait at best. 
 
Once again, it's the default model, in case you didn't catch that. Nowhere does it say this is the Shepard face you must use, nor does it ever say anywhere that it's the model BioWare recommends. They needed a face and they got one. It's honestly that simple. Raising an issue with this is like complaining that you had toast without buttering it when the option is clearly right there, sitting on the counter, with a butter knife already dipped into the container.

This is an opinion I would expect of you.  

Shepard isn't bland.  This blog is.

Seems like an odd thing to take issue with. Borderline petty, even. I have three Shepards, all with custom faces, and the existence of Marketing Shepard doesn't irk me at all. But whatever, the battles you choose to fight are your business.

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

" 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? "

They want someone with somewhat of a "neutral" look. His voice acting, IMO, is much the same. Not saying it's dead but it leaves enough space for you to put yourself into and I think that's the same of the default Shepard. Wouldn't make sense to have him super unique looking.

" @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? "

I like the handsome default Shepard^^

" @Hailinel:  But why does it matter? You could put any male Shepherd up against this face, including the one already posted in this thread, and it could be called just as bland.   "

" @mutha3: I know, right? I'm glad we agree. :D "

" @KingWilly:  Wait, what?  You're saying it's cheaper and more cost effective to hire a model, pay him for his likeness, have him scanned in the game and everything else, when you have a character creation system already designed through which you can make a "default" Shepard without the extra payments and possible legal requirements?  I want you to think about that for a second.
 
And I can't think of any RPG with character creation outside Mass Effect that has gone to such lengths to market the default model as "the guy."
 

That's as nit picky a complaint as I've ever heard about Mass Effect. If you don't like the face, you can change it. Problem solved. 

I do not like default Male Shep either. But I think it works for people that don't feel like building their own. After all, we all know Fem Shep is the only real choice. So it's kind of irrelevant.

" @Hailinel said:

" @KingWilly:  Wait, what?  You're saying it's cheaper and more cost effective to hire a model, pay him for his likeness, have him scanned in the game and everything else, when you have a character creation system already designed through which you can make a "default" Shepard without the extra payments and possible legal requirements?  I want you to think about that for a second.
 
And I can't think of any RPG with character creation outside Mass Effect that has gone to such lengths to market the default model as "the guy."
 

Dragon Age 2. "

" That's as nit picky a complaint as I've ever heard about Mass Effect. If you don't like the face, you can change it. Problem solved.  "

" @KingWilly:  Wait, what?  You're saying it's cheaper and more cost effective to hire a model, pay him for his likeness, have him scanned in the game and everything else, when you have a character creation system already designed through which you can make a "default" Shepard without the extra payments and possible legal requirements?  I want you to think about that for a second.
 
And I can't think of any RPG with character creation outside Mass Effect that has gone to such lengths to market the default model as "the guy."  

" @Milkman said:

" That's as nit picky a complaint as I've ever heard about Mass Effect. If you don't like the face, you can change it. Problem solved.  "

Would you rather I nitpick a combat system I have never experienced? :P "

Man, your great. You haven't even played the games, and you feel exactly the same as me. And I sunk like 400 hours into the first game, and I'm currently in a play through of the first game (in ramping up for ME3 I'm getting perfect play throughs for both games) Its a pity you can't experience the first game on PC, because it really is amazing. Mass Effect 2 is also really amazing, but it's a terrrrrrrible sequel to the original. I suggest you pretend you can't customize the character, pretend the 1st game is just back story, and enjoy the game. It is pretty fun, and the story telling is GREAT.

What if there were no customization system in the first place? I doubt you'd be complaining. 
 
Sure, they used the "default" appearance for box art and promotions. Why not? Were they supposed to design an individual Shepard for every single variation of advertisement and promotion? There's no "waste" going on - the customization is a feature that allows you to change the aesthetic look of your character, something that is, you know, not the main point of the game. But I guess you haven't played it, so you wouldn't know..

Why worry about that when you have the option to create your own version of Shepard?

" The created Shepard in this thread may not be the most exciting design; no tattoos, scars, eyepatches or whatever else, but it is a personalized Shepard.  The entire point of a character creation system is to give the player control over the character's appearance.  Even if that appearance is only a few steps removed from the default look, it's still personalized in a way that not everyone will share, or necessarily even see as they create their own.  To just have the default appear in the window and click accept, while a valid option, seems like a waste in a game with a character creation system. "

" What if there were no customization system in the first place? I doubt you'd be complaining."

" Why worry about that when you have the option to create your own version of Shepard? "

 
@Axxol said:

" Why worry about that when you have the option to create your own version of Shepard? "

I just find it ridiculous how this bland Shepard has been shoved down our throats to the point that some consider him the Commander Shepard and put no effort into the customization of the character. "

" @Cornman89: Or they could just not put Shepard on the cover art and release screen shots with other Shepard likenesses.  Look at the original Dragon Age, for example.  There was no Generic Warden on the box of that game.  Did that hurt it's marketing at all?  I don't think either EA or Bioware would say so, given how well it sold. "

For a game that you apparently don't want to have anything to do with, why does this bother you that much? Is it because it's popular?

" @Hailinel said: 

 
@Axxol said:

" Why worry about that when you have the option to create your own version of Shepard? "

I just find it ridiculous how this bland Shepard has been shoved down our throats to the point that some consider him the Commander Shepard and put no effort into the customization of the character. "

Could you give me an example of a not so bland space commander? "

So basically, what you're saying is you don't like him and the game because he's a clothing model?
 
Dude, you're INTO Final Fantasy hardcore.  Almost all of its male characters since 7 are effeminate types and all of its women are essentially perfect.
 
Come the fuck on.

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:

Is that from that awesomely boring fishing simulator Nier?
 
LOL

Shepard default has ALWAYS come across to me as a generic template. What bothers me even more is that no matter HOW good you are creatively; the tool assets used to customize shep look less detailed, and you're left with something that looks OK by comparison... at least from a graphical standpoint. I wouldn't even mind so much if they'd let me tweak the default shepard so I could give him some hair or something. Despite all that though, I'd never give up my custom male/fem shep <3    
 
But yeah, default shepard is kind of boring on the eyes. To me he's always come across as the default template who's values are all set to '0' before you start tweaking.

They need a poster boy. I don't think of him as the One True Shepard. To me, my Shepard is the One True Shepard. I always customize when given the option in games and I usually spend 30min+ because I know I'll spend 40+ hours with the character and I want he/she too look perfect. 
 
I agree that it is hard to make a realistic looking Shepard, but not impossible. I've made at least a few that IMO looks at least as realistic as any other people in the game.