Richard's Online Journal
Miss Effect
IMPORTANT! Mass Effect 2 is now out in North America, and coming to Europe later this week. Yet despite many warnings, Bioware has completely failed to address a glaring error on the box, as spotted by roughly millions of people.
Luckily, there’s an easy fix. All you’ll need is the ability to take screenshots, an existing Mass Effect savegame, a pair of scissors, and some sticky tape.
Fixed! Shephard is a girl, damnit...
For best effect, print off hundreds of them and sneak into your local boutique of electronics using whatever means or biotics you deem appropriate to ensure nobody else falls afoul of this shocking lapse in standards. As for you, Bioware, we’ll forgive it this time — but watch yourselves in the next sequel…
Enjoyed That? Try One Of These
There are 35 Comments on this story
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It’s the armour. Interestingly, it’s made by melting a hundred of those horrible bubblegum pink ones that Ashley was forced into for Mass Effect. Posted by Richard on January 26, 2010 |
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My Shepard was female too, though not much modified from the default face design. I wonder if that same hairstyle will be in 2, because I generally didn’t like any of the others. Posted by Nabeel on January 26, 2010 |
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I pretty much always make girls in RPGs because… well, no comment… but I think in Mass Effect’s case, it’s officially the right call, just because of Jennifer Hale’s voice acting. No slam whatsoever on Mark Meer’s job as the male version of Shephard, he was fine, but she just had more personality and made all the choices sound a bit more natural. (I do however hope the character creator in this one is a bit better. The first one had a million options, but tended to result in characters looking more or less the same anyway. And the hair couldn’t be much worse than in ME1) Posted by Richard on January 26, 2010 |
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Yeah agreed, Jennifer Hale is awesome. Posted by Nabeel on January 26, 2010 |
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Yeah if I can choose I always play a girl, too. Agreed on the char creator. Posted by Rain on January 26, 2010 |
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I don’t think it matters too much in ME, mostly because unlike — say — Dragon Age, I never really felt like I was creating a character so much as taking over one mid-life. Whose hairstyle and skin colour I could change if I wanted to. Posted by Richard on January 26, 2010 |
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You know what would have been cool though? The Collector’s Edition having your Shephard on the box, rather than that weird N7 zoom in. Posted by Richard on January 27, 2010 |
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At least the Collector’s Edition cover looks much better than that of the vanilla box, in my opinion. And that CE box, that you suggest would probably be even more expensive than that of MW2 with their night-vision goggles.^^ Posted by Rain on January 27, 2010 |
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I doubt it. Expensive, sure, but as a limited run, I can’t imagine it being /that/ expensive these days. It’d definitely feel more like a collectible than some crappy toy goggles or a useless metal tin. Posted by Richard on January 27, 2010 |
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I’m depressed to say the first reaction I had to reading this was “+1 like”. I’m doomed. Posted by zipdrive on January 27, 2010 |
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Oh, in addition I’ve picked a male character for starting DA:O recently because I’m waiting to play my red-headed female Shepard again. Posted by zipdrive on January 27, 2010 |
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I’d quite like to import my Dragon Age crew directly. Morrigan and Shale would take out the Reavers (or whoever the enemy is in this one, I’ve only just got my copy and I DO NOT WANT SPOILERS) with the power of pure snark. Also fireballs. Posted by Richard on January 27, 2010 |
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I wish I’d made a lady-Shepard for the first game. I thought paragon man-Shepard seemed almost as pompous as David Caruso. I’m very confused as to whether I should play the first game again though. I can’t remember anything about ME1. Posted by Dan on January 27, 2010 |
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I was going to replay it, but I got a few scenes in and remembered that while I really enjoyed it, I didn’t finish it in the mood for another run and that there were reasons for this. Really looking forward to breaking out my shiny new copy of the sequel this evening though. Posted by Richard on January 27, 2010 |
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Last few months have been solid Bioware, with Dragon Age then Mass Effect 1 PC to be ready for this week’s ME2. While there is a danger of talk-em-up fatigue, I am ready to see the improvements in the sequel as Dragon Age felt superior tactically and a fuller game. What Mass Effect has going for it is the excellent presentation and sci-fi atmosphere, plus having your avatar talking makes more of connection. Personally I had to stick with the default male Shepard / Paragon route through multiple playthroughs. I wanted to make the decisions I would in his place rather than roleplay what a certain type of Shepard should do, again to increase my connection with the story. Kind of betrayed myself in both DA and ME though by completing the romance strands — in most stories I think sexual tension shouldn’t be resolved (ie Firefly). Can I resist temptation in ME2? Looking forward to finding out. Posted by Selendor on January 27, 2010 |
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After so long without a really good RPG to play, I’m just happy to have another one so soon. I finished Dragon Age and immediately thought “Shame there’s so long to wait until Mass Eff… oh, wait!” I enjoyed Mass Effect’s take on moral choices, just because I could both be the goody-two-shoes I usually am in these games, but also pull a gun on a jackass or punch someone out if they annoyed me. It was very satisfying, just hanging up on the Council every time they started whining. Of course, Steve Shephard would do it better… I like subplots and romance stories to be resolved myself, although I do find it boring when the two characters getting into bed is the end of the road rather than just part of the relationship — one of the main reasons I think Alistair’s works so well is that it’s a bumpier road. That said, Dragon Age’s sex scenes were hysterically silly and coy for a game that had the characters soaked in demon blood during most of the lovey-dovey talky bits anyway. Underwear patting and THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT music just really, really didn’t fit, especially Morrigan. Posted by Richard on January 27, 2010 |
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Don’t remind me of that sex scenes… and that underwear… ahhh At least they improved on that part. As long as you can take the Uncanny Valley of Miranda/Yvonne. (Link borrowed/stolen from someone in the german Eurogamer comments.) Posted by Rain on January 27, 2010 |
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I hope that Bioware will refine the romance aspects in future games. As you say, the end of the road / dialogue you hit after doing the deed in DA / ME1 doesn’t seem like much of a reward. I’d much rather they were more subtle, building up a fragile relationship during the game with the suggestion that something might happen after the game finishes (or if you lose that character, the extra emotional impact of never knowing). Thats why I felt I’d betrayed ‘my’ Shepard by sleeping with a crewmate. As a gamer you feel compelled to complete all challenges presented to you, including that one, even if from a character point of view it seems unprofessional and selfish. I would almost treat it as a Renegade decision. Back on topic, I find this slightly guilty sounding posse of female avatar male players an interesting quirk — would you also play MMOs as females? Do you detach yourself from the Female Shepard emotionally and view the game as one would a film or book? Posted by Selendor on January 27, 2010 |
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Alistair’s plot arcs do. There’s a lot more to it than the others, involving the politics of the situation, biological issues (avoiding spoilers) and the nature of the relationship that works much better because it’s been consumated by that point and about sentiment rather than notch-scoring. In ME, it never really came up for my characters mostly because none of the options were that interesting. Kaiden was as boring as a balsa wood statue of himself, Liara was usually too busy not being invited on missions in favour of someone good, and Ashley was okay, but not a character I felt the desire to have my character chase after.
Bah, no guilt whatsoever here. I just tend to find them more interesting characters to play as. Ask my Mage. Now, Bayonetta, that was a game I was glad not to have anyone watching as I played… Posted by Richard on January 27, 2010 |
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I’ve said it a hundred times but I much prefer the four way choice between nice tits avatar, no clothes but medium tits, black version of the first one and tomboy girl than a choice between Beefy Beefcake and shaved Gordon Genericman. That and I ain’t no FAYG. Plus I like pretty clothes. Posted by Cunzy1 1 on January 27, 2010 |
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As long as they’re all mages. Posted by Richard on January 27, 2010 |
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I see no reason to be ashamed of playing a female character as a guy, it makes a far more interesting story (especially compared to generi-male 5000). I’ve never really felt like a character properly represents me in the games I’ve played (the choices for your characters never seem to represent the fact that people (well, me anyway) are utter hypocrites, liars and tend to be a completely different person to different people, they’re too one track. I don’t have a set preference for the sexuality of my female characters, in Mass Effect she went after Kaiden (although the other choice was an Xeno), but my DA character was torn between Leliana and Alistair, but Leliana made the first move in the end. (and since Homo, and bi sexuality are just seen as eccentric perks in the DA:O lore it felt quite in character). Anyway, I digress massively, my point was that I don’t feel that I ‘am’ the character, but they usually represent parts of my personality in some way. And yeah, I like pretty clothes (and women with short hair). Posted by Lack_26 on January 28, 2010 |
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Alistair’s is a really interesting romance, not so much for the storyline as the way it happens. It’s one of the more natural cases (especially compared to the way you typically ‘win’ relationships in these games) and one of the few RPG ones largely built around wanting to see the other character be happy*, rather than a direct reward — be it inevitably lame sex scene or character power-up. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that for a lot of players, there’s in-built sympathy for the shy, nervous nice guy in need of the right girl to make the first step… (* Sure, there are greed related paths it can go down too (“If he’s king, I can be QUEEN!”) but they’re largely downplayed. A bit like Morte from Torment, the emotional punches are entirely down to doing horrible things to people you’ve come to like, not being the subject of them yourself. Alistair’s responses to some of the stuff in the Landsmeet are genuinely heartbreaking, to say nothing of The Talk that can follow it. Sniff. Oh Alistair. We could have been beautiful…) Posted by Richard on January 28, 2010 |
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Yeah, I felt really mean for having to tell Alistair that ‘I love you like a brother’, that phrase is the one of the most horrible things a man can hear. So to have your female character say it to someone I can see so much of myself in, felt genuinely horrible and mean. I almost wanted to stop playing at that point. Posted by Lack_26 on January 28, 2010 |
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Worse when he breaks up with you though. Which can happen even when you think everything’s going great because of… well… that would be a spoiler for people who haven’t played it yet. Posted by Richard on January 28, 2010 |
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But there are some ‘strange’ responses from Alistair in the Landsmeet as well. (Snip –Richard) That and the whole Loghain ending in particular was pretty weak. Posted by Rain on January 28, 2010 |
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I’ve just snipped that bit because it’s a bit spoilery. I don’t remember that ending specifically, but it doesn’t sound too out of place — Anora is a very, very political animal after all. There are definitely glitches though. My biggest annoyance was getting the ‘hard nosed’ trophy despite the person in question refusing to let me strike the blow myself, and another declaring that I sided with the Werewolves despite having brokered peace. Grr! Loghain — he’s more the victim of pacing, I think. I don’t like him as a character mostly because he’s too evil. I get that he’s not meant to be, and that there’s more to it than that, but… Posted by Richard on January 28, 2010 |
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I just bought my copy of ME2 today. Not that I can play it anytime soon, though, as I’m in the middle of my umpteenth (i.e. third) playthrough of the game and my OCD demands I finish it first. And I’m not even at Virmire, dammit. Female Shep is terrific–my favorite voice acting performance in any game, including Beachhead II. Male Shepard’s accent (and Michael Ironside’s) makes me think I’m watching a sci-fi movie funded by the Canadian Film Board. It also didn’t help that his voice was coming out of characters who resembled Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sean Bean. Posted by Enduro Man on January 29, 2010 |
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Oops sorry, didn’t think about the spoilers. I definitely found it ‘out of place’ in my play-through. Loghains storyline gets completely destroyed with the Landsmeet. Posted by Rain on January 29, 2010 |
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My Shepard in this one is quickly turning into one of my favourite game characters. She’s like an avenging angel, visiting the galaxy’s biggest pricks to teach them that they’re just amateurs. I also have a deep, almost personal attachment to her pistol. Sleek, efficient, deadly… in every way, the gun you’d take home to shoot Mother. Posted by Richard on January 29, 2010 |
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Dragon Age is odd in that respect. The threat is the Blight, but the actual problem to be solved is the fractured kingdom. That’s something that would have been far better done had it focused on the political storylines, rather than everything turning out to be one of his mad, poorly done schemes. At the very least, it could have shown the pressure he was feeling from Orlais. As is, it’s in the lore, but when I think of it, I mostly think of a somewhat flighty shoe-obsessed bard and a fantasy version of Versailles, not a clear and present threat. (The fact that most of Loghain’s crap revolves around black-and-white evil in a world that’s meant to be built on grey morality definitely doesn’t help — the slave traders in the elf ghetto, the poisoning, Arl Howe and his torture dungeons and so on. It really leaves the avatar of all things evil with nowhere to go…) Something that struck me during the Landmseet is how much better Anora would have been as the antagonist. I love the way that every time she betrays you, if you press her on it, she snaps back with a good, very politically savvy justification that you can only really answer with “Oh. I see your point.” Posted by Richard on January 29, 2010 |
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Good point. Anora is much more subtle and has the better set of mind for the job, preserving her power come what may. She had some great (SI-like) power behind the throne potential. Now that I think of it… The female characters and their stories seem to be generally better (written) than the others. But maybe I just remember them better. Posted by Rain on January 29, 2010 |
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With Anora, I loved that when you call her on the Ser Cauthrien thing, she immediately comes back with “What was I meant to do, exactly? You just sold me out to my father’s top enforcer!” (More interestingly, she can be just as practical in your favour. One of the many Alistair endings is that she marries him for the good of the kingdom, but you tell Anora you’re going to keep seeing him. Her response is, more or less “Look, the kings of Ferelden have often had mistresses, and at least this way I’ll know. I won’t stop you, just don’t rub it in my face, okay?”) As for the other female characters, I want to see some DLC about Eleanor Cousland in her prime. I was very disappointed that she bowed out so early. Posted by Richard on January 29, 2010 |
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Dunno if you’re aware, but the ME2 collector’s tin cover (as in, after you remove the N7 zoom sleeve) is also an embossed full body shot of Wrong Shepard. Boo. Posted by The_B on January 31, 2010 |
Shephard sure has bulked up, hasn’t she?
The uncanny valley Yvonne Strahovski is still freaking me out though. It’s one thing to see her in Chuck each week but it’s disturbing seeing a computer rendering wearing her face as a mask.
Posted by Aaron on January 26, 2010