ME1 is best Mass Effect.
I also like the Liara from ME1 a lot better than the one that was retconned for ME2.
I never cared for the Miranda, but the double standard in this case is a bit irritating. Thane was literally designed to be Mr Sexy and pander to the game's female playerbase, and that's totally fine and they won't change anything about him, but Miranda being designed as Ms Sexy is a serious issue and we have to go back in and adjust the camera angles because pandering suddenly becomes not ok when men are the target.
I always liked how Liara changed to have some more fire to her. When Shepard's gone for two years it makes sense that some of the characters would change.I also like the Liara from ME1 a lot better than the one that was retconned for ME2.
Did Thane have gratuitous camera angles on his sexual characteristics during non- romantic conversations? That's what's being changed about Miranda. They aren't altering her design, and they aren't making her sex scene any less sexy. Miranda was used to pander in a much more blatant and egregious way than Thane, so it's a faulty comparison. I for one always found that pandering to be unnecessary and annoying, so I'm glad they're changing it a bit for the LE.
I always liked how Liara changed to have some more fire to her. When Shepard's gone for two years it makes sense that some of the characters would change.
Did Thane have gratuitous camera angles on his sexual characteristics during non- romantic conversations? That's what's being changed about Miranda. They aren't altering her design, and they aren't making her sex scene any less sexy. Miranda was used to pander in a much more blatant and egregious way than Thane, so it's a faulty comparison. I for one always found that pandering to be unnecessary and annoying, so I'm glad they're changing it a bit for the LE.
BioWare marketer David Silverman explained in an interview with VG24/7 in 2011 that the character’s sex appeal- often shown through camera angles focusing on her buttocks clad in a skin-tight suit- were part of the character.
“The fact is, some characters are defined by their attractiveness, such as a woman who is genetically engineered to be perfect,” Silverman explained. “Camera angles help tell the story and portray key aspects of each character – in Miranda’s case, her curves and sexuality. We had similar shots of Jacob.”
I always liked how Liara changed to have some more fire to her. When Shepard's gone for two years it makes sense that some of the characters would change.
I think in terms of characters, Mass Effect 2 has it beaten, but it's not by as much you'd first think. ME1 is the first appearance of Garrus and Wrex, after all.
Eh, ME2 had more characters, particularly squadmates, who were just unlikeable. I think I was annoyed every time I had to talk to Jacob, Miranda, or Jack. Even the weaker characters in ME1 I never really minded talking to. On the other hand, ME2 had some fantastic characters as well, like Mordin and Legion.
On Liara, eh, it was a bit jarring for me to, but pretty much all the ME1 gang has a pretty dramatic shift from 1 to 2. Wrex goes from basically a great Merc to a chieftan leading the reunification of his homeworld, Garrus goes from hotheaded cop to vigilante mastermind, Ashley or Kaidan becomes a Spectre.
And I think there is some merit to that. Miranda complains several times about how she's seen as just a bunch of genetic engineering, that her successes are credited to her DNA and not her, etc. I think having the camera get in on that and overemphasis her body over her personality is a reasonable way of conveying that to the player and tempting them to fall into that same line of thinking.
I never found Jacob annoying, but then I never really found him interesting or anything either, he was just there. Miranda at least had an interesting loyalty mission, Jacob was just dull.
I'm with you on hating Jack, though I think Samara is the worst in my book.
That's a function of the fact that ME2 had more squadmates and more freedom to work with. In the original game, the characters' backstories were interesting until the game tried to explain why they were on the Normandy, at which point it degenerated into an excuse plot. I think the only characters who had a compelling reason to be hunting Saren were Liara and maybe Tali. Mass Effect 2 had Shepard recruiting those characters from their natural environment and then going on special missions to gain their loyalty, so those characters had more room to grow and show themselves. Most of the time, it worked great.Eh, ME2 had more characters, particularly squadmates, who were just unlikeable. I think I was annoyed every time I had to talk to Jacob, Miranda, or Jack. Even the weaker characters in ME1 I never really minded talking to. On the other hand, ME2 had some fantastic characters as well, like Mordin and Legion.
I think the only characters who had a compelling reason to be hunting Saren were Liara and maybe Tali.
No, Thane didn't have 1:1 identical camera angles, but as the article explains, that's because he was designed to pander to women in a different way, not that he was designed to pander in a less blatant one.
As for being annoying and unnecessary, that's a matter of taste, clearly other people feel otherwise, so why should your view take precedence, particularly since the dev team that actually made the game thought it wasn't just fanservice (though it was also fanservice):
And I think there is some merit to that. Miranda complains several times about how she's seen as just a bunch of genetic engineering, that her successes are credited to her DNA and not her, etc. I think having the camera get in on that and overemphasis her body over her personality is a reasonable way of conveying that to the player and tempting them to fall into that same line of thinking.
"More fire" is one thing. "Became ruthless killer and expert in a field you have no expertise or experience in" is another.
She isn't presented that way, either. The issue here is that this aspect of her is being censored essentially out of an ideological prudishness.
She isn't presented that way, either. The issue here is that this aspect of her is being censored essentially out of an ideological prudishness. Are games to be made now to appease the sensibilities of whoever is the most easily offended? Am I to no longer be allowed to have steak because you are a vegetarian? Or can we each decide what to have for dinner ourselves?