Kill her.
Shock value, yes, but let me explain.
You know how some people say, "it's not the destination, it's the journey"? Well it's basically the reverse of that. If people see Tali's face during some dramatic moment that has no finality, then it was just a superficial reveal. All the intrigue that gets built up inevitably has to be discharged in one big, orgasmic reveal that leaves the player both satisfied and full in the knowledge that nothing that special is going to happen again. It's like Chekhov's gun, but there's only one round and you absolutely have to hit the fucking target. If you show her face arbitrarily, it was all for nothing. Right at the end is far too cliched and touchy-feely when ME is supposed to be this big, dramatic space opera where Earth already got fucked.
Imagine it: Pitched battle on the Quarian homeworld against a vicious reaper adversary that is attempting to subvert the geth to its side. Health bar goes from 1% to 0 and the post-boss cutscene ensues. Clearly, Shepard and company have prevailed, but what's this? The reaper lives! In a fit of mechanized anguish, it lashes out with its talons, smashing stone and scraping metal as its last bits of fury burn out. Shepard and Legion open fire, silencing the massive creature once and for all. But as the last of the raucous tremors die down, they hear a scream from one of the terminals a floor above. Shepard makes for the ladder and Legion scales the wall directly. When Shepard finally ascends, s/he sees something heartbreaking. Tali is on the floor, pinned beneath the spindly appendage of the reaper.
As Shepard runs toward her, s/he sees how bad it really is. Legion's tending to her, but the massive spike in her stomach and the blue stains beneath her make it clear she's got minutes at best. With pained gasps, she tells Legion that she was able to beat the reaper; the Geth will not be indoctrinated by the reapers. In mere seconds, Legion declares a unilateral consensus being reached: when the war is concluded, the Geth will send an envoy to the flotilla offering the planet back to the Quarians.
Shepard approaches, kneeling before the dying Quarian. Tali reaches out to Shepard with one hand, her other struggling to break the lock on her faceplate, finally succeeding as she hears the snap of the contacts and the hiss of the suit depressurizing. She grips the mask and tosses it away.
Face is absolutely stunning and the vocal filter is gone. In the throes of death, she says she's glad to have died on her homeworld, but in clear emotional agony says she will miss Shepard. And before she parts, Tali asks Shepard what s/he thinks of her face beneath the mask.
"You're beautiful, Tali."
She smiles, little blood trail comes from the edge of her mouth, Keelah se'lai and she's dead.
To make certain no one can stick around and look at the real time textures, the cutscene advances forward.
Big fuckin' tragic moment. Finality's where it needs to be. Discuss. I'm going to bed.
Shock value, yes, but let me explain.
You know how some people say, "it's not the destination, it's the journey"? Well it's basically the reverse of that. If people see Tali's face during some dramatic moment that has no finality, then it was just a superficial reveal. All the intrigue that gets built up inevitably has to be discharged in one big, orgasmic reveal that leaves the player both satisfied and full in the knowledge that nothing that special is going to happen again. It's like Chekhov's gun, but there's only one round and you absolutely have to hit the fucking target. If you show her face arbitrarily, it was all for nothing. Right at the end is far too cliched and touchy-feely when ME is supposed to be this big, dramatic space opera where Earth already got fucked.
Imagine it: Pitched battle on the Quarian homeworld against a vicious reaper adversary that is attempting to subvert the geth to its side. Health bar goes from 1% to 0 and the post-boss cutscene ensues. Clearly, Shepard and company have prevailed, but what's this? The reaper lives! In a fit of mechanized anguish, it lashes out with its talons, smashing stone and scraping metal as its last bits of fury burn out. Shepard and Legion open fire, silencing the massive creature once and for all. But as the last of the raucous tremors die down, they hear a scream from one of the terminals a floor above. Shepard makes for the ladder and Legion scales the wall directly. When Shepard finally ascends, s/he sees something heartbreaking. Tali is on the floor, pinned beneath the spindly appendage of the reaper.
As Shepard runs toward her, s/he sees how bad it really is. Legion's tending to her, but the massive spike in her stomach and the blue stains beneath her make it clear she's got minutes at best. With pained gasps, she tells Legion that she was able to beat the reaper; the Geth will not be indoctrinated by the reapers. In mere seconds, Legion declares a unilateral consensus being reached: when the war is concluded, the Geth will send an envoy to the flotilla offering the planet back to the Quarians.
Shepard approaches, kneeling before the dying Quarian. Tali reaches out to Shepard with one hand, her other struggling to break the lock on her faceplate, finally succeeding as she hears the snap of the contacts and the hiss of the suit depressurizing. She grips the mask and tosses it away.
Face is absolutely stunning and the vocal filter is gone. In the throes of death, she says she's glad to have died on her homeworld, but in clear emotional agony says she will miss Shepard. And before she parts, Tali asks Shepard what s/he thinks of her face beneath the mask.
"You're beautiful, Tali."
She smiles, little blood trail comes from the edge of her mouth, Keelah se'lai and she's dead.
To make certain no one can stick around and look at the real time textures, the cutscene advances forward.
Big fuckin' tragic moment. Finality's where it needs to be. Discuss. I'm going to bed.
