Poll: Female Shepard Gets Her Own Trailer for Mass Effect 3 [UPDATE: Also featured on the CE cover!]

[ScorpSt]

I'd love to see FemShep in trailers, but keeping her out of marketing has kept her from being overly sexualized. Also, very few people use her default appearance, unlike the large number of people who use the "iconic" appearance for the male Shepard.

 

[ladyredcap]

Anyone who loves femshep should watch this http://youtu.be/w0McQvKVrzk it's amazing and has the best quote, "I'm just here to get the job done, let somebody else be on the poster."

 

[LiquidGrape]

Nothing of importance really. Too many femshep fans are already arrogant enough already and blatantly in denial.

What does this have to do with anything?

When you have two voice actors clearly having to give a neutral performance most of the time (since there is already enough confusion between written-to-spoken dialogue without the tone further complicating things), yet one being blown out of all proportion as supposedly "awesome", I dont see the appeal wasting time.

How is it a waste of time if it can potentially make more people interested in the franchise?

Personally the whole thing is just really vain and insecure. "VALIDATE MY PLATSTYLE BY PUTTING UP MARKETING WHERE THE HERO HAS A VAGINA".

Or it isn't so much about validation as it is about recognition. We are already acquainted with Sheploo. Exactly what harm can there be in allowing FemShep some time in the spotlight? The protagonist of this franchise is either male or female, so why not illustrate both in the marketing?

Newflash people, not only do most play the male Shepard, even more importantly most CUSTOMISE their Shepards. Whats the point, really?

Read above. Also, while it's very possible "most" people play as male Shepard, we have no solid information to validate this claim. The stats released by BioWare have no context. They do by no means specify whether the subjects played exclusively as male Shepard, or most often as male Shepard, or if they simply ever played a male Shepard. And vice versa.
The same alleged 80 or so percent who've played as MaleShep could just as well have played as FemShep for all we know.
As for the customisation, I don't see how that's relevant. By that reasoning, if most people customise their Shepard, why have Sheploo being the poster boy in the first place?

I know "grrlz r teh gaymers 2", but the truth is, its still nowhere near as much as guys. Most of the people such a marketing ploy would apply to are fans already and have spent years pointlessly bitching about it.

Actually, as of a survey made in 2010 by the Entertainment Software Association, 46% of video game consumers are female. [http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_Essential_Facts_2010.PDF] There's also the 2005 survey made in conjunction with the Game Developers Conference to consider, which would suggest that nearly 40% of the "secondary" gamer demographic is comprised by women [http://www.gamespot.com/news/6120206/gdc-panel-charts-trajectory-of-the-female-gamer], and it's a figure which is on a consistent rise.

Not that this is really that relevant. FemShep isn't exclusively of interest to female players, which you also recognise elsewhere in your post.
I would like to mention this poll on the BioWare forums [http://social.bioware.com/35168/polls/2829], which, while I would usually never pay much attention to at all due to it being a user-made poll, has over 3000 votes. And its results show that a majority prefer the female incarnation.
While this is possibly not an accurate representation of the Mass Effect players at large, I do think it proves this isn't quite the fringe interest you seem convinced it is.

Really I think the only thing it accomplishes is stroking a few egos of obsessed gamers out there, but if it shuts up the whining and lessens the "femshep r teh superior, it r fahct" from Jennifer Hale fanboys and fangirls, I guess thats a blessing, at least for someone like me who, while having the greatest of respect for Hales talents and past performances, just does not enjoy her performances as female Shepard.

If you do not respond to her performance, that's perfectly fine by me. I just wish you wouldn't reduce this to a matter of fanboy/girlism, when I think most of us are simply happy to see "the other Shepard" get some official recognition, which in turn might result in more people feeling inclined to approach the intellectual property.
But to each their own.

 

[Xaositect]

*snip*

I couldnt be bothered to go far so I got it from here. I think it about covers most of the bases.

Its from Bioware themselves as well. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.247247-BioWare-Gamers-Prefer-a-Manly-Shepard]

Now a bit of marketing will never hurt, but I just dont see the point since a) the demographics dont support it and b) the attitude surrounding femshep, the blatant persecution complex and the "FEMSHEP R TEH BETR! IT R FAHCT!" from a lot of folks - despite the fact that treatment in game is undeniably, completely and totally 100% equal.

I know from experience lurking on the Bioware social there are nutcases (a lot of them on the BSN, I know) who go berserk over this subject. Theyre closely linked to the kind of freaks who build up cults around characters like Garrus, Tali and - Im ashamed to say, as it taints my favourite character from the series - Liara.

Ultimately as well, I cant see the main thrust of marketing changing - itll still be that model Shepard who, again by the demographics the majority of the fanbase dont relate to as they USE the facial customisation. All in all it just seems like far too much attention given to (realistically) far too little with it mostly coming from just a few forum tantrums. Yeah, okay they get on my nerves personally, but I wouldnt say the devs should care about them. Just keep doing what youve been doing, and dont listen to whining or speculation that the same character just in female form with a female voice is somehow getting a raw deal.

Until ME3 (apparantly) I would have said the only folks with a legitimate complain would be gay male gamers being ignored, but I hear thats set to change at last. As far as Im concerned thats all square now. Stupid marketing or no, everyone in the ACTUAL GAME gets treated equally, and ultimately thats what counts.

 

[LiquidGrape]

Added the recent update on FemShep's confirmed appearance on the collector's edition tin to the OP [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.287967-Poll-Female-Shepard-Gets-Her-Own-Trailer-for-Mass-Effect-3-UPDATE-Also-featured-on-the-CE-cover?page=1].

I'll admit to some degree of bias, but...ME3 is really looking as if it's coming up grapey.

 

[Lionsfan]

I've never understood the intense love for Jennifer Hale and her voice acting. Neither one is really that great of a performance. But then again I think Tali is a stupid waste of space, so I guess I'm just in the minority on these things.


I guess I can understand why they would put her in, but it doesn't make any sense. For 4 (5 by the time the game comes out) years we've been seeing MaleShep as the face of the franchise. And now Bioware is trying to introduce a new character to the marketing? Seems like new people could get confused by it. But I don't care either way, it's just marketing.


The only thing [footnote]Story-Wise. Don't get me started on the Gameplay changes...[/footnote] I'm worried about though is the gay love option. I'm not against it being in the game, but I don't want to be chatting up all my teammates, and then have Garrus think I'm flirting with him. I just hope they have a way of dealing with that, because I heard that was an annoyance in DA2

 

[JohnDoey]

Shep is a dude to me. Always has been, and always will be. I respect those who play a FemShep as their main in Mass Effect, but for me she may as well not exist. It's cool that they want equal representation in their marketing campaign for once though.

I also have always thought Jennifer Hale's performance was overrated. It's good, but it's certainly not better than Mark Meer as MaleShep.

Pretty much this its personal preference, but it is nice that they have a trailer with Femshep even though i prefer maleshep.

 

[Gill Kaiser]

My favourite FemShep looks a bit like this person's:

I hope the one they use looks similar!