I vastly prefer more practical/realistic outfits, but I don't see why they can't be both.
The fact is, the way ME2 did it just pulled me out of the game and universe entirely. It seemed like after originally putting in so much effort into crafting a deep, tight and mostly logical sci-fi universe (standard pseudoscience and space magic aside) that it was just flushed down the toilet with a "rule of cool" approach I consider to be immature, pathetic and downright insulting. It cheapens the game, the characters and the universe by throwing consistency and practicality aside for what just seems like trying to be "awesumz! Badass!!1" and appealing to teenagers who love mindless action movies and T&A.
The fact is, you can't go and try and treat the dangers of space as serious one moment and whenever its convenient and then just spit in their face with pathetic, immature moves like this that completely undermine any realism or practicality the next. In the original game they made such an effort it seems to make sure everybody who needed to be was completely sealed and protected, or could be. In ME2 we have a squad who run around, knowing full well they're going out and exploring the dangers of space, and yet galavant around in their pyjamas, nipple-straps and/or high heels. It's just cringingly juvenile and non-sensical, and the only reason it doesn't make a complete farce of the Mass Effect universe as a whole is because we only visit a small amount of places where it would be a real issue. The uninformed will cry "kinetic barriers" often on these forums, but if they knew a lick about the lore they would know that kinetic barriers don't protect against any of the real dangers of visiting uncharted and far-off worlds, and really are just designed to stop incoming projectyles and that's really it.
The thing is, I don't see why outfits can't be both practical and defining. Also, I don't see why squaddies can't have a casual outfit that's more "them" for the Normandy and other safe zones as well as in-the-field gear if need be. 80% of the time you're talking with them they're either on The Normandy or in a safe-zone anyway. ME1 had squaddies wearing their own garb on The Normandy, while they had the armour you gave them on missions. I don't see why ME3 can't (and why ME2 couldn't) have the same style, even if their armour or in-the-field gear can't be selected or customised as much as it was in ME1.
Beyond that, if they must wear something a bit less armoured, at least make it sealable, even if it's only when needed. Miranda and Samara for example could have easily been fixed by simple covering their cleavage and throat and giving them a proper helmet, instead of just having a cheesy and impractical breathing mask. It doesn't take much to just make them air-tight. That said, there's still no explanation as to how they get the full benefits of armour without it, and doing something like that would be something I'd consider a "compromise" rather than an ideal solution. As far as I'm concerned these are a group of people who know they're going into battle and going to dangerous places: not being properly dressed to handle it is akin to an astronaut going into space without his suit, or a fireman battling a fire in shorts and a t-shirt. It's only because the game seems to conveniently ignore the issues that it isn't a problem in the game itself, but it's a huge issue as far as my immersion-factor goes.
To be honest, despite so many having issue with this and pointing out how both lame and impractical the whole thing is, I don't have much hope. I honestly thought BioWare were smarter than to do it in the first place, but they weren't. I would have thought that after so many bringing it up they would have done something to sort it out by now, but LotSB came with Liara still suffering breathing-mask issues, the alt packs came with Miranda getting armour but still with a pathetic breather mask in hostile environments, and the fact that Liara appears in her LotSB garb and the new appearance of Ashley in ME3 don't give much indication that BioWare has learned anything. Not to mention Casey Hudson on Twitter confirming that "space boobs, breathing masks and high heels" would be back. It's sad that as the IP goes on Mass Effect seems to be heading further and further away from classic sci-fi homage with some intelligence, integrity and maturity and into the realms of modern mindless action movie that just doesn't seem to care any more about consistency, realism or IP integrity and too-oft just invokes the rule of cool.
The worst thing of all is that it's not even a gameplay issue at all: having squaddies wear proper gear i no way effects how the game plays. It's purely a style and aesthetic thing, and a juvenile one that condradicts the very style the IP originally claimed to be going for. Mass Effect should be more Blade Runner and less Blade III. I remember Casey Hudson saying that ME2 was largely about trying to make an incredibly immersive experience, but this factor along with a bunch of other things like giant pop-ups and "Mission Complete" screens just do the complete opposite. I find it incredibly hard to take the universe seriously like this.
Modifié par Terror_K, 15 mai 2011 - 01:05 .
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