71 réponses à ce sujet

[theSteeeeeels]

Silrian wrote...

The problem here is that realism is not in fact realism. There's hardly anything REALLY realistic about these games (and don't get me wrong, I think ME actually is breaking new ground on the territory of believability). A lack of armor can be easily 'realistically' fixed by boosting your shields. Aesthetic changes are so easily implemented. Trinity in the Matrix wore high heels and imo got away with it – then why not Miranda? The fact is, the realism is in my view a lot less important then what it says about the concerning character. What does it say about Miranda that she enters combat on high heels and do we on the consumer-end think that fits her character in a believable way – in other words is the decision on her part a believable one in-game? With Miranda I'd eventually say yes. If Ashley started to wear high heels in combat, I'd definitely say no. Not because it's not realistic, but because it's not believable with regards to what the character him/herself would actually chose. Other example: Jack. I would never walk around the galaxy half nude, but maybe she has confidence in her shields? Or her incredible biotics? Or maybe she's just an arrogant dumb b****? As long as it's believable that that character acts so and so, the actual physical realism is quite irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. You can't really value realism over Aesthetics, because at the core there is no realism to speak off. You can only discuss believability within a certain aesthetic frame.

So with that in mind, it's not until we see how ME3 unfold on this issue wether we can judge if characters' choices evolved believable (with the exception of a few like Garrus, but he didn't really change a lot).

bull****

their clothes do not say anything about their characters, and if they do, then miranda is a stupid **** for going into combat with high heels.

the characters that we're presented with would not be this stupid, it's just cheap writing to get the cool factor. Jack is no less jack if shes not running around space topless, they're supposed to achieve this through a way thats believable in the game. trinity got away with high heels in the matrix because.... it was the matrix. people wore crazy **** in the matrix and could fly.

just giving miranda high heels and spandex or jack tattos and skinhead doesnt mean "ohhhh, that reflects their characters so they would do that" is cheap writing. we can know the characters through their personality, making them do things that is outside of the games reality is poor

[Terror_K]

theSteeeeeels wrote...

bull****

their clothes do not say anything about their characters, and if they do, then miranda is a stupid **** for going into combat with high heels.

the characters that we're presented with would not be this stupid, it's just cheap writing to get the cool factor. Jack is no less jack if shes not running around space topless, they're supposed to achieve this through a way thats believable in the game. trinity got away with high heels in the matrix because.... it was the matrix. people wore crazy **** in the matrix and could fly.

just giving miranda high heels and spandex or jack tattos and skinhead doesnt mean "ohhhh, that reflects their characters so they would do that" is cheap writing. we can know the characters through their personality, making them do things that is outside of the games reality is poor

Indeed.

Homer Simpson may be iconic for his blue pants and white shirt ensemble, but he still wore a friggin' space suit when he became an astronaut. And he's a freakin' cartoon character! <_<

[laudable11]

I want cat suits.

[Silrian]

theSteeeeeels wrote...

Silrian wrote...

The problem here is that realism is not in fact realism. There's hardly anything REALLY realistic about these games (and don't get me wrong, I think ME actually is breaking new ground on the territory of believability). A lack of armor can be easily 'realistically' fixed by boosting your shields. Aesthetic changes are so easily implemented. Trinity in the Matrix wore high heels and imo got away with it – then why not Miranda? The fact is, the realism is in my view a lot less important then what it says about the concerning character. What does it say about Miranda that she enters combat on high heels and do we on the consumer-end think that fits her character in a believable way – in other words is the decision on her part a believable one in-game? With Miranda I'd eventually say yes. If Ashley started to wear high heels in combat, I'd definitely say no. Not because it's not realistic, but because it's not believable with regards to what the character him/herself would actually chose. Other example: Jack. I would never walk around the galaxy half nude, but maybe she has confidence in her shields? Or her incredible biotics? Or maybe she's just an arrogant dumb b****? As long as it's believable that that character acts so and so, the actual physical realism is quite irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. You can't really value realism over Aesthetics, because at the core there is no realism to speak off. You can only discuss believability within a certain aesthetic frame.

So with that in mind, it's not until we see how ME3 unfold on this issue wether we can judge if characters' choices evolved believable (with the exception of a few like Garrus, but he didn't really change a lot).

bull****

their clothes do not say anything about their characters, and if they do, then miranda is a stupid **** for going into combat with high heels.

the characters that we're presented with would not be this stupid, it's just cheap writing to get the cool factor. Jack is no less jack if shes not running around space topless, they're supposed to achieve this through a way thats believable in the game. trinity got away with high heels in the matrix because.... it was the matrix. people wore crazy **** in the matrix and could fly.

just giving miranda high heels and spandex or jack tattos and skinhead doesnt mean "ohhhh, that reflects their characters so they would do that" is cheap writing. we can know the characters through their personality, making them do things that is outside of the games reality is poor

I'm sorry but that post was simply ridiculous in my opinion (I actually genuinely hope I misunderstood it). You can say 'it's just bad writing' about ANYTHING you don't like in the game. That's not much of an argument, that's just your opinion. Jack showing off her tattoos is a very characteristic trait of her wether you like it or not (and I don't even like her). And to continue on your examples: yes Miranda could be argued to be quite dumb for wearing High heels. And seeing as she's presented to be incredibly smart, that could be a descent argument against her clothing, but that in essence has nothing to do with how realistic it is to combat with high heels on – it's about wether Miranda is a believable character for making the choice to wear high heals (which arguably, she might not be). Of course clothing is an expression of the character, what century do you hail from? Why do I even have to spell this out?

[DDK]

 I hated the entire concept of armor in ME1. Same for weapons. Swapping and micromanaging incremental upgrades hundreds of times throughout the game is a mini-game in and of itself. And not one that I believe is fun.

ME2's system was MUCH better. Unfortunately it came with the drawback of putting squad members into combat half-dressed. And into space bare-skinned.

So I'd like a compromise. I want to see casual outfits outside of combat (even whilst on missions) and combat gear in combat, or when necessary to, you know, just survive your environment. Probably too much to ask.

Modifié par Malisin, 15 mai 2011 - 02:59 .

[Silrian]

Terror_K wrote...

theSteeeeeels wrote...

bull****

their clothes do not say anything about their characters, and if they do, then miranda is a stupid **** for going into combat with high heels.

the characters that we're presented with would not be this stupid, it's just cheap writing to get the cool factor. Jack is no less jack if shes not running around space topless, they're supposed to achieve this through a way thats believable in the game. trinity got away with high heels in the matrix because.... it was the matrix. people wore crazy **** in the matrix and could fly.

just giving miranda high heels and spandex or jack tattos and skinhead doesnt mean "ohhhh, that reflects their characters so they would do that" is cheap writing. we can know the characters through their personality, making them do things that is outside of the games reality is poor

Indeed.

Homer Simpson may be iconic for his blue pants and white shirt ensemble, but he still wore a friggin' space suit when he became an astronaut. And he's a freakin' cartoon character! <_<

But you said it yourself, Homer has signature clothing. In other words it expresses a part of what the character is. And by designating the space suit as an exception, you only confirm this.

[theSteeeeeels]

Silrian wrote...

theSteeeeeels wrote...

Silrian wrote...

The problem here is that realism is not in fact realism. There's hardly anything REALLY realistic about these games (and don't get me wrong, I think ME actually is breaking new ground on the territory of believability). A lack of armor can be easily 'realistically' fixed by boosting your shields. Aesthetic changes are so easily implemented. Trinity in the Matrix wore high heels and imo got away with it – then why not Miranda? The fact is, the realism is in my view a lot less important then what it says about the concerning character. What does it say about Miranda that she enters combat on high heels and do we on the consumer-end think that fits her character in a believable way – in other words is the decision on her part a believable one in-game? With Miranda I'd eventually say yes. If Ashley started to wear high heels in combat, I'd definitely say no. Not because it's not realistic, but because it's not believable with regards to what the character him/herself would actually chose. Other example: Jack. I would never walk around the galaxy half nude, but maybe she has confidence in her shields? Or her incredible biotics? Or maybe she's just an arrogant dumb b****? As long as it's believable that that character acts so and so, the actual physical realism is quite irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. You can't really value realism over Aesthetics, because at the core there is no realism to speak off. You can only discuss believability within a certain aesthetic frame.

So with that in mind, it's not until we see how ME3 unfold on this issue wether we can judge if characters' choices evolved believable (with the exception of a few like Garrus, but he didn't really change a lot).

bull****

their clothes do not say anything about their characters, and if they do, then miranda is a stupid **** for going into combat with high heels.

the characters that we're presented with would not be this stupid, it's just cheap writing to get the cool factor. Jack is no less jack if shes not running around space topless, they're supposed to achieve this through a way thats believable in the game. trinity got away with high heels in the matrix because.... it was the matrix. people wore crazy **** in the matrix and could fly.

just giving miranda high heels and spandex or jack tattos and skinhead doesnt mean "ohhhh, that reflects their characters so they would do that" is cheap writing. we can know the characters through their personality, making them do things that is outside of the games reality is poor

I'm sorry but that post was simply ridiculous in my opinion (I actually genuinely hope I misunderstood it). You can say 'it's just bad writing' about ANYTHING you don't like in the game. That's not much of an argument, that's just your opinion. Jack showing off her tattoos is a very characteristic trait of her wether you like it or not (and I don't even like her). And to continue on your examples: yes Miranda could be argued to be quite dumb for wearing High heels. And seeing as she's presented to be incredibly smart, that could be a descent argument against her clothing, but that in essence has nothing to do with how realistic it is to combat with high heels on – it's about wether Miranda is a believable character for making the choice to wear high heals (which arguably, she might not be). Of course clothing is an expression of the character, what century do you hail from? Why do I even have to spell this out?

"its about wether miranda is a believable character for making the choice to wear high heels" - exactly

miranda would not wear high heels in combat. having her do so cheapens her character because she wouldnt do that. the only reason it's their is to look cool, not because her character would do it - this is bad

yes its alright if jack has tatoos and a skinhead, this represents her character. but to have walk in space topless is something she wouldnt (nor couldnt) do. hey, why not give her a motorcycle that travels in space, show what a badass she is! that'd look cool!

how don't you understand this?

[Adhin]

Yeah I went with 'both'. I think all of them should have non-combat outfits that're unique to them. They did that in ME1, even the 'aliens' had there specific default armor they came with they used when on the ship. I think they should take that one further and do that unique clothing look for on the ship or certain other cutscense stuff like ME1 did.

And then on missions they have actual combat armor, unique TO them of course. Liara's armor in LotSB is a great example I think that's a great practical, semi-flashy unique look for her. Put her in normal clothing when on the ship, something a bit more comfortable like she was waring on Illium and that's what im hoping for in ME3. Just for all the squadies.

But for the combat armor.. definitely both. I want it to look unique to them, but not be horribly impossible in the environments we go to. ME2 was just horrible with that.

[Silrian]

theSteeeeeels wrote...

Silrian wrote...

theSteeeeeels wrote...

Silrian wrote...

The problem here is that realism is not in fact realism. There's hardly anything REALLY realistic about these games (and don't get me wrong, I think ME actually is breaking new ground on the territory of believability). A lack of armor can be easily 'realistically' fixed by boosting your shields. Aesthetic changes are so easily implemented. Trinity in the Matrix wore high heels and imo got away with it – then why not Miranda? The fact is, the realism is in my view a lot less important then what it says about the concerning character. What does it say about Miranda that she enters combat on high heels and do we on the consumer-end think that fits her character in a believable way – in other words is the decision on her part a believable one in-game? With Miranda I'd eventually say yes. If Ashley started to wear high heels in combat, I'd definitely say no. Not because it's not realistic, but because it's not believable with regards to what the character him/herself would actually chose. Other example: Jack. I would never walk around the galaxy half nude, but maybe she has confidence in her shields? Or her incredible biotics? Or maybe she's just an arrogant dumb b****? As long as it's believable that that character acts so and so, the actual physical realism is quite irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. You can't really value realism over Aesthetics, because at the core there is no realism to speak off. You can only discuss believability within a certain aesthetic frame.

So with that in mind, it's not until we see how ME3 unfold on this issue wether we can judge if characters' choices evolved believable (with the exception of a few like Garrus, but he didn't really change a lot).

bull****

their clothes do not say anything about their characters, and if they do, then miranda is a stupid **** for going into combat with high heels.

the characters that we're presented with would not be this stupid, it's just cheap writing to get the cool factor. Jack is no less jack if shes not running around space topless, they're supposed to achieve this through a way thats believable in the game. trinity got away with high heels in the matrix because.... it was the matrix. people wore crazy **** in the matrix and could fly.

just giving miranda high heels and spandex or jack tattos and skinhead doesnt mean "ohhhh, that reflects their characters so they would do that" is cheap writing. we can know the characters through their personality, making them do things that is outside of the games reality is poor

I'm sorry but that post was simply ridiculous in my opinion (I actually genuinely hope I misunderstood it). You can say 'it's just bad writing' about ANYTHING you don't like in the game. That's not much of an argument, that's just your opinion. Jack showing off her tattoos is a very characteristic trait of her wether you like it or not (and I don't even like her). And to continue on your examples: yes Miranda could be argued to be quite dumb for wearing High heels. And seeing as she's presented to be incredibly smart, that could be a descent argument against her clothing, but that in essence has nothing to do with how realistic it is to combat with high heels on – it's about wether Miranda is a believable character for making the choice to wear high heals (which arguably, she might not be). Of course clothing is an expression of the character, what century do you hail from? Why do I even have to spell this out?

"its about wether miranda is a believable character for making the choice to wear high heels" - exactly

miranda would not wear high heels in combat. having her do so cheapens her character because she wouldnt do that. the only reason it's their is to look cool, not because her character would do it - this is bad

yes its alright if jack has tatoos and a skinhead, this represents her character. but to have walk in space topless is something she wouldnt (nor couldnt) do. hey, why not give her a motorcycle that travels in space, show what a badass she is! that'd look cool!

how don't you understand this?

I do understand you/this (now). My point is just that how can you be so sure Miranda wouldn't wear heels? How can you believably claim you know her character better then the writers who wrote her? Maybe Miranda actually is quite a shallow b****? And why couldn't Jack run around topless? They have shields and Jack herself also has biotics to protect her. I think it's a grey area and therefore more in the realm of believability than actual realism. Of course I get that the writers are using this to probably also get away with the characters being so in the first place, but you can't really discuss that other then saying that you just don't agree and think its cheap (which you indeed did). I tend to view it as the characters in-game then being cheap (as well), because I assume ME has descent writers that actively thought about what clothing would say about the character in question and his or her 'fancies' so to speak.

Or are the characters 'dressed' by other people than the writers? Because that would change my outlook on things quite heavily. I have thus far assumed the one who created the character, also had the final word on how that character was represented via clothing (which multiple interviews lead me to believe). 

[Caihn]

I generally prefer unique and memorable appearances, even if they are less realistic or practical.

But to me the ME2 characters appearance are mostly realist and practical.
There will always be some unrealistic things in a game, but Jack almost naked in hostile environments is not less realistic than Shepard running, crouching, and jumping over obstacles with his/her unpractical heavy armor.

I want amors which fit the character personnality and the combat classe. 
I want Miranda with her catsuit, a leather suit or a light armor but not an unpractical heavy armor. 

I also would like to have lighter armors or leather suit for my adept or sentinel Shepard. 

I wouldn't mind an alternative outfit for every squadmates during mission with hostile environments.

[The Elder King]

I went with both. In my opinion the best option is to have a outfit for the Normandy (not like in ME, they have to be more unique), and a number of armours for each squad members (I'd prefer 5 at least, but if they choose this way I think that the max number will be 3).

Modifié par hhh89, 15 mai 2011 - 04:02 .

[Adhin]

You can do that in plate armor, and hes not incased in metal. His armor would ultimately be lighter or roughly as heavy as what marines currently ware. And that doesn't stop them from climbing over obstacles. He's not Master Chief in some a literal ton of metal (he ways over 2000lb), course he has the excuse of being a cyborg so that doesn't stop him there.

Add onto that Shepard being physically enhanced and the idea that the armor would slow him down much at all becomes even more silly.

Only real problem I had with Miranda's outfit was the fact she didn't tighten it up at the neck and put on a helmet in certain areas. Same with Samara's she would go full cleavage in an poison acidic gas environment like she didn't mind having her breasts melt off as she died a horribly painful death from the poison.

I seriously think they needed to think that part over a tad bit more.

[theSteeeeeels]

Silrian wrote...

theSteeeeeels wrote...

Silrian wrote...

theSteeeeeels wrote...

Silrian wrote...

The problem here is that realism is not in fact realism. There's hardly anything REALLY realistic about these games (and don't get me wrong, I think ME actually is breaking new ground on the territory of believability). A lack of armor can be easily 'realistically' fixed by boosting your shields. Aesthetic changes are so easily implemented. Trinity in the Matrix wore high heels and imo got away with it – then why not Miranda? The fact is, the realism is in my view a lot less important then what it says about the concerning character. What does it say about Miranda that she enters combat on high heels and do we on the consumer-end think that fits her character in a believable way – in other words is the decision on her part a believable one in-game? With Miranda I'd eventually say yes. If Ashley started to wear high heels in combat, I'd definitely say no. Not because it's not realistic, but because it's not believable with regards to what the character him/herself would actually chose. Other example: Jack. I would never walk around the galaxy half nude, but maybe she has confidence in her shields? Or her incredible biotics? Or maybe she's just an arrogant dumb b****? As long as it's believable that that character acts so and so, the actual physical realism is quite irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. You can't really value realism over Aesthetics, because at the core there is no realism to speak off. You can only discuss believability within a certain aesthetic frame.

So with that in mind, it's not until we see how ME3 unfold on this issue wether we can judge if characters' choices evolved believable (with the exception of a few like Garrus, but he didn't really change a lot).

bull****

their clothes do not say anything about their characters, and if they do, then miranda is a stupid **** for going into combat with high heels.

the characters that we're presented with would not be this stupid, it's just cheap writing to get the cool factor. Jack is no less jack if shes not running around space topless, they're supposed to achieve this through a way thats believable in the game. trinity got away with high heels in the matrix because.... it was the matrix. people wore crazy **** in the matrix and could fly.

just giving miranda high heels and spandex or jack tattos and skinhead doesnt mean "ohhhh, that reflects their characters so they would do that" is cheap writing. we can know the characters through their personality, making them do things that is outside of the games reality is poor

I'm sorry but that post was simply ridiculous in my opinion (I actually genuinely hope I misunderstood it). You can say 'it's just bad writing' about ANYTHING you don't like in the game. That's not much of an argument, that's just your opinion. Jack showing off her tattoos is a very characteristic trait of her wether you like it or not (and I don't even like her). And to continue on your examples: yes Miranda could be argued to be quite dumb for wearing High heels. And seeing as she's presented to be incredibly smart, that could be a descent argument against her clothing, but that in essence has nothing to do with how realistic it is to combat with high heels on – it's about wether Miranda is a believable character for making the choice to wear high heals (which arguably, she might not be). Of course clothing is an expression of the character, what century do you hail from? Why do I even have to spell this out?

"its about wether miranda is a believable character for making the choice to wear high heels" - exactly

miranda would not wear high heels in combat. having her do so cheapens her character because she wouldnt do that. the only reason it's their is to look cool, not because her character would do it - this is bad

yes its alright if jack has tatoos and a skinhead, this represents her character. but to have walk in space topless is something she wouldnt (nor couldnt) do. hey, why not give her a motorcycle that travels in space, show what a badass she is! that'd look cool!

how don't you understand this?

I do understand you/this (now). My point is just that how can you be so sure Miranda wouldn't wear heels? How can you believably claim you know her character better then the writers who wrote her? Maybe Miranda actually is quite a shallow b****? And why couldn't Jack run around topless? They have shields and Jack herself also has biotics to protect her. I think it's a grey area and therefore more in the realm of believability than actual realism. Of course I get that the writers are using this to probably also get away with the characters being so in the first place, but you can't really discuss that other then saying that you just don't agree and think its cheap (which you indeed did). I tend to view it as the characters in-game then being cheap (as well), because I assume ME has descent writers that actively thought about what clothing would say about the character in question and his or her 'fancies' so to speak.

Or are the characters 'dressed' by other people than the writers? Because that would change my outlook on things quite heavily. I have thus far assumed the one who created the character, also had the final word on how that character was represented via clothing (which multiple interviews lead me to believe). 

well what else can i say to that?

youre basically saying, "the writers are the ones who wrote the character so thats that"

if miranda is a shallow ****, they should show this through other, believeable ways. having her act shallow or wearing appealing armour or having well groomed hair, is fine. but theres no need to make her wear high heels and spandex, thats just ridiculous and cheap

[CulturalGeekGirl]

Silrian wrote...

I do understand you/this (now). My point is just that how can you be so sure Miranda wouldn't wear heels? How can you believably claim you know her character better then the writers who wrote her? Maybe Miranda actually is quite a shallow b****? And why couldn't Jack run around topless? They have shields and Jack herself also has biotics to protect her. I think it's a grey area and therefore more in the realm of believability than actual realism. Of course I get that the writers are using this to probably also get away with the characters being so in the first place, but you can't really discuss that other then saying that you just don't agree and think its cheap (which you indeed did). I tend to view it as the characters in-game then being cheap (as well), because I assume ME has descent writers that actively thought about what clothing would say about the character in question and his or her 'fancies' so to speak.

Or are the characters 'dressed' by other people than the writers? Because that would change my outlook on things quite heavily. I have thus far assumed the one who created the character, also had the final word on how that character was represented via clothing (which multiple interviews lead me to believe). 

As someone with a lot of experience both wearing high heels and participating in combat (I had about six years of martial arts training, and eight years of dance/gymnastics/tumbling)... there is no way that, even in the future, wearing high heels into combat doesn't affect your balance. Yes, there are girls who wear high heels often, and are used to them enough to run in them and dance in them. When I did tap I could cartwheel in medium height high heels... but I could do it even better barefoot, or in ballet slippers or sneakers. Still, the likelihood of tripping and falling when wearing high heels is far far greater than when you are wearing sneakers or flat boots, even if you are used to them and wear them as your primary form of footwear. It's about the amount of surface you have in contact with the ground, and the angle that your ankle is positioned, high heels are just inherently worse at both those things.

If Miranda wears high heels into combat because of her "character" then it tells us something very specific about her: she does not care in any way about her optimal combat performance. She values her sexiness over efficiency, and would risk injury or allowing one of her squadmates to suffer in order to look her best. As much as she annoys me sometimes, I don't think that's a part of her character, which is why a lot of people in this thread are arguing that the high heels are out of character.

I'd be fine with Miranda wearing that outfit in a combat situation where we didn't realize combat was coming, or where the mission started out as a "infiltration" mission where we had to blend in with a group of guests at a party, or whatever. But wearing those heels on a mission where she's expecting to be running through a collector ship, just fighting? It shows her sacrificing combat effectiveness for style in a place where that is completely meaningless.

The thing is, I'm a bit less bothered by this inherently, because anime has brainwashed me against noticing this particular problem. Still, when you are arguing about the realism and character reasons for wearing high heels into combat, then I can respond with realistic examples and reasoning.

Modifié par CulturalGeekGirl, 15 mai 2011 - 04:40 .

[DDK]

CulturalGeekGirl wrote...

The thing is, I'm a bit less bothered by this inherently, because anime has brainwashed me against noticing this particular problem. Still, when you are arguing about the realism and character reasons for wearing high heels into combat, then I can respond with realistic examples and reasoning.

You are far too reasonable, logical and intelligent for this thread.

[DDK]

Adhin wrote...

*snip*

Please tell me that English isn't your native tongue?

[TheKillerAngel]

Are there suggestions for the survey or poll design?

[TheKillerAngel]

Right now I think the respondent size is large enough for me to run statistical tests to tell you whether there are statistically significant differences in the the number of people choosing certain options. But at a quick glance the data shows it as a roughly even split.

[Silrian]

CulturalGeekGirl wrote...

Silrian wrote...

I do understand you/this (now). My point is just that how can you be so sure Miranda wouldn't wear heels? How can you believably claim you know her character better then the writers who wrote her? Maybe Miranda actually is quite a shallow b****? And why couldn't Jack run around topless? They have shields and Jack herself also has biotics to protect her. I think it's a grey area and therefore more in the realm of believability than actual realism. Of course I get that the writers are using this to probably also get away with the characters being so in the first place, but you can't really discuss that other then saying that you just don't agree and think its cheap (which you indeed did). I tend to view it as the characters in-game then being cheap (as well), because I assume ME has descent writers that actively thought about what clothing would say about the character in question and his or her 'fancies' so to speak.

Or are the characters 'dressed' by other people than the writers? Because that would change my outlook on things quite heavily. I have thus far assumed the one who created the character, also had the final word on how that character was represented via clothing (which multiple interviews lead me to believe). 

As someone with a lot of experience both wearing high heels and participating in combat (I had about six years of martial arts training, and eight years of dance/gymnastics/tumbling)... there is no way that, even in the future, wearing high heels into combat doesn't affect your balance. Yes, there are girls who wear high heels often, and are used to them enough to run in them and dance in them. When I did tap I could cartwheel in medium height high heels... but I could do it even better barefoot, or in ballet slippers or sneakers. Still, the likelihood of tripping and falling when wearing high heels is far far greater than when you are wearing sneakers or flat boots, even if you are used to them and wear them as your primary form of footwear. It's about the amount of surface you have in contact with the ground, and the angle that your ankle is positioned, high heels are just inherently worse at both those things.

If Miranda wears high heels into combat because of her "character" then it tells us something very specific about her: she does not care in any way about her optimal combat performance. She values her sexiness over efficiency, and would risk injury or allowing one of her squadmates to suffer in order to look her best. As much as she annoys me sometimes, I don't think that's a part of her character, which is why a lot of people in this thread are arguing that the high heels are out of character.

I'd be fine with Miranda wearing that outfit in a combat situation where we didn't realize combat was coming, or where the mission started out as a "infiltration" mission where we had to blend in with a group of guests at a party, or whatever. But wearing those heels on a mission where she's expecting to be running through a collector ship, just fighting? It shows her sacrificing combat effectiveness for style in a place where that is completely meaningless.

The thing is, I'm a bit less bothered by this inherently, because anime has brainwashed me against noticing this particular problem. Still, when you are arguing about the realism and character reasons for wearing high heels into combat, then I can respond with realistic examples and reasoning.

Yeah I guess that's a pretty solid argument, about the heels. But I must say I found Miranda quite a boring character overall. I still think the whole "genetically modified" thing was just an excuse to add a ridiculously hot female character to the game. I still think realism is a dubious term though (in this context). I think the focus should be on the writers choice to implement certain aesthetic features and what that says about them, the game and the character in question. In this case they made a choice which I think ultimately, decreased the quality of the game with regards to this (and perhaps other) character(s) because I think the so called "perfect woman" is a boring exploration of assisting characters.

[thetruefreemo]

Unique with a degree of practicality.

[thetruefreemo]

I kind of complained with some of the costumes; like say Grunt his arms are showing in space but then I was like "He's a Krogan. He probably can't feel it.

[Hawkeye121]

   OP great topic I was waiting to see a thread like this. I'm not a fashion designer in any sense of the word but in my opinion armors and costumes in general need to have a delicate balance between various aspects such as fuctionality, appearance and reality.

   For instance Miranda's standard form-fitting suit was very sexualized which is ok but in a combat scenario I just can't take her outfit seriously. However, that being said the armor that you can download for her in the AAP2 DLC is very good.
   
   As I mentioned above if a character is going to be limited to one suit and/or armor I think you need a balance between something that looks realistic and fuctional but wouldn't look awkward when touring the Citadel or Normandy ala Terminus Armor or the Collector Armor DLC.

-Hawk

[Terror_K]

Silrian wrote...

Terror_K wrote...

Homer Simpson may be iconic for his blue pants and white shirt ensemble, but he still wore a friggin' space suit when he became an astronaut. And he's a freakin' cartoon character! <_<

But you said it yourself, Homer has signature clothing. In other words it expresses a part of what the character is. And by designating the space suit as an exception, you only confirm this.

Yes, but the latter point still stands. Again, I don't see why we can't have squaddies wearing stuff that is either both practical and iconic, iconic but at least becomes practical when needed, or practical for out in the field while simply iconic for on the Normandy and other safe zones. Heck... even a mix of all of these factors.

The fact is, in real life people generally wear what they like when they can, but still dress properly for the occasion or situation when needed. The same should apply to Mass Effect, because as it is in ME2 it just turns them and the universe into a pathetic joke and comes across as juvenile and careless on the parts of the designers. To me it basically screams, "we don't give a rat's ass about the integrity and consistency of our IP... so long as there are enough people out there who think it's badass!"

[Iakus]

Terror_K wrote...

Silrian wrote...

Terror_K wrote...

Homer Simpson may be iconic for his blue pants and white shirt ensemble, but he still wore a friggin' space suit when he became an astronaut. And he's a freakin' cartoon character! <_<

But you said it yourself, Homer has signature clothing. In other words it expresses a part of what the character is. And by designating the space suit as an exception, you only confirm this.

Yes, but the latter point still stands. Again, I don't see why we can't have squaddies wearing stuff that is either both practical and iconic, iconic but at least becomes practical when needed, or practical for out in the field while simply iconic for on the Normandy and other safe zones. Heck... even a mix of all of these factors.

The fact is, in real life people generally wear what they like when they can, but still dress properly for the occasion or situation when needed. The same should apply to Mass Effect, because as it is in ME2 it just turns them and the universe into a pathetic joke and comes across as juvenile and careless on the parts of the designers. To me it basically screams, "we don't give a rat's ass about the integrity and consistency of our IP... so long as there are enough people out there who think it's badass!"

Harsh, but possibly not innaccurate

But I do agree on why can't there be "iconic armor?"  This isn't a superhero game, it's a science fiction "rpg/shooter"  with armor already established in the lore.   Would it be so bad to create distinctive armored looks?  We're not talking a bout a return to ME1's loot system here, just the appearance that follows the already in-game lore.  I mean, where are Jack's medigel dispensers, anyway?  In her tattoos?

[Yakko77]

I'd just like your squad members to have casual attire and then mission appropriate attire.