Glowyrm wrote...
*EDIT*
This isn't totally in reference to Tali and more about the idea of making most aliens humanoid and human looking in general. I just don't think that she has to not look human otherwise Bioware failed. There's nothing wrong with looking human and there are good reasons to do it.
*EDIT*
Why does anything have to be unique or new for it to be good? I would also argue that just because something looks humanoid doesn't mean it's not new or unique in some ways.
Anyways, the whole idea of having most aliens look humanish is so that we can empathize and relate to them better. You may think it so, but basic psychology shows that you just wouldn't be as invested in a character if it was too far from what we perceive as "normal".
Being able to relate to them makes the story hit home more. It makes their emotions and the way they convey those emotions easier to "feel".
Notice how there are extremely exotic races in the ME universe (Hanar, Elcor, Volus) but they would never be squad mate material due to the reasons I stated above. Even without the Hanar's and Elcor's werid language ethics and limitations or the Volus' breathing sounds, even if they all spoke normally, their stories wouldn't be as strong due to their "strangeness". Our brains just wouldn't empathize with their plights as deeply as it does with an Asari or even a Quarian.
Legion is an interesting and awesome character and the designers took certain steps to make him seem more human (for a Geth, anyway) by adding the "brows" that move when he says certain things. That just shows that the Bioware team knows it's important not to alienate the aliens too much, at least not the ones that will be part of our squad and have in depth stories they want us to care about.
In an interview with a Bioware artist, they touch on this kind of when they talk about how to make the Asari attractive but alien. At the very least, the face needs to be similar to ours in order for us to see something as attractive. It's the same idea when it comes to being able to "relate" to something alien, you just have more leeway with the specifics of the look when not going for "attraction".
I'm not saying that Tali can't have tentacles on her face (or whatever you were thinking she looked like), I'm just talking about your overall stance on non-humanoid vs humanoid races. I'm also not saying it's impossible to care about an Elcor or a Volus, I'm just saying that our brains often repulse or fear things that are different, rather than try and care about them, it's kind of natural, no matter how hard we try or want to fight it. The day we actually meet aliens, it will definitely be a problem until we get used to them.
If you read further on you would have noticed I touch on the subject. Fetish's and this proves that it's possible for a human to be attracted to an alien race.
Due to a Volus' limitations as a race. (Not being able to move fast, slow speech pattern.) this makes them a terrible squadmate, now if the Volus was like a Dwarf as we have seen in many games before, he'd make a fine team mate at that.
The Elcor are unquie, they can't move very fast, and it's impossible for them to display emotion through facial features. This is what makes them a bad squadmate.
The Hanar are naturally an Aquatic race, and live under sea, now if this game was based on a water planet, a Hanar might be a useful Squadmate, but it's not. So it becomes a terrible squad mate.
The point is we don't use these races becauses they're not physically capable.
The human mind, repluses things that are different. Yes, if you're a full blown racist. I welcome the fact of different things and I like to explore culture, art... So on and so forth.
A humaniod face for the Quarians would be a let down, 'cause of all the time you wait. It's a let down to see another Space Human. Which is what fans of Sci Fi games really don't want.
I welcome the idea of 2 arms, 2 legs, so on and so forth, 'cause it's physically adapt, but it's interesting to see things where an Alien might have "Four Arms", or they naturally run on all fours, even they use levitation as a transportation methord.
In conclusion. I understand where you're coming from but, in no way do I agree.
Modifié par KadianK, 13 janvier 2012 - 04:12 .
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