Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Will be Less Sexist Than the Original
According to what the developers of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition say in an interview, the game will feature less derogatory camera angles for women and improved animations for the female Shepard.
In a recently posted interview with BioWare, Metro asked the developers a few questions about the changes that will appear in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition compared to the original. From the answers it appears that in addition to such obvious things as increased frame rate and upscaled textures, differences will also appear in the camera shots presenting female characters. The aim is to reduce the number of scenes in which female assets such as breasts and hips are highlighted and make Mass Effect less sexist than before.
As the developers say, "times have changed," and so will camera shots, such as the exaggerated shot of Miranda's butt, which was considered to be pure fanservice by many. Also to be improved are scenes where the protagonist's animations were geared more towards the male character model rather than the female. There were a number of examples of this, from Shepard moving like a broad-shouldered man despite the petite physique of the female version, to the infamous cut-scene where Shepard sits with a very wide spread and, with the addition of a knee-length dress, we could see what colour underwear the character was wearing.
"The camera shots help tell the story and show key aspects of each character - in Miranda's case, her curves and sexuality," says Silverman.
The developers explain that while these shots of Miranda Lawson may have seemed derogatory towards women, they were introduced not to appeal to the male audience, but because it helped to properly tell her story as a woman genetically engineered to be the absolute ideal, including physically.
Thankfully, only camera angles will be improved, not entire character models. They will remain as we remember them from the original games.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will launch on May 14, 2021. The game will appear on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, as well as Xbox One and Series X/S.
