Though it hasn't had a new entry in several years, Mass Effect is still one of the most popular modern video game franchises. To capitalize on the first three games' continued popularity, BioWare and EA have released Mass Effect Legendary Edition. This compilation includes all three games of the original Mass Effect trilogy, remastering their graphics and adjusting gameplay and mechanical elements to better suit modern consoles.
One of the most notable updates in the rereleased games changes a moment from a controversial cutscene in Mass Effect 3: a portrait of crewmate and potential romance option Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, which was seen as particularly lazy upon the game's initial release.
Saving Face
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, or Tali for short, was a member of Commander Shepard's crew in the first entries of the Mass Effect series. She was a member of the Quarian race, who were fairly humanoid in form and stature. Their main differences with humans were their skin colors, as well as some organs merely being Quarian facsimiles of the same organs seen in humans.
The species are also known for their particularly weak immune systems, which forces them to wear protective bio-suits to keep an environment's toxins and bacteria at bay. For this reason, Tali's face was not seen until Mass Effect 3 during a cutscene involving a potential romance with Shepard. The updated version of this scene in Legendary Edition has a picture of Tali's face uncovered, which clearly matches the looks of others of her species. The original version of this scene, however, was arguably far lazier.
Why Mass Effect 3's Original Tali Portrait Was Controversial
Many fans derided the original reveal for Tali's true face, as it was clearly a slightly edited photograph of British supermodel Hammasa Kohistani, with tattoo-esque lines being added to Kohistani's face to make her appear more "alien." Ironically, this effort ultimately made Tali only slightly resemble her fellow Quarians, as she more so resembled a generic (but still very humanoid) alien from a cheap sci-fi movie. Concept artist Matt Rhodes supposedly spent quite a while on getting her uncovered look just right, not wanting her to appear too alien and potentially repulsive to players.
However, this mindset makes little, as other Quarians already bore fairly humanoid appearances. Even if Tali's true face was especially ugly, that would be less because of her alien heritage and simply a design choice. The lens flare seen in the photo only makes things worse, both making the cheaply photoshopped nature of the picture even more obvious while also making players wonder if Quarian photographers typically engaged in the alien equivalent of glamor shots. This aesthetically questionable design was harshly criticized upon the game's release, but it's good to see that the developers took the opportunity in the remaster to fix a face that only a designer could love.