A larger-chested version of Mirror's Edge heroine Faith made the web rounds last month, leaving piles of controversy in her wake ... well, controversy and irreversibly stretched-out tank tops. Her face is a bit different too, as we're sure you noticed.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the image was fairly depressing for one of the game's producers. As Tom Farrer told MTV: "We really wanted to get away from the typical portrayal of women in games, that they're all just kind of tits and ass in a steel bikini. We wanted her to look athletic and fit and strong [enough] that she could do the things that she's doing."
It's a noble goal, and our hope is that it's one most people "got." Do you have a preference of Faiths?
Reader Comments (189)
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:33PM BananaBoat said
We can still SEE you, you know. Log off of stickam damnit!
On an unrelated note, I don't think an ugly eye tattoo was helping faith do parcour (or however you spell it). I don't think the addition of some tits is going to completely rain on her athletic parade either. The one on the right is superior IMO, but it would be kind of funny to see a poll on the question.
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On an unrelated note, I don't think an ugly eye tattoo was helping faith do parcour (or however you spell it). I don't think the addition of some tits is going to completely rain on her athletic parade either. The one on the right is superior IMO, but it would be kind of funny to see a poll on the question.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 3:53PM BananaBoat said
I'm not a girl, so I won't claim to be a master in the brassiere arts, but wouldn't a sports bra hold up big tits the same as it holds up pancakes? She could have a sports bra in the picture on the right, and until they invent X-Ray goggles that work over the internet on drawings of girls, we'll never know for sure.
Upon viewing the large image on Kotaku, it's clear that the tits and the tattoo removal aren't the only changes. Her eyes have been rounded, her jaw line has been rounded, and her cheeks have been puffed out. Basically they de-man-faced her. Good show, whoever made the image.
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Upon viewing the large image on Kotaku, it's clear that the tits and the tattoo removal aren't the only changes. Her eyes have been rounded, her jaw line has been rounded, and her cheeks have been puffed out. Basically they de-man-faced her. Good show, whoever made the image.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 5:35PM DonaldMick said
*looks at the one on the left*
... I'll be in my bunk
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... I'll be in my bunk
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:05PM (Unverified) said
Hmm... I like boobies but I also respect women.
I'll go for the original, they're trying to make an important statement.
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I'll go for the original, they're trying to make an important statement.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:47PM Shagittarius said
I like the revised version, not because of the boobie increase but beacuse the face seems softened somehow. Like the one on the left generates no attraction to me on a physical level beacuse she looks like she has no emotions, but the one on the right seems softer somehow and I can relate to that more.
Or maybe it is just the subliminal boobs, i dunno...
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Or maybe it is just the subliminal boobs, i dunno...
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 3:21PM Dr Stabbingworth said
The one on the right has a slightly wider face and slightly larger eyes. I think that is the affect Shag is referring to. It makes her look softer and less angry. The one on the left looks more realistic, though.
Seriously though, they're selling games to a mostly male crowd aged 10-20 something. When the game hits the marketing dept, they don't care about ideals. They care about how many copies they sell.
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Seriously though, they're selling games to a mostly male crowd aged 10-20 something. When the game hits the marketing dept, they don't care about ideals. They care about how many copies they sell.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 4:46PM mastjaso said
Does it bother anyone that every single male character is ruggedly handsome with bulging biceps?
I don't see why this is any different. Yeah guys like boobs, girls like broad shoulders. (Obviously I'm talking statistically and not about every individual.)
And I think it's a little weird to insinuate that girls with boobs can't be athletic. Isn't that just as bad as changing her to be more sexually attractive.
There are athletic girls with big boobs naturally.
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I don't see why this is any different. Yeah guys like boobs, girls like broad shoulders. (Obviously I'm talking statistically and not about every individual.)
And I think it's a little weird to insinuate that girls with boobs can't be athletic. Isn't that just as bad as changing her to be more sexually attractive.
There are athletic girls with big boobs naturally.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:05PM RogueEnterprise said
I like the Photoshopped face of the new version way better. The whole chest thing... eh, I can see what they are trying to do with making her look athletic. I could leave or take the new version.
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Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:07PM (Unverified) said
the one on the left looks like a drug addict to me
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Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:05PM (Unverified) said
Why does everyone have to look average so we all feel better about ourselves? It's a fictional character! She's a lot hotter now. With them tig bitties, and more symmetrical face.
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Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:09PM Michelobius said
First off, that's easy for you to say as a man. Second, implying there's one standard of beauty is problematic, and to say that the original faith is in any way unattractive is even more problematic.
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Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:20PM (Unverified) said
Michelobius, I don't get it. I've never felt the urge for the male characters of today's video games to look less attractive just to make myself feel better. Most of the male protagonists nowadays tower over me with their perfectly toned bodies and boyishly good looks.
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Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:54PM potato said
It's not about feeling better about ourselves - it's about realism. It's like Dead or Alive - the amount of bounce in those tits is so excessive that it's downright unnatural (and consequently, unattractive). Mirror's Edge isn't a cartoony game where we can exaggerate physical features for the sake of the lulz, it's supposed to be something at least somewhat realistic.
Which means no huge DD's flying all over the place.
I get what you mean, I have similar misgivings about male portrayals in games too - why is it that every hero has to be more pumped and toned than a weightlifter in his prime? Why is it, that, after countless brutal adventures, our hero still has skin smoother than a baby's bottom?
Some games call for caricatures (or just pure fan service), but others do not.
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Which means no huge DD's flying all over the place.
I get what you mean, I have similar misgivings about male portrayals in games too - why is it that every hero has to be more pumped and toned than a weightlifter in his prime? Why is it, that, after countless brutal adventures, our hero still has skin smoother than a baby's bottom?
Some games call for caricatures (or just pure fan service), but others do not.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 3:59PM kaneda26 said
I'm torn on the issue. The obvious is that games are about fantasy and escape from reality. But, we have proven, as popular as this game is, that we care more about how fun the game is than how hot the women in the game are. Compare sales of Mirror's Edge and the new Tomb Raider.
But I am disappointed with american culture. Not just America, but in japan it's not as blatant. I look to advertisements as demonstrations of our values. And I see that we are becoming complacent to be deceived on a daily basis. Either the majority holds no desire for natural, modest beauty or we just prefer fiction to reality.
I'll admit that it is possible for a person to look like the girl on the left naturally. It is very uncommon, but it happens. Though, from the girls I've met, and this is gonna sound pathetic and I'm sure many of you will miss the point, but in real life, I'm sure I'd prefer the personality of the girl on the left much more than the one on the right. No woman can look that way in this society and not have a ruined personality.
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But I am disappointed with american culture. Not just America, but in japan it's not as blatant. I look to advertisements as demonstrations of our values. And I see that we are becoming complacent to be deceived on a daily basis. Either the majority holds no desire for natural, modest beauty or we just prefer fiction to reality.
I'll admit that it is possible for a person to look like the girl on the left naturally. It is very uncommon, but it happens. Though, from the girls I've met, and this is gonna sound pathetic and I'm sure many of you will miss the point, but in real life, I'm sure I'd prefer the personality of the girl on the left much more than the one on the right. No woman can look that way in this society and not have a ruined personality.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:53PM Shagittarius said
Funny, I think Asian women are the most beautiful in the world yet in this case I prefer the one on the right.
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Posted: Nov 26th 2008 3:03PM SamuelK said
" the one on the right was meant to appeal to Asian demographics. Not western ones. Get it right."
That's true. But take a look at most anime and japanese art, and you'll see that the "western appeal" is targeted specifically to the asian market. Japan has a fascination with the "round-eyed westerner".
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That's true. But take a look at most anime and japanese art, and you'll see that the "western appeal" is targeted specifically to the asian market. Japan has a fascination with the "round-eyed westerner".
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 3:14PM (Unverified) said
Actually, the one on the right is the one that is supposed to be more appealing to asian tastes. (follow the Kotaku link)
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Posted: Nov 27th 2008 11:56AM spin cycle said
Actually, you should look up the history of the right image. The creator felt the image on the left was made to appeal to much to Westerners and thus made the right image.
See the link.
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See the link.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:17PM Burritoclock said
Yeah I see women with boobs falling all over the place it's ridiculous! Poor things can barely make it down a flight of stairs! wait...
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Posted: Nov 26th 2008 6:13PM Master Bruce said
Actually Amoveo, the "parkour expert" is full of crap. Women have a lower center of gravity than men. A little extra padding on the top is not going to throw off someone's balance.
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Posted: Nov 29th 2008 7:06PM (Unverified) said
Actually Amoveo, I'm pretty sure I saw that same interview. She said having a lower center of gravity made parkour more difficult for women because they have to move their center of gravity farther than men to get over the same barrier.
This is unrelated to the problem presented by a generous bosom. That throws off balance when moving quickly because of their inertia. To compare a girl moving in a normal day to day environment to Faith's acrobatics is silly. More to the point, you'll also notice that few gymnasts have much body fat at all, much less concentrated at the front of their torso. It's simply improbable with the amount of exercise she gets.
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This is unrelated to the problem presented by a generous bosom. That throws off balance when moving quickly because of their inertia. To compare a girl moving in a normal day to day environment to Faith's acrobatics is silly. More to the point, you'll also notice that few gymnasts have much body fat at all, much less concentrated at the front of their torso. It's simply improbable with the amount of exercise she gets.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:07PM RKN said
The eyes on the right are less slanted as well. She is supposed to be Eurasian, half white, half east asian. I guess some of the art directors had a preference for less slanted eyes?
Great, now we're going to have people crying racism and turn this into an ugly mess. Crap.
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Great, now we're going to have people crying racism and turn this into an ugly mess. Crap.
Posted: Nov 26th 2008 1:26PM (Unverified) said
True.I have both pure Chinese and English-Chinese friends and the difference is enourmous...
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Posted: Nov 26th 2008 2:28PM Archwright said
I much prefer the full-asian Faith. Perhaps it is because that's what I've seen so far, and that's what I'm used to. Perhaps it's because white-washing people PISSES ME OFF! They used to do the same thing to black heros in wild west, just to make them more palatable to the 'common folk'.
Ultimately, if it pisses off the creator of the game, it has to go. I don't think think cupsize + 2 is really going to push that many more copies. You won't sell any more to young boys (one of the core groups) because some of them find playing a female protagonist 'weird' and 'feminizing'.
Anyway. I like my female athletic leads nice and slim. You trip the excess 'fat' out of a game to make it run better, you should do the same (physically) with your heroine.
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Ultimately, if it pisses off the creator of the game, it has to go. I don't think think cupsize + 2 is really going to push that many more copies. You won't sell any more to young boys (one of the core groups) because some of them find playing a female protagonist 'weird' and 'feminizing'.
Anyway. I like my female athletic leads nice and slim. You trip the excess 'fat' out of a game to make it run better, you should do the same (physically) with your heroine.
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