The Terrible Power Of Mass Effect’s Character Creator

For some people, the opportunity to create their own character with which to live out a rich, storied narrative is that of a lifetime. They dive into the character customization process often spending hours fleshing out every last detail of their avatar’s appearance. Even if the character isn’t made to represent them, it must look just so. It must suit the personality, the backstory and the idea they’ve laid out in their mind’s eye.

I’m one such person. I’m completely unashamed to admit that any game where I can create a character – honestly, any game where I can create anything – is guaranteed to hold me enthralled for at least an hour or two while I fiddle around with this or that. I’ve wasted more hours on Minecraft than I care to count. And Mass Effect’s Character Creator? It’s a labor of love.

That doesn’t hold for everyone.

Some people just want to go nuts. They want to have a little fun. They want to see the grotesque presented as the hero. They want to create a face so ugly, they can’t look at it without laughing. It’s an art form all its own. Some of these folks spend as much time making their character horrific as others do making them resemble something akin to normalcy. There are even blogs committed to this sort of thing, particularly in the Mass Effect universe.

Yes, apparently Ugly Shepard is a thing.

This brings us to our point. Having recently come down from a Mass Effect 3 kick, something possessed me to look up some of the most absurd, bizarre, and downright mystifying faces created in the Mass Effect Character editor. I’m not sure whether to feel guilty, laugh, or recoil. Now, you can share my pain. Enjoy!