Summary
Mass Effecthas two leads, Mark Meer andJennifer Hale, but you’ll only hear one of them as Commander Shepard per playthrough.According to player stats, most people play as a guy, meaning Mark Meer is their Shepard throughout the trilogy.
However, Meer encourages players to give FemShep a go - purely so they can enjoy the performance of his co-star, Hale. Speaking withPC Gamer, Meer says that he’s a huge fan of her work, and doesn’t have any problem with players choosing to only play as FemShep because of her performance.
MaleShep Wants You To Play As FemShep
“I occasionally get told by people, ‘Oh, I’ve never played female Commander Shepard. I only play you.’, says Meer. “And I’m like, why are you denying yourself the excellent performance of Jennifer Hale?”
However, if it’s the other way around, he’s not fussed. “I certainly don’t mind though, if people are like, ‘No, I just play Jennifer as Commander Shepard,’ because I’m afraid you’ll be forced to encounter me as Niftu Cal and Blasto and any vorcha you run into and various other things in the game.”
True enough, Meer voices alotof characters throughout the Mass Effect series. This isn’t too surprising, asBioWarewas clearly a fan of his work already, having given him roles inBaldur’s Gate 2(as well as its Throne of Bhaal expansion),Neverwinter Nights, and Jade Empire. They then kept him on for everyDragon Agegame, so who knows? Maybe we’ll hear DudeShep somewhere in the upcomingDragon Age: The Veilguard?
As for his future in the Mass Effect series, that remains to be seen. Jennifer Hale recently admitted thatshe’s heard nothing about recording lines for the next game. We’ll have to wait and see if she and Meer get into the game as a cameo, even if they don’t reprise their role as Shepard.
