BioWare’s new collection of Mass Effect remasters was supposed to be a wholly faithful endeavor, but it appears that there’s been a few changes beyond shinier graphics and improved controls. In an interview with Metro, project director Mac Walters revealed that the team opted to censor certain aspects of the game—namely, those low-angled, close-up butt shots of sexy Cerberus operative Miranda Lawson, which can be seen during certain conversations and cutscenes in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
“I do think a lot of things have evolved since [the original games] but I don’t know if I would say we were ultra-concerned about it or anything like that, but there were considerations,” Walters said. “[Character and environment director Kevin Meek] actually called out some camera cuts that were just… why was that focusing on Miranda’s butt? So in some cases we said, ‘Okay, we can make a change there.'”
“But ultimately, to change an entire character model or something like that wasn’t really… it was a decision that was made as part of many creative decisions and just showing it at the best possible fidelity that we could going forward is really the choice for all of the art that we had.”
Walters also revealed that certain camera angles for Shepard have been changed because the animations didn’t suit the female version of the character too well. FemShep, as fans like to call her, has gained a huge following over the course of the Mass Effect trilogy thanks to Jennifer Hale’s excellent voice work.
“[…] a male Shepherd animation would have him sitting with his legs quite wide open with a low camera where, if you were wearing a skirt, it would be a bit unflattering,” explained Walters. “So we can’t necessarily change that animation, but you can raise that camera up slightly to reduce the problem.”