CONCEPT OF: Mass Effect 2

CONCEPT OF: Mass Effect 2

Today begins our periodic spotlight feature where we take a look at the concept art and design of a game or film. The intent here is to get the creative juices flowing, remind people what's out there and what's being done, and to not lose sight of the quality of professional work. We can also discuss what works and maybe what doesn't, what you dig, or what you DONT dig.

Game: Mass Effect 2 masseffect.bioware.com/
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Company: Bioware www.bioware.com/
Lead Concept Artist: Matt Rhodes mattrhodesart.blogspot.com/

Whether or not you own an Xbox 360, whether or not you have played or heard of this game, you WILL dig ITS ART! Of all the futures that have been created over the years, the universe of Mass Effect is one that you might actually want to live in. It is clean, colourful, simple, elegant and rich. Humans have allied themselves with several alien races. We are known for our courage, bravery, and eagerness to get things done due to a comparatively short lifespan. But we are just a fraction of the races in this world, and we are neither dominant nor the most thriving - simply a blip in the massive scope of the ME universe.




To be blunt: it takes a shitload lot of work to design an entire universe. Bioware has had some experience creating epic scale worlds from medieval to sci-fi, with games ranging from Baldur's Gate to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic to Dragon Age. And they do a damn good job. They have been accused in the past of stealing shapes and designs from other games/movies, but really, when you boil it down they are still making it their own.



When you are tasked with creating dozens of worlds, hundreds of interiors, thousands of props, and a few million characters, you need to work quick. This is evident in the loose gestural quality of their environment concepts shown here. Their emphasis seems to be on shape, colour, mood, and scale. Does it "read"? Does it suit the needs of the story?

The environments in Mass Effect are simply gorgeous. The "citadel", the homebase spaceship biodome city, is spacious and intentionally made to feel like planet Earth in its prime - healthy green trees, clear blue water, and the untouched sheen of a brand new Apple computer (ahaha). What's so great about the ME world, is that it mixes it up.



Sure, every world has its nice clean parts, but you need to balance that with the swept under the rug places - the seedy bars, the grubby engine rooms, the space ship prisons. It's all there too - the contrast. Mass Effect does a great job of keeping it real - the needs of the people are met. One of my favourite things to do is run around the game going to the bar, going to the casino, and seeing how the aliens do things. They even thought of putting in washrooms! Awesome.. a lot of games seem to overlook these basic needs, but if you are trying to give the an illusion of an immerseve believable universe, you better believe there should be a proper toilet.



Form versus function. If you've ever watched behind the scenes DVDs, most artists will mention the need to consider Form VS. Function. It's one thing to design a crazy massive alien jet and have it look really cool, but its another thing to make sure that to some degree the design complies with the rules of nature and can infact fly. Gears of War senior concept artist James Hawkins terms inexplicable function like hovering bricks "space magic". Some games/films are more lenient in their rules, and others are more realistic. Mass Effect seems to lean closer to the more realistic side of concept; every part has a function and its purpose explained.



Characters: in terms of costume, everything is very stylish in ME. One look at these dresses here, and you KNOW we are in the future. Why? How does that work? Somehow the shapes, the sleek cuts, and patterns convey a sense of future.



I'll take a stab at it but you are welcome to try too. Because there is no gravity in space (although there is artificial gravity in ME), it is unlikely you would want loose clothing floating around you as you try to manoeuvre in a weightless environment (imagine wearing a dress, then having a jacket with a hood and a bunch of tassels constantly drifting into your face - unlikely). Therefore, it is kind of understood that in outer space we would wear single-piece skin tight uniforms thus allowing full mobility without the disturbance of other elements - like the Star Trek uniforms. Without having those "little bits" to detail our clothes then, we would only be left with striking shapes and interesting materials to make our outfits interesting - which is what I think is happening in these concepts here. There aren't a billion buttons, laces, straps, or belts; things that seem low-tech. Instead, we have zippers, velcro, magnets, and gels. Pretty smart.



Here's an interesting note on photo reference: there is no copyright on a FACE! So STEAL them! This is our main character Commander Sheppard in-game (if you play as a man) and his real-life European fashion model. Can you see the resemblance? They even took that little scar in his hair line on his forehead.



You can browse this art and more at your leisure, and so I will close with one quick note on artistic "style". Mass Effect's concept art is interesting because it is very stylized - I would say it can be likened to hand-drawn animation. The way the characters faces are drawn, the hands, the limbs, is achieved mostly with line and not with shading.



As video games get more and more hyper-realistic, the concept art is generally equally realistic with chin hairs and dimples and skin imperfections. But it is refreshing to see a change, with the emphasis more on rhythm and elegance and simplicity.



I am assuming a lot of that was influenced by Matt Rhodes, the lead concept artist at Bioware, who's personal style is, again, very animated with exaggerated shapes and motion. (His blog: mattrhodesart.blogspot.com)



Mass Effect 2 will be out on January 26, 2010 - it will be bad ass. I recommend you check it out, if anything, just to walk around the future. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments - ENJOY.