I do not understand the Tali fandom.

[TheAmazingHobo]

Yeah... that train of thought did occur to me. However, I didn't really want to go there because:
a) There's kind of an implied insult in there and I'm not out to piss people off. (Not any more than necessary, at least.)

I don´t even think it´s really an insult.
She´s smart, hot, has a touch of mystery and shared interests (us nerd-folk like technology and so does she). Liking her on the basis of such attributes is, I dunno, superficial, at worst.
It´s certainly why I like her.

Well, I guess the whole "nerds like her because she is non-threatening"-thing could be kind of insulting, but why should everyone have to like aggresive, violent broads ?

(The answer being of course: because aggresive, violent broads are fuckin´ hot, but I think that´s kind of beside the point.)

 

[Pyro Paul]

She's the awkward nerd girl who's good in a fight, but clumsy with social matters. Nerds eat that shit up.

Plus, she wears a helmet which adds another element of mystery and projection.

it isn't so much so that she is a nerd, it is the fact that she is insecure. Although often people attribute insecurity with 'nerdy' characteristics, it isn't nessarly true.

In ME1 Liara was a nerd. she was well read, smart, and approched situations logically and analytically. but the diffrence between Liara and Tali is confidence. Liara wasn't afraid to come to a conclusion and state her oppinon or initiate the first step of a conversation. Even in the times where she was wrong, she redoubles her efforts to try and better understand things she misinterpreted rather then being discouraged or disuaded.

the lack of confidence... the insecurity with herself... thats what people eat up.

 

[TheAmazingHobo]

For your second point, with only ME1: Socially awkward, ear for music, daddy issues (yes, in game 1), independent, and melancholy. She's also kinda bouncy and excitable, in a very cute sort of way, which is one reason why I liked her so much in ME1.

As for the main question - because Tali is just so sad. Her race has lost everything - their home, most of their numbers (the Migrant Fleet is like 1% of their original population), and even life's simple pleasures. Tali can't stop and smell a rose - it would probably kill her. She can't eat anything but tasteless paste. Tali's life is AWFUL. And yet she keeps going, trying to make her daddy proud and help her people. She talks about bringing music back to her fleet to make their lives suck slightly less. It's SO SAD. It makes me want to hug her and tell her it will all be okay.

Tali is clinically designed to appeal to the kind of person who wants to protect and help the sad girl. Tali has lived with all the worst shit in life, and she keeps pushing on, trying to make things better. She is beautifully written to appeal to that sort of person... and someone who doesn't feel that way probably won't feel a thing for her, because her entire character is geared towards that.

Anywho, there's your answer.

Sooo.... some people like her, not because she has nice **** and doesn´t take her helmet off, but because they appreciate the backstory of her race on a literary and emotional level and because they find her personal struggle to persevere and triumph over a life of misery and isolation tragic and endearing...... that is just sick.

 

[Zhukov]

She is the quintessential woman every man wants.

[snip]

I myself, am a Tali fan. Shes a great character, in a great series.

I'm... not exactly sure that being tailor-made to suit the tastes of men is grounds for greatness.

 

[unit5016]

[sub](Alternative thread title: Ye gods! Apparently some people like something a lot more than I do. This cannot be!)[/sub]

EDIT FOR CLARITY: I am not referring to the whole should-we-see-her-face-or-not thing. I'm fairly neutral on that and it's already been better covered elsewhere.

...

Wait! Calm down. This isn't a hate thread. I'm not out to hang shit on your favourite character. I'm just... bemused is all.

In Mass Effect 1 Tali received almost zero characterization. She had lots of interesting stuff to say about Quarians in general and I was happy to listen to it, but her individual personality didn't get any attention.

And no, I'm not just pulling that out of my arse. Standard characterization test: You should be able to easily describe the character's personality without referring to their appearance or job. With Tali... I got nothing. I guess she's kinda plucky? That's really all I can come up with. With the other characters I can rattle off traits without a problem (Liara: earnest, sincere, awkward, bookish, inexperienced. Wrex: dour, blunt, taciturn, bitter, wry sense of humour, easygoing, casually violent). But Tali? There's just nothing there.

The second game was a considerable improvement in this regard. The loyalty missions allowed for a higher degree of focus on the characters and, in Tali's case, let her express a lot more emotion and become more humanized (alienized...? Whatever, you know what I mean). We learnt more about her role in her society and her concern for her people.

Oh, and then there was the romance thing, present by popular demand. No. Sorry, but... just no. That played out like an exercise in ego-stroking. "Oh Shepard, you're so wonderful but I was always too cute and shy to say so... because you're so awesome!" Yeesh.

So, in a nutshell, a very interesting species and a comfortably-above-average character (by video game standards that is). But I still don't see where the adoration comes from.

Anyone care to explain?

[sub](Alternative end line: I demand that you justify your subjective preferences!)[/sub]

Well good sir I am afraid I cannot answer this seeing that I have stayed loyal to Liara through both games (when the dlc that lets you meet her again came out I NEEDED to buy it) but many previous posts I feel justify why as I have chatted with tali till the point it was turning into being more than "friends"

 

[Nudu]

That played out like an exercise in ego-stroking. "Oh Shepard, you're so wonderful but I was always too cute and shy to say so... because you're so awesome!"

You sort of answered your own question on that one

 

[Manji187]

Anyone care to explain?

because she is a virgin.
others might use words like 'pure' or 'innocent' but it just comes down to the simple fact that she is a virgin.

From a psychological stand point, her naive inexperienced nature reinforces our own manhood and placiates our own sexual insecurities. the simple concept that 'No one has touched her' means that she doesn't have any preconcieved notions on our preformance or basis to compare it against.

She isn't going to sneak out so that we wake up alone the next morning nor will she roll over and reply with 'I've had better'.

That's one very convincing analysis...

What I wanna know though: Why does Bioware portray a romantic relationship as "sexual innuendo followed by a roll in the hay....AND THEN NOTHING". Rather simplistic/ immature for such a "mature" game, wouldn't you think?

 

[Red Albatross]

I like Tali as a character and she gets much more interesting in ME2, but I do agree with those that are saying the romance option was a bit...contrived. I can see the mass appeal of someone who needs to be protected, because a lot of people on the internet like to "white knight" for whatever reason. I guess that's just really not my cup of tea, hence why I've been more fond of Ashley Williams as a character.

And will you people quit with the "racist" crap. Tali has no home because of the Geth. No, it wasn't right for the Quarians to try and massacre them, but she didn't make that decision and it's hard to blame your own people for something like that, especially when they're so close-knit. If you'll actually play the damn game instead of being reactionary, Tali and Legion actually start cooperating near the end of the game. Leading to something more on-topic, I thought it was a great bit of character development and maturation for Tali to be able to interact with a Geth and see that the Geth don't even understand why the Quarians tried to destroy them.

 

[Doktor Sleepless]

I lost her at the end of my first ME2 playthrough offscreen, and sat there for a minute trying to make myself feel sad about it. I was more disappointed at myself that I'd lost SOMEONE, not that it was her.

 

[k7avenger]

For me at least, its not really so much what SHE looks like, its more like what does her race look like. Surly there's more to their face than a featureless visor.

 

[Vrex360]

I don't really understand it either. Then again, I also don't understand the popularity of reality TV, or why adult men love cars. I don't get the fascination with sex based jokes. I also don't get why people like Spartans more then Elites in Halo.

The Tali Fandom is one of the many things in this world that I don't understand. Tali was never a favorite of mine, in the first game I barely noticed she was there and in Mass Effect 2 I didn't like how she kep hero worshipping Shepard.
Perhaps it's because I like Ashley as my favorite girl in Mass Effect, but either way I wasn't really 'wowed' by Tali. The attitude of some of her fans on the Bioware forums may have helped with that but I continue to maintain that you should never hate something just because of the fans, or by extension judge the fans as all being the same.

I guess in the end, I don't understand the appeal and it doesn't appeal to me. But I don't condemn people who do like Tali or her romance, I adopt a live and let live attitude with most things in life. If they can do the same and not insult my choices, I can live with it.

I do not get it, nor am I a part of it, but in and of itself I do not condemn the Tali fandom.

 

[Undeadpool]

It's the whole Aeris VS Tifa thing from Final Fantasy VII (probably goes back further, but that's the most well-known example I can think of. And let's just talk about the core game here). Aeris is shy, demure, aloof and not exactly helpless, but certainly exudes dependency. Tifa is straightforward, independent, and strong-willed and you get the idea that she really obviously likes Cloud, but if he's not interested she'll move on.
Most romances in videogames can be put into one of those two categories (Aeris=Liara [ME1], Tali [ME1 & 2], Aerie [Baldur's Gate II], Madison [Alpha Protocol]. Tifa=Liara [ME2], Jack [ME2], Jaheria [Baldur's Gate I & 2], SIE[Alpha Protocol]). Tali is specifically designed to appeal to men who prefer an Aeris. Doesn't mean she's a bad character (I don't think there are any of those in the ME universe...except maybe Kaiden), but she's designed to push very specific buttons with men who prefer a very specific kind of woman (the kind that would, as you put it, stroke your ego the specific way she does).

 

[KAPTAINmORGANnWo4life]

I guess people like her because she is the only person you can shag in Mass Effect 2 that isn't psychologically damaged from the start.

 

[TheDooD]

Cute voice, wide hips and a nice ass. Also the whole naive thing make's her seem like a nerdy school girl.

 

[jSalamanca32]

I honestly have no idea, there is even a name for the people that are obsessed with tali, their'e called TALIMANCERS.

Do not DARE googling that in images with safe search off.

 

[Korolev]

I found her to be the most likeable female character on the Normandy 1 AND 2. Ashley is a bit of a xenophobe - understandable, given her history, but I couldn't groove to that. Liara during ME1 was a bit too breathy and unassertive and her personality, I thought, could be summed up in one word: Doormat. So I didn't gel with that either.

On the Normandy SR2, there's Tali, Miranda, Kasumi, Samara, Jack and EDI. Miranda's a cheerleader for the Illusive Man, so I didn't like her too much. Her character develops later, but she's still far too "Pro-Cerberus". Kasumi is a DLC character and a pretty shallow one after her mission is finished. Samara is a respectable character, yet, for design reasons, is naturally cold and distant (being a religious warrior/monk, that's natural). Jack is, understandably, extremely angry, but her random talk of killing people who didn't deserve it turned her off from me. EDI's an AI.

So Tali is the nicest, interactive female character. Plus, she was a member of the original crew - it's one of the reasons Garrus is so popular. Her story missions are also AWESOME, much better than Miranda's or Samara's or Jacks, because Tali's missions have lots of ROBOTS in them, and everything is better with ROBOTS.

I'm not a huge Tali fan. But out of all the romance options available to my Shepard, she was the best one. She's not my favourite character, far from it - I like Mordin and Legion and Garrus more than Tali. But since she is, in many gamer's minds, the best female romance character (with Miranda being a brainwashed sycophant, Jack being crazy, Samara being a naturally distant warrior, Kasumi being a weakish DLC character and EDI being software), there will naturally be a lot of fans who like her.

 

[dancinginfernal]

Wrex barely mentions his parents as well.

Wrex tells an extensive tale of his experiences on Tuchanka prior to leave for a mercenary lifestyle. He attempted to unite the tribes of the planet to make another formidable Krogan force, and another tribe refused in an attempt to keep the tribes warring. The tribal leader attacked Wrex on sacred ground in an attempt to kill him.

That leader was Wrex's father.

 

[Korolev]

And about the criticisms of Tali's Character - duly noted and accepted. She is a pretty cookie-cutter, "Shy-Awkward--Hot-Engineer/Nerd" girl. She's non-threatening, so a lot of gamers like her. As I've said, she is not my favourite character. She's barely above ME1 Liara in terms of how much of a door-mat she is. But for a male paragon Shepard, the other female characters were worse. Miranda is distinguished almost entirely by her love of Cerberus. When she's not talking about how wonderful the illusive man is, she's defending the horrendous actions of Cerberus. Jack is just angry, all the time (understandably so). Samara will not, in the end, engage in a romance with you. And there's no one else.

So I had my male shepard go to tali, because I wanted that achievement. I agree - I don't think Tali's that good a character. She's not a BAD character, but she is a little to "I-Love-you-shepard-you're-my-hero" for my tastes.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

Not gonna fall for it Zhukov. However, I will say that her not being heavily characterised in ME1 did not bother me because she was a freaking teenager on a literal voyage of self discovery!! How can we figure out her character, if SHE doesn't know her character yet?! How interesting were YOU in high school?

Good effort, but I don't think that's sufficient excuse. Teenagers are not automatically without personalities or character traits. Allow me to continue with your example of me in high school (ouch!). I was shy, quiet, introverted, insecure and angsty. Think Hope from FFXIII but uglier and less talkative.
Interesting? No, not at all.
Someone I'd want as a character in a game? Dear God please no.
Still had defining characteristics? Yes.

Again, I didn't say you had NO personality traits as a teenager; I just said they were the obvious shy, awkward, enthusiastic nonsense, that Tali has as well. And btw, yes she does. Sure she doesn't hold a candle to the 100 year old war veterans she counts as peers. and that is neither suprising nor "bad" is all i'm sayin'...

 

[Jack and Calumon]

We're presented one of the only female characters on Mass Effect 2 who is awkward, shy, bashful yet full of spite in the face of the enemy who those she hates. Look at your other choices for romance too! Jack? She just wants to see the world burn, and while she does have a big backstory around her about why she's like that, she joins the others with that. Amanda is just a ***** who I can't like no matter how I try and that Asari needs to learn how to do up her jacket before I can ever want to do something with her. Tali had a unique personality, not gun crazy or work heavy, but instead more interested in shepherd, which was clear from the get-go in Mass Effect 2, rather than going off and seducing them. Not to mention we don't know what she, or any of her other brethren of her species look like, giving her an enormous amount of mystery about her.

Though, as I'm sure you saw it, I'm only mentioning Mass Effect 2. When Mass Effect 1 stops; A) Killing my processor (My computer sucks) B) Showing terrible driving sections, I'll get back to you.

Calumon: But, isn't it like how some people like me and some don't?

Jack: All down to opinion. Tali was the best romance option for a man in Mass Effect 2. Kelly would have been if she was more than a cocktease.