Early concept art depicted Tali as being hairless, with pale skin and cat-like eyes, described as "a little too alien" and potentially repellent to players, challenging their expectations. GamesRadar+ writers Mikel Reparaz and Tyler Nagata echoed this sentiment, feeling that her face should look unusual or unsettling, citing the game's other races. However, this idea was ultimately dropped in favor of an attractive, human-like appearance. The use of a Photoshopped stock photo (of Miss England model Hammasa Kohistani) met with wide criticism from fans, who believed it to be rushed. Kotaku ' s Luke Plunkett, describing it as a "crushing disappointment", highlighted an artwork by deviantArt artist "K4ll0" that depicted a more alien face. Some critics debated the significance of her appearance, with GameZone ' s Matt Liebl saying that "no matter what [the developers] did, it would be met with criticism". Fans also expressed disappointment that her face was revealed in a picture, while the romantic scene between her and Shepard was cut far shorter than other characters, and attempted to make replacement scenes to "fix" the omission.