Video Game Character Design Soundoff

[Ragnorok64]

This is just a thread, inspired by discussion in the Street Fighter 4 thread, to discuss character some of your favorite and least favorite character designs. What series or companies seem to put out the best? Who puts out the worse? What do you like in a character design? What don't you like?

[Agent Helix]

The current ruling class of great character design is obviously Team Fortress 2. It's like a Pixar movie come to life, except every character is a homicidal schizophrenic.

[Ragnorok64]

I've only played at over at my friend's house on PS3, but it is indeed hilarious.

http://www.frools.net/tf2/happy.jpg
"Kabyooom!!"-Demo Man :D

[Black Atom]

Soul Calibur has pretty great designs. I'm not the biggest Final Fantasy fan, but the character designs in the series are usually superb.

[Deep_Sleeper]

I always thought most of, if not all, the characters from Dark Stalkers had great designs. Dmitri had to be one of the better designs by Capcom.

As well, my favourite under-rated character is Doctrine Dark from Street Fighter EX. Just so bad ass looking.

[Agent Helix]

Soul Calibur has pretty great designs. I'm not the biggest Final Fantasy fan, but the character designs in the series are usually superb.

They used to be. Now they're just "HOW MANY ZIPPERS CAN WE PUT ON THIS METROSEXUAL?".

[Ragnorok64]

They used to be. Now they're just "HOW MANY ZIPPERS CAN WE PUT ON THIS METROSEXUAL?".

Do you have any examples?

[Agent Helix]

Everything from Final Fantasy 8 up.

[Ragnorok64]

Everything from Final Fantasy 8 up.

Be more specific.

[Agent Helix]

Never mind.

[Jared_Humpherys]

I agree with Helix. Tetsuya Nomura is the Rob Liefeld of video game character design.

[Ragnorok64]

Never mind.

I'm not trying to shut you down. But seeing as this is the internet and there's a abundance of pics floating all around, it's within reason to ask you to post example of what you're talking about.

[Chiasm]

Pretty much every Japanese RPG character design ever made - give me real looking humans or not all. I did love Final Fantasy VII despite the designs on some characters but after that it just began to annoy me to death. The huge feet / hands, the vaguely animalistic look to some of them, and such bothered me.

And any character design that makes you think you've stepped into some furry fan's sexual fantasy.

[jesse_custer]

Final Fantasy VI has incredible character design. They look mythical yet human.

I also really dig the simplicity of Earthbound's character design.

But you'd be hardpressed to find more entertaining designs than those of the Street Fighter series.

Mortal Kombat gets most unoriginal character design award.

[Scott Evil]

Its old school, but I LOVED the Mega Man (Rock Man in the motherland):

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/kirkanos2882/mega.gif

Bonus points too for the inspired designs for Wily's robots. You can tell from the line up who Woodsman was from Cutsman. I'm not too sure where the franchise is now, but I loved the look of the character and his universe.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd84/Afroman137/MegaMegaMan.png

[Sanagi]

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9391/picture1gk7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Ragnorok64]

Pretty much every Japanese RPG character design ever made - give me real looking humans or not all. I did love Final Fantasy VII despite the designs on some characters but after that it just began to annoy me to death. The huge feet / hands, the vaguely animalistic look to some of them, and such bothered me.

And any character design that makes you think you've stepped into some furry fan's sexual fantasy.

On the other side of the spectrum though you've got games like KOTOR and KOTOR II where aside from Darths Malak, Sion, and Nihilus everyone was just rather bland. I'll take eccentric Asian designs over day over that, personally.

[StoneGold]

On the other side of the spectrum though you've got games like KOTOR and KOTOR II where aside from Darths Malak, Sion, and Nihilus everyone was just rather bland. I'll take eccentric Asian designs over day over that, personally.

There were a couple that stood out, especially if you started armoring up your guys the right way. But they are also locked into design from a certain standpoint, because it has to fit the Star Wars universe. Design for Jade Empire and Mass Effect got a bit more varied.


And this isn't quite character design, since you design them, but I love the art direction and the CAM mode on Rock Band. Fits the game quite well, and is a great cross between cartoony and realism.

[Bruceleehulk]

I like Simple designs, crazy and over the top designs usually put me off. like the designs in the Arc System new fighting game

Blazblue Character designs

http://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2aly5.jpg

http://img140.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1akv2.jpg


http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/41/vip443890mo9.jpg

edit: now as for Crimson Viper, some people over at Shoryuken.com like the design, but I personally don't. I think it needs some improvements, like make her suit fully button up and replace her undershirt with a white coller shirt, replace the gloves on her hands with full black gloves, give her some proper dress pants. Plus chaged the hair style to this and replace her glasses with shades.

http://2good2lose.com/braids/frenchbraid.jpg

edit: apparelty Crimso viper's hair style isn't new , Janet Jackson had a simliar bad hair style

http://i19.tinypic.com/8aef9c3.jpg

[Hitokiri]

Final Fantasy 1-6 artwork for the characters were amazing because Amano is one of the best contemporary artists. Nomura is good but not as good as Amano.

Metal Gear has awesome character designs.

DMC has some interesting boss creatures and Dante's look is awesome though borrowed from Vash.

[Young Avenger]

I like the designs Capcom comes up with in most of their games. Street Fighter, Dark Stalkers, Rival Schools, Devil May Cry, etc.

I like all the Castlevania desgins post-SotN.

[Hitokiri]

Yes Lament of Innocence had some cool designs, I paticulary liked Walter and Death. Alucard and Dracula have a cool Gothic look to them in SOTN though.