Castlevania LoI boxart

[FuryFox]

Originally posted by Wilykat
I don't mind messing with the Belmont style. I mean, we've gone from this:

I'm not sure how fair that is...I could pull old Mega-Man art that makes him look retarded too, and probably many other games. The Belmont's tradtional look could certainly have been updated as the tastes and gaming demographic evolved, just like anything else.

pic:

Doesn't look too pussy if you ask me.

Yeah, that guy looks all right, and markedly different than the other recent offerings.

I'll give you Soma Cruz, though. He looked like a twig wearing a fur coat.

Yeah, he was the straw that broke the camel's back. If not for him, there probably wouldn't be such discussion about this new piece of art. It's a shame, since his game was so good, though.

[Mr-K]

I like the box art a lot. I'm gonna have to say that the design looks great. You don't have to be butch to fight vampires. Besides I think the more elegant look is more badass.

[Hero]

Originally posted by FuryFox
Also, Hero, what are you talking about? People complain about the DOA girls, and others like Lara Croft, all the time. That's one of the most commonly raised criticisms among female anime/game/comic design.

AFAIK, whenever a game comes out with "HOT ACTION GURL" as a character, guys go "WHOA...SHE'S SO F*CKING HAWT!" Not, "Dude, how can she do flips and NOT break that twiggy-ass back with boobs like those?"

Sure, I've heard people say Lara Croft is ugly, or that the DoA girls have 'no ass,' but aside from very few people have I ever heard someone question the 'realism' in game females. Why? Because guys like the way they look.

Guys don't like controlling 'pretty boys' though - or so it seems. To me it makes not one matter of difference, male or female, when it comes to the believability of a character. I know they're all fake anyway, so what I look for when praising/complaining about characters, are the design, style, and whether or not they appeal to me.

Kojima does draw a lot of 'the same thing' but so does Madureria (sp), Scott Campbell, Tetsuya Nomura, Amano, and on and on. There's a difference between having your 'style' and just drawing the same EXACT thing, but with a new hairstyle or whatnot. I don't think Kojima doesn't try to make characters look different (look at the Castlevania Cronicles - she can draw muscles o_O), so much as the light, flowly, porcelin characters and heavy, dark goth archetecture are her 'niche.' Heck, I don't care much for one willowy man after the next, but Kojima IS good at what she does, and there is no standard or 'believable' way for which to represent Belmonts. Or any character.

I guess that's what I can't get my head around. If you don't like the style, artwork, whatever then fine. But to say you don't like it because it's not convincing or realistic enough? Games are the last place to demand realism in characters.

PS - Dante's a pretty boy, and there wasn't a hullabaloo about his 'ass-kickiveness.' Or look at Chaos Legion. It seems like its popular to do morbid worlds with pretty-boys these days.

[§eraphim]

Gothic trends have always been associated with femmy guys, I see nothing wrong with this nor using characters like that in Castlevania games. I agree on both points that they should have kept the femminess to the vamperic side, but theres also the fact about where the Belmonts got their power from. Perhaps that side of the blood gets stronger with each generation, heance the recent characters. :]
(Ok, chances are thats BS, but a least it fits storywise)

[EvilMog]

Where are the rugged Conan like characters these days?!
Did they die with 8 bit?



Maybe thats why Solid Snake appeals to so many people. Hes a fucking mans man. Not a damn sissy boy. Theres a reason everyone hates Raiden. He belongs in a damn Final Fantasy game!

[FuryFox]

Damn it all, why are people just jumping to conclusions. At this point, it has just come to opinion. I feel that Dante, D, Sephiroth, and many more are able to retain their empirical aesthetic beauty, and still convey the strengths and motivations of their character. I thought Alucard did as well...I do not feel, however, that many of Amano's recent designs convey the same strengths as a character, even if they look similar to other pretty characters. Never did I say there was a problem with all pretty male characters...just that the trend in the character art for lead Castlevania characters. It is a very narrow criticism. The gothic style and quality of her work are both nicely executed and appropriate, there's no argument there.

Stop saying all I want is muscle-bound action heroes with big packages and busty bimbos draped off their arms...and for the record, the diversity in Joe Madureira's character designs was one of his greatest assets, so I'm not sure where you were going there (his style, though, is obviously consistent within a work; that is expected...just like Amano).

[680x0]

The real Dracula

[Space Pirate Roberts]

Originally posted by FuryFox
First off, the problem isn't that some characters look that way. Alucard was mighty damn cool with his design. The problem is that new characters, who are not vampires (like Meyer and D and Alucard) still look wispy and exactly the same. It seems more like she only does those type of characters, not that the story should dictate all new vampire hunters are pale, white-haired porcelain dolls. I understand the stylistic preference, but it seems like everyone thought Alucard was cool, so they just kept going with that.

It makes sense again with Soma though, since he is himself a vampire, albeit of spirit rather than blood.

Originally posted by Hero
PS - Dante's a pretty boy, and there wasn't a hullabaloo about his 'ass-kickiveness.'

I disagree; he wasn't rendered that way until the second game, and there was plenty of bitching.

[voltz]

Originally posted by EvilMog007
Where are the rugged Conan like characters these days?!
Did they die with 8 bit?

That they did. Ever since we've seen how cool Tom Cruise looked in "interview with a vampire", konomi has been at a restless pace to copy that look starting with Alucard and then every Belmont, or main character for what it's worth.

[Opaque]

What? Good Castlevania art? I'm so suprised!