Post some godawful video game character designs

[Chimpzy]

Boredom struck. Vidya games characters. Some are cool designs. Some are just ... not. Let's find some really shitty ones.

I submit for your consideration.

Spoiler: Kanna (Blaster Master Zero)

Wtf is that? The stupid outfit. The spout on the tip of the shoes. The watermelon color scheme on the oversized tits cuz "melons, get it?"

Spoiler: Luso (FF Tactics A2)

Two words. Pizza cutter.

Spoiler: Nooj (FFX2)

I mean, fucking look at it.

Spoiler: Cole (Infamous)

It's a dude in street clothes. That's it. They protag'd a generic background npc. At least Watch Dog dude had an 'iconic' cap.

 

[BrawlMan]

Spoiler: DmC Stygian

A lot of the enemy designs in this game look like shit and looks like they came out of Marlyin Mansion Music Video.

Spoiler: Streets of Rage 4 (Dylan and Blaze)

Not god awful, but weird designs. There is no reason for Blaze to be wearing earrings that big, when she never done so before. With Dylan, I actually prefer his original Yakuza/delinquent design. But still, why fight with your hands constantly in your pocket?

 

[Elvis Starburst]

I might add another later, but for a recent example I can think of...

Spoiler: Alear

Even as a major JRPG nerd who likes over the top designs that come from it, this is just dopey looking. The male version is ridiculous with the weird poofy pants and suspenders, as well as the pointy shoes. The female version is slightly better, but why are we mixing a mini skirt with a cloak and armor like hers? Don't get me started on the hair and eyes. Heterochromia is already designing a character in a way that's supposed to make them special (I rarely see it as anything that actually adds to the character in any way and instead is just a tool to make them special in a very surface level way, but this might just be me seeing too much of it on the online character art space). But to apply that design to the hair too? What the hell is going on with that. Two tone hair is totally fine normally, but not in this weird split style we have going on here, at least in my opinion

 

[wings012]

I never played the game but this one lady from Star Ocean 5.

Spoiler: Fiore Brunelli

I have nothing against sexy designs but hmm. What is this.

 

[Dreiko]

I never played the game but this one lady from Star Ocean 5.

Spoiler: Fiore Brunelli

I have nothing against sexy designs but hmm. What is this.

That actually looks like some sort of fortuneteller/witch look with a bit of dancer catgirl vibes to it, it's a staple of sultry and seductive Jrpg outfit designs and very nice. The hat is really intricate too. Here's the default thing this is inspired by for reference.

And to be on topic, I actually don't play much of anything if I dislike the designs so it was kinda hard coming up with something (and I don't seek out stuff to dislike so I can't pull from the wider pool of stuff I've not played) but one game which was really badly designed that I did play mainly for the story and roleplaying was The Outer Worlds. The monsters and the guns looked cool but every char looked gross in that game lol, like intentionally designed to be unappealing to the eye.

Like I know they were trying to compete with bethesda and all but you don't have to outdo Skyrim in ugliness, that's the wrong way of competition lol.

 

[wings012]

That actually looks like some sort of fortuneteller/witch look with a bit of dancer catgirl vibes to it, it's a staple of sultry and seductive Jrpg outfit designs and very nice. The hat is really intricate too. Here's the default thing this is inspired by for reference.

I have nothing against her hat or the general theme/tones but you can't convince me that the checkerboard suit is nothing short of ridiculous.

 

[Chimpzy]

Dan (Xenogears)

A 50yo posing as a kid and someone needs to call the cops

 

[Gordon_4]

Dan (Xenogears)

A 50yo posing as a kid and someone needs to call the cops

Tell me you've played Pokemon Scarlet and Violet without telling me you've played Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.


On that subject:

No grown up should ever be caught, alive OR dead, wearing an outfit like this. Ever.

 

[Chimpzy]

Tell me you've played Pokemon Scarlet and Violet without telling me you've played Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.


On that subject:

No grown up should ever be caught, alive OR dead, wearing an outfit like this. Ever.

What is that supposed to be? A pasty middle aged dude in an elementary school uniform?

 

[Gordon_4]

What is that supposed to be? A pasty middle aged dude in an elementary school uniform?

Let me set the scene. The newest Pokemon games take place in Pokemon Not!Spain. The MC goes to one of those exclusive academy things - Pokemon Hogwarts essentially - and that abomination against God and Christendom is the uniform. It charitably looks OK on the kid characters, except this Hogwarts takes what we call mature age students and yet they are all obligated to wear this nonsense. I know Japan as a country is one of the last holdouts with compulsory uniforms for school students (aside from private and/or religious schools) but somehow I doubt students at the University of Tokyo are wearing their old high school uniforms.

I also doubt students from the University of Barcelona wear uniforms either. And if they did they'd look a helluva lot more stylish than this waste of fabric.

 

[Casual Shinji]

All elf races in any Elder Scrolls game.

Whenever I attempt to make an elf character in Skyrim I desperately try to un-fuck that whole face.

It be so simple to just have a human face with pointy ears, but nooooo.

 

[Baffle]

Spoiler: Cole (Infamous)

It's a dude in street clothes. That's it. They protag'd a generic background npc. At least Watch Dog dude had an 'iconic' cap.

Listens to Blink 182. Has a barcode tattoo. Apologies to anyone these things apply to, I was alive then too.

 

[Dreiko]

I have nothing against her hat or the general theme/tones but you can't convince me that the checkerboard suit is nothing short of ridiculous.

I think the motif is supposed to be like a card-using fortune teller dressed in the diamond card suit, that's what made this seem to me like someone who'd have tarrot cards or the like.

 

[Hawki]

https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Sherawat (Why yes,BSAA operatives DO wear high heels into biohazard zones)

https://xenoblade.fandom.com/wiki/Lila (why? Just, why?)

 

[Thaluikhain]

https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Sherawat (Why yes,BSAA operatives DO wear high heels into biohazard zones)

She's not wearing pants, she's wearing a pant?

(One thing I noticed about the first couple of Resident Evil films, they tried to come up with justifications for why the female characters were wearing stupid outfits)

 

[XsjadoBlaydette]

Can't beat Japan in this topic TBF.

Spoiler: Squeenix Batman

Spoiler: OILMAN!

Spoiler: Conker redesign for dumb AR game attempt

Spoiler: Megaman cover art design

Tho don't like the original Megaman design much, even I can admit that is immeasurably worse.

Spoiler: Whoever this is from RE Revelations just bothers me

 

[MrCalavera]

That is a great look for a space-themed rave, or an UFO suicide cult meeting. Not so much for being a RE game enemy.

 

[Terminal Blue]

Sometimes, I find myself trying to explain to people why they should go back and play Planescape Torment and why it's one of the best games ever made.. and then I remember..



To immediately preempt, I think the basic concept of this look is fine, and the vast majority of fan artists seem to be able to keep it intact while fixing the problems. This is about execution, and also whatever the fuck was going on with aesthetics in the 90s comic and fantasy art scene.

Like, all I can imagine is some 90s guy sitting there thinking "Fuck boob window, that shit's pedestrian, we need the belly button window."

Admittedly, most of these are vastly more horrible. This one just really bothers me because the game is so good.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Any of the primary characters from Clive Barker's Clive Barker's Jericho (by Clive Barker).

Square acres of black leather? Check. "Cool" guns? Check-aroni. Ninja chick with katana and sideboobs? You bet. Beefy dude with gun-arm? Uh-huh. It was all the worst excesses of the '90s... in 2007.

The enemies didn't fare much better.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Spoiler: Donte (DmC:DMC)

Admittedly, there's nothing inherently wrong with this character's punk-rocker-without-a-cause aesthetic, but the problem comes when they tried to convince us that this guy would grow up to be the Dante we know and love, which was how the game was originally marketed. And does the UK even exist in the setting?