Best character customization?

AcacianLeaves

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I know a lot of people don't find character customization important, but it's one of my favorite aspects of most RPG-style games. I know it's basically just like playing dress-up with a dolly, but God help me I love it so very much. I love creating my own personalized being to my exact specifications and then watching that creation interact with the gameworld and setting.

Unfortunately I don't think many games have really succeeded in manufacturing a robust character customization system. Many games have a great 'character creation' system, but then you get saddled with a very limited selection of armor, clothing, or weapons. Oblivion and Fallout 3 are great examples of this. Yeah, I could spend an hour crafting an exact image of myself - but very soon into the game I'd be wearing full power armor or whatever the 'nut' item for my chosen specialization is.

A lot of MMOs have very good character customization, but even then you are more or less aiming for the exact same gear that everyone else in your class is aiming for. Warhammer Online has done pretty well avoiding this with their dye/accessory/trophy system, but even then characters of the same class tend to look very same-y.

So my question to you, Escapists, is what is a game that you have played that you feel has the best character customization system in all of gaming? I mean from creation through leveling and into a final 'ideal' character.
 

SleepyOtter

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Well Reach looks good in that department but I guess any Rpg has it as well.
O and Farcry Instincts also
 

sketch_zeppelin

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Saints Row 2. you can make the character look anyway you want. you can even choose the voice and animations for the character and since the game has no armor you can dress them how you want without robbing them of they're indivuality and its a blast to see your creation during the in game cut scenes
 

kouriichi

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Of all gaming ever?

APB. All Points Bulletin.

To be honest, the game itself is kinda lack luster. But ive spent closer to 20 hours in the "Social" district. That means ive more or less spent 20 hours customizing my character and Vehical.

Id say thats pretty impressive of a character creator.

Or Neverwinter Nights 2. I spent an hour trying to build the perfict character to fit my style of play, and if i could, i would copy-paste the creation system to every other game out there.
 

Fiend Dragon

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As far as any game that I've played so far, All Points Bulletin.

Say what you will about APB, you can't deny it has absolutely amazing character customization tools. Spend enough time in it and you can pretty much make your character look any way you want, and for the most part, right when you first start. There are a few cool pieces you have to unlock but they are not too hard to get. Not to mention you can create intricate designs with primitive shapes into basically anything, then tattoo them onto your character or clothing anywhere you want. Enough layers and you can create some pretty awesome things.

sketch_zeppelin said:
Saints Row 2. you can make the character look anyway you want. you can even choose the voice and animations for the character and since the game has no armor you can dress them how you want without robbing them of they're indivuality and its a blast to see your creation during the in game cut scenes
Saints Row 2 also had a really nice character customization engine. The animation and voice selections were sweet. APB still takes it for me though because SR2 was pretty easy to make hideous characters, and the clothing options were a little limiting.
 

Sacman

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Star Wars Galaxies... I know the game was crap the amount of character customization was insane...
 

Korten12

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Fiend Dragon said:
As far as any game that I've played so far, All Points Bulletin.

Say what you will about APB, you can't deny it has absolutely amazing character customization tools. Spend enough time in it and you can pretty much make your character look any way you want, and for the most part, right when you first start. There are a few cool pieces you have to unlock but they are not too hard to get.
kouriichi said:
Of all gaming ever?

APB. All Points Bulletin.

To be honest, the game itself is kinda lack luster. But ive spent closer to 20 hours in the "Social" district. That means ive more or less spent 20 hours customizing my character and Vehical.

Id say thats pretty impressive of a character creator.

Or Neverwinter Nights 2. I spent an hour trying to build the perfict character to fit my style of play, and if i could, i would copy-paste the creation system to every other game out there.
This, the game was OKAY but the character customization was just amazing...
 

kouriichi

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Korten12 said:
Fiend Dragon said:
As far as any game that I've played so far, All Points Bulletin.

Say what you will about APB, you can't deny it has absolutely amazing character customization tools. Spend enough time in it and you can pretty much make your character look any way you want, and for the most part, right when you first start. There are a few cool pieces you have to unlock but they are not too hard to get.
kouriichi said:
Of all gaming ever?

APB. All Points Bulletin.

To be honest, the game itself is kinda lack luster. But ive spent closer to 20 hours in the "Social" district. That means ive more or less spent 20 hours customizing my character and Vehical.

Id say thats pretty impressive of a character creator.

Or Neverwinter Nights 2. I spent an hour trying to build the perfict character to fit my style of play, and if i could, i would copy-paste the creation system to every other game out there.
This, the game was OKAY but the character customization was just amazing...
Exactly.
If you love making a 1 of a kind, absolutly unique butterfly thats your own bundle of drug smuggling ((or smuggling preventing)) joy!

I even liked my character enough to remake him as my minecraft avatar.
 

lovest harding

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Definitely Saints Row 2.
The only problem with it is that in all cutscenes every main character will always act the same (and if I say, put my female character in a suit and high heels, she will still talk like a jackass and comment about strippers).
Not a big deal, but when I can choose to give my character a sexy lady-walk, I expect her to act like a lady a not a creepy lesbian gangster (that's not to say I wouldn't want her to be a lesbian, just not a thug).
Plus, it's pretty awesome playing with weights and body structure (it's incredibly easy to make a transgender character, as you can create a woman with a male body or a man with a female body and any variation in between). Keep in mind that if you play as a woman, you're already an automatic transgender as the main character is the main character from the first game (who could only be a man).

I do send out props to Fable II's dye system though. The character is limited (especially considering that height and muscle are tied to skills which is a pain in the ass, but at least you can adjust that stuff and weight), but I've spent hours combining clothing and dying it perfectly so that it looks like it's meant to go together without actually being an overly-matched cheerleader-esque outfit. xD
 

subject_87

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I've played some Saints Row 2, and man is it in-depth. My character was a Hispanic guy with an Australian accent, and it just had my friends and me cracked up.
 

Echo136

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Saints Row 2 I would say, and Ive played a lot of RPGs. None of them even come close to the customization you can do in SR2.
 

Zack5777

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Mabinogi by nexon, its a free mmorpg that is very customizable, all items (even non equipable items) are colored randomly when you acquire them so all equiptment looks unique. Also, armors fall ionto classes that have the same stats, this in conjunction with the enchantment system means you can wear pretty much whatever you want and still be effective(Some people rather use enchanted clothing to armor). This and a good dye/crafting system leaves most people looking unique and exactly as you want.
 

StarCecil

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Dragon Age. It has basic race/class/look but is one of the few RPGs I've seen to allow you to make a real personality in the game that is actual involved in the events as opposed to just in your head.
 

Guy32

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I thought Aion customization was way above average, but, like others have been saying, APB blows everything else out of the water.