Japanese Nier Hero was "Too Girly" for Americans

[Eldarion]

Enough with this effeminate nonsense, real people don't look like that!

I look like that.

 

[Baralak]

So in the world of gaming today I can either play as a gritty ugly behemoth of a man drowning in violence and misery, or I could play as a bitter androgynous teenager. Is it too much to ask for some kind of third option?

There is. his name is Mario.

 

[Blueruler182]

Square Enix has made a fortune selling effeminate men to Americans (not sure about Europeans), why would they start caring now?

 

[Cod of War]

At most you look like Ricky Martin, really fair and somewhat skinny. Not someone who can put on a wig and pretend to be a girl. Once again, I demand the everyman approach

EDIT:

There is a lack of british-ness in the gaming world.

 

[sougo13]

I would like to bring, "Muscle March" Into the Argument.

Calumon: ...0.o It... Burrrnnnsss...

Oh my...w..hat? w..hy? Why? *vomit* WHY!!?

 

[Vigilantis]

I'll take the badass old guy over the androgynous teen any day, but in the end, does it really matter? They should spend more time on making the game good and less on worrying whether their main character looks cool enough.

That sums up my thoughts perfectly, infact if it came down to it, a great story+gameplay mechanics could make the exception to want to play a adrogynous teen in a game. Then again...old guys just have that awesomeness to them.

So the Japanese 360 version had the Macho guy, or was it only on PS3?

I think it clearly says only the Japanese Ps3 version got the girly version.

 

[Bobzer77]

*cough Cloud could have wielded that sword cough*

I don't mind having a Bishonen male lead they had for the final fantasy games.

I prefer those characters. If people don't like the effeminate characters, why are they playing my fantasy games?

*Japanese Fantasy Games

I don't mind playing an effeminate character but the angsty, frail, overemotional characters really wear me down. I realise they are trying to make their characters easy to relate to but I find those kinds of characters as hard to relate to (and more annoying) than macho american characters (which admittedly are also quite annoying).

Also,

who look like they play American football."

Rugby is a real mans game ; )

Spoiler

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

"A lot of people were arguing for making only the macho old guy version for cost reasons, and we were saying, 'But if we don't make a girly version we'll lose heart and it'll take even longer'

Is it just me, or is that chain of reasoning absolutely hilarious? Because I'm pretty sure it's hilarious - they're telling us that not making yet another massively over-effeminate pansy, just like they do in all their other games, would be so disheartening to the design team that it would make them miss their deadlines.

Oh Japan, your obsession with men that are indistinguishable from women will never cease to amuse and befuddle me.

 

[Shadowflame66]

If skinnier men could not wield giant swords, anime would not exist.

But seriously, shouldn't a game's character be tailored to look like... I dunno... The game's character? Shouldn't the characters themselves be the reasoning behind the appearance?

I'd prefer that, really. More individuality. Come up with the character, make the appearance match it whatever it needs to be. -Then- make it cool. Give gamers credit, we're not all stereotypes.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

So the Japanese 360 version had the Macho guy, or was it only on PS3?

I think it clearly says only the Japanese Ps3 version got the girly version.

I meant was there a Japanese 360 version made? It would be quite weird for two copies of the same game to be so different sold in the same country.

 

[Cod of War]

How about a character who can switch at will between various Male body stereotypes including effeminate and you can play as the one you like? Oh and different bodies have different abilities!

 

[Truly-A-Lie]

This is why I like Nathan Drake. Besides personality, which I don't find to be annoying, he's a good alternative to the Japanese obsession with androgyny or a horde of guys built like Marcus Fenix. I wish more games would have the sort of everyman look for their characters instead of these two extremes.

 

[WafflesToo]

There does seem to be a definate divergence between Japanese and American tastes that can be summed up in one quote taken from a man who was shown Gears of War.

"Why would I want to play as the bad guy".

To us, Fenix looks ridiculous, to them he looks villainous.

PS I hate the nancy-girl emo fucktard direction they took things in after FFVI. Gimme Setzer, Locke, Edgar, and Cyan back! You know, actual functional human beings!

 

[NickCaligo42]

I can't help but feel that this was an incredibly patronizing and insulting turn.

So in the world of gaming today I can either play as a gritty ugly behemoth of a man drowning in violence and misery, or I could play as a bitter androgynous teenager. Is it too much to ask for some kind of third option?

Yes, that too. What the hell, Square? I hate both of these stereotypes.

 

[UnusualStranger]

Hell, you know what I want? I want a character that makes some damn sense. While I do like the reasoning that he would need to be muscled to wield a sword that size, what the hell is the point of it? Why not be somewhat skinnier and smaller, but wield a sword with the effect of using one about that size?

Though I must confess, a lot of the times over angsty characters piss me off because they are in the middle of saving the world or what have you, then suddenly get all depressed.

MAN, you are saving the damn world? To hell with it. You can't even pull yourself together enough to do that without becoming a whiny idiot.

 

[Eldarion]

Hell, you know what I want? I want a character that makes some damn sense.

Maybe FANTASY games aren't for you XD

 

[Jared]

Ill admit it certailny did that have feel to it...which is prolly a reason why they also didnt advertise too heavy on it

 

[KeyMaster45]

I'm almost offended that they think we wouldn't accept a non-macho main character. Granted roid rage badassery does tend to move games very well here in the states, but still it almost comes as a smack in the face. Like they're saying we're not cultured enough to appreciate the less macho character wielding a sword 3 times his size.....no wait...they're right on that one. Just thinking about the sword to body type ratio this game could have had makes me not want to play it, not like I really wanted to play it to begin with mind you.

 

[DarkHourPrince]

*cough Cloud could have wielded that sword cough*

I don't mind having a Bishonen male lead they had for the final fantasy games.

I agree, The Bishonen path seemed to have worked for every final fantasy they made, why change it up just for an American Viewpoint.

However, I did like the idea of a father/daughter relationship. Seems like a nice change up from the normal stuff.

I've never played Nier, but I do like the sound of a father/son viewpoint. If it comes form japan,y ou almost expect the main hero to be "girlier" escpecially after years of Final Fantasy.