Scarlet Blade vs. Dragon's Crown (NSFW thread)

[Weaver]

I want to talk about this.

When the original trailer came out, some of us had a good laugh, but it seems to have been forgotten. Derelict into the confines of time. The premise is hilarious.

You can only play a female, you're like a cyborg, and the world is under attack by aliens. Oh, and she'll look like this:

Spoiler

Everything in the game is about sex, it seems. Even the vending machines have pictures of anime girls bending over to show you their ass on them (this picture):

Spoiler

Honestly, I think this is too hilarious to be taken seriously. In a weird way, I like seeing a game fully embracing what is essentially softcore pornography as an art direction; especially given how uptight most English speaking countries are about sexual portrayal.

I don't think there is any denying that this game was made to get horny teen boys excited, but I'm just more confused as to why there was no internet blow up about this. Why is this kind of thing passed by, but the sorceress from Dragon's Crown was such a huge problem? More to the point, having been around for longer, I'm curious as to why was there no uproar over this game?

I think, to me, it has to do with the fact this game is very honest with itself. There is no arguing "The character just sort of happened to be overly sexualized, sorry!" excuse. This is 100% about sex appeal. To be honest, I like that it's just coming out and not trying to sneak in an oversexualized character in the guise of a practical design or artstyle. There is no sneaking. It's flat out obvious and I sort of respect that.

Moreover, I'm wondering how many females would play this game. I ask, because like most of you, I have this game pegged as a guilty pleasure for after hours in an otaku bedroom, but this thread has a surprising amount of female players.

Obviously not everyone thinks the same way. Some females wouldn't care about the art style, some would like it, some would hate it; but some of the blow up over Dragon's Crown was people claiming females wouldn't enjoy the game if they were playing the sorceress due to her sexualized nature. I think we can chalk this up to being an entirely fallicious statement. Surely SOME females would, but some would not. I think this points to the error of making grand, sweeping claims about what people in each gender prefer their games to be like.

What do you think about it?

 

[PFCboom]

On a whim, I decided to actually play Scarlet Blade. Because, you know, I just have that kind of time. Like a couple others on Escapist, I have a soft spot in my heart for mindless grinding and questing in an MMO. My favorite parts of the Elder Scrolls games is when I could just start gathering quests and run around all the land. Scarlet Blade has just that, in spades. It didn't take long before I kinda stopped noticing the T&A, even during the moments when the game very blatantly shoved them in my face.
There's a big deal made over lingerie in the game, and... yeah, it makes a twisted kind of sense. If other games can have earrings and hats that somehow boost your muscular strength, why not your base layer of clothing?
You can be a giant mecha. Approved. Then later, you get a cybersuit, like battle armor. Also approved.
Bottom line: The game itself holds up, and brings in just a couple unique "cool" things that have me sold on the game itself. Sure, I didn't play it for too long, but I did enjoy my time when I did play.

And now we have Dragon's Crown. Once again, I have a soft spot in my heart for 2D beat-em-up's with a kinda artsy visual style. Odin Sphere, Muramasa, and now Dragon's Crown. Yup, the Sorceress is designed like a comically over-sexualized anime witch. Still don't care, because the game itself looks enjoyable.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Cant have an uproar about what you dont know about although I think uproar is a bit strong a storm in a teacup would be a better description of whats happening over Dragons Crown an uproar is more like what happened with ME3 and its ending.

People will find anything to complain about in games just like other media and visuals are an easy target and yes there would have been more complaints about Scarlet Blade except I dont think for one its that well known and secondly I dont think many would see it as a `proper` game its just another MMO in the thousands that seem to be about and go largely undetected by most people but seem to be able to sutain a large and largely silent and contented market at least thats what it seems like.

 

[generals3]

I Why is this kind of thing passed by, but the sorceress from Dragon's Crown was such a huge problem? More to the point, having been around for longer, I'm curious as to why was there no uproar over this game?

You must have missed the topic which ended up having more than 15 pages and locked due to the debate becoming quite heated.

 

[Tanis]

A game could have naked male and females for all I care.

As long as the game is GOOD...whatever.

 

[The Madman]

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only person on the internet that doesn't find those weird doll faced big breasted things even remotely attractive. The art for Dragon's Crown for example I just find completely hideous, men and woman characters alike. I realize it's meant to be 'exaggerated' but it just looks disgustingly disproportionate, I don't think I could ever play a game I find so bizarrely gross looking. Same thing here, I see nothing appealing about those pictures, the characters look like grotesque Asian barbies.

 

[sanquin]

Cant have an uproar about what you dont know about although I think uproar is a bit strong a storm in a teacup would be a better description of whats happening over Dragons Crown an uproar is more like what happened with ME3 and its ending.

People will find anything to complain about in games just like other media and visuals are an easy target and yes there would have been more complaints about Scarlet Blade except I dont think for one its that well known and secondly I dont think many would see it as a `proper` game its just another MMO in the thousands that seem to be about and go largely undetected by most people but seem to be able to sutain a large and largely silent and contented market at least thats what it seems like.

Good god man, have you ever heard of punctuation aside from a single period at the end of a paragraph?

That being said, you're probably right. Scarlet Blade doesn't seem to be well known, and most people will see the game as a joke. Just (again) something silly coming from china or japan or some such, whom seem to love making tons of perverted games. Not saying I see the game that way, but the general public might.

 

[sanquin]

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only person on the internet that doesn't find those weird doll faced big breasted things even remotely attractive. The art for Dragon's Crown for example I just find completely hideous, men and woman characters alike. I realize it's meant to be 'exaggerated' but it just looks disgustingly disproportionate, I don't think I could ever play a game I find so bizarrely gross looking. Same thing here, I see nothing appealing about those pictures, the characters look like grotesque Asian barbies.

"This is the internet. Whatever it is, you're never alone." Isn't that like one of the base rules of the internet? >.>

And to each their own. You might find it disgusting. A lot of people might. You and those others can just not play it then. For the people that do like it, let them have their fun.

 

[Kopikatsu]

I Why is this kind of thing passed by, but the sorceress from Dragon's Crown was such a huge problem? More to the point, having been around for longer, I'm curious as to why was there no uproar over this game?

You must have missed the topic which ended up having more than 15 pages and locked due to the debate becoming quite heated.

I actually made that topic. And yeah. Something interesting came out of it, though. Some of the people who'd played the game gave some information on the plot and setting, and apparently Scarlet Blade is actually pretty interesting and unique.

 

[The Madman]

"This is the internet. Whatever it is, you're never alone." Isn't that like one of the base rules of the internet? >.>

And to each their own. You might find it disgusting. A lot of people might. You and those others can just not play it then. For the people that do like it, let them have their fun.

It wasn't a serious comment. Of course I'm not alone, by and large people who enjoy that sort of art seem to be a minority, which is something I'm thankful for because I was being serious when I said I found it ugly. It's just oddly prevalent on the internet as well as in forums like this one, I imagine because there are a lot of anime fans around here and in gaming in general for some reason.

Not my style to be sure.