Where's All The Character-Design Protesters For This One?

[Fox12]

Well, I have seen plenty of complaints about The Witcher and the Hundred Knight, but there are a few reasons why Dragons Crown got more notice.

First of all, there was a lot of drama surrounding Dragons Crown, and the situation escalated quickly. Someone criticized it, and the creator responded with adolescent remarks and art. His response was basically "lol ur gay." This is what got everyone really talking about the game, since the reviewer and creator both started acting like 14 year old gits. To my knowledge, that hasn't happened with the games you mentioned.

Another reason is that Dragons Crown became what we call a political "football." Kind of like Joe the Plumber back in 2008. Dragons Crown just happened to be around at the right time and place. The debate was never really about Dragons Crown at all, it was about feminism. Dragons Crown was just the example everyone used because it was new, and because it perfectly captured what the debate happened to be about. We can't argue about every instance of sexualization in gaming, so we pick specific well known examples instead. The examples don't really matter, they're just a reference. Dragons Crown basically just ended up being exhibit A. What matters are the ideas being expressed.

 

[PirateRose]

Probably because it's not advertised as much? Especially here in the states. I had no idea it existed till it's release today. Judging by your post being today, you have no idea it existed till today either.

Plus, the giant bouncing boobs grabbing all sorts of attention and being a focus in the game vs game with the tiny boobs that are not being a focus in the game.

That's where the inconsistency comes in. Boobs are in general, highly offensive. Women can't even feed their babies in public with a blanket covering them and people get upset when little girls go topless because female + nipples count. The more apparent and/or bigger the boobs, the more offensive people find it. When boobs cross that unrealistic line, where a woman shouldn't even be able to stand straight, then you get more additional upset people.

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

It could be that no one knows about "Witch and the Hundred Knight". I didn't till I saw it reviewed, but it also could be that the sorceress is just worse. I recall a lot of the sorceress pictures had her putting object in her cleavage or contorting her body into stranger and stranger "sexy" poses.

 

[Inazuma1]

Can I just say that that Witch and the Hundred Knight art looks fucking terrible? If you want to create controversy about the dangers of horrible art design then I guess I'm with you, but you won't get anything else out of me because that art is butt ugly.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I might be cynical, but I freely admit to feeling bad looking at male fighting game characters and not having that body. I wish often they would cover up so I don't have to judge myself so harshly.

So I'll hazard to say for at least some women... Those big bouncy things strapped on the Sorceress promotes an impossible standard that most people think that those attracted to women want to see. The little girl with her weirdly somewhat feminine figure? Hell, almost anyone can do that. Now, I'm sure there are people who are weight conscious who can take issue about that side of her form, mind you...

 

[chikusho]

Wow, usually you need to get at least one page in before you see the amount of strawmanning going on in the OP in this one.

OT: There are a few differences between the two designs. The main ones being that the Dragons Crown Witch has her design based around just two enormous, impossible, flopping character traits, while the "Witch and a *something something*" seems like too much of a cartoon to be considered as heavily sexualized. Also, what the hell is "Witch and *so and so*"?

 

[DementedSheep]

I don?t even know who the second one is and she doesn't appear to have gigantic giggling breast to level of the sorceress or be posed breaking her back to get t&a into view at the same time while shoving a skeleton into her tits and a staff into her ass crack. In fact her pose isn't really implying anything sexual at all which makes her much better than many woman in games even those wearing more fabric than her. It's not just the amount of fabric that makes a character over-sexed or not. Posing, animations and expression makes just as much if not a more of a difference. You can have a character dressed in an nuns dress (as in the actual nun dress not one with corsets an leather) and have them way more sex'ed up than the picture you're showing.

Note: I don't care about dragon crown. The entire artstyle is hideous and over-exaggerated. Just saying they don't look on the same level to me. At least not when taken on their own.

 

[Phasmal]

Maybe because in one characters art, while they are showing a lot of skin, they're posed upright, have relatively sensible proportions and aren't breaking their back to show of the tittays and ass at the same time while shoving a staff up their ass and a skull down their top?

... Just guessing.

 

[norashepard]

My guess here is that Dragon's Crown's Sorceress (or whatever she's called) is only exaggerated in the sexual places, while this other character is clearly exaggerated EVERYWHERE. I mean look at that hair. Also, her chest is bouncing wildly while this other character's isn't? I don't know. Dragon's Crown was just ridiculous. Finally, this character doesn't have the freaking pouty face, and the art clearly ISN'T accentuating the sex appeal part of things, yet another thing Dragon's Crown did.

It might also just be that yeah, people are jaded and bored of fighting against the ridiculousness of JRPGs and other distinctly Japanese art. It's just kind of expected.

But yeah basically the whole discussion is silly. Half the people think naked = always bad, and the other half think it's always 'artistic freedom'. But it's got nothing to do with any of that. Artists have been drawing naked ladies (and men) for years and years, but they never got attacked for it? Know why? Because they did it respectfully. That's literally it. If you draw nasty tentacle porn or whatever then YEAH people are going to call it out. If you draw the body with respect though, without the fetishization aspect, everything is just groovy.

 

[Gamer87]

The second character doesn't make my boobs hurt just looking at her. That's probably it.

Seriously, the Dragon's Crown character would be in so much pain from that jiggling and bouncing.

 

[Supdupadog]

Cuz one has lovingly animated water melon breasts that jiggle and swing as she takes ridiculously suggestive poses while the other is a diminutive cartoon.

If you think the main problem is how much skin is showing then you clearly don't even understand what people are taking issue with in the first place and need to go get some perspective or stop talking.

If your going to join in on the character design speal, actually learn how to examine art.

 

[FoolKiller]

Why raise an uproar about the sorceress from Dragon's Crown and not Lulu from FFX (just as another example)?

To actually answer this question, I would say that Lulu actually looks normal. Yes, she had a strapless, shoulderless gown on and ample breasts compared to Rikku and Yuna but in no way was she actually out of the norm. In fact, she was wearing more clothing than almost anyone else in that party except maybe Auron.

 

[Charli]

Jiggle physics man. Jiggle physics.

If they don't jiggle, a larger swathe of people can suspend their disbelief and avert attention.

If they're RIGHT THERE, bouncy and shiny and the focus of nearly all the weight in the characters animation...? Yeah I can see how that would exasperate a large audience.

 

[go-10]

but Dragon's Crown is actually good while The Witch and The Hundred Knight sucks...

just realized this thread isn't about video games It's about boobs, which I happen to like a lot, so ummm...

yay boobs?

 

[Lieju]

So I'll hazard to say for at least some women... Those big bouncy things strapped on the Sorceress promotes an impossible standard that most people think that those attracted to women want to see.

I can only speak for myself, but characters like the sorceress make me feel uncomfortable because having your tits bounce around like that hurts. There is a reason women wear sports-bras while jogging or doing any sports...

Of course boring and bad character-designs for women is another issue. Dragon's Crown's sorceress would have been just silly-looking on her own, but the game overused the 'sexy female' thing...

Also, I'm a lesbian, so I can certainly appreciate a nice bouncy chest, but, you know, time and place for it.
And the chest-physics in most cases just look silly anyway.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

What, is that it?

I was execting boobs twice the size of the characters head, what a rip...

In all seriousness, there were several factors both outside and inside that caused Dragons Crown to explode the way it did.

Factors this game doesn't have.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

If I had to take a stab in the dark, its because the Witch here, while sporting enough hair to give Rapunzel a run for her money and a hat big enough to double as a tent, the rest of her is pretty proportionate.

 

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

I don't understand why people say that Metallia lacks sex appeal compared to the sorceress. I think Metallia is more attractive in every way, barring personality, since I don't particularly care for her and the sorceress' personalities (or lackthereof, as the case may be). Personally, I think the sorceress looks kinda gross.

I think the main issue is that the sorceress was all big, flopping tits and ass. I mean, when you think of her, what else do you think of? Comparatively, Metallia's design is more complex and visually interesting. Instead of only her breasts being big (and not actually THAT big, relatively speaking), her entire design is exaggerated. She's got a gigantic, intricate hat, spindly limbs, a huge amount of hair and the characteristic big anime eyes. When I think of Metallia, I think of her huge-ass hat and hair, her striking green eyes and exposed midriff at least as much as her boobs. Even more prominent than her physical appearance, however, is her personality, which is at least as cartoonishly exaggerated than her body. The sorceress doesn't quite have that blessing.

Also, it's kind of par for the course for NIS. Someone else brought up Etna (the "controversy" surrounding her body, I'm not gonna get into). Etna's outfit is basically the worst NIS has to offer. Metallia isn't so bad.

 

[Sabitsuki]

Contrary to popular belief, a lot of the issue with the Sorceress (and Amazon) weren't just that she had massive breasts or was in skimpy clothes. She was bent and twisted in every frame and piece of artwork to be the most sexually exploitative as possible. She had ridiculous running and jumping cycles, nearly all of her frames were dedicates to, in some way, exposing her cleavage or making her jut out her chest and bounce in a silly fashion.
On top of that the game also have the aforementioned Amazon who had similar issues with a massive amount of her character being dedicated to showing off her butt. Additionally a large portion of female NPCs were almost exclusively seen in ways to make them as sexually tantalizing as possible, and a disturbing number of them put into helpless or submissive poses.

The sorceress may have been the face of the issues, but the problems with Dragons Crown in terms of its treatment of female characters were numerous and constant throughout. There is much more to issues like this than 'Characters in skimpy/unrealistic clothes and/or with big breasts.' Sex appeal is not, in itself, a problem. The problem is the treatment of women and female characters at large as nothing but walking sources of sexual fantasy. Lulu is a strong and well written character in both story and gameplay, she also has a bit of sex appeal from the design of her outfit, but the game never attempts to emphasize that over other facets of her character.

 

[Phasmal]

I can only speak for myself, but characters like the sorceress make me feel uncomfortable because having your tits bounce around like that hurts. There is a reason women wear sports-bras while jogging or doing any sports...

Yeah, it's kind of like how guys flinch sometimes when they see another guy get hit in the nuts.
Like... whenever I see her walk animation I just think `ow`.