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Favourite character visualisations

Abertay University students discuss their favourite video game character visualisations.
9.7
I really like Saria, because she looks very strong and powerful. And so I connect a lot. I guess I would pick Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. Basically, like, striking, the visually striking is like, you have to [INAUDIBLE].. It’s like a big katana and the long hair and just the way he moves and behaves and obviously, like, yeah. And just the way to pass on the story of the games is awesome. I’d say all of the characters from Team Fortress 2, because while it’s not as diverse as, say, Overwatch or something, they manage to have that– just a few of their designs, they manage to express what character they are, what personality they are, even what gameplay they present.
56.6
And it’s also easy to spot them from far away, because they all have very different body type. They’re just– it helps So We’re just making better characters. And it also helps game and gameplay. So it’s pretty rad. I think, for me, I would say Red from Transistor, because the moment she walks, you have almost this haunting character who you know nothing about, who, as you’re looking at her, you have clues. And as the story goes on, you start to see more and more of her design work into who she is and what her story is.
84.9
But even though you have those things at first, there will be something that you have to work out– why she’s dressed the way she is, why she moves the way she does. So I would say her. There’s two, actually, I like to go with. The first one would be Talion from Shadow of Mordor, just because I love the game so much. And I remember him the most out of all look the characters. And visually I would say Aloy from Herizon Zero Dawn. Her 3D model and the way they designed the character is just exceptional. So are those the two I’ll go with. Yeah. For me, it’s Link.
116.8
It seems like no matter what kind of art style they chose to do him in, he’s always standing out. It’s always like a classic combination of the green hat and the green colour. And he’s, for me, he’s always been the same, but yet not. So I think that’s a good recipe for a good character. This is going to be a bit boring, actually, because I’ve already said the other one. But it’s probably Zelda again. I don’t really play that franchise anymore. But it stayed imprinted in my memory forever, just his green outfit all of the time. I think most people will recognise that character more than any other. Being a revolution game, it’s gone through history like that.
160.2
I’d have to say Kain from Legacy of Kain. He’s gone through so many iterations. In the original, he was a noble, mediaeval, Renaissance-type character, really fleshed out– and then obviously murdered, becomes a vampire, becomes a total badass. Excuse my French. And he ends up evolving. He becomes more monstrous. But Simon Templeman, his voice actor, who is a fantastic voice over artist– and he’s done some excellent work with him. He’s always got the characterisation really Machiavellian, really dark and conspiratorial. And that really resonates with me in terms of seeing a character change in many different ways, with the same voice acting. It always brings him back to life.
198.9
So the striking visuals of him being green and fleshy, kind of mouldering as an ancient vampire, many aeons after his first encounter with vampirism is great. But the art style continues to evolve. And it’s reflected in all of his lieutenants as well. So all of the other characters have a distinct look to them. But it fits the theme extremely well. It’s sad to see the series go. I always think of just any of the monsters from Silent Hill 2. I like all of them. It’s a very psychological game, especially for the nurses and what they represent. And they’re so creepy. For visual design, I would probably say Handsome Jack from Borderlands. OK. Why?
250.9
Because I thought it was really interesting that he’s trying to cover up his mangled face with a nice face. And then he’s called Handsome Jack, even though he is clearly not, because that’s just a mask or wherever. And I thought that was really interesting. Also, he’s got a dope suit. The female shepherd character from Mass Effect, because you can actually customise her. And it gives you a little more opportunity. So it’s diverse for each player. Isaac from the Binding of Isaac. He’s got so many different adventures. Every time you play it, it goes through a different sort of technique that you have to adapt to. It’s an ever changing environment.
287.5
But it still makes to get to the bottom of the dungeon at the end of the game. Probably Sora from Kingdom Hearts, because when I played it, it managed to accompany both the design side from the Disney. And also it still looked like kind of a Square Enix character. And I think it just is such a good job of blending the styles together and creating a new character that was iconic for the combination series as a whole, rather than it being that’s definitely a Square Enix character. It’s definitely Kingdom Hearts, the Disney one. So the combination made it very strong and appealing to me. I would like to say Dante from Devil May Cry series.
330
I haven’t played the first one until the third one. But I play the fourth one. The fourth one, Dante give a lot of impression with the first time he show up, forced to kneel and showing different kind of style to handle the demons. And the fighting style also very different, like even it’s better than the last three. But from the other side, people would say, oh, the character is not as good as that meant to be in the previous. But I think it shows a lot of great work and attention to stories like very important to give more depth into the relationship between demons.
378.8
Master Chief from the Halo franchise, I think the way he was designed sought to make himself look very– well, not menacing, but very striking and bulky. It fits his character very well, because he’s meant to be humanity’s hero. And he’s a walking tank. And I think that’s very fitting for his character position. And it’s definitely influenced the designs of other characters since Halo’s first release, which I think is quite impressive for a character.

Students of Abertay University provide some thoughts on their favourite video game character visualisations.

After watching the video, please add a comment that identifies the character visual design you like best. What is it about this character that you think is memorable or distinctive?

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Video Game Design and Development: Video Game Character Design

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