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FallenGrace

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,036
Ha ha, the lengths people are going to, to justify Axels change being fine but Blaze must stay in a mini skirt and boob tube is fucking hilarious.

Seriously, even some black leggings underneath the skirt with a full tank top or something would have been an improvement while keeping the look of the character. I love Blaze from the previous games but they could improve her design without ruining it.

I despise what they've done to Axel though, why does he now look homeless? and the shirt round his waist? Not feeling that at all.
 

BadWolf

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,148
All these comments about loving Blaze before but all of a sudden needing her to get a redesign are so weird.

Also funny how they complain about not liking Axel's new design at the same time.

Like how does that give confidence that you will like the new Blaze design?
 

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,829
Because Blaze had a design that still looks good and flashy today while Axel didn't.

Axel's old design is very simple and run of the mill.

uuhh Blaze design is as simple as it gets. Its fanservice girl #120, she has nothing that stands out, especially when they sexed her up in 2 and took her out some stuff like her bandana.

I mean I don't care if they keep the designs or change them ,I don't have a problem with NuAxel, it's not a bad design, neither I have a problem with Blaze per se considering is pretty much her 2/3 design, even though 1 is the better design.,

But sure is weird one having drastic changes and the other being barely touched (and what a surprise who's that character, c'mon it can't be more transparent).
 
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Deleted member 7051

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,254
I really like Axel's dad bod and beard combo. I dunno why Blake's skirt is so short, though. They cover about as much as hotpants but at least those would look decent. I like her design, but the skirt is definitely way too short.
 

BadWolf

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,148
But sure is weird one having drastic changes and the other being barely touched (and what a surprise who's that character, c'mon it can't be more transparent).

What's transparent, exactly? That they gave her the classic design?

Wouldn't it be more 'transparent' if they gave her a new over sexualized design and phoned in Axel with barely any work or thought put into him?
 

s_mirage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,773
Birmingham, UK
uuhh Blaze design is as simple as it gets. Its fanservice girl #120.

I mean I don't care if they keep the designs or change them, but sure is weird one having drastic changes and the other being barely touched (and what a surprise who's the character that is almost the same! who could have guessed..)

Both characters have had similar levels of changes though. Both characters have had changes to their proportions, both characters have gained a jacket, Axel's gained a beard, Blaze has gained big earrings, Axel's gained a shirt wrapped around his waist, and Blaze has gained a loose belt/sash.
 

Jerry Orbach

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
124
In all brutal honestly, I don't like Axel's SOR4 design.
Why the heck does he have a flannel shirt tied around his waist? Maybe it's "strategic butt covering". Try as I might, I can't think of any other reason why he'd own a flannel shirt.
The beard doesn't work at all. Sorry. That look might have done wonders for Ryu, but Axel's face is way too perfect to be covered up. Also it makes him look like he aged 20 years.

His frame looks altogether bulky and a little too wide. I think he'd probably look better without the jacket. Instead of yellow, the stripe on his gloves should be white.

For whatever reason, Axel is wearing the exact same shoes as he did in SOR1/SOR3. I guess it wouldn't be that big a deal if the collars weren't ludicrously large. They look like funnels designed to catch rain water.
Also the pants are just awful. Did he find those in a dumpster? Dude needs a new pair with all of the seams intact. Nobody wants to look at that bit of exposed skin between his pants and shoes.

In short, the man looks like he gave up. Maybe the bad ending in SOR3 is canon. Axel failed to save the city, so now he's a broken vagrant.

Axel looks like a middle-aged man living in the past. On the streets it's 20XX, but in his closet it's the phone booth from Bill & Ted. The full beard and wider torso are classical signs of aging - compare Zeus with Apollo. Meanwhile, the high tops and layers are just an exaggerated caricature of how we dressed in 1991.

Blaze looks to have aged a lot more gracefully, in both wardrobe and physique. Perhaps it could point to a parting of ways between them after their previous adventures? Or maybe it's just an example of how wide the window of acceptable appearance is for men, and how narrow it can be for women. Either way, they're both looking good!
 
Nov 1, 2017
257
I think it's because Blaze doesn't have any stand out features. Brunette lady, red outfit, does backflips - that's all she's got.

The real question is - Where is Skate?
 

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,829
What's transparent, exactly? That they gave her the classic design?

Wouldn't it be more 'transparent' if they gave her a new over sexualized design and phoned in Axel with barely any work or thought put into him?

Im not necesary talking simply about sexualizing. Its about how uncommon is to display a woman ageing in a game, compared to men. They could have made Blaze looks more aged (like they did with Axel).

It could be worse for sure but its dissapointing how few risk designers take when they have to go out of the "design a hot women" template.

I'd rather have Adam back than Skate tbh. Skate got two games already.

Whynotboth.gif
 
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Dec 6, 2017
10,991
US
Sorry, I can't read 35 pages right now and have limited access to to being on mobile:

I'm fucking psyched reading this but has there been a hands-on from anyone on how this actually plays? It took me a few views of the OP's video to get used to the art. First look = yeah, no... Later = yeah, sure, why not!
 

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,829
Oct 26, 2017
9,939
I don't know, he definitely looks bigger around the midriff to me. My point is, Axel looks different than he did in the Nineties, and Blaze does not. I really don't know what their reason is for updating one character's design and not another.
I don't think this game is set that much later on than the originals. The brief look at the office environment shows crt monitors and old style corded phones, I genuinely think it's still in the 90's. Axel hasn't been aged up beyond just having a beard, it could literally just be a few months after the third game. The art style is just more exaggerated with body proportions, Axel's a lot more muscular and squat, and Blaze is more "thicc". For what it's worth, I'd much prefer Blaze to be more svelte and elegant like the previous games too. I think the loss of her stockings accentuates just how much leg she's showing as well.

Part of the issue is her presentation in the trailer, the first shot has her sticking her ass out then she thrusts her chest out, it's pretty blatant and just seems kind of out of character to me.
 

John Rabbit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,112
Because every woman out there covers themselves up whenever they go outside?
Yep that's definitely what I said.

Honestly, how is that offensive?
Because it's an archaic character design that relies on titillation for the sake of objectifying a woman. You'd think that within the past ~5 years of increased awareness around women and women's rights they might at least put her in some leggings or an entire shirt.

No way. Her look is iconic. You just cannot change characters like Street Fighter's Cammy even if they are stuck in a different era.
MUH ARTIST INTENT
 

Virtua King

Member
Dec 29, 2017
3,975
Blaze's design is about the only thing I like of what I've seen so far. She's badass and hot as always, versus Axel, whom looks like he's literally been living on the streets. I also don't agree with aging up any characters because it's "realistic" ether, especially when there's no timeline. I even hope they keep Skate as a kid too.
 

FallenGrace

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,036
All these comments about loving Blaze before but all of a sudden needing her to get a redesign are so weird.

Also funny how they complain about not liking Axel's new design at the same time.

Like how does that give confidence that you will like the new Blaze design?
I don't like either characters designs for different reasons. Nothing "funny" about that. Things don't have to be either or, not sure what picture you are trying to paint about people's opinions here to be honest.

I mean why do I have to accept a design I don't like because it might be as bad or worse if they change it? That's terrible logic. "That will do because imaginary scenario might be worse" may as well just give up and accept everything as fine then no matter how poor or average. Could be worse right? XD
 
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Virtua Sanus

Member
Nov 24, 2017
6,492
Yep that's definitely what I said.


Because it's an archaic character design that relies on titillation for the sake of objectifying a woman. You'd think that within the past ~5 years of increased awareness around women and women's rights they might at least put her in some leggings or an entire shirt.


MUH ARTIST INTENT
Christ, is that needed?

In any event, they likely consulted Ayano Koshiro on Blaze's design. I am certain this is what she would want.
 
Nov 3, 2017
376
BS-X
Yep that's definitely what I said.


Because it's an archaic character design that relies on titillation for the sake of objectifying a woman. You'd think that within the past ~5 years of increased awareness around women and women's rights they might at least put her in some leggings or an entire shirt.


MUH ARTIST INTENT

To start a contrarian debate, SoA already tried toning down Blaze in the US version of SOR3 and it is easy to argue that it backfired.

Also: There is actually way more point to Blaze being sexy than just for the heck of it, and it primarily goes back to SOR1's look and thematics - the player characters not only blend in with the "late night street life" aesthetic, but also blend in with their enemies. If you swapped the player/enemy characters around, it would be difficult for an outside observer to know the difference. That is part of why people consider the game's "bad ending" where you DO become the bad guy so effective. It would not have worked nearly as well if Blaze looked stylistically out of place compared to the dominatrix-with-whip archtypes she was kicking the butt of. Old lady or nerdy glasses teenager girl becoming a crime lord? While a narrative-driven genre might be able to pull that off, i doubt an arcade brawler could.
 

FallenGrace

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,036
Christ, is that needed?

In any event, they likely consulted Ayano Koshiro on Blaze's design. I am certain this is what she would want.
Kind of needed yeah. When the post responded too was just "nothing can be changed because that's how they were designed 20+ years ago" is a simple fallacy anyway. Changing things can go wrong (Axel imo here) but equally can be bad leaving them as they are. Sometimes old designs just don't translate going forward and while Blaze isn't that terrible compared with some I feel her newer design could be better reflecting the current climate personally.

Your second paragraph though, purely hypothetical, it's equally possible they did no such thing :p I would be interested to know if they did though.
 
Dec 6, 2017
10,991
US
Blaze's design is about the only thing I like of what I've seen so far. She's badass and hot as always, versus Axel, whom looks like he's literally been living on the streets. I also don't agree with aging up any characters because it's "realistic" ether, especially when there's no timeline. I even hope they keep Skate as a kid too.

Do you think he has been living on the....STREETS OF RAGE!??!
 

John Rabbit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,112
Christ, is that needed?

In any event, they likely consulted Ayano Koshiro on Blaze's design. I am certain this is what she would want.
You tell me.

Well you should be fucking ashamed of yourself.
Hey mate you want to show me where I wrote anything about being "fucking ashamed" in my original post you're all losing your minds over? It's an archaic, tone-deaf design. I don't care who designed it or what the "intent" of her being in a crop-top and mini-skirt is; it's a bad design in 2018.
 

Manu

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,183
Buenos Aires, Argentina
To start a contrarian debate, SoA already tried toning down Blaze in the US version of SOR3 and it is easy to argue that it backfired.

Also: There is actually way more point to Blaze being sexy than just for the heck of it, and it primarily goes back to SOR1's look and thematics - the player characters not only blend in with the "late night street life" aesthetic, but also blend in with their enemies. If you swapped the player/enemy characters around, it would be difficult for an outside observer to know the difference. That is part of why people consider the game's "bad ending" where you DO become the bad guy so effective. It would not have worked nearly as well if Blaze looked stylistically out of place compared to the dominatrix-with-whip archtypes she was kicking the butt of. Old lady or nerdy glasses teenager girl becoming a crime lord? While a narrative-driven genre might be able to pull that off, i doubt an arcade brawler could.
I mean, Mona and Lisa were just recolored Blaze.

20090927141900!Mona_%26_Lisa.jpg
 

John Rabbit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,112
It's freedom of expression. If you don't like it, go play something else. Why isn't Axel a fat mess? He's burly and built like a brick shit house. Is that wrong too?
Yeah I don't intend to purchase this game; but as a long-time fan of this series and franchise (despite how well some of it's aspects haven't aged) I'm entitled to express an opinion about it. Thx tho.
 

Deleted member 34949

Account closed at user request
Banned
Nov 30, 2017
19,101
I don't mind Blaze's design here, but I think something more in line with her Streets of Rage 1 design might have gone over a bit better. Her Bare Knuckle mobile design for example, was pretty much the SoR1 outfit with black leggings, IIRC.
 

Manu

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,183
Buenos Aires, Argentina
My two cents: I'm all for updating old, outdated sexualized designs and I understand the complaints, but in Blaze's case it works for me because it's an intentional throwback to the over the top, sexy artstyle of the originals. If the game was going for a modern, serious look the lack of pants would bother me a lot more.

Also I don't think "less sexualized designs" should mean "no design is allowed to look like this again, ever" but I'm just a guy so idk.
 

lame gag

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
235
User Banned (1 Month): Dismissing concerns regarding sexualisation of female characters. History of severe infractions. Junior account.
Ah the old "go play something else".

Classic.

Someone doesn't like Blaze's classic attire? Well, the dev shouldn't change her outfit because some gimp is "offended" about a fictional video game character's outfit so what's the other option for this "oh so upset" person? Oh yeah, go play something else.

No female video game character is ever allowed to be sexy. Talk about fucking facism.
 

FallenGrace

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,036
My two cents: I'm all for updating old, outdated sexualized designs and I understand the complaints, but in Blaze's case it works for me because it's an intentional throwback to the over the top, sexy artstyle of the originals. If the game was going for a modern, serious look the lack of pants would bother me a lot more.

Also I don't think "less sexualized designs" should mean "no design is allowed to look like this again, ever" but I'm just a guy so idk.
I appreciate that, I mean this design doesn't make me mad or anything just for my personal view Blaze could still be sexy, in colour and dressed to fight with pretty minimal design changes. She could be updated without changing her core if you know what I mean?

I actually have bigger issues with the art style than character designs to be honest. Don't think I can get over how clear cut, crisp everything is. Hard to explain. Need to see more footage.
 

Opa-Pa

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,810
I don't mind Blaze's design here, but I think something more in line with her Streets of Rage 1 design might have gone over a bit better. Her Bare Knuckle mobile design for example, was pretty much the SoR1 outfit with black leggings, IIRC.
I think her design wouldn't be nearly as uh, out there if her proportions were a bit more modest. I mean, look at the trailer and how it focuses on her butt and cleavage, right after Axel is just shown as a badass.

But yeah, her original design would have been a nice compromise, although I'd rather just give her pants.