cheezMcNASTY;280287 said:
working on in what sense?
like a fan fiction?
Well, yes, but everyone has their own don't they? And everyone thinks their fanfiction is special. Although, I am more of a consultant in this case, and I honestly believe it could work in a game rather than just as fantasy wish fulfillment for fans.
:lol:
very, very, subconsciously. DMC is probably among the worst of them when it comes to the caricaturization of women. all hack 'n' slashers are, it's almost part of the genre. god of war has sex mini games, ninja gaiden has that one female fighter (in a borderline BDSM outfit) who just happens to get covered in fiend goo. remember that scene in DMC 4 just outside the castle where nero encounters trish in disguise? it probably holds some sort of record for unnecessary upskirt shots.
Well, until DMC4, the series wasn't misogynistic, but it certainly did sidestep the issue of the feminine. What is significant about DMC is not that it simply neglects it, but that the whole basis of the series revolves around the Feminine, i.e. Eva, and yet all of the action is focused on the men that she inspired. If I were inclined, and I am, I would say that this illustrates something about the nature of the feminine in the psyche and cosmology of the DMC world. But I don't want to digress. All of the other games simply have the macho, boobs, guns, and explosion aesthetic that action fans have come to expect, all driven by pure testosterone, whereas DMC seems to have some of that on the surface, but it is all driven by a deep appreciation of the unconscious feminine principle.
i realize that was probably rhetorical, but i liked the question so i thought i'd humor it.
overall, it's definitely a tough question to answer. a male hero can just be given a short temper, excessive muscles, and a marcus fenix voice. female is definitely harder to do from a design perspective.
strength has to be conveyed through appearance and attitude rather than muscle size. it's harder to make a typical female voice sound as intimidating, the best way is to make speech sound more monotone, followed by rage. none of that high pitched always happy stereotyped bull****.
It wasn't rhetorical. I am genuinely interested in an answer, but I don't necessarily expect a satisfying one, especially not from males.
My question was more of a mythological one than one of modern videogame culture. What I mean is what is it that makes one a hero, what does being a hero entail? It certainly isn't big muscles and a deep voice. There is the notion of the hero's journey, but it seems to me that it is very masculine, since of course, almost all heroes in ancient times were male and society was patriarchal. This can be seen in the fact that we have a separate word for female heroes. What we need to know is what the heroine's journey entails, and how the destinations and characters differ from the male hero's journey. It would be an interesting study, I'm sure. Unfortunately, I am at somewhat of a disadvantage in understanding, owing to the fact that I am not a female.
skimpy clothing can be used, but there should be something to balance with that so it doesn't look like the next hentai star. tattoos, weapon harnesses, military boots, short hair, anything to make her seem more full of grit.
Why not just slap a penis on there as well? Giving her all those "gritty" characteristics could be seen as one step short of masculinizing he completely. I think this is a mistake, as it effectively removes any sense of female power by implying that all power is male and that women can only become powerful by partaking in that masculine essence. Kamiya had the right idea with Bayonetta, although he obviously didn't pull it off well. What you have to do is determine where the locus of feminine power resides, both archetypally and in relation to specific cultures. I don't know if you've noticed, but most cultures treat women as especially sacred, and a few even fear her occult power and acknowledge this fear as the utmost wisdom (I'm thinking of Kali). They certainly have something beyond the ken of mankind, which is represented physically through menstruation, childbirth, breastfeeding, etc.
lastly, the mentality. the biggest mistake made when designing female characters is to make them naive. they are easier used as plot devices that way (getting kidnapped, wandering into trouble, being murdered, etc.). the better solution would be to make her a pessimist. someone who not only knows the cruelty of the world, but lives with it. i can't stress how important i think this is. make it extreme to the point where she's a sociopath if you have to.
Well, characters start off as naive and end up as wise. That is a very basic structure of the journey. But yes, I see your point and I do agree somewhat. I don't think making her a pessimist would be necessary, as personality is irrelevant to the identity of a hero, though some nobility would be nice. Making someone a sociopath is also a very bad idea, because it instantly makes them impossible to relate to and repulsive to all normal people.
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Master Vergil;280312 said:
On a serious note, I wouldn't want a female lead. Lucia was pretty much the 'lead' in DMC2 and I think it was one of the reasons why the game failed to appeal to a wider audience. Even if they dish up some hot decadent chic with direct connections to Sparda himself, I don't think it will work. Well, I know I definitely wouldn't buy it or have any interest in playing it. This might be the influx and over-abundance of 'daughters of Sparda' in fanfiction that have butchered my viewpoint on female leads, and I sincerely hope Capcom never throw that kind of crap in our faces.
Nah, Lucia wasn't a lead, she was a gimped sidekick who got her own disc. Lady is probably the closest we have come to a lead, but even her story was tangential. Actually, I think you'll find a lot of people actually liked Lucia's gameplay and at least the idea of Lucia, if not her execution (her voice...she sounded like a deaf Dutch person).
I think you may have been tainted by the daughters of Sparda in fanfics because they tend to be Mary Sue-ish wish fulfillment characters rather than ones that fit into the actual story. But the way I see it, if they can dump Nero in our laps, they can certainly give him a sex change with little complaint from me.
All that and 'son of Sparda' sounds way better than 'daughter of Sparda'. It doesn't have a nice ring to it at all. I actually want to...
Anyway, I'd prefer Capcom to keep Dante as the lead for as long as they can. And if they REALLY no longer can, then Nero would be the next step up. Or Vergil. Depending where in the timeline this would occur.
Forgive my presumption, but I did consider this attitude as well, and I think part of your distaste for the idea could be rooted in yor projection of yourself onto the game itself, in a similar manner to the literal projection of fangirls in stories by self-insertion/MarySueism. In some sense, it is a kind of jealousy or sense of competition perhaps, similar to the one that gives rise to the creation of Yaoi. Of course this is just my opinion, but I think it is well founded. And as always, no offense.
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Well Dante is a manwhore, so why not Sparda too?
I like to think Sparda had some scruples. I just find it more noble than him being a cast member of Jersey shore or something.
