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Judging by the response so far, I must be in a weird minority in that I like the game but don't consider it my favorite. This game has a lot of charm, the return to a more fantasy setting was refreshing (although I had nothing against the sci-fi settings in VII and VIII), and traveling the world map on the first disc felt immersive. There are, however, small, nagging problems that keep me from ranking the game higher.
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Jul 6, 2015 15:54
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Now that we've had a proper introduction to Steiner, I can start to explain one of my problems. When it comes to FFX, I don't think any individual character's design, barring Tidus, is outright bad, but when the characters are taken as a group or put within the context of the scenery, problems appear. Lulu's dress of belts seems silly, but I can forgive it since she's the dark mage. One look at the character is enough to show that she will be the one to use black magic. I, however, can't forgive it in light of the fact she lives in a beach resort town. FFIX has this same problem, although in a different direction. IX gives us cartoon characters. They, barring, once again, a couple examples, are wonderfully designed. They have style; they have flourish. Steiner fills the role of a bumbling sidekick with a good heart. He's the knight in shining armor, but, unlike the typical knight, he is fat--the perfect juxtaposition of ideal and reality. I could see him in a cartoon, stumbling into solution that foil the bad guy. There is also something to be said about how he actually wears full armor. As has been stated, the Alexandrian knights, the most official military force in the kingdom, wear revealing, unarmored uniforms. Steiner demonstrates his unflinching, to the point of comedy, loyalty by wearing a full suit of armor. The design is clever: simple, memorable, and says a lot about the character. The problem with cartoonish characters is, of course, the lack of "human" resemblance. Cartoons don't always look like people, being prone to exaggerated features as they are, but we recognize them as being human in design. Zidane's and Garnet's oversized heads aren't realistic. Yet, we can accept them. There is a general rule that it doesn't matter how detached from reality individual character's designs are as long as the entire universe follows the same logic of design. Steiner is, for me, an example of this failure. Zidane and Garnet (and to some extent the other members of Tantalus, the townspeople, and the Alexandrian guards) have one set of design with small torso, long limbs, large hands, and large heads. Steiner has a bulbous stomach, trapezoidal head, and comparatively stubby limbs. He is a departure from the established guidelines for how humans look in this universe. Now, Steiner isn't a "bad" example of this. Even if his design is a departure it could've been chalked up to a singular outlier to draw more attention to the more standard design had it not been for some future characters. Alternatively, you could apply the same logic to Zorn and Thorn, including being outliers. I feel that the character design though individually good, it didn't work as a broad whole.
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Jul 9, 2015 00:21
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Bad Seafood posted:Huh. Never knew trance concept art was available. Cool find, thanks for sharing. It really says a lot about the art that the switching from a droopy hat to a pointy hat can convey a character's attitude. I like that the characters get different designs when they enter trance, even if the actual designs is lacking (Zidane's makes sense later, but I still don't like it).
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Jul 28, 2015 20:31
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