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[Dragoon En Regalia]

All I know is that someone like Akihiko Kimura (Emerald Dragon) would do more interesting character designs that could have sex appeal without going overboard. The conditions for illustrators/character designers working in video games, whether as employees or contractors, aren't always worth some individuals' time and paycheck, though. SO5, extrapolating from the Dengeki press interview, looks to be a reaction against its prequel, returning to roots in hopes of proving tri-Ace can make a quality series installment first before experimenting later. Reason I'm less interested than should be the case is that it seems they're catering to Japanese fans in a way that could preclude Western interest, assuming the arguments over visual style represent our confusion. I hope they can at least improve facial expressions and dialogue to remedy the issues everyone talks about for SO4.

 

[Datschge]

Reason I'm less interested than should be the case is that it seems they're catering to Japanese fans in a way that could preclude Western interest,

I don't think there has ever been any indication that SO is intended as anything other than a very Japanese series.

 

[RangerBAD]

I don't think there has ever been any indication that SO is intended as anything other than a very Japanese series.

Yeah, it was never aimed at the west and it never will be. It's quintessentially Japanese.

 

[Valorant]

I must be the only one here to wait this game just to hear Sakuraba's insane battle tracks again...

Spoiler

SO4's soundtrack was a bit weak, but I'm still hopeful.

 

[Hedja]

Really just wanted something like their tech demo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cuXgRVMvZ0

Fantasy, Futuristic and still very much Japanese. Of course we can't have that since it won't sell. Instead we get what looks like a Skyrim mod with anime characters.

 

[thewhitehawk]

There is something way off about the girl's face.

The eyes are spread apart a bit too much, I believe it's a common trope of eastern character design. The distance between the eyes together with their shape is meant to gie a sense of naivety and innocence from a character.

 

[Boss Doggie]

To this day I am still baffled by the "Lv1!" complaints in SO3

 

[How About No]

The female character design is actually pretty solid. But the male character just looks like some stock shooter hero.

A JRPG starring James Franco, that would be nuts

 

[InfiniteNine]

A JRPG starring James Franco, that would be nuts

I'd be all over that.

 

[ubercheez]

Reason I'm less interested than should be the case is that it seems they're catering to Japanese fans in a way that could preclude Western interest

Conversely, I'm more interested because they're not trying to Westernize the game.

You're welcome to be turned off by this game, but the argument that JRPGs need to be more West-friendly is kind of frustrating to me. There are tons of West-friendly games, and JRPGs these days are a pretty small niche. Let us have our niche!

I may think the main girl has a severe case of wallface, but other than that I'm all about the aesthetic. I love games that are willing to go for the crazy character designs rather than play it safe, and I have zero issue with anime-style faces in realistic environments (yeah yeah, avatar quote).

I'm really hoping P5 and SO5 show that there's still a market for semi-high budget RPGs other than FF.