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[alekth]

Yeah, they put me off games. Not all anthropomorphic animals are furries though, and as far as transcending gender goes, furries are the variety that goes precisely against that, since it seems to be all about giving them sexual (or sexy) characteristics of the human body, which animals don't really exhibit, and it doesn't have to be porn to be creepy.

Still, never cared as much for the more-normal Disney-Robin-Hood variety characters either, even as a kid.

 

[Village]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0439317452/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Used to be all sorts of shitty "how to" books like that back in the day!

this too! http://www.amazon.com/dp/0823030350/?tag=neogaf0e-20

oh lawd, i remember seeing a bunch of those.

Not bothered. In fact, think anthropomorphic animals can be pretty awesome. Case in point, fuckin' Space Samurai Bears!


(From Stardrive)

That is how you do it Sine Mora. That is hype ass bear.

I am now checking out where this is from.

 

[Otakumegane]

Maybe.

If it's like really bad.

 

[Messofanego]

I'm more likely to buy the game because they're usually cute and affords a different, more charming visual palette.

Ninja rabbit action game like Overgrowth for example.

 

[Always-honest]

Depends on design and artdirection. No problem and no fetish.

 

[JoeInky]

I'm more likely to buy the game because they're usually cute and affords a different, more charming visual palette.

Ninja rabbit action game like Overgrowth for example.

Spoiler

The works of one who consorts with beasts!

I don't mind anthro, don't have a fetish for it and don't see every anthro as being automatically furry.

 

[DICKS AHOY]

maybe

i bought this in 5th grade oh god oh god why did i buy this in the 5th grade

 

[MrCunningham]

Wait, what constitutes "DeviantArt" quality again?

I've seen quite a few legitimately good artists on Deviant Art, but these artists are generally few and far between. But I don't know if "Deviant Art quality" is the phrase to use... maybe more like "Deviant Art mentality", which falls under a lot of repeating fetish themes. Like for example:

Now go on deviantart and search "furry"

You can tell that this particular artist came from the school of Tails (or Sonic art) fanfic of Deviant Art University.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0439317452/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Used to be all sorts of shitty "how to" books like that back in the day!

this too! http://www.amazon.com/dp/0823030350/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I love those books where the artist doesn't have any real grasp on basic drawing fundamentals like human anatomy and just wrote it off as "well it's my style".

 

[Village]

You can tell that this particular artist came from the school of Tails (or Sonic art) fanfic of Deviant Art University.

".

That is a lot of assumption.

Also I believe the man is a gafer,you could ask him yourself if you really wanna know.

 

[Five]

I could go either way. I love the look of Sly, Crash, Conker and Banjo, but hate how Sonic, Dust and the new Mario catsuit look. As a general trend, I think I prefer fun designs to cute ones, but that's clearly not a catch-all.

 

[GooeyHeat]

The only time anthropomorphic animals in games bother me is:
1. when the females are given too many human sexual characteristics
2. when the game is trying to be super serious and melodramatic
For an example of #1, see Candy Kong. Hell, when I typed in her name in the search bar, the first suggestion after "candy kong" was "candy kong r34". *shudders*
For an example of #2, see any 3D Sonic game where Shadow was a main playable character. Government weapon conspiracies, dead little girls, and the scientists who went insane because of them simply don't work when they're described by woodland creatures with shoes and gloves.

Spoiler

Village to argue in 3... 2... 1...

 

[Lowlander2]

You can tell that this particular artist came from the school of Tails (or Sonic art) fanfic of Deviant Art University.

That's because they were one of the people who worked on Jazz Jackrabbit 2. They're the ur example. If anyone gets to showcase that mentality, it's them.

FWIW, I really don't mind it. I think it has a universal appeal.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Depends more on the artstyle and quality than anything. I love how Dust an Elysian Tail plays but the moment NPCs and character portraits appear, I squint harder than a motherfucker. On the other hand, I have no issue with Star Fox or Sine Mora for example. It can work if done well.

 

[XaosWolf]

I'm all for any art style as long as it's consistent/cohesive. Especially if they're stylised or cartoony.

And I'm a fan of anthropomorphic characters, but would prefer less sexualisation in their design. Or in other words: STOP ADDING TITS TO THINGS.

But like others have said: everything is a sexual fetish to someone. No need to let that spoil things for you.

 

[jwk94]

I don't think it should matter but I occaisionally get a weird vibe from games, even if I know the gameplay could be great.

Rock Paper Shotgun posted this Overgrowth trailer today - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFGOMs74MZg, Though that game is confusing for many reasons.

looks like fun but the characters are highly disturbing

 

[Supermanisdead]

i stopped playing sonic when i was introduced to the hardcore christian sonic fanbase

 

[The Tofunator]

looks like fun but the characters are highly disturbing

How exactly are they disturbing?

 

[Village]

I'm all for any art style as long as it's consistent/cohesive. Especially if they're stylised or cartoony.

And I'm a fan of anthropomorphic characters, but would prefer less sexualisation in their design. Or in other words: STOP ADDING TITS TO THINGS.

But like others have said: everything is a sexual fetish to someone. No need to let that spoil things for you.

Anthropomorphism already implies that on some level its going to be human esque, word on the street is human woman ladies have boobies. I am not saying every anthropomorphic animal that is female has to have boobs. Nah, tigress from from kung fu panda is a great example, Blaze the cat from sonic. However on the opposite end, it seems a bit silly to get worked up over the fact that lola bunny, and Carmelita fox got boobies. It just comes with the territory. Again not saying they all have to, just seems a bit silly to be a bit peeved when they do.

 

[DICKS AHOY]

Also to answer the thread's main question, it depends on the intent. Fanbase and 'fetish'shit and whatever other shit tons of popular media will always get made of it on the internet aside, it's pretty obvious Sonic/Star Fox/Pokemon/whatever were designed with the intent to be fun and engaging characters for a wide audience.

The reason why anthromporhic characters were so common in early animation fare right up to the mid-90's was their ability to quickly convey personality, emotions and antics in a stylised and fun to animate fashion, and I doubt that isn't the same logic that fueled stuff like Sonic (who's basically 'Felix meets J-Pop' in terms of design) or Fox (helps create a disconnect between shooting down enemy ships in space for a Nintendo game). Sort of weirded out animal-dominated films aren't that big nowadays, though I attribute it to more human animation making huge strides with the advent of 3D animation (in some of the different 90's Disney films the wacky animal/talking-object sidekicks tend to feel more 'alive' to me visually than the human protagonists do).

If it was something that looks taken off Furaffinity and has more than suspect intentions behind its 'appeal', than while the creator's fine to make whatever makes them feel good, but I'll probably avoid it if it negatively distracts from the experience. Dust toes that line a bit but honestly from what I've seen of it, it's probably innocent enough.

i stopped playing sonic when i was introduced to the hardcore christian sonic fanbase

is it bad i know exactly what you're talking about from constant 'awesome' fan art threads

 

[Glass Rebel]

Overgrowth is probably my favourite take on the "realistic" anthromorphic animal character in games. I'm pretty anti-furry but something about their anatomy and movement I like, especially the legs. It's almost a bit unsettling.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

The range is so wide that it doesn't even matter. Bugs bunny is anthropomorphic, so is Kermit the frog and Ganon.

 

[Village]

. Dust toes that line a bit but honestly from what I've seen of it, it's probably innocent enough.

Not at all, if you have a dust complaint you might be over reacting. Dust characters actually look really bad. That is the complaint , there should a character designer working on that game.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I'm cool with it. It's really only when things gets sexual that I find it... unsettling. There's something about mixing cute/cartoony/family-friendly stuff with adult themes that generally doesn't sit right with me.

 

[MrCunningham]

That is a lot of assumption.

Also I believe the man is a gafer,you could ask him yourself if you really wanna know.

That's because they were one of the people who worked on Jazz Jackrabbit 2. They're the ur example. If anyone gets to showcase that mentality, it's them.

FWIW, I really don't mind it. I think it has a universal appeal.

Alright, I shouldn't be generalizing like I just did, I'll take back what I said. I'm still not a fan of that particular style, but I did like Jazz Jack Rabbit 2.

 

[Village]

I'm cool with it. It's really only when things gets sexual that I find it... unsettling. There's something about mixing cute/cartoony/family-friendly stuff with adult themes that generally doesn't really sit right with me.

I take it you aren't a fan of gumball.

Also hiding adult themes behind cute family friendly stuff is a very popular motif.

 

[Messofanego]

You can do so much more with having anthromorphic characters. I think that was Noogy's reasoning for Dust AET.

Like having the most realistic blood decals system in a game look not that gross but actually kind of funny.

 

[DICKS AHOY]

Not at all, if you have a dust complaint you might be over reacting. Dust characters actually look really bad. That is the complaint , there should a character designer working on that game.

I was talking about in terms of 'how likely is it that somebody drew these characters intending them to be attractive' rather than 'are these characters well drawn'. While the former can be a problem for me if it's something really niche and fetishistic, Dust while having obvious furry stuff in it doesn't really seem to use it obnoxiously enough for me to pass on the game if I ever feel like playing it.

also overgrowth is amazing

 

[Haunted]

How exactly are they disturbing?

The overgrowth rabbits remind me of the Donny Darko mask.


I like em.

 

[Village]

I was talking about in terms of 'how likely is it that somebody drew these characters intending them to be attractive' rather than 'are these characters well drawn'.

Oh you mean being sexy ? Eh I personally don't really care, lola bunny in space jam, Carmelita fox, rogabat. As long as everyone isn't like that fine.

While the former can be a problem for me if it's something really niche and fetishistic, Dust while having obvious furry stuff in it doesn't really seem to use it obnoxiously enough for me to pass on the game if I ever feel like playing it.

I can see that. People have different ranges of obnoxious. Or what triggers them, some a bit more reasonable than others. Yours seem quite reasonable. Some people get weird at very basic themes of anthropomorphism.

also overgrowth is amazing

 

[The Smoking Bun]

There is a depressingly large number of people who think Donald Duck = Furry
Furry drawings are always obvious by the body builder physiques and large package's they are given. Funny/Looney Tunes esque anthropomorphic creatures don't sport these features. Is Bigby Wolf from THE WOLF AMONG US a furry? No he's not!

 

[Kurdel]

As soon as they are sexualized I am out.

I mean, look at this shit:

 

[Deleted member 17706]

It really depends on the style. Dust? Totally offputting. Starfox? Totally fine!

 

[Tohsaka]

Doesn't really matter to me one way or the other. I grew up with all the mascot platformers of the 90s, but I wouldn't play or avoid a game just because it featured them.

 

[roknin]

Nope, perfectly fine with it. Love me some Bloody Roar, dammit.

 

[danmaku]

If you rule out anthropomorphic animals because someone draws porn of it, you should rule out everything. Unless the characters are extremely sexualised, I don't see any problem.

 

[Felsparrow]

I don't think overgrowth is a good example of an argument for stylization.

Almost everything Overgrowth does leans towards realism, even if it is a bit over the top.

The animations and physics, lighting, realistic blood, the martial arts, etc. The only thing different from other games focusing on realism or stylized realism is that the characters are bunny-men.

And that's kind of where I have an issue with it. While I'm mostly okay with anthro animals, I tend to consider any character design that's little more than fur and an animal head/joints on a human frame to be pretty lazy design.

Dust is pretty anthro, but the character moves, acts, and animates with a more animalistic style, and it's a cartoon.

Overgrowth could have just as easily had stylized Wushu masters as its protagonists instead of straight bunny men. Although that would raise its ESRB rating (if it had one), technically its rating should still be up there due to level of violence.

 

[DICKS AHOY]

Oh you mean being sexy ? Eh I personally don't really care, lola bunny in space jam, Carmelita fox, rogabat. As long as everyone isn't like that fine.

To me there's something different about Carmelita/Lola/Rouge (even thought he last one there seems mismatched for the Sonic series) and how they're more typical pin-up style anthro girl designs you'd find in a lot of earlier animated fare that wasn't meant to be 'sexy' per say and, say, Krystal in Star Fox Adventures. She didn't stop me playing SFAdv, but she was an obvious catalyst for a certain part of that series' infamous fanbase.

As soon as they are sexualized I am out.

I mean, look at this shit:

Yeah exactly. A lot of the promo art in Assault seems to play this stuff up even more to which didn't help things. People are fine to like or even be attracted to this stuff, but it's irritating when it seeps into what was once a somewhat 'innocent' mainstream gaming franchise. Something like Sly by comparison always had a bit more edge, yet they never go all out like the above with their designs (or they don't play it straight like Rare/Namco did at least) and they're obviously better off for it. Never see people get upset over Carmelita like they do with Krystal.

 

[hooijdonk17]

If they are sexualized, they put me off completely. I can bear with their existence if they are somehow alien looking (Lizardmen/Insectoids in Grimrock are a good example.)

 

[XaosWolf]

Anthropomorphism already implies that on some level its going to be human esque, word on the street is human woman ladies have boobies. I am not saying every anthropomorphic animal that is female has to have boobs. Nah, tigress from from kung fu panda is a great example, Blaze the cat from sonic. However on the opposite end, it seems a bit silly to get worked up over the fact that lola bunny, and Carmelita fox got boobies. It just comes with the territory. Again not saying they all have to, just seems a bit silly to be a bit peeved when they do.

Exactly. I can understand how some people might be freaked out by stuff like that though.

The Charr are a good design on that front as well.

 

[Vhalyar]

As soon as they are sexualized I am out.

Yep.

 

[FargoDog]

Furry stuff doesn't do anything for me, but if that's your bag then by all means enjoy it. It's not hurting anybody.

For me, it all comes down to good character design. It's why Spyro was much more endearing before Skylanders, when he had a more heroic and strangely adorable look. Skylanders just made him look like a spray painted gargoyle.

 

[Village]

As soon as they are sexualized I am out.

I mean, look at this shit:

I mean, I didn't find the carmelita fox belly dancing thing the most appealing thing ever. But i do not have an issue if there is a character that is supposed to be "sexy" if all of them aren't supposed to be "sexy". However Krystal is the only prominent female character in starfox, so that might be more of an objectification issue. But that is par for the course in a rare game.Candy Kong, Conker's girlfriend, Jona Dark ect. ( not excusing it by the way, just pointing it out)

To me there's something different about Carmelita/Lola/Rouge (even thought he last one there seems mismatched for the Sonic series) and how they're more typical pin-up style anthro girl designs you'd find in a lot of earlier animated fare that wasn't meant to be 'sexy' per say and, say, Krystal in Star Fox Adventures. She didn't stop me playing SFAdv, but she was an obvious catalyst for a certain part of that series' infamous fanbase.


Yeah exactly. A lot of the promo art in Assault seems to play this stuff up even more to which didn't help things. People are fine to like or even be attracted to this stuff, but it's irritating when it seeps into what was once a somewhat 'innocent' mainstream gaming franchise. Something like Sly by comparison always had a bit more edge, yet they never go all out like the above with their designs (or they don't play it straight like Rare/Namco did at least) and they're obviously better off for it. Never see people get upset over Carmelita like they do with Krystal.

Oh hell yeah dude. Epically with the new sly cooper. Her outfit, the belly dance thing and the love connection advertisement she did.

People got more upset with Krystal, because the game she was in was shit.

Krystal is like silver the hedgehog, the character could have been ok. That game doe, also more people like her than silver the hedgehog. Which is just another blow for silver the hedgehog.

 

[Village]

doubles

 

[PaulloDEC]

I take it you aren't a fan of gumball.

Also hiding adult themes behind cute family friendly stuff is a very popular motif.

I'm not against having subtle adult themes in cartoons, so long as there's nothing too heavy-handed. I'm not even against full-on mature cartoons, if they're clear about the intent.

The stuff I mainly have issues with are when something definitively family-friendly takes a turn for the sexual. I would not be ok with Sly Cooper and Carmelita banging on-screen, for example. If you want sex-appeal and adult themes, sell it to an adult market.

 

[Harken Raiser]

I don't care, I'm down with the furries. I do think that it's become a weird meme to reject any anthropomorphised animals in games (and other media), even super cartoony ones similar to Mickey Mouse or Rodger Rabbit.

 

[Village]

I'm not against having subtle adult themes in cartoons, so long as there's nothing too heavy-handed. I'm not even against full-on mature cartoons, if they're clear about the intent.

The stuff I mainly have issues with are when something definitively family-friendly takes a turn for the sexual. I would not be ok with Sly Cooper and Carmelita banging on-screen, for example. If you want sex-appeal and adult themes, sell it to an adult market.

What game with anthropomorphic characters has that, because I am so sorry. Also what rated E game has strait up sex in it

 

[PaulloDEC]

What game with anthropomorphic characters has that, because I am so sorry. Also what rated E game has strait up sex in it

Probably none, to be honest. I can't think of a game I've played where it's ever been an issue.

I think I kinda lost sight of what I was trying to say, but what I described above was simply my thoughts on what would and wouldn't bother me (based more on fandom interactions rather than actual legit media).

 

[Harken Raiser]

^ Actually, are there any dating-sim type games with anthro characters? That seems like an underserved market where an enterprising developer could make a lot of money.

 

[Tizoc]

If the game is good and the design is good enough, then yes.

I'm more likely to buy the game because they're usually cute and affords a different, more charming visual palette.

Ninja rabbit action game like Overgrowth for example.

Where the fuck can I get this game.

 

[L~A]

I strongly dislike this kind of characters, though it got nothing to do with furries. Never liked them even as a kid. I don't mind animals that can talk, but anthopormorphic animals... ugh.