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[Morrigan Stark]

Impa, Sheik and Ganondorf from Hyrule Warriors, are the best versions of each character.

One of the worst redesigns ever is Shanoa. From this (Order of Ecclesia):

To... this abomination (Judgment):

I can't stand any variation of AC Tifa. It's such a boring design. You can gripe about how revealing the original FF7 design is for Tifa, but it has spunk and personality. The all black apron is just lame as hell with no spark to it at all.

The original design had "spunk and personality", how, exactly? A nonsensical shirt with boob socks and a mini-skirt that makes no sense for a martial artist? I'm not a big fan of the redesign either (the back part of the shorts, like a butt cape, is kind of silly), but let's not kid ourselves, the original was even more absurd and goofy looking.

Granted, it was meant to take place over millenia, but another Worst to best for Kain from Blood Omen to Soul Reaver.

No way, the worst is this piece of trash. *shudders*

 

[B-Genius]

One of the worst redesigns ever is Shanoa. From this (Order of Ecclesia):

To... this abomination (Judgment):

I don't even know who Shanoa is, and this still makes me mad, lol.
That OeE design is very cool!

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Came to post the AC-Tifa design, OP already covered that. Love her new look way more.

 

[Gattsu25]

I really....REALLY hate when a game series doesn't stick with the same face.

Maybe I need to see it in motion but the new face looks like an older and slightly more haggard/stressed-out/I've-seen-some-shit version of the first. Which is fitting considering the zombie apocalypse and all.

 

[Rarius]

If anything, I like her Kingsglaive design the best:

She actually looks her age in Kingsglaive, as in, she looks more like a woman.
Her 3D model in the game looks like she is 14

Wow, the Kingsglaive version actually has some uniquness to it.

 

[Inuhanyou]

Came to post the AC-Tifa design, OP already covered that. Love her new look way more.

This man know

 

[Van Bur3n]

Ermac from MK9 to MKX

You showed his face. You done fucked up. And those stupid ass Spider-Man gloves.

 

[Linkura]

So they made him into a blond Squall. Still, pretty much anything would be an improvement.

Since I'm replaying Persona 2: IS right now:

Hitler with sunglasses is hilarious. And to think it was a censor to hide the fact that it's Hitler- they only call him Fuhrer in the remake. Note, obviously not condoning Hitler. He was an asshole, in real life and in the game.

 

[Dio Brando]

Wow, the Kingsglaive version actually has some uniquness to it.

Kingsglaive in general has good designs. shame the story and editing were awful.

 

[Elitist1945]

From cartoon character with anime eyes to realistic hunk.

 

[Vilam]

When EverQuest updated the character models during the Luclin expansion, it was one of the worst things they ever made to the game. Gone was the charm of the original models, replaced by models that had completely different designs that did not align with the character I'd been playing and grown attached to for years. I absolutely hated them. Thankfully they did still include the option to revert to the original models, but it annoyed me to no end that other people were seeing my character look like nothing that I'd associated with the character I'd selected.

I would point to what Blizzard did in WoW as the absolute right way to update the look of a game over time. Their improved character models were respectful to the originals, and simply rebuilt them in higher detail... they didn't toss them out and start over.

You could do this comparison for any of the races to highlight how bad the change was, but here's one of the more egregious examples:

Original Troll model:

"New and improved" troll model:

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Worst is tattoo Crash

Just what were they thinking.

 

[SciencePilot]

I expect to catch a lot of flak, but I loved Zero going from angry 90s anime cartoon robot w/ giant limbs to his more streamlined appearance in Mega Man Zero games. Not that I think original Zero is a bad design - it's classic, really - but I love me some MMZ.


>>>>

You are absolutely right. MMX art style is pretty generic 90s anime and really doesn't do Zero any favors. But MMZ art style is pretty unique and Zero looks great in it. Plus they cleaned up some awkward details like his boobs in the X design.

 

[VendettaRed07]

Worst:

Best:

 

[Chamber]

DMC2 Dante looked fucking badass. Yeah, sure, the game was... not as good as 1, but come on. This is his best design by far.

And then he wore a belt over his nipples in the next one.

Kills me we probably won't see this design again. DMC2 Dante looked such a beast, great evolution from the DMC1 design.

 

[Hoya Destroyer]

Best:

Worst:

Soul Calibur 3 Ivy:

---> Soul Calibur 4 Ivy:

SCIV Ivy looks the best though. I love the way her boobs look like they're going to explode out of her top. Hot! She looked great from the back as well.
SCV Ivy sucked. They covered her up too much and took away a huge chunk of her sex appeal in the process.

 

[Hashmal_Bringer_of_Order]

So they made him into a blond Squall. Still, pretty much anything would be an improvement.

His hair is more like Squalls but his overall aesthetic is quite different, with a softer, younger face (now without the FFXII broken nose) that also comes much closer to invoking the "pirate" image he claims to be.

 

[cj_iwakura]

So they made him into a blond Squall. Still, pretty much anything would be an improvement.

Since I'm replaying Persona 2: IS right now:

Hitler with sunglasses is hilarious. And to think it was a censor to hide the fact that it's Hitler- they only call him Furher in the remake. Note, obviously not condoning Hitler. He was an asshole, in real life and in the game.

The biggest irony was and still is

Spoiler

that it's not even him.

 

[Fulminator]

Dude must have gone through some hard times.

Terry Bogard is best redesign.

dunno if anyone knows the answer to this, but what medium was used to color these characters?

looks like gouache to me, but i'm not entirely sure

 

[Complistic]

You're missing one Geralt:

Almooost forgot about bronze god Geralt.

Almost.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Terry Bogard is best redesign.

Yuuuuup.

 

[Glazed]

Not super dramatic redesigns, but Ratchet changes pretty regularly.

Original


Good


Terrible


And for fun, original vs PS4 remake.

yup

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Best:

Don't really know, actually.

Worst:

Everyone in Battleborn

 

[Strangelove77]

Castlevania Judgment committed a lot of sins.
Overall I'd say Shanoa got off easy.


Maria in Symphony Of The Night:

Maria in Judgment:

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

CastleVania Judgments designs are hilarious. It's like Obata looked at Nomura's designs and said "You are like little baby. Watch this."

I half like them.

 

[Reset]

I'll strongly disagree with you here but will concede that it's not really on the strength of the character design more than on the strength of the overall presentation. The Zero series' art style goes a loooooooooooong way to endearing that character design to me.

Zero series design loses a lot of points just for getting rid of his buster for a shitty pistol. No green boob lights is a plus though, haha.

 

[Mik317]

you know for as much shit Vahn gets...his design makes sense for who he is at the start of FFXII...he is a street urchin like Aladdin....so looking the part isn't as big of a deal to me. Whether or not he should have been in the story at all....is another issue.

 

[Linkura]

Castlevania Judgment committed a lot of sins.
Overall I'd say Shanoa got off easy.

The whole thread may as well be Castlevania Judgment for worst.

His hair is more like Squalls but his overall aesthetic is quite different, with a softer, younger face (now without the FFXII broken nose) that also comes much closer to invoking the "pirate" image he claims to be.

His face looks a lot like Squall's too, without the scar of course.

 

[Dio Brando]

CastleVania Judgments designs are hilarious. It's like Obata looked at Nomura's designs and said "You are like little baby. Watch this."

I half like them.

i think the only that have redeemable qualities there are dracula and Cornell. the rest is...yeah.

 

[Zubz]

Wait, people actually like the original Team Aqua/Magma designs? Brendan & May got hit hard, but none of them, and I mean none, had any or personality.

 

[Adcon]

From cartoon character with anime eyes to realistic hunk.

He went from cartoon character to Nolan North. That's literally a facial scan.

 

[Seven Force]

Impa, Sheik and Ganondorf from Hyrule Warriors, are the best versions of each character.

One of the worst redesigns ever is Shanoa. From this (Order of Ecclesia):

To... this abomination (Judgment):

All of Judgment could fit here, really. Aside from maybe Cornell, and only because he never had the most striking design to begin with.

Speaking of CV, all of the Symphony of the Night redesigns are great, but Maria's in particular is pretty great. From this:

To this:

The Dracula X Chronicles redesign is pretty great, too.

 

[Garudan]

Leon from RE2 to RE4 count?

 

[Kalentan]

Great


Bleh

I don't see how that's a redesign? It's younger and older Regis.

 

[Sutanreyu]

Basically any redesign of a character in an official sequel, prequel, spinoff, cameo, remake, etc. that you think is better or worse than all the others.
Same character, different look. Even if it's the original look.
And yeah, I got this idea from the similar FF thread.
I'll start I guess -

Best:

Devil May Cry 2 isn't a very good game, but this is my favorite Dante design. Then you add SMT: Nocturne flavor to it and it's perfect.
Devil Trigger Dante and Virgil in DMC3 are also awesome.

Tifa from FF7 Advent Children, specifically the Kingdom Hearts 2 version. Better dressed than the original FF7 version without the weird dull semi-realistic AC style.

I guess this one divides people, but I just think it's leagues better than any previous version. Nothing else to really say about it.

Worst:

I pretty much dislike everything about the Advent Children redesign, but then they somehow made it worse by adding bandages around his sword in KH2.

I was never a huge Birdie fan, but I really dislike when they redesign characters to be overweight and disgusting for comedic effect.
Street Fighter 5's Birdie is just sad to look at.

Those tan lines. I know Netherealm are very hit and miss with their character designs and I personally hadnt really liked a Sonya design until MKX came around, but this one takes the fucking cake. Just...come on.

Birdie looks exactly the same as he was in Alpha... Except fat.

Ken, however, looks nothing like himself in-game. Chun-Li was overly hypersexualized and given huge boobs, yet smaller legs. Like... Why? They kinda ruined the series.

 

[Golnei]

I can't stand any variation of AC Tifa. It's such a boring design. You can gripe about how revealing the original FF7 design is for Tifa, but it has spunk and personality. The all black apron is just lame as hell with no spark to it at all. AC Cloud is a little better, but still shitty. I'm really not a fan of any of the AC redesigns.

I agree - the AC costume has always come across as so bland to me, while the original is simple and timeless.

And speaking of Metroid, the change from the original suit to the modern Varia in Metroid II definitely counts as one of the best.

Since I'm replaying Persona 2: IS right now:

Hitler with sunglasses is hilarious. And to think it was a censor to hide the fact that it's Hitler- they only call him Furher in the remake. Note, obviously not condoning Hitler. He was an asshole, in real life and in the game.

I don't see how that's a redesign? It's younger and older Regis.

Older Regis was also significantly changed.

 

[Creaking]

i think the only that have redeemable qualities there are dracula and Cornell. the rest is...yeah.

And half the reason Cornell's is good is 'cause his original design blows. (werewolf with a basic human physique in a corset [waistguard, if you must] and tight ass pants)

Even Dracula ain't really feeling it


The Judgement design doesn't go any more in the direction of 'imposing werewolf' than the original, and is overdesigned as per the whole cast, but the armor idea is kinda neat, and... well, he looks like he could claw someone.

 

[HollowCentral]

Best: Wind Waker Link to Twilight Princess Link

Worst: KH2 Sora to KH3D Sora

 

[DragonGirl]

To... this abomination (Judgment):

Holy shit it's even got the "bone disease is attractive" mother effing pigeon toes.

 

[Zafir]

Castlevania Judgment committed a lot of sins.
Overall I'd say Shanoa got off easy.

Not even played much of any Castlevania games, and even I'm annoyed looking at some of these redesigns, lol.

 

[HotHamBoy]

SCIV Ivy looks the best though. I love the way her boobs look like they're going to explode out of her top. Hot! She looked great from the back as well.
SCV Ivy sucked. They covered her up too much and took away a huge chunk of her sex appeal in the process.

You're joking, right?

This is a joke post, right?

Apparently sex appeal = strings of fabric and comical beach ball tits.

 

[Akainu]

Best:

Don't really know, actually.

Worst:

Everyone in Battleborn

Wrong thread guy.

 

[Dio Brando]

And half the reason Cornell's is good is 'cause his original design blows. (werewolf with a basic human physique in a corset [waistguard, if you must] and tight ass pants)

Even Dracula ain't really feeling it


The Judgement design doesn't go any more in the direction of 'imposing werewolf' than the original, and is overdesigned as per the whole cast, but the armor idea is kinda neat, and... well, he looks like he could claw someone.

basically, yeah. still over-designed, but because the original was so bland, it works.

 

[icecold1983]

Worst : toon zelda

Holy fuck that was bad

Very close 2nd would be Ken in SFV

 

[Creaking]

Holy hell at those twiglike arms though. Never noticed that before.

 

[Randam]

Did no one post Chris Redfield from remake to re5 yet?
Awful.


And Elena in uncharted 1 is still the best of her designs.

 

[Demoskinos]

Great


Bleh

What? Hell no. That top version looks like some sort of slimy yakuza asshole. The final design of Regis is fucking bad ass. Best Video Game Dad.

 

[mortal]

Going to get my flameshield ready:

This guy has more personality than all the other Links combined.
Not that I think that it should be his default design or aything. I like how the game changes art style every time.





Different Characters.

If anything, I like her Kingsglaive design the best:

She actually looks her age in Kingsglaive, as in, she looks more like a woman.
Her 3D model in the game looks like she is 14

I like your choices very much.

Toon Link embodies the quintessential brave young hero on a grand adventure archetype. He has a perfect iconic silhouette, and the cell-shade aesthetic emboldens design. Plus he's mad adorable.

Kingsglaive Luna actually looks naturally human. I love her pale skin and dark circles. They certainly make her peircing blue eyes pop. Her outfit is way more impressive as well. She reminds me of a young French woman.
I admired how all of the Kingsglaive characters had unique facial features and bone structure. By comparison, their game counterparts look far less emotive and more like flawless mannequins. Which is no longer interesting to me, as far as character designing goes.

 

[Akainu]

What? Hell no. That top version looks like some sort of slimy yakuza asshole. The final design of Regis is fucking bad ass. Best Video Game Dad.

Best dad!

Spoiler

Sends his son off to die.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

...You do realize that a scene from when noctis is still a kid right? Of course you don't.

And how old do you need to be to have a kid again?

It was an issue all of the CGI models for older men had during the early development. Of course I'm aware, I have pointed out several times how they had a hard time trying to add age to characters before it was re branded to xv and all the other changes they made. During the Versus XIII years they all looked like they had make up to look older rather than being older men, specially Iedolas, whose original design was pretty weak.