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[SolVanderlyn]

You know when a beloved character returns, but they're looking a little more seasoned than usual? A little more skilled? Older, more experienced? Not every character makes the transition from their debut to their return gracefully, but there are some characters who remain better off for their advancement in time.

My vote goes to Leon S. Kennedy, from Resident Evil 2 to Resident Evil 4.

He goes from rookie cop on his first day on the job to seasoned bioterror vet that serves as the president's bodyguard between RE2 -> RE4. He's out of uniform and has taken up an awesome leather jacket, changing his iconic DiCaprio hairstyle for a slightly more edgy "one bang is longer than the other" design, but he pulls it off in a manner that it looks superior to his old style. His expression is no longer that of a scared but determined young man, but an experienced and rigid combat veteran. His redesign isn't only cosmetic, either - you can see his world experience illuminated in his snarky cynicism, a stark contrast to the boy scout personality we saw him have as a young police officer. I feel his redesign's effectiveness was compounded by his absence from any Resident Evil game between 2 and 4, so the fans eager to see him again got a special treat when he finally reappeared.

What character do you think got a nice overhaul from one game to another?

 

[Cipher Peon]

Dante from Devil May Cry to DmC.

Went from alright to my favorite character design in all of gaming. What a badass

 

[wamberz1]

Dante from Devil May Cry to DmC.

Went from alright to my favorite character design in all of gaming. What a badass

Hoooo boy

I'm loving some of the street fighter 5 redesigns, especially coated bison and bearsim

 

[adamsapple]

My vote goes to Leon S. Kennedy, from Resident Evil 2 to Resident Evil 4.


He goes from rookie cop on his first day on the job to seasoned bioterror vet that serves as the president's bodyguard between RE2 -> RE4. He's out of uniform and has taken up an awesome leather jacket, changing his iconic DiCaprio hairstyle for a slightly more edgy "one bang is longer than the other" design, but he pulls it off in a manner that it looks superior to his old style. His redesign isn't only cosmetic, either - you can see his world experience illuminated in his snarky cynicism, a stark contrast to the boy scout personality we saw him have as a young police officer.

What character do you think got a nice overhaul from one game to another?

Yep, you stole my choice.

Claire also got a nice overhaul from RE2/CV (which were chronologically very close, so i won't count them as separate entities here) to Revelations 2. She evolved pretty good as a character and rather than becoming a fighter, became more of a civilian support to help spread awareness, but can still kick major ass if needed.

 

[Femto.]

The original Killer Instinct roster in the new KI.

I personally liked Fulgore, Riptor, and Cinder's redesign.

 

[Dangansona]

Dante from Devil May Cry to DmC.

Went from alright to my favorite character design in all of gaming. What a badass

I'm so happy this is the first post.

 

[Ishida]

The best design for Link to this day.

 

[Pepin]

Dante from Devil May Cry to DmC.

Went from alright to my favorite character design in all of gaming. What a badass

popcorn.gif

 

[i3allistic]

Hipster Ryu

 

[Sephzilla]

I liked Scorpion's design in MK9. Not a huge redesign but I thought it was a good improvement.

Dante from Devil May Cry to DmC.

Went from alright to my favorite character design in all of gaming. What a badass

No

Reboot Dante's look is basically the physical embodiment of a creative void. If you would have said DmC Vergil I would have given you a pass, actually. DmC Vergil was pretty cool looking.

 

[wamberz1]

Hipster Ryu

Such a shame this isn't default.

 

[Cipher Peon]

The original Killer Instinct roster in the new KI.

I personally liked Fulgore, Riptor, and Cinder's redesign.

Ooooooooo those are awesome too! I love Riptor's new design!

.
No

Reboot Dante's look is basically the physical embodiment of a creative void. If you would have said DmC Vergil I would have given you a pass, actually. DmC Vergil was pretty cool looking.

I see it as my aesthetic purely realized in its ultimate form and it's AWESOME

DmC Vergil is pretty good! But he's nothing compared to the concentrated king of cool that is DmC Dante!

 

[Usoto215]

Hipster Ryu

.

 

[Soulflarz]

You stole Kennedy from me so hmm.

MGR raiden (which is basically MGS4 raiden) is well above the original, but I'm unsure how much I like his outfit overall.

Dante from Devil May Cry to DmC.

Went from alright to my favorite character design in all of gaming. What a badass

Except old Dante was a badass, the new guy is a douche.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

From

To

 

[Berordn]

I wish this was a redesign

 

[ShinMaruku]

Now you will be like "She a new character!"

Hear me out. She's a 'dark' Chun Li so in that respect she's a redesing as a new character.

-Hair in buns? Check.
-Fights with lots of kicks? Check
-spiked bracelets? Check
- Wants Ryu bad Check

She fits. :E

 

[RedNumberFive]

The best design for Link to this day.

80s Link is the best Link. I'd kill for a cell shaded Zelda game in this style.

 

[Strax]

Monkey Island has been going up and down for awhile but I think The Curse Guybrush was a great redesign

 

[Banana Aeon]

Terry Bogard, Garou: Mark of wolves. Way to take an iconic character already, and make him better. SNK is the best in the business at character design.

 

[Basketball]

Hipster Ryu

I don't get the big deal about this alt

He has been shirtless in other games

But somehow Beard .... UrAGenius.jpg

 

[Zalman]

Pit from Kid Icarus.

 

[Sponge]

Donkey Kong.

Say what you will about Rare's character designs, but his Donkey Kong Country look is so much better than the arcade one.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

Dante from Devil May Cry to DmC.

Went from alright to my favorite character design in all of gaming. What a badass

100% agree with this. Whatever you feel about the game, I love DmC Dante.

Hipster Ryu

His name is HOT RYU™, what is this "hipster" nonsense?

 

[¡HarlequinPanic!]

Agreed with Killer Instinct, top work all around.

MKX also has some great redesigns. Kitana and Mileena especially.

 

[Whompa02]

MGS4 (NOT MGR) Raiden and MGS2 Snake...even though I enjoy their original designs, I really liked the redesigns for the sequels.

 

[Pepin]

I really liked how Yoshimitsu has changed through Tekken generally, but his massive change when going into Soul Calibur is my favourite

 

[DrunkShogun]

solid snake from his msx days to his ps1 redesign. You could even argue mgs1 to mgs2 if wished to.

 

[fernoca]

80s Link is the best Link. I'd kill for a cell shaded Zelda game in this style.

Got a tease of that already, though not celshaded...

 

[Meowster]

Dante from Devil May Cry to DmC.

Went from alright to my favorite character design in all of gaming. What a badass

First post hit it right on the nail!

 

[Numb]

Terry Bogard, Garou: Mark of wolves. Way to take an iconic character already, and make him better. SNK is the best in the business at character design.

Yep.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

I don't get the big deal about this alt

He has been shirtless in other games

But somehow Beard .... UrAGenius.jpg

Beards are in.

 

[StevieWhite]

Leon wasn't really "classic" at the time RE4 came out though, right? RE2 was early 98, RE4 was early 05. It's only his second appearance.

It's not so much a redesign as a wardrobe change. I like it... but hey, now I am just getting semantic.

 

[Ishida]

Got a tease of that already, though not celshaded...

Whoa whoa where is that from!?

 

[CoyoteSpitfire]

The Killer Instinct redesigns are all great. Especially Fulgore, Spinal, and Maya. I'm also happy with what Capcom has done with Ken, Bison, and Dhalsim in Street Fighter V.

 

[Oddduck]

Some people give Rare flack for their character designs, but Nintendo is still using Rare's modern DK design to this very day.

Classic Donkey Kong & Donkey Kong Jr:

Modern Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong

 

[creatchee]

Except old Dante was a badass, the new guy is a douche.

"The time has come and so have I" says hi.

 

[fernoca]

Whoa whoa where is that from!?

Free update/costume in Hyrule Warriors. Was added during E3 when the 3DS game was officially revealed. Nice surprise and out of nowhere.

 

[Plywood]

Lara Croft:

 

[BadWolf]

Terry Bogard, Garou: Mark of wolves. Way to take an iconic character already, and make him better. SNK is the best in the business at character design.

Winner.

Runner up: Raiden (MGS4)

 

[danmaku]

Terry Bogard from FF/KOF to Garou

 

[Broritos]

I don't know about best but this is one of my favorites.

Sonic:

Damn shame that Sega said that they have no plans to use him again.

 

[CadetMahoney]

google "blue mary redesign" and it's the first pic.

 

[Son Of D]

"The time has come and so have I" says hi.

That's a lyric, not a quote...

Anyway, on to the actual topic at hand:

Soul Calibur 4 Siegfried:

Soul Calibur 5 Siegfried:

From the overdesigned mess of that crystal armour to something that's more slick and suitable for the character.

 

[anthn]

Lara Croft:

Was just in the process of posting this one!

I'm pleased with how Lara Croft looks now. It took her a long time to finally get to a "I've been through some shit" look. If you are raiding tombs, you are going to get roughed up in the process.

 

[Baleoce]

I don't know about best but this is one of my favorites.

Sonic:


Damn shame that Sega said that they have no plans to use him again.

Think I might install Generations again. And, agreed.

 

[Banana Aeon]

I didn't know people like MGS4 Raiden's design. To me, it's super awful.

And Rising's is somehow even worst than that.

 

[internetwolf]

 

[OnPoint]

I've actually always hated the Leon S Kennedy redesign in 4. He's practically a different character.

I like Pit's redesign from Kid Icarus NES to Smash Bros/Uprising.

 

[CadetMahoney]

Lara Croft: