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[Harlequin]

Lara didn't deviate much from her early designs, but her features were a lot harsher in the early days.

Those aren't the earliest concepts, though. The black-and-white ones in this post are older and they're quite a bit different. And, of course, before that Tomb Raider's protagonist was supposed to be male.

Back when Lara Croft was still Laura Cruz (not sure if the art with the teal top is from before or after the name change but the other two pics are from before AFAIK):

 [img]http://i.imgur.com/YKqN1cc.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Vd0KxIB.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/MAjFV5w.jpg[/img]

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

This version of Gordon Freeman from the initial post is referred to as Ivan the Space Biker, can't believe no one has mentioned it yet.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Who cares? They still made her look blander than her real counterpart.

Well first of all that's an older picture. They made changes since that reveal where she's wearing no eyeliner, has shorter eyelashes and less pronounced freckles.

Second, a design is more than just a face. Everything about Aloy's design tells the viewer everything they need to know about how she fits the context of her environment while also being great in the sense that the devs weren't thinking of how best to titillate dudes.

 

[Servbot24]

The real actress? Sure. Game Alloy? Eeh.

Knees too sharp for you?

Also there is no "the real actress".

 

[Ahasverus]

Well first of all that's an older picture. They made changes since that reveal where she's wearing no eyeliner and has shorter eyelashes. Second, a design is more than just a face. Everything about Aloy's design tells the viewer everything they need to know about how she fits the context of her environment.

No doubt about it. Nobody is here saying Aloy has a bad design. It's... fine, not overly memorable or eye catching, and not in a sexual way. it's just... there.

I'd dare to say there are NPCs better designed than her in her own game.

Knees too sharp for you?

It's not a fuckability contest you know.

 

[Navid]

Surprised at how many people like the early concept for Aloy over her final design... think she looks far more mature, confident and aggressive in her final design and it fits perfectly with her story/upbringing in the game ...

 

[Crossing Eden]

No doubt about it. Nobody is here saying Aloy has a bad design. It's... fine, not overly memorable or eye catching, and not in a sexual way. it's just... there.

I'd dare to say there are NPCs better designed than her in her own game.

She's literally the face of a new IP that has so far had quite the success and is one of the few characters in the entire medium that has long unkempt hair that actually works. I imagine she'll get a similar crowd reaction to Kratos when they reveal the sequel in a few years.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

I haven't played Horizon ZD but I like those concept drawings more than the end result because I love stylised art.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Heres a super secret image of an early design for Solid Snake:

 

[SpartanN92]

Master Chief

 

[Ahasverus]

She's literally the face of a new IP that has so far had quite the success and is one of the few characters in the entire medium that has long unkempt hair that actually works. I imagine she'll get a similar crowd reaction to Kratos when they reveal the sequel in a few years.

I'd bet $200 that she'll be radically redesigned for the sequel. You don't radically redesign an iconic protagonist. we'll see.

 

[WaffleTaco]

Early Aloy is awful looking, I'm so happy we got what we have now with her.

Then they fucked up.

it's not that Aloy is ugly, it that she looks blaaaand.

First of all...this is wrong, second of all...women can be bland. There are so many games with bland male characters.

 

[Tom Nook]

Mario Strikers

 

[LurkerPrime]

I don't see too many women that look like her where I'm from. She'd turn more than a few heads.

Back on track... Link on N64.

Omg Link. You were almost a Final Fantasy 7 overworld character. In Big Head Mode. With weapons made from Metal Mario.

Oh, the humanity.

 

[TetraGenesis]

Would have brought the crap out of horizon if she looked like this. Hits that nice sweetspot of cute and confident. I hate the graphical realism focus in games nowadays. The current Alloy design is boring compared to this.

^ This is a disgusting comment.

 

[Crossing Eden]

I'd bet $200 that she'll be radically redesigned for the sequel. You don't radically redesign an iconic protagonist. we'll see.

Again she's instantly recognizable as the protagonist of HZD and her design has been pretty much unanimously praised.

 

[8bit]

Space Invaders.

 

[Gin-Shiio]

"I have been jaded by years of female protagonists designed solely to get my cock going and can't fap to Aloy's merely averagely gorgeous face. They fucked up big time."

I cannot for the life of me comprehend the audacity of some people.

 

[13ruce]

Mario Strikers

Peach looks quite nice there also lol at hip hop Mario.

 

[Not]

These Alloy designs are way cooler than what we got.

Maybe if they're for her younger self. She's not bulky enough.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Mario Strikers

This is the most 2000's look in the world.

 

[Not]

I will never forget the utterly ceaseless bitching and whining GAF did over this (imo far superior) redesign of Cole. Pages and pages of moaning over it, crazy.

It's because GAF empathized with the unstable bald nerd and thought making him into a cool guy was over the line

 

[_Aaron_]

Nihilanth from Half-Life

 

[balohna]

Saw a bunch of FFIX stuff earlier in this thread, which reminds me...

I remember in the late 90s seeing some concept art on either a video game website or magazine that was labeled as something that leaked from Square and could be Final Fantasy IX. I don't know if it was legit or not, but if it was legit it seems clear it wasn't FF9.

The concept was something about people living underground and I remember the art style being not tooo far off what we eventually got. Similarly exaggerated, but I'm pretty sure there were mole people involved. Anyone remember this? I also could be misremembering because it was like 18-19 years ago and I was like 10 years old.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Space Invaders.

Oh wow. Never made the crab connection before.

 

[Manu]

Space Invaders.

This is the first thing in this thread to really blow my mind.

 

[Tonton]

Anyway....I find the concepts of Connor from AC to be interesting because they were constantly trying to find a balance between the influence of the colonialism of the era and his native American culture.

Would have preferred some of those instead of the iconic white hood, although at least the final version is not exactly bad, it just feels very out of place

At least they gave some outfits like his captain one that work better

 

[Icyflamez96]

I have never been annoyed by tons of people quoting the same image. Jesus fucking Christ, lol.


Someone already posted the Ratchet & Clank images so I'm out.

Edit: Also I like final Aloy better than most of those early concept images.

 

[Jawbreaker]

Her hair's a lot better in those older pictures but that's about it. That last one in particular she looks about 12

That one's concept art for young Aloy, so it makes sense.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Final Aloy is much better. The concept art looks fine by itself, but it's too perfectly-idealized-Disney-princess for that kind of character. The final result is much, much more compelling.

This is way better. But i guess we have to aplaud them for making her "chubbier" and less good looking. She looks like a real person now.

Chubbier??? WTF?

For all the discussion on how the final design resembled the actress who played Yigritte in Game of a Thrones, it's somewhat amusing that these early designs have a lot in common with the book description of Yigritte in ASOFAI.

Not really? No pug nose, no crooked teeth (well we don't see her teeth at all but we can assume they'd be perfectly straight), and Aloy's final hair probably fits Ygritte's hairstyle more than the early princess-hair designs really.

It's really depressing seeing all the posts which prefer the original design of Ally.

We get an incredibly well designed, realistic, female main character whose a joy to play - and people prefer the anorexic, slightly sexualized, oh so blandly typical Disney Princess pictures here?

I don't see any sexualization to be honest, but I otherwise agree.

It's not remotely surprising though. A lot of people would rather have a waifu over a realistic woman. :\

People don't like ugly designs, what a surprise.

In this one. Removing that rat's nest of a mullet would go a long way in fixing it.

Ugly? Mullet?

Do you even know what words mean

Also it's kinda uncomfortable to be shaming skinny people :/ Just because someone is fit doesn't mean they have a disorder.

That's... not what's happening. Nobody is shaming skinny people, FFS. Just commenting than a hardened huntress/adventurer shouldn't have waif-like sticks for arms.

No doubt about it. Nobody is here saying Aloy has a bad design. It's... fine, not overly memorable or eye catching, and not in a sexual way. it's just... there.

What a preposterous statement. Aloy's design is loved by many, instantly recognizable, and already iconic in the industry. Not eye-catching? I mean... what the fuck do you even consider eye catching at this point?

"I have been jaded by years of female protagonists designed solely to get my cock going and can't fap to Aloy's merely averagely gorgeous face. They fucked up big time."

I cannot for the life of me comprehend the audacity of some people.

Hahah, for real

 

[Prophaniti]

Sonic the Rabbit is awesome

 

[Icyflamez96]

Thought she was chubbier too than most of those concept images, but I'm just looking at the face. I haven't played the game though.

 

[Kinyou]

It's because GAF empathized with the unstable bald nerd and thought making him into a cool guy was over the line

Cole was never a nerd. People were just bothered because it was a big shift from the original design.
Firing the old voice actor didn't help either

 

[DiipuSurotu]

The cast of Chrono Trigger:

Serge and Kid from Radical Dreamers/Chrono Cross:

Keldric from Dawn of Mana:

The races of Final Fantasy XI:

 

[eso76]

Surprised at how many people like the early concept for Aloy over her final design... think she looks far more mature, confident and aggressive in her final design and it fits perfectly with her story/upbringing in the game ...

This.
I'm not even a huge HZD fan, but Aloy is a great design and she's beautiful in a diff. way
Early designs were interesting too though

 

[Crossing Eden]

Would have preferred some of those instead of the iconic white hood, although at least the final version is not exactly bad, it just feels very out of place

At least they gave some outfits like his captain one that work better

You never realize how crucial the hood is to the character design of this series until they take away the option to have it up by default.

 

[Lusankya]

TIL Apparently Aloy is a chubby, ugly duck who all these awesome superheroes from NeoGAF wouldn't even touch with pincers.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

"I have been jaded by years of female protagonists designed solely to get my cock going and can't fap to Aloy's merely averagely gorgeous face. They fucked up big time."

I cannot for the life of me comprehend the audacity of some people.

You're one to talk. Some of you are massively projecting insecurities just because some people dared to disagree about a design. It's embarrassing

 

[nitronite]

FFX

i think there was a dark haired tidus at some point too

Wow, Tidus used to be buff!

 

[Llyrwenne]

I can understand preferring a more cartoony art-style over a realistic art-style, but shitting on Aloy's design because you think she doesn't look enough like the supermodel you want her to be is saddening and also pretty disgusting. Same goes for the people that keep popping up in other threads saying that Guerrilla should have added romantic / sexual relationship paths into the game.

If you're just here to impose your fantasies onto her and don't have anything to say about the actual character, maybe reconsider and just don't.

 

[Toxi]

The early Aloy art doesn't really fit the style of the game.

Which is common in concept art, since you gotta unify all the different ideas into a single cohesive style. It often leads to people finding isolated concept art more interesting than the final product while forgetting that the final product isn't viewed in isolation.

 

[Kinyou]

I can understand preferring a more cartoony art-style over a realistic art-style, but shitting on Aloy's design because you think she doesn't look enough like the supermodel you want her to be is saddening and also pretty disgusting. Same goes for the people that keep popping up in other threads saying that Guerrilla should have added romantic / sexual relationship paths into the game.

If you're just here to impose your fantasies onto her and don't have anything to say about the actual character, maybe reconsider and just don't.

Uh what? There's nothing wrong with someone who was hoping for that.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

You're one to talk. Some of you are massively projecting insecurities just because some people dared to disagree about a design. It's embarrassing

What's embarrassing are people calling Aloy chubby, ugly, manly, bland, having a mullet, or the best one, thinking that athletes have a specific type of "face" (that one was a riot, holy shit).

I'd say that's more embarrassing than making a zinger/quip about all of the above, really. But you do you.

 

[Gin-Shiio]

You're one to talk. Some of you are massively projecting insecurities just because some people dared to disagree about a design. It's embarrassing

I'm a gorgeous ginger myself, but still a man, I'm afraid. Besides, our disdain isn't over people's opinion, but their shallow, chauvinistic justifications for it.

 

[Jawbreaker]

I think both the concept art and what we got are fine, but the end result is more befitting of the game, so I prefer that one. Also, it's refreshing to see a leading woman without totally neonate features.

 

[Kinyou]

That's... not what's happening. Nobody is shaming skinny people, FFS. Just commenting than a hardened huntress/adventurer shouldn't have waif-like sticks for arms.

That you post you quoted was in response to someone calling early Aloy "anorexic".

 

[AzureFlame]

Damn. Rather have this. Stylized >>>>> realism. Ugh if I wanted realistic, I would just go outside.

Realism is not always bad lol, there are many beautiful girls outside, but yeah I'd rather have this old design than what we got.

 

[KillLaCam]

I'm super skinny but Aloy isn't chubby or even super muscular. I prefer most of the stylized designs too but she's still skinny in the real game. You can be fit and skinny.

 

[Harlequin]

You never realize how crucial the hood is to the character design of this series until they take away the option to have it up by default.

It's also been seriously immersion-breaking in some of the settings they've been in. I like the hood and I get that, from a marketing perspective, it's a powerful image with a lot of recognition value but there are some settings/periods where it really doesn't work and I wish they wouldn't force it into them. Maybe the Assassin order of that period could still use it for ritualistic purposes (like when they're meeting up in secret) but in a game that's supposed to be about blending in and being an assassin I expect the protagonist's character design to not stick out like a sore thumb whenever you're in a crowd. Some (but only some) of the outfits in Syndicate were a good step in the right direction regarding this issue IMO.

 

[Wozman23]

[We interrupt this Aloy bickering to bring you more early character designs.]

Rayman:

Kratos:

More Sackboy (post-YellowHead):

More insight:
https://www.mediamolecule.com/blog/article/from_yellowhead_to_sackboy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mediamolecule/sets/72157625338372788/

Big Daddy (in a wheelchair):

Little Sisters (as chipmunks):

Cuphead (and a ton of other crazy designs):

More insight: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/02/03/cuphead-39-s-creators-open-up-their-sketchbook.aspx?PostPageIndex=1