Lunatic_Gamer
Member
Naughty Dog are well-versed in creating diverse looking character, cue Abby from their last offering, The Last of Us 2. Abby, a muscle-bound ticker-busting hard-nut, divided opinion, with many (ourselves included) of the thought she was perhaps too muscular to be believable. Especially, given the hard times people were living in through the plot of the game. We believe this was deliberate rage baiting, and for the most part it worked. People fell for it, hook-line-and-sinker. The idea being, you were supposed to hate the character for what she did, but then by the end of the game have a little more respect for her (or not as the case may be). Cue, Jordan A. Mun.
Naughty Dog just revealed their new IP, the first in what seems like an eternity in the upcoming space-themed action game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Once again, the interwebs are up in arms because of the looks of Jordan, played by the rather lovely Tati Gabrielle who played a villain in the Uncharted Movie (makes sense then), and was superb in the Netflix TV series “YOU”. In the trailer she is seen shaving her head (now completely bald) and sporting some fine biceps and delts. She’s a bounty hunter and it seems as is documented that the Naughty Dog team drew inspiration from the likes of Cowboy Bebop and Akira. All good then.
Well, not really for some. It’s Abby all over again, with a non-sexualized character and one that loses her femineity on purpose. But why has Naughty Dog tried the rage-bait angle again? Online artist have tried to edit her appearance, which ultimately sexualizes the character. Sure, we think she looks great with long hair, but then we admit to losing something meaningful in the process. It seems some gamers just want the following looks for their gaming heriones:
What Some Gamers WANT!
Here’s our understanding of Naughty Dog’s choices:
The shaved head is a bold (or should I say bald) look that issues a statement, not only about sexuality, but about being practical too. Tati Gabrielle is stunningly beautiful, especially in TV series “You”, but seems to be getting villainous roles or those that suit her shorter hair.
Women with a shaved-head isn’t anything new, look at Ripley in Aliens, and Furiosa in the Mad Max movie. It’s a way of showing that they can remove the sexualization to focus on the character itself a bit more. It’s also like being reborn and that symbolism (babies don’t always have much hair). A fresh start. Being shaved also removes a lot of personalization, which I assume can be quite useful if you’re blending-in or trying to as a bounty hunter. That said, glorious tats are pretty much like a fingerprint…And, Jordan has plenty of those.
After the debacle with Abbey in TLOU 2, Druckman and co. know exactly what buttons to push and they are doing here on purpose with aplomb. It’s highly likely those who are making complaints about the character will still play the game, because…
Anyhow, as a people who don’t hide our adulation of sexy videogame characters, perhaps it’s refreshing to see someone more grounded in reality, than the large-breasted fanservice models we see in a lot of games. We did dislike Abby in TLOU2 simply because they pushed her muscles too far in an exaggerated unbelievable way (on-purpose). Yet, funny how people complained given the subject matter of that game being drenched in fantasy.
That said, when playing we did feel connected to her character and story and that ladies & gentlemen was as a result of not being distracted by her sexuality (looks). Naughty Dog can focus on more complex and thought-provoking narratives and characterizations with this ~”neutral” looking character. So we’re game for that. And, if we want to ogle videogame females, there are tons of games that offer that, so we welcome the change. It has somewhat become Naughty Dog’s trademark when presenting female characters.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet - Jordan's Looks are expected, and we're happy about it - Cramgaming.com
Naughty Dog are well-versed in creating diverse looking character, cue Abby from their last offering, The Last of Us 2. Abby, a muscle-bound ticker-busting hard-nut, divided opinion, with many (ourselves included) of the thought she was perhaps too muscular to be believable. Especially, given...
cramgaming.com
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