You know, to a degree, Geese Howard always reminded me of a Rush Hour quote (paraphrased) "When something bad is happening, follow the rich white man! It's always his fault!"
There are some qualities, traits, and ideals that each race and nation carries with them. Considering how tough it is in hollywood for asians, I always grin when Japanese game creators place asians in martial arts roles all the time. Or when every European is a refined jerk. Or how chinese people are normally similiar to Japanese, but often a bit more uncooth. Or how African-Americans always like sports, or are always either large and intimidating, or smaller and comic relief.
But that's just how character design is. You take familiar qualities, and place them with a look that relates to those things. The balance isn't trying to avoid those qualities all together, but instead, in trying to give some of that to be familiar, and then depart from making it too overbearing.
I do hope we get some more "Cool Black people" in KoF XIII to balance out the "Dumpy Background Black People" a bit, but I don't think it's offensive, either way.
Now if they where chuckin' spears left and right, wearing dimwitted looks with HUGE lips, frying some chicken, eating watermellons, sitting on poarches besides monkeys, and commiting some ride-by arrow-shooting over plant-made drugs, then I'd be offended too!
