Best/Worst Character Design

[Your Vest Friend]

Strangely enough, he actually looks male to me, despite the eyelashes.

[batson]

Are you at all familiar with anime

A little bit. And yeah, im aware of the existance of those girly "bee-shotacun-san-kun-sama-pretty-boy" -type characters or whatever theyre called, but in the case of Voids design there is litteraly nothing that suggests a male gender.

[Your Vest Friend]

A little bit. And yeah, im aware of the existance of those girly "bee-shotacun-san-kun-sama-pretty-boy" -type characters or whatever theyre called, but in the case of Voids design there is litteraly nothing that suggests a male gender.

Actually, if you compare him to Lumina, there's a lot. For example, there's extra exaggeration of the back muscles that isn't present on Lumina, and the limbs have more chunk even without the bracelets/anklets. The face is also more square in contrast with Lumina's softer, rounded and feminine face. And he barely has any hips to speak of.

[Milo]

His color scheme being mostly in the purple range as well as the bracelets kinda made it hard for me to tell if he was male or not.

[Komodin]

Void's gender could just be ambiguous...

[WarioBone]

So, here's a question: why did Sonic Team bother creating Expies of NiGHTS and Reala in Sonic Shuffle whenever they actually OWN NiGHTS and Reala...?

[Multikaris]

I found a lot of the designs in the Fleetway comic to be awful. They dont mesh with Sonic. At all. Creepy animal heads on poorly drawn human bodies. Eww.

[- Eternal Paradox -]

So, here's a question: why did Sonic Team bother creating Expies of NiGHTS and Reala in Sonic Shuffle whenever they actually OWN NiGHTS and Reala...?

Er... Because they wanted to keep the two universes seprate?

[Adamis]

I found a lot of the designs in the Fleetway comic to be awful. They dont mesh with Sonic. At all. Creepy animal heads on poorly drawn human bodies. Eww.

Things like this can be found in Archie too.

Heh, any Sonic media at that time had background characters that weren't drawn in SegaSonic style. Just look at the US cartoons and Archie. Sega certainly didn't tell them "draw everyone like Sonic". They just handed them models for the game characters (well, sometimes not and the creators had to look at screenshots and make some guesses) and that's all.

[Multikaris]

Things like this can be found in Archie too.

Heh, any Sonic media at that time had background characters that weren't drawn in SegaSonic style. Just look at the US cartoons and Archie. Sega certainly didn't tell them "draw everyone like Sonic". They just handed them models for the game characters (well, sometimes not and the creators had to look at screenshots and make some guesses) and that's all.

Yes, they can. But at least the Archie supporting cast mutated into a more game-like aesthetic as it went on, and a few like Sally could mesh as they are now.

[Adamis]

Yes, they can. But at least the Archie supporting cast mutated into a more game-like aesthetic as it went on, and a few like Sally could mesh as they are now.

IF StC had continued and was still published nowadays, I'm sure they'd have gone the same road.

And lots of places in StC are actual Zones from the games. Characters were not stuck in a forest

[Your Vest Friend]

Personally, I think that makes the StCO's decision to resist adapting to the modern aesthetic very daft, since I know that Sega would have cracked down on them like they did Archie if StC were still in production. But that's just me.

[Adamis]

It really depends on the artists, it's not a staff decision. You can see that, for example, I usually tend to have more SegaSonic-like characters in my stories.

[MamboCat]

Personally, I think that makes the StCO's decision to resist adapting to the modern aesthetic very daft, since I know that Sega would have cracked down on them like they did Archie if StC were still in production. But that's just me.

Since you mention STCO I'm sure you know this, but Sonic's looked like the "modern" version (with OMG GREEN! eyes and all that...) since the Sonic Adventure adaptation, and the other characters quickly followed suit. The "non-Sega" characters that were in the original comic and appear in STCO simply have their old appearances for consistency eg Ebony (my lovely avatar! :3). I'd say the STCO exclusive characters such as The Family appear more "Sonicified",but as Adamis said it's down to the artist's choice.

Edited October 6, 2012 by MamboCat

[Your Vest Friend]

Oh hey, Nack with boo--WAT.

[Soniman]

Is that supposed to be a redesigned Nick.

If so I guess It's.....better?

[Your Vest Friend]

At least her clothes aren't 100% female Nack fodder, but that colour scheme of her fur is just horrendous on the eye. If the clothes are going to be as bold as black and white, you can't really use hot pink and expect it to blend well.

I've mocked up a shit little drawing to try and show how I'd render the colours;

See, softer colours don't hurt the eyes as much when they're dominant, and I've rendered other part purple to suggest that, yes, Nack and Nic ARE supposed to be siblings.

Although you might disagree, because opinions and whatnot.

[Vertekins]

Oh hey, Nack with boo--WAT.

What the HELL is that monstrosity? A redesigned Nic? If so, they failed epically at it.

What I like about SEGASonic designs of characters is distinctiveness between sexes of the same species. It's why Archie are lazy and uninspired and why the argument that Fiona Fox has to look like Tails with tits and a wig is an absolute neccessity just because she's a fox is a mostly bullshit argument.

I mean look at these;

Each pair of characters is the same species. Yet the girls look feminine and distinct and the boys look masculine and also distinct. Amy lacks the two stiff spines on her back that all male Hedgehog's have displayed. She has a longer tail than the three male Hedgehog's and a smaller, very button-like nose compared to their long noses. Her eyes are also softer and her frame is noticeably daintier. She looks like a girl and Sonic looks like a boy who is more serious-looking with stronger eye ridges and from the spines and more 'robust' body build, gives you a much greater impression of masculinity. He's bigger as well but that's also down to the fact that he's 3 years older.

Tikal lacks the claws that Knuckles and the males in her tribe have displayed. Again, like Amy, her face is softer; Her eyes are gentler-looking and her muzzle is much less "cheeky" than Knuckles'. She also has a smaller nose. Her appearance his far less rugged than male Echidna's, it's softer and feminine and it puts across her gentleness. Her colour scheme is softer on the eye too.

Blaze and Big have vastly different body frames and sizes despite being cats. But they still have a common design factor such as gloves, shoes, muzzles, noses and vibrant colouration typical of Sonic characters. Yet they still look original and distinctive. And again, Big looks masculine and Blaze looks feminine.

[Sega DogTagz]

Where did this come from exactly?

Nic will never win any awards for design, but I really like what was done with this render. I really like the hat. Its a nice spin on Nack's attire.

[Xenos]

Blaze and Big have vastly different body frames and sizes despite being cats. But they still have a common design factor such as gloves, shoes, muzzles, noses and vibrant colouration typical of Sonic characters. Yet they still look original and distinctive. And again, Big looks masculine and Blaze looks feminine.

There is also their tails. they have that similar design on them.

Although I have a bit of an issue with Big's eyes. They just seem a bit soulless without any emotion, really blank.

Sort of disturbing...

[WarioBone]

Er... Because they wanted to keep the two universes seprate?

But they aren't. :V Sonic and NiGHTS are friends.

[StaticMania]

Although I have a bit of an issue with Big's eyes. They just seem a bit soulless without any emotion, really blank.

Sort of disturbing...

Thats probably because his face is sort of designed like an actual cat.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Chrononego

[Blue Blood]

Although I have a bit of an issue with Big's eyes. They just seem a bit soulless without any emotion, really blank.

Sort of disturbing...

Don't you think a blank, vacant expression is fitting for him?

[Your Vest Friend]

Where did this come from exactly?

The new Sonic Encyclopedia.

Speaking of her again, someone had similar thoughts to me regarding her design, but can actually draw too.

See, this I would have been fine with.