Sexy character designs done right

[Erttheking]

So often in gaming making characters wear sexy clothing feels shoehorned in and is only there to pander, sometimes at the expense of the story. Like in Mass Effect 2, where an old wise warrior has a cleavage window. But sometimes it can be done right. Sometimes it just fits the tone of the game or it does it in a way that's actually endearing instead of just "Look at me! I've got boobs! My game is mature!"

One game in particular that I've noticed is Loren the Amazon Princess. The characters strike a good balance of sexy female and sexy male characters, making the sexiness feel like something that's part of the world instead of something artificiality put in and conflicting with the established tone.

Spoiler

http://www.twinfinite.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Loren-The-Amazon-Princess-Dialogue.jpg

Sexy ladies and sexy men....and Gandalf the Gray

Not to mention we've also got a healthy mix of sexy people to shack up our sexy main characters with. Men only interested in men, women only interested in women, women only interested in men, men only interested in women, and men and women who love both genders.

Spoiler

http://i.imgur.com/DEUj2.jpg

And the love scenes...wow. I can't really post them here as I don't want to get in trouble for NSFW images, but let me just say that they're a lot steamier than anything Bioware ever gave us.

So that's my example. You got any examples to add?

 

[RA92]

Jeanette from Vampire - The Masquerade: Bloodlines for me is hands down the sexiest video game character. She's sexy, playful, predatory, manipulative, monstrous and never lacking in inventive imagery.

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[Colour Scientist]

Is this specifically for sexualised characters or just characters who you happen to find sexy?

I'm going to pretend it's the latter.

Spoiler: Warning: May Contain Handsome

Booker DeWitt from Bioshock Infinite, just in case that isn't clear.

I totally had a bit of crush on him, I think it had a lot to do with his voice too.

 

[Lieju]

Well, I'm assuming we're talking about characters that are specifically designed to be sexy.

Spoiler

Yes, that outfit is completely ridiculous for a mission in the Spanish countryside (high heels in the mud!), but the whole of RE4 is ridiculous, so it fits the tone. (and it's not like Leon is not pretty too)

It's stylish, and not too revealing, her bodyshape is reasonable, and the camera didn't focus on her butt or boobs.
And it goes with her super-agent femme fatale persona.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Bayonetta, baby!

Sexuality is very much at the core of what Bayonetta is all about, it shows in everything she does, from the way she walks, the language she uses, in the way she fights. It comes naturally to her, it never feels forced, only playful.

 

[Zhukov]

Depends how sexed-up it has to be to count as sexy.

I'll throw in Red from Transistor.

(Having trouble finding a perfect image. That will have to do.)

Her appearance makes sense within the game too.

She's all dressed up like that because she's a singer by profession, not a soldier or spy or bounty hunter or what have you, and the game starts with shit going down minutes after she's given a preference. Plus she still has the sense to ditch her (sexy) gown, throw on a (not-quite-so-sexy) jacket and put on some (sexy) practical footwear.

 

[carnex]

-snip-/quote]

Sexy is handled, in most games, in tone of a game or at least for most characters. Fighting games are stupid filler stuff for most players (I know there is a competitive scene, I used to be a part of it) and character design is stupid eyecandy pandering too.

Witcher, for example, treated it less tasteful for cards, but actually interactions with characters and scenes are actually quite tasteful and go hand in hand with story and setting.

But those games are games that have sex and sexy as an extra. In Lorna gameplay is, honestly crap. Writing is crappy to, not any better than my and that is really bad. So actually relationships are really a focus of a game so better do at least that right.

My personal favorite understated sexy actually is Charlotte form Samurai Shodown where it's her storyline that makes her sexy rather than her appearance. Or maybe Chloe Frazer ftom Uncharted series.

Favorite overstated sexy? I don't know... there are quite a few that I like from all genres. But lets stick to fighting games and Morrigan. Sexy, sexual and seemingly inviting but et her side nothing but horror lies!

Weit, no! Actually it's Momohime from Muramasaemon blade. Sooooo sexy, soooo deadly.

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

i'm going totally obscure here but...

Spoiler: hubba hubba

Garcia Hotspur from Shadows of the Damned.

Sexiness done right in my opinion.

 

[loa]

I dunno, maybe one where the "sexy" makes sense in the context of the universe and on a practical level so no bikini plate armor while males get the full plate one and no hi heels for swordfighters?
Not doing the boobs and butt pose [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BoobsAndButtPose?from=Main.OverTheShoulderPose] helps too.

Your example doesn't seem done right at all, how is that armor protecting anything?
Why bother with big fullmetal shoulderplates if the rest of the body is basically naked?
Would you put that on in a fight to the death?
Just because the stupidity is not exclusive to females doesn't make it any less nonsensical.

It is pretty rare to find the usual nonsense applied to female characters also applied to male characters who are usually allowed to be "sexy" and sensibly clothed at the same time so... good job finding that.

 

[Erttheking]

I dunno, maybe one where the "sexy" makes sense in the context of the universe and on a practical level so no bikini plate armor while males get the full plate one and no hi heels for swordfighters?
Not doing the boobs and butt pose [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BoobsAndButtPose?from=Main.OverTheShoulderPose] helps too.

Your example doesn't seem done right at all, how is that armor protecting anything?
Why bother with big fullmetal shoulderplates if the rest of the body is basically naked?
Would you put that on in a fight to the death?
Just because the stupidity is not exclusive to females doesn't make it any less nonsensical.

It is pretty rare to find the usual nonsense applied to female characters also applied to male characters who are usually allowed to be "sexy" and sensibly clothed at the same time so... good job finding that.

I unno. I only really find it stupid when women wear chain mail bikinis but men wear practical plate armor. It just breaks my willing suspension of disbelief, the inconsistency. I like games that are consistent, whether with heavy, dark realistic tones, or goofy over the top and sexy ones.

All I ask is that a game sticks to its internal logic.

 

[Rip Van Rabbit]

Hmm, I'm going to go with two of my favourite characters from Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends:

Best girls:

Spoiler: Wang Yuanji

One look at Yuanji and I see a woman of sophistication and responsibility. To me, this is emphasised through an elegant, but form-fitting dress.

Spoiler: Lu Lingqi

Lu Lingqi on the other hand, she looks deceptively cute, but she also has a distinct "Warrior Princess" feeling to her. Her massive weapon, combined with the lightly armoured outfit shows that she has a more fierce nature.

*shrug*

These character designs and their outfits seem respectable and attractive, without crossing any lines into blatant titillation. That's what would makes them sexy in my eyes.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

A classic for me, Tifa:

Spoiler

Not as huge a fan of the Advent Children look, though. Still, I think she was great on many levels, inside and out.

 

[FPLOON]

Okay... Well, I'm going to say...

Spoiler: Katherine

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EHz4hZiSVX4/UXv6ngjbDpI/AAAAAAAABSc/hD8Wwo-zmsk/s1600/ku-xlarge(1).jpg
No, not this Catherine...

Spoiler: This Katherine

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eZjam3m3RqU/T0EYSGNOtRI/AAAAAAAABuc/9oZhOE1zoH0/s1600/Katherine+cover.jpg
Yes... This Katherine... I swear it must be those glasses or something...

Spoiler: However...

However, both [C/K]atherines and their "sexiness" do fit with the overall tone of the game...

Then again, I barely look for "sexy video game characters" in the first place... unless you count personalities sexy, in which I "kinda" do, but I digress...

 

[Riotguards]

well hand down garrus and his calibrations, nothing says sexy like calibrating your mood

Spoiler: calibrations

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

I'd say Farrah from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. She doesn't look out of place at all, given the setting, which work marvelously. She's dated now, but back when I was younger... mmm. (Also, big plus that she doesn't have the breast implants that the chicks in Warrior Within have).

Spoiler

 

[Matt Dellar]

Shantae.

Now let's see if I know how to do images.

Spoiler

a) Shantae lives in the desert. It's hot in the desert.
b) Shantae is a bellydancer. This is actually a gameplay mechanic.
c) Shantae is a flirty character. She sexualizes herself and it's actually pretty cute.

 

[Drummodino]

Well let's see here...

Spoiler

Kat from DmC: Devil May Cry. She's smart, sexy and courageous, willing to put her life on the line despite not having powerful demon and angel abilities like Dante and Vergil. She also goes through some serious shit and comes through damaged but not broken, still committed to the cause.

There are others but she's the one that immediately comes to mind right now.

Snip()

I second Red for similar reasons to what you said. One of the best examples of a silent protagonist that is a good character in their own right.

 

[Weaver]

Bayonetta, baby!

Sexuality is very much at the core of what Bayonetta is all about, it shows in everything she does, from the way she walks, the language she uses, in the way she fights. It comes naturally to her, it never feels forced, only playful.

Yup, came here to say this. I think Bayonetta is masterful and and I wish more people gave it a fair shake.


OT:
The problem (IMO) in games is the "randomly sexy" character who has no reason to be wearing what their wearing, and no one seems to notice or care. Don't get me wrong, I like sexy characters; but there has to actually be a reason for them to be like that. It's just super weird when we have games like X-Blades where the main character just wears that... because? I mean she wakes up in the morning and chooses to put this on. And you know what, that's fine; but the game should really be doing something with that - yet it doesn't and it comes off as incredibly obvious fan service. Like if a game starred a guy who was just wearing a man thong with no explanation or reasoning behind it, I think it would raise a few eyebrows.

Not to drive this point home but I've been drinking so whatever. Let's take "generic fantasy game". There's a serious battle going on and full plate mail guy is fighting orcs or goblins or something. He falls, and a goblin raises it's goblinish weapon to goblin him right in his face! Oh no! Suddenly, an arrow flies out of nowhere killing the goblin. "I guess this is the last time I'll be goblining!" it shrieks as it dies, its goblin blood goblining all over the dirt. The camera then dramatically zooms over to bikini archer girl in the trees with giant tits pouring out of her top and an impossibly small waist, and an ass that took 3 modellers 5 weeks of overtime to complete (they won't be getting a bonus, by the way).

After the battle the human and elf converse. "Thanks for saving me, bikni archer girl! It's totally not weird at all you're basically not wearing clothes in the middle of a goddamn war with goblins everywhere!".

"Just doing my job, plate mail guy! And don't worry, I won't be wearing much more the entire game! Especially not in the ice caves!" and they leave it at that.

She's sexy just... because and it's a jarring disconnect that no one even mentions she looks like she's trying to collect beads at Mardi Gras in a setting that, generally, really does not seem like it befits that style of dress. Further, her sexuality in the game itself is not acknowledged in any way by anyone. She exists merely to appeal to what they presume is a male player. My example may be entirely fabricated, but games play out similarly quite frequently.

But Bayonetta on the other hand. God damn, Bayonetta! The game totally knows what it's doing. Bayonetta damn well knows she's sexy, the supporting characters know she's sexy. Even if it's small things like Enzo eying her legs non nonchalantly, to her obviously teasing Luka just to fluster him. She does what she does because fuck it! It's fun, sex is great, and she can. There's a reason (perhaps a bit contrived) to her wearing what she is wearing, and even then her outfit while revealing somehow doesn't seem out of place at all (largely due to the enormous camp value in the game).

Anyways, Bayonetta is great and everyone should play it.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I never really thought of any video game character sexy, beutiful for sure but not sexy, maybe gwendolyn from odin sphere

Actually I find her counterpart Velvet to be a dream girl of sorts. She does the ol' boobs-n-ass pose but oh well, fuck it.