Disappointed

[Lessi]

No selection of even Gender?

 

I don't think its very good in a game that someone should have to pick a sex they are uncomfortable with to experience the whole game.

I don't want to have to play some dude to get sword and board.

 

Probably a similar story for other people.

 

People (meaning me) are familiar with games like World of Warcraft where theres no separation of classes based on what bits they have, and customization is a really important part of RPGs.

 

I can't justify $60 for the two out of four classes i'll play. I guess I have to wait for bargain bin..

Edited June 2, 2011 by Lessi

[Pidesco]

So you only play games that allow you to control female sword and shield characters? That's pretty arbitrary and limiting.

[C2B]

Well it would naturally be better to have more female charachters/female versions. But I'm pretty happy with the 2/2 ratio in DSIII as long as the charachters are unique enough.

 

What I noticed about the main charachters so far is that they are played up versions of "stereotypes" for comedic purposes. In that sense the whole thing reminds me a lot of Alpha Protocol already.

[MonkeyLungs]

Alpha Protocol should have allowed you to play a female agent. One of its larger offenses in my opinion.

 

Same goes here. I'm sorry but I would prefer male and female for each character type/class. So they have to have double the amount of the characters? Tough ****. This should be standard. This is one of Sacred 2's biggest problems as well.

[Miltstar]

No selection of even Gender?

 

I don't think its very good in a game that someone should have to pick a sex they are uncomfortable with to experience the whole game.

I don't want to have to play some dude to get sword and board.

 

Probably a similar story for other people.

 

People (meaning me) are familiar with games like World of Warcraft where theres no separation of classes based on what bits they have, and customization is a really important part of RPGs.

 

I can't justify $60 for the two out of four classes i'll play. I guess I have to wait for bargain bin..

 

so you want a female named Lucas?

 

These are preset characters with names and background storys. This isn't Diablo or World of Warcraft. Get over it!

[Pidesco]

No selection of even Gender?

 

I don't think its very good in a game that someone should have to pick a sex they are uncomfortable with to experience the whole game.

I don't want to have to play some dude to get sword and board.

 

Probably a similar story for other people.

 

People (meaning me) are familiar with games like World of Warcraft where theres no separation of classes based on what bits they have, and customization is a really important part of RPGs.

 

I can't justify $60 for the two out of four classes i'll play. I guess I have to wait for bargain bin..

 

so you want a female named Lucas?

 

These are preset characters with names and background storys. This isn't Diablo or World of Warcraft. Get over it!

 

Actually it's more or less the same as in Diablo. You can't play a female necromancer or a male assassin in Diablo 2, for example.

[Oner]

This isn't Diablo or World of Warcraft. Get over it!

Diablo didn't even have names or AFAIK backstories! xD

[C2B]

This isn't Diablo or World of Warcraft. Get over it!

Diablo didn't even have names or AFAIK backstories! xD

 

It did. Not very backstory/backstorys though but they are all part of the lore. That said they weren't very different during the game.

Edited June 2, 2011 by C2B

[MonkeyLungs]

Who cares what other games have done, lack of options in other games doesn't excuse the continued trend? Also there are plenty games that have semi defined characters that can be either male or female. And Lucas could be named something different and be the surviving daughter of the grand master. I'm sure the story doesn't hinge upon Lucas' ****.

 

Edit: Why do you guys edit the word p.e.n.i.s?

Edited June 2, 2011 by MonkeyLungs

[Lessi]

So you only play games that allow you to control female sword and shield characters? That's pretty arbitrary and limiting.

 

Lets see:

 

Witcher Series

Gothic Series

Two Words Series

 

Many more I can't think of at the moment I haven't played because I'm only interested in female protagonists.

 

Dragon Age Origins (II and I arn't speaking)

Mass Effect Series

Jade Empire (There may have been a heavy style for men and a fast style for women and a balanced style for both. I'm not sure)

Neverwinter Nights (2 an Obsidian Game, would you beleive!)

Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 (Obsidian!)

The Elder Scrolls

Most of the Ultima Series

Fallout Games

All infinity engine games except Planescape to my knowledge

Even Minecraft and Terraria allow avatar customization

Just about every single MMO ever

 

 

 

This 'selection' thing is some old relic from shooting games and diablo (and revived with borderlands)

 

From what I can tell 'pure mage' and 'pure warrior' are reserved for male archetypes while females get some hybrids.

 

It seems by my reckoning that if DSIII is an action based game it shouldn't matter so much about the characters irrelevant personal life histories, and if it is a true RPG then there should be some customization of basic details.

 

I mean if the industry leaders Bioware and Bethesda can consistently offer us the choice..

[Flouride]

Alpha Protocol should have allowed you to play a female agent. One of its larger offenses in my opinion.

 

Same goes here. I'm sorry but I would prefer male and female for each character type/class. So they have to have double the amount of the characters? Tough ****. This should be standard. This is one of Sacred 2's biggest problems as well.

 

The amount of work that "Michelle Thorton" would have required pretty much made sure there was only Michael in the game. Properly that is from the narrative perspective. You can always do it the BioWare way and have every romancable npc in the game to be "playersexual" instead of reacting properly to the character the player is actually playing. Not to mention it would have required lots and lots of more different reactions from all npcs you meet in the game as relationship between let's say Michelle and Heck/Madeleine would have been way different than the ones those charachters have with Michael.

[Lessi]

Alpha Protocol should have allowed you to play a female agent. One of its larger offenses in my opinion.

 

relationship between let's say Michelle and Heck/Madeleine would have been way different than the ones those charachters have with Michael.

Well of course. Purely cosmetic gender is a necessary evil sometimes, but an evil nonetheless. Though a lesser evil than mono gender. If you can define so little about a character then you have a movie that requires the audience to wind the projector to keep it running.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Lessi

[Pidesco]

I've just noticed you are seemingly male.

 

I'm backing away, now.

 

"the evil of mono gender" rofl

[Bendu]

Many more I can't think of at the moment I haven't played because I'm only interested in female protagonists.

 

Dragon Age Origins (II and I arn't speaking)

Mass Effect Series

Jade Empire (There may have been a heavy style for men and a fast style for women and a balanced style for both. I'm not sure)

Neverwinter Nights (2 an Obsidian Game, would you beleive!)

Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 (Obsidian!)

The Elder Scrolls

Most of the Ultima Series

Fallout Games

All infinity engine games except Planescape to my knowledge

Even Minecraft and Terraria allow avatar customization

Just about every single MMO ever

But you will be able to play a female protagonist. Beside, with the exception of Dragon Age II and the Mass Effect series, none of the games you mention is offering fully voiced playable characters with a basically different personality. And while you get one female and one male character in both Mass Effect and Dragon Age, Dungeon Siege 3 is offering two female and two male characters, which will be fully voiced. Personally, I don't care if the playable character is mute or fully voiced, but it seems like the later one is preferred by gamers and reviewers.

[MonkeyLungs]

Alpha Protocol should have allowed you to play a female agent. One of its larger offenses in my opinion.

 

Same goes here. I'm sorry but I would prefer male and female for each character type/class. So they have to have double the amount of the characters? Tough ****. This should be standard. This is one of Sacred 2's biggest problems as well.

 

The amount of work that "Michelle Thorton" would have required pretty much made sure there was only Michael in the game. Properly that is from the narrative perspective. You can always do it the BioWare way and have every romancable npc in the game to be "playersexual" instead of reacting properly to the character the player is actually playing. Not to mention it would have required lots and lots of more different reactions from all npcs you meet in the game as relationship between let's say Michelle and Heck/Madeleine would have been way different than the ones those charachters have with Michael.

 

Yeah it would have been almost double the work. It would have been awesome though.

[Purkake]

Dayum Obsidian, why you so sexist?

[Miltstar]

Alpha Protocol should have allowed you to play a female agent. One of its larger offenses in my opinion.

 

relationship between let's say Michelle and Heck/Madeleine would have been way different than the ones those charachters have with Michael.

Well of course. Purely cosmetic gender is a necessary evil sometimes, but an evil nonetheless. Though a lesser evil than mono gender. If you can define so little about a character then you have a movie that requires the audience to wind the projector to keep it running.

 

I'm just wondering why you care so much, these are the characters in the game, you dont have to be a man to choose the male characters, and you don't need to be a woman to choose the female characters. It's like saying you're not going to watch a movie because the main character is a guy... cmon seriously?

[Purkake]

Here's another wild thought: maybe focus testing and whatnot showed that there wasn't enough interest for this feature to justify the extra cost?

 

Obsidian and Square Enix are trying to make a profit here.

[MonkeyLungs]

Here's another wild thought: maybe focus testing and whatnot showed that there wasn't enough interest for this feature to justify the extra cost?

 

Obsidian and Square Enix are trying to make a profit here.

 

And we are supposed to be sympathetic or constantly encourage higher quality?

[lobotomy42]

I am sympathetic to the "RPGs should have female protagonist options" but I think DS III's solution (four characters, two male, two female, with specific classes) is a pretty reasonable solution. This was a much bigger deal in Alpha Protocol, IMHO. (Which was also not helped by the fact that the main character was a huge tool.)

[Purkake]

Here's another wild thought: maybe focus testing and whatnot showed that there wasn't enough interest for this feature to justify the extra cost?

 

Obsidian and Square Enix are trying to make a profit here.

 

And we are supposed to be sympathetic or constantly encourage higher quality?

You get higher quality by focusing your limited resources on making one character excellent, not by making 8 mediocre ones.

 

And we're supposed to live in the real world, not one where developers have infinite resources and manage to please everyone.

[tangmcgame]

Here's another wild thought: maybe focus testing and whatnot showed that there wasn't enough interest for this feature to justify the extra cost?

 

Obsidian and Square Enix are trying to make a profit here.

 

And we are supposed to be sympathetic or constantly encourage higher quality?

 

Having played the demo extensively I can safely say that my game experience would be almost completely the same even if I could make Lucas with boobs or give Anjali a dong. Maybe "higher quality" is a lot more broad than what you're trying to reduce it to. Just because it isn't giving you the options you want doesn't make it a lower quality game.

Edited June 2, 2011 by tangmcgame

[Sannom]

So you only play games that allow you to control female sword and shield characters? That's pretty arbitrary and limiting.

Don't act like this is a common occurrence. I'm fine with DS3, but the truth is that there are a lot more games with male protagonists, and few female protagonists are really well done, and now even RPGs are starting to force the gender of the main character (The Witcher, Alpha Protocol, etc.).

 

From what I can tell 'pure mage' and 'pure warrior' are reserved for male archetypes while females get some hybrids.

Not really. The only 'pure' character is Lucas, because he only has close quarter combats stances. And he has powers that aren't so much different than magic (energy bolt, etc.). Katarina is probably the other 'pure' character, as she uses only firearms.

 

You can always do it the BioWare way and have every romancable npc in the game to be "playersexual" instead of reacting properly to the character the player is actually playing.

I wonder who Michelle Thorton could have romanced? Heck and Brayko? I can't see Albatross as being too much into romance, same for Marburg (hints of homosexuality aside).

 

Having played the demo extensively I can safely say that my game experience would be almost completely the same even if I could make Lucas with boobs or give Anjali a dong.

Although the way it's going, I think the Archon (and thus, Anjali) are going to be a 'female only' race with no real gender.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Sannom

[Alpha]

I'm just wondering why you care so much, these are the characters in the game, you dont have to be a man to choose the male characters, and you don't need to be a woman to choose the female characters. It's like saying you're not going to watch a movie because the main character is a guy... cmon seriously?

this.

[Flouride]

I wonder who Michelle Thorton could have romanced? Heck and Brayko? I can't see Albatross as being too much into romance, same for Marburg (hints of homosexuality aside).

 

Romance with Heck... Now that would have been scary