I think it looks a ton better than her design from XIII-2 with that silly medieval armor.

@Humanity said:

I think it looks a ton better than her design from XIII-2 with that silly medieval armor.

are we looking at the same pic? because that is still some pretty silly medieval armor

@Grillbar: Looks a lot more leather-like to me. Before she had full platemail on.

@Grillbar: Looks a lot more leather-like to me. Before she had full platemail on.

Needs more belts and buckles. And clown shoes.

@mutha3: I hardly see anything S&M about it.

I actually don't see what people find so awful about this. She has a regular black front, no breasts hanging out. She doesn't have some micro skirt on - full leggings. Some sort of cloth coming out of her midsection. I think her arms are bare underneath and covered on the outsides with some form of corrugated carapace looking armor. There are no belts, no spandex, no tight form fitting speedo that reveals tons of her body. She just seems to be wearing some fantasy-esque black armor that compliments the female figure without exposing it. Whats so awful about this?

Looks... like a Final Fantasy character.

Despite never playing the game, I thought her original character design was pretty cool. Sure, it was Final Fantasy-ish, but it wasn't fucking stupid.

I like the really excited, exploding "DESU!" In the bubble by her shoulder.

Looks fine and exactly what I expect from a Final Fantasy character. So, [SPOILER]: Opinions.

looks like a final fantasy getup to me.

@Humanity said:

@mutha3: I hardly see anything S&M about it.

I actually don't see what people find so awful about this. She has a regular black front, no breasts hanging out. She doesn't have some micro skirt on - full leggings. Some sort of cloth coming out of her midsection. I think her arms are bare underneath and covered on the outsides with some form of corrugated carapace looking armor. There are no belts, no spandex, no tight form fitting speedo that reveals tons of her body. She just seems to be wearing some fantasy-esque black armor that compliments the female figure without exposing it. Whats so awful about this?

Look at the top-left screenshot. It's a panty shot. Looks kind of revealing, especially since you spend most of any given third person game with someone's backside facing you.

@believer258: I can barely make that picture out but looks like most of her backside is covered by that cloth and what you do see almost looks like she has shorts on. I don't want to argue this too much since I haven't seen high res pics of it and quite honestly I don't care that much. I liked her design from FF XIII and I even, gasp, enjoyed that game but it was the first FF I played in years and I'm not a huge JRPG buff so I assume my opinions will be different from more hardcore FF fans.

@mutha3 said:

@Humanity said:

@Grillbar: Looks a lot more leather-like to me. Before she had full platemail on.

Umm... you think S&M gear is less silly than platemail? Her original design was actually good, for once. Shoulda just kept using that.

If you think this is S&M, then you haven't seen S&M.

I was expecting some dumb overly revealing outfit. That ain't it, so I don't mind it at all.

@Humanity said:

@believer258: I can barely make that picture out but looks like most of her backside is covered by that cloth and what you do see almost looks like she has shorts on. I don't want to argue this too much since I haven't seen high res pics of it and quite honestly I don't care that much. I liked her design from FF XIII and I even, gasp, enjoyed that game but it was the first FF I played in years and I'm not a huge JRPG buff so I assume my opinions will be different from more hardcore FF fans.

Nah, I'm hardly a "hardcore FF fan". I just noticed the fanservice-y shot up top.

Still, I agree about not arguing this. Maybe the design will change a bit between now and release.

There's something weird about her chest plate....and the whole outfit in general.

@Turambar said:

@mutha3 said:

@Humanity said:

@Grillbar: Looks a lot more leather-like to me. Before she had full platemail on.

Umm... you think S&M gear is less silly than platemail? Her original design was actually good, for once. Shoulda just kept using that.

If you think this is S&M, then you haven't seen S&M.

I was expecting some dumb overly revealing outfit. That ain't it, so I don't mind it at all.

Same, I can deal with this.

Now all I have to do is manage to play past the first 3 hours of FF13 and still care about Final Fantasy.

My totally uneducated brain says she looks like Cloud.

But I think that about any white guy/gal in Final Fantasy ever.

@mutha3 said:

@Humanity said:

@Grillbar: Looks a lot more leather-like to me. Before she had full platemail on.

Umm... you think S&M gear is less silly than platemail? Her original design was actually good, for once. Shoulda just kept using that.

Yeah she was one of the only characters who had a decent design in the first game. Too bad Sqeenix seems to make design decisions based on what would make for the most complex cosplay these days. Their character design has been pretty much a heaping bowl of steaming smelly cow pies for years.

She looks like something out of a Yasumi Matsuno game.

@mutha3 said:

@Humanity said:

@Grillbar: Looks a lot more leather-like to me. Before she had full platemail on.

Umm... you think S&M gear is less silly than platemail? Her original design was actually good, for once. Shoulda just kept using that.

If you think this is S&M, then you haven't seen S&M.

Pic's not good enough for me to get a clear sense about how she looks.

Picture is pretty bad quality, but I can make out what clearly looks like armor. I like armor.

Final Fantasy character looks dumb. More at 11.

I don't see the problem, fits in line with the rest of the dumb that series has brought to the table over the years.

Yep, she still looks like a Final Fantasy character. Although admittedly I don't hate that aesthetic as much as a lot of people seem to, perhaps because I'm newer to the series.

Really excited for this game. Ss someone who's game was FFXIII-2 this year I'm really excited to see more Light in the future.

@Turambar said:

@mutha3 said:

@Humanity said:

@Grillbar: Looks a lot more leather-like to me. Before she had full platemail on.

Umm... you think S&M gear is less silly than platemail? Her original design was actually good, for once. Shoulda just kept using that.

If you think this is S&M, then you haven't seen S&M.

I was expecting some dumb overly revealing outfit. That ain't it, so I don't mind it at all.

This man speaks the truth.

For me, the outfit isn't dumb because it's 'sexy' or whatever, it's dumb because it's overly intricate and ornamental, completely form over function. I'm just a little done with Japan's fascination with baroque and art deco, I'd like them to do something else. The first time I saw Nomura's work or Ayami Kojima, I was blown away... but it's been 15 years. It's as tired as the big chunky plastic panelling that dominated Japanese futurism was back in the mid 90s.

@Brodehouse: Except apart from the cloth at the waist it doesn't seem to be overly ornamental at all. In stark contrast it is actually extremely simple compared to most modern Final Fantasy outfits. Lets take a second and look back at some outfits from Final Fantasy X

@believer258: its not a panty shot. she has pants on

Could've been worse - at least it's not pointlessly revealing or some shit.

Still, I don't know why they just didn't slightly modify her costume from the first one. I think it was very good.

I don't know what happened to my comments in this thread, but basically, Lightning is apparently more customizable in this game, and that may reflect on her outfit.

Final Fantasy character designs (the modern ones) always strike me as trying too hard. Maybe they should just tone it back a bit. Versus looked somewhat promising in that regard.

I sorta liked her design in the first one, and I liked her Character more too....

Maybe I just can't remember well enough, because 13-2 wasn't good enough to remember, but did lightning's personality change at all in 2? or was it just the silly looking knight's armor?

I liked her original outfit the best. It was kind of normal looking.

All characters look the same in Japanese RPGs ? As opposed to western games and their brown-haired white dudes in their mid 30s ?

@mutha3: I hardly see anything S&M about it.

I actually don't see what people find so awful about this. She has a regular black front, no breasts hanging out. She doesn't have some micro skirt on - full leggings. Some sort of cloth coming out of her midsection. I think her arms are bare underneath and covered on the outsides with some form of corrugated carapace looking armor. There are no belts, no spandex, no tight form fitting speedo that reveals tons of her body. She just seems to be wearing some fantasy-esque black armor that compliments the female figure without exposing it. Whats so awful about this?

All characters look the same in Japanese RPGs ? As opposed to western games and their brown-haired white dudes in their mid 30s ?

I think Square Enix needs new artists/game developers. The design of everything from FF13 has been bad. Not to mention they should have never had 13 last 3 games.

@SlashDance said:

All characters look the same in Japanese RPGs ? As opposed to western games and their brown-haired white dudes in their mid 30s ?

I can't name very many Western RPG's that don't let you create, say, a white-haired old black woman to play as. Yes, a lot of Japanese games tend to have over-designed androgynous-looking protagonists, especially their RPG's.

@Hailinel: This thread was double posted and you posted in the one with sligtly less posts in it, that got deleted.

I don't think Lightning's new design looks dumb. People seem to turn really aggressive when anything to do with Final Fantasy, and XIII in particular, is brought up.
Lightning's design is as weird as every other FF protagonist.
 
I hope this game does wrap up the series, and I'm looking forward to it.

Here's the page in some different lighting

Yep that looks like Final Fantasy alright.

Her head doesn't really fit with that outfit, it just looks out of place. Also, it looks like her original costume has been turned into a skirt, which is just weird.

Looks like Japanese Mass Effect.

@dungbootle said:

Here's the page in some different lighting

Yep, she still looks like a dumb FF character.

Looks fine to me.

Looks like Japanese Mass Effect.

 

@dungbootle said:

Here's the page in some different lighting

Yeah, it may be my colorblindness, but that sure looks like leotard or panties and boots with bare thighs, not full pants like some people are saying. She also appears to be wearing a long utilikilt split in half or partially dismantled cargo-pants. I'm certainly not offended, but it is pretty silly looking.

Also, that pauldron/shield thing looks like it would injure her worse than anything it might block. Look at all those inward facing barbs and blades!

@Petiew said:

@JasonR86 said:

Looks like Japanese Mass Effect.

They're way ahead of you on that one.

That's just Mass Effect 'Mass Effect'. The cape in cloth in new design gives it a Japanese flair. The silly, design opposing torso makes it Mass Effect-y.