wow

i don't want macho characters nor do i want the effeminate transvestites common in japanese games. i want the "everyman" average guy archetype because thats what i can identify with. nathan drake resonates with me, marcus fenix style muscle queens and final fantasy fruit loops don't.

I would *much* prefer to play heroic looking, action-over-words Conan types, as opposed to skinny teenager, gender confused, can't get their heads around the ideas of courage and honor, types.

Every Japanese game hero is like the main character in Infinite Undiscovery these days, although sometimes "darker", but certainly not more manly. Ye olde Japanese game heroes were courageous and awesome, even if they were teenagers.

No idea what changed. I guess Final Fantasy still has bold male leads, even if the games themselves have kinda gone down the drain.

I'm playing Nier now, and even though it isn't a bad game the main character looking different will not change the game much for me.

I don't know, SE. I mean, your most successful franchise ever over here in the west never had a "macho protagonist".

Maybe I'm wrong, but for an example, there was a guy named Cloud who was skinny and had big, spiky hair. Or this guy Squall who looked like he was straight out of a boy band.

Your fans love these guys. Why give us macho, macho men?

not really
look at uncharted or infamous or resistnce

i think macho heroes is more of a 360 thing(not trying to bash anyone) ps3 main characters tend to be normal sizes and normal attitudes except for kratos. most ff characters are just the same femine person with different designs.

I'd prefer an in-between character. Not macho, not effeminate. I think more people will relate to a character who isn't playing up his sexuality and isn't worried about how he looks. Every time a male character in FF flicks his hair, it annoys me, because it says to me, "Yeah, we're trying really hard to make him look cool."

Look at Nathan Drake. He's not trying to be macho, and he's not wearing eye-liner. He's a humorous guy.

NOT EVERYONE LOVES GEARS OF WAR!!! TRUST YOUR FREAKIN FAN BASE FOR A CHANGE!!!

I perfer character development I don't care what main character looks like just have a good story character moments that show how he/she falls down and gets back up development is the key word for a main character.I did not like final fantasy 10 but tidus was a different person by the end of that game which made the game feel like it was worth finishing.

It is not just the character, it is the entire structure of japanese games full of cliches and quirky elements inpired by anime. Unless you're from the west, lived or really understand west's taste (like Kojima) you're only going to create mediocre games. So it'll be better for companies like Square to stick with their formula and let their new adquired studio, Eidos, handle the games aimed for the west.

Squareenix as of late. What the heck is wrong with them.

We may whine about SE for their Western dealings and the new ideas they've come up with, but it's been translating into sales.

Sure it sold more on PS3 than 360, but SE is only looking at how much Final Fantasy XIII sold in total. So those, say, 1.6 mil for 360 (don't know the exact figure), which may not be enough, are compensated by the more positive sales on the PS3. In a way, they're using PS3 gamers as a leverage (because they're looking at overall sales) to continue making their games multi-platform. Kind of like a, "If it doesn't work on the 360, the PS3 sales will still keep us strong in profits" arguement.

And last time I checked, a company's goal is to make money while keeping the majority of it's consumers happy. A few hundred or so of us may rage about it, but it's the 5 million plus sales that tell them they've done their job and can be proud. The majority trumps the minority in this case. Which is a shame - no majority should be impetus enough for a company to provide shabby games.

FFXIII hasn't put the series there yet, but in my opinion, seeing as I find FFXIII the least greatest FF and an overall underwhelming RPG, it's getting there.

" In fact, an argument erupted at Square Enix’s Los Angeles studio, over whether a thin looking male character [hereafter translated as “girly”] was possible for the game. For the North American consumers, it was decided to provide a macho main."

I wonder if Nomura had arguments with SE too...

Not to bash Gears, but I don't think an exaggerated character like Marcus Fenix works. He looks ridiculous.

The series would be better with a normal, John Connor type character.

Macho BS argument, if the game is of the quality of FF 7,8 and 10 the west will love it, just like we loved those 3 examples. Blamed on the blondies, i blame the low quality games being delivered by Farce Enix

To me, Squall from FF8 is a great example of good character design. Visually, anyway, some people might not like his actual character but from a visual perspective he's not a burly "muscle queen" (lol), nor was he skinny "girly" character, he has a normal build. He didn't look like a pansy, he didn't have outrageous hair styles, he was pretty bad ass. THOSE are the kind of characters I like, I'd put him in line with Drake (Uncharted), Cole (Infamous), Dante (Devil May Cry).

Which do I want more, a thin looking young emo dude, or a burly looking old emo dude...

Square, make the choice for me...

*facepalm*

i played the demo only,macho is one thing but he looks old and kind of pathetic

There should be a group of gamers holding signs at E3 says: "Down with Yōichi Wada, up with Tetsuya Nomura". They should make 2 exclusives, one for xbox, and one for PS.

........

This Game is trash even with the Replicant Character. Its so boring and unispired... I played it to the end, with the Hope of finding something good, but there is only a big Void.

Oh, and square Enix coud have done easily a Character Choice on the start of the Game and tadaaa, all woud be happy.

Oh and Square Enix please note that we Western People aren´t deformed.

These guys are trippin'. Make a great game, and people will buy it, regardless what the main character looks like. We don't buy games based upon a picture of the character.

That they would become a leader and not a follower. Like for instance, do you see any WRPG developers trying to copy japanese rpg? no, and their not even thinking about looking over there. You created the genre style and now you want to abandon it just because you see how successful the WRPG'S are over here? Square you don't have to change just freakin make a proper rpg this GEN and we'll buy it like its no tomorrow!!!! ps. ff13 is Not a proper jrpg it felt paced like Modern Warfare with swords and shit...

Leave the sinking ship that is square enix they havent made a decent game on a console yet and that isnt gonna change with the westernizing of old and new franchises.

Wow, the tiny bit of respect I had for Square Enix had just disappeared. Versus XIII better be the best game ever made.

SE are constantly trying to appeal to uncultured narrow-minded Americans. There is more in the West than these types of people. Sure, we all know a good deal of Americans are ignorant to the world outside of the states and Americans aren't the sharpest people in general but why should an open-minded Irishman like myself suffer because of that? At least they shouldn't start changing their games for us in Europe. Unlike many American gamers, we are cultured gamers and understand the style of traditional jrpgs.

I'd take a macho protagonist over some girly man with stupid spikey hair and an outfit that not even someone in a circus would be seen wearing.

Really depends on the fanbase. FF7 is insanely popular in the west and the character cloud is certainly not macho.

Macho characters can be pretty scary looking at times. Just take a loot at Marcus in Gears; he looks like monster who abuses steroids.

i have officially lost all hope in SE

Seriously Square Enix can stick it where the sun don't shine. Homosexual Emo Hero's only work in the east.

Square sounds a tad bit jealous of the recent western RPG craze. They forget though not to bit the hand that feeds. Square needs the west. Without us they sell a million copies of Final Fantasy tops.

But faggot characters don't work in west.

100 percent with you Wada.

By this statement, Cloud and Sephiroth are universally hated characters outside Japan. Apparently Barret is the real star of FFVII.
How completely backward and idiotic.

The real piss off is that Squaresoft had real, relatable, middle-ground characters in it's own past: Kain, Cid (several iterations), Galuf, Locke, Edgar, Cyan, Zidane, Steiner. These are characters that blend real characteristics and flaws, not just default to the extreme of a single trait.

Wada must die.

"Team Ico"....

no qualms about muscles or not, a hero overcomes any obstacle weather it being girly or being micro sized compared to your opponent.

Last Guardian please hurry..

We have always been hugely successful JRPG makers, let's make our games more western to make more money.
(After a few games) Oh no our games are failing, what does this mean? It must mean our games aren't western enough, make them more western.

I guess Link never got the memo.

GIGANTIC FACEPALM ....

my god ...so there is a lot of dumb people at SE-los angeles...this is what happens when SE isn't trusting their fans ...

WHO CARE what the hero looks like ..you need to have a fun battle system for combat and to trust your own judgement in level design and nobody would have complained.. i was personnaly off by NIER because you launched 2 versions of the game... why not give players the choice to see what is the most situed character ?

milk games and franchises and are not high quality. If you are a fan of SE then you need to start buying there games on the ps3. If you want them to be forced to not transform into a even worse crap game company. SE doesnt have the ability to insure quality games when makeing multiplat games. They dont have those skills like the western developers.

Also its true that americans are all over the shooters and big macho guys and crap becuase thats the only thing x360 gives out is those types of games. People arent makeing M$ make a whole bunch of different types of games becuase they keep bbuying the same old shooters. How are you people not getting tired of the same old stuff yet?

That sounds about right.

P.S.
I love that site!

yes make all kind of excuses....

but to choose between a girly version and a steroid version.

Whatever happen to the normal version that isn't girly or buffy and fucking ugly.

Seriously how about for once, give us a character that can stand next Dante, Drake, Snake or Ryu, and manage to look straight or rightfully proportioned.

Did they seriously think the rest of the world would find this attractive.

Oh come on, I couldn't care less. Replicant dude looks like a fag anyways, the father/daughter relationship is better and Cavia stated that was the original one.
What's the problem here?
Also I'll take Gestalt over Replicant any day. It just feels more natural and I can really relate to the father, as well as being a good change of pace from normal pretty boy JRPG MCs. Seriously, and to be honest I agree with the dude.
I'll take a manly man over a fag any time of the day.

I'm seriously considering selling all my Squeenix stuff and just plain boycotting them from now on. It's ridiculous to thing that I will cause any effect in this stupid excuse for a company, but at least I won't provide them with any more of my money. I'm waiting on a "VS multiplat without towns" announcement and then it's goodbye Squeenix. I'll keep my FFVII and Ergheiz - mementos of a better time.

Square-Enix make Gay characters case closed.

Good. I'm tired of spiky-haired metrosexuals in my JRPGs.

i actually like my character with depth and personality.

dont worry about that make FF13vs multiplat and give us final fantasy 7 remake instead!!