So perhaps a better observation on my part would be that there seems to be a move away from only “ideal” and “beautiful” characters that don't really represent average people, and more inclusion of characters that appear like real people I might know. Lighting and Snow are exceptions in that they still seem to be very “idealized” and not quite your average person on the street in terms of appearance, but some of the supporting cast are moving more towards a realistic direction in my opinion.

Now the question is if this a good thing. Will we find characters admirable and memorable and inspiring based on their words and actions, even if they don't look all that special? Or will a lack of some extraordinary appearance or beauty cause them to lose impact and interest in the eyes of players? I'm looking forward to finding out….!

I'm simply commenting that Tidus looks entirely different in pre-rendered CG and real time cutscenes, he “looks” Asian and “looks” white in different portions of the game. I don't mind him looking like one or the other based on design choices, but it's not consistent and stands out like a sore thumb, prompting one to ask naturally, “why does he look Asian one minute and white the next?”

I remember showing my high school classmates some Slam Dunk manga before, and this black guy commented why do the chars look white and the Captain looks black (several chars are modeled off NBA players in the US). I said they are all supposed to be Japanese, and of course he thinks they don't look anything Jpn because manga is not like US comics, where people are drawn like people.

But yeah, that kid Maqui looks to possess some Asian features, who can objectively say he doesn't. But seriously, there are games from Jpn w/ people looking like real Japanese, save, Yakuza (Ryu ga Gotoku), and in FFX's case w/ design influence from Southeast Asia.

Gadot reminds me of Wakka right away too. I don't know why, the initial chars like Lightning and Snow failed to grab my interest, whereas I'm more taken w/ these guys. I hope the rest of the cast would be filled w/ more interesting people. I have a feeling I would grow to like the trio up there, the design is pretty unique to me.

As for comparing games from the past, part of it is perception. I was a teenager when Chrono Trigger was out, whatever your experienced when you're younger is bound to give you everlasting memories, not to say that there weren't awesome games, but it doesn't necessarily mean no good characters have been produced ever since FF6/CT, in my opinion.

Also, the CG scenes in FFX mysteriously morphs all the humanish characters into asians.

heck, back in the days when there was no CG i still fell in love with the characters.
by far games like chrono trigger, FF6 etc. probably grasped me the most.
oh and edge and his dragon in panzer dragoon rpg is def one of my fav.

i hope the characters are real dynamic and lovable/hatable :) <—hot even word lol

true or false?