Save our modest Western sensibilities!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/31358
Code of Princess is my most-anticipated game of 2012 ā partially because there is nothing else now in the 2012 lineup, and I canāt imagine too many of the higher-profile Wii U games are actually going to make launch, but thatās my cynical side. I played Code of Princess at E3 this year, and itās a fancy little beat-āem-up with RPG trappings, lots of characters to choose from, and gorgeous graphics. I guess it also has online play, which is handy.
Before E3 2012, Iād been aware of the game but wasnāt sure it would ever see a Western release. One of the things that initially drew me to Code of Princess was its scantily-clad heroine, Solange, who is decked out in the most minimal armor possible for a warrior princessāwhich is par for the course in these kinds of gamesāwhile wielding a truly impressive two-handed sword and big steel gauntlets. Solange even got a figure, produced by a company called Empty, which comes in two color schemes. Itās not the most impressive figure in the world, although it is based on official art for the game (by Kinu Nishimura).
This is Solange's official character art from the Japanese version. I have issues with her posture, expression, and proportions.And here's the accurate yet incredibly bizarre 3D interpretation. Regardless, both the illustration and the figure keep Solange's metal pasties at the fore. They are stupid, yes. The figure shows how impractical and silly her outfit isāsheās got more armor covering her arms and shoulders than the rest of her body. The most egregious āfeatureā is that Solange has chosen to cover her sizable breasts with steel pasties. Given that sheās presenting fairly large targets, this wardrobe choice seems poorly thought-out. Of course, this is a common trope in JRPGāsāa female characterās best armor is also the least practical. The less it covers, the better the armor rating.
Well, as Atlusā recent North American website confirms, theyāve decided to tone down Solangeās exposed boobage significantly. Rather than wearing metal pasties, Solange has discovered the supportive power of metallic bras. The question will be whether this change will carry over to the game sprite itselfāat E3, where I played a half-translated version of the game, Solangeās in-game character model was still rocking barely-there pasties. I somehow doubt that Atlus will go to the trouble of redrawing her character model to provide some more mammary coverage. The images on the gameās box and soundtrack (and, presumably, concept art book) have not been altered in this way, though, so maybe Atlus is only focusing on ācovering upā promotional material featuring Solange.
I actually like this MORE, despite her being more covered-up. The art isn't so complex. Cutscenes from the game confirm that the in-game story sequences will feature an art style somewhere between the two. When I initially saw this, I was irritatedā-Solangeās character design shows off her rack, get over itā-but the more I think about it, the less I care. All signs point to her in-game character model (and probably in-game character art) wearing next-to-nothing, so if Atlus wants to get more people in the door by taming down the promotional material, Iām not going to disparage them that point. And hey, bra or no, Solange is going to look great on my giant 3DS XL screens. End verdict? No harm, no foul.
Can't wait for October 9th, though.