I've recently saw a video about how Squre Enix did the design for one of the Batman figures from the line which was the Batman Beyond suit from this famous internet guy that I can't remember the name of which talks about what's wrong with Squire Enix today. He talked about how the designs on both the figures and some of the newer Final Fantasy games are overdetailed,too busy and too iditoic looking to take seriously not to mention I've heard people say that the FF games are too far away from the original games before FF7 in a lot of ways in terms of not looking traditonally fantasy looking if that's right. So what do you guys think? Do you agree with some of the complains on the designs,disagree or somewhat in the middle? I think that while some of the complains are valid like the designs being too busy and complecated I don't think the ideas behind them are bad. I like that in some games the designs have a mixture of both sci-fi and fantasy that makes it feel otherworldy in a way which helps make them stand out. Do I think tha some of them can b thought out more practically? Yes but all the same I don't mind some of the design elements and directions some of the current Sqaure Enix designs are taking just as much as they don't go too far.
Most of these complaints can really only mostly be applied to the Final Fantasy series, and it really comes down to opinion and preferences. If you look at the vast array of SE franchises and games, there is still a huge variety of design present: Dragon Quest games still have the Akira Toriyama anime look and the DQ spinoffs also maintain a cartoony anime look, Kingdom Hearts still has that Disney/FF cartoon look, Bravely Default's designs are reminiscent of old-school Final Fantasy as are most of Final Fantasy's spin offs, etc. So yeah, its not so much Square Enix but rather just Final Fantasy in my opinion, and it boils down to taste and preference.
Would you be talking about Jim Sterling's "Batman is everything wrong with Square Enix"? Specifically talking about that Batman, I agree that it's way too detailed. The cape and the skeleton arms are the real deal breakers for me. The base figure is okay imo. And I definitely agree that Lightning's design in XIII-3 is hideous. I mean, you can't identify any article of clothing on her. Everything's split up or has pieces of it missing or has sleeves it shouldn't have or is longer than normal, etc. Maybe I can't really get mad at Nomura designs in general because I've gotten used to all his belts and zippers. It used to bother me the first time I played Kingdom Hearts 2, where Diz has belts on his HEAD. But now? I'm okay with them. And of course, this only applies to designs Nomura gets his hands on.
I have to agree that Square -Enix's designs in the later FF games have gotten very odd. for me FFX is where they really got strange, Tidus' pants, Lulu's dress of belts and a ball for a weapon. Its only kept on that trend since then.
I think they handle their design appropriately. The visual schemes for Tomb Raider and Deus Ex: Human Revolution were impeccable.
I think with those examples that it has a lot less to do with Square Enix in those cases because they're just publishing those games and not creating them. Personally I don't think character design is as much an issue in Square games as it is game design problems. The quality in that area has dropped off significantly in the past 10+ years which isn't surprising as the majority of their more talented people have been long gone since then.
Do the Publishers have to 'OK' the designs and other stuff before the Developers get to go ahead? Because if they do, then I think my statement is half right: they're clearly capable of recognising excellent visual design but their first party stuff seems to have trouble creating it themselves.
I really don't know how much influence Square Enix themselves have on the stuff made by their overseas studios. I simply thought that because every game not designed by them seems to work pretty well that they haven't done anything to them lol.
