Nuvendil said:
I would add their biggest difference is not skill as much as experience and style. I think Nomura has a better grasp on what will translate to a 3D space and how. Worth pointing out is you are comlaring characters of different ages. Pyra is young, the white haired dude is middle aged. This is noteworthy because in anime inspired styles, facial features are usually shorthand for age. To prove my point, in the E3 Xenoblade 2 trailer, you can see a character near the end with a great sword dressed in blue. He is not a Torna member and is a party member so he is a Saito character (the hair also kinda indicates it). And if you pause and look at him, he shares a lot of similarities to the Nomura characters with smaller eyes and a more defined nose, cause he is markedly older than Pyra and Rex. This can also be seen in XCX (compare Lyn to Lao to the commander of Blade) and XC1 (compare Shulk to the Colonel, Dunban, or the Emperor). So the divide is smaller than it seems I argue.
The bigger difference is Nomura's characters have his signature edge/darker fantasy undertones while Saito's have a bit of whimsy - for lack of a better word - to them. Which can be a good or bad thing depending on your taste but I would argue is not really out of place in the series tonally. I mean, step back and take an objective look at a lot of outfits in Xenoblade Chronicles, theres a lot of unusual looking stuff. Even Shulk and Fiora's default outfits have an unusual appearance. The game that's the oddball out is XCX, which obviously took a more scifi approach with a lot of western influences.
And don't misunderstand, I love the armor in X, the outfits and armor there are my favorite of the 3. I'm just sayin, despite there being clear differences between XC2 and XC1, there are also clear similarities in the character and armor design delartment. |
It isn't a matter of more defined noses, it's detail to the nose at all. Something that can be seen in Roxas and Sora, ect. And something that cannot be seen with the new, completely anime artstyle. Same with Lyn in Xeno X and same with Melia in Xenoblade. All with defined noses. Simply put, Saito's style (anime) simply doesn't match up in some regards to experienced game character designers.
AS far as Shulk
And Fiora
Yes and no. It isn't any more out there than Elma's
I wouldn't say they go nearly as far as Rex in scuba gear mode (sword overstylized as well)
