Art Poll: Signature Characters

Hey, It was the best-looking Manticore a quick google-search revealed.

Most of this game's signature NPC's work, and work well. I'd still like to see more WISDOM in-game, and a shedload less Sister Psyche. I fully recognize that she's a sales point for Black Pebble's "marketing" team--but get that woman a shirt for god's sake. BLEAH. While she's at it, she could try not painting her face up like a lady of the night, and buy some pants.

My favorite signatures are Statesman, Hero 1/Honoree (both looks), Positron, Ms. Liberty, War Witch and Manticore. Out of the villians I like the look of Requiem, Rularuu, Reichsman and Recluse hehe 4 R's. Also Doc Buzzsaw, Sister Airlia and Ice Mistral.


EDIT: I like Statesman's mask.

I think my favorite is Wretch.
i figured his costume was jsut torn rags at first but later i got a chance to look at it more closely and noticed to be detroyed Arachnos armour which really works with the characters origin.

The Surviving Eight costumes are pretty stand ard run of the mill hero stuff. nothing really stands out.

The Rogue Isles Patrons and their 2nds are villianous enough but dont really do much for me aside from Wretch and Black Scorpion. and BS's armour i like just for how different it is from anything else in the game.

The Classic Praetorians were about as bland as the Surviving Eights as most of them were jsut recolors i think.
the Redesigned Praetorians seem to achieve their goals for ambiguous evil/misguided good that is Going Rogue.

special mention: Helaquat (i think thats her name) an ancient goddess you have to take down in the Scirocco Patron arc somewhere. the fur boots and tribal flavour were brilliant. a lot of work went into her for her to only be in one or two different missions though.

The Cimeroran stuff is good too. The Cyclops, Minotaurs and historical versions of signature characters were definetly fun. i especially liked Daedalus' shield on his back and gladiator helm.

Likes
Ghost Widow
Mako
Lord Recluse. I've always wondered something though. Is the purple under his armor a bodysuit or his skin?
Dr. Vahzilok
Clockwork King
Hero 1's zombie look. Can't really explain it, but I've always liked it.

Dislikes
Reichsman. He just looks too much like M. Bison.

Needs an update/overhaul
Sister Psyche. Nothing says mental powers like a costume that would make pop starlet blush. Hmmm. Waitaminute.

Manitcore. The design on the tights/leather is just too haphazard, in addition to his... sorta... simple... costume coming across as unrelated to the idea with his name. Yeah, a manitcore shoots things from its tail. Manty in the game is an archer. Makes sense, but that's about the end of it syncing up. He seems to have spent all his money on getting that "lions mane" cowl and then just grabbed a leftover leather outfit to finish the costume.

Maelstrom. Maybe it's just when you compare him to some of the original designs, but I've always thought his armored costume is just a little -too- armored and busy. When I think of a modern day guns expert, I think of, well, something like Malta Gunslingers, not a guy that's a hat away from being a full on power armor looking character like Positron.

Just needs a little tweaking.
Statesman. Just make it a full helmet instead of the faceplate and you're good to go.

good luck D.B.B.

Mako, sciro, Dr. Vahzilok, Ice Mistral and the rularuu gods. plus the giant crystal DE

Swan and Valkyrie need a overhaul and do something about Mother Mayhem's face...

In my previous post, forgot to mention monsters. Ooops.

I find the really big or little ones particularly intimidating. (If they are little, you just KNOW they had to compensate, and that they are going to be really MEAN! Re: bobcat!)

Jack of Irons is really good. He has a lot of details, like all the skulls and stuff on his neck. He's just flat out interesting to look at. He's also scary, especially if you're just running around in the woods and almost run smack into him, which has happened to me a time or two. The only think I don't like about Jack is that the majority of my time looking at him, is looking right up his loin cloth. Hairy butt alert! Whole new kind of scary! I know it's rated T for teen, and I'm not going to see anything, but I can't help it, I want to shut my eyes, cause I just do not wanna know.

Kronos is intimidating due to sheer size. THAT is scary! I like Inferno, but wish he were a bit bigger, because he's only a bit taller than all those fire demons who are really wimpy. By visual association, standing by all those alter-spawned demons, I kind of put him in a category with them, which I shouldn't.

Lusca still scares me, but I think that's just from the zillion deaths from her when I first started playing the game.

Of my favorite:

The Arachnos Patrons except for Mako, he needs some clothing.
Dr. Vaz, the perfect representation of mad science.
Praetor White with hose cool gloves and shoulder pads.

And those Mu in general. Floating all over the place, crazy robes, real cool.

Not gonna post up what villain/hero groups I like because you asked for signature characters. In no particular order:

Requiem: This guy is awesome. He's your typical nazi supervillain. Complete with uniform, soldiers at his command and a FLAMING HEAD! All of the Fifth Column/Council villains are bloody awesome as well. Especially Reichsman. Such massive comic book staples that are captured PERFECTLY.

Ruludak/Faathim/Lunaruu: I love the Rularuu villains. They look so otherworldly and godly, yet weirdly they suit the comic book setting. They are large and grandiose, just like the Shadow Shard they inhabit. I think having enemy groups fit the zone they're in is important to the overall feel of the group. Honourable shout out to the Storm Elementals too. They look badass.

Bad Penny: I always liked this guy. Considered him to be the unofficial head of CoH's Rogues Gallery. Wish more was done with him. His costume is simple but awesome. If he could be made into COH's version of Captain Cold I would be happy.

Nemesis: A blatant Doctor Doom ripoff but also strangely unique. Probably the best designed villain in the game. Wish more was done with him in game. His look does scream "puppet master".

The Honoree/Hero 1 - Awesome look. My fave hero costume in the game easily. It's minimal but it works. Less is more.

Noble Savage - The single best character to emerge from Going Rogue. The design is awesome and suits him very much.

Romulus - Whoah. Just...whoah. Such an iconic look that fits the iconic mission/story/setting he is in. It's what makes the ITF so enjoyable and epic.

Dreck - the leader of the Freakshow. My fave villain faction. Please put him at the end of a level 50 TF. Perhaps have him and Noble Savage as rivals. I dunno. But a Noble Savage TF with Dreck as the end AV would be AMAZING. Right now Dreck is severely underused, and he's such a badass.

The Clockwork King - a brain in a vat with two eyes. ENOUGH SAID. Completely ridiculous and camp but so so awesome.

Adamastor - GIANT GLOWING ZOMBIE! He's amazing. You fight him in a friggin' GRAVEYARD! Possibly one of the most underrated characters in the game.

All of the orginal models could use a new updated look.

Keeping in mind their original outfits, but updated to better graphics.

For me..
Statesman
He is the iconic for sure.
But for the love of God and all..
Give him a makeover which includes HEIGHT!
Make him taller
Make him broader

The battle armor of Cole is great, gives him a nice not neccessarily evil look, but a regal look for sure.

I could go on, but I want to limit my choices to those two.

They are the same but different.

They represent the old and the new actually.
What the Dev team could do, and what they can do now.

I have said many times.. States is the icon, the symbol of the game.
Make the time in the schedule to overhaul him.
Bring States up to par with his most recently shown counterpart.

For Signature characters, my favorites have to be Mirror Spirit, Ms. Liberty, Sister Solaris, Ghost Widow, Praetorian Vanessa DeVore and Cap'n Mako. Why we don't see more of Mirror Spirit I can't fathom; she's a great character, looks amazing and has supercool signature powers. What really makes each of these stand out to me is that everything about their appearance supports their character, with nothing that seems unnecessary or extraneous.

For GMs, the Jade Spider and Hamidon are tops, with Jurassik, Eochai and Jack-in-Irons close behind. What I love about each of these is each of them embodies a concept and visually expresses that concept in a unique way. Jurassik's appearance isn't unique except for his size, but he happens to carry the single most awesome weapon in the game: the car-on-a-stick. I freaking love that thing!

For AVs, Lilitu is stunning, from her appearance to her powers. She's complemented by one of the best maps in the game, too, the CoT fortress. Hequat is terrifingly beautiful in every sense of the phrase, nothing fancy but clearly conveying a sense of raw power. Not exactly an AV, but the Blade Princes are the only enemy that just downright scares me when I see them. I love them and their powers! Fighting them just feels like an epic battle.

Odds and ends that I like include the mantle-with-cape that Statesman, Hero 1 and Imperious all have. I want that. The cameo Praetorian Vanessa sports is one of the single coolest pieces I've seen in this game. The feathered hairclips that Black Swan wore in her original incarnation were amazing. I like the wings she sports now, but otherwise I loved her old appearance. Archon Burkholder's claw hand was a very simple, brilliant way to take an otherwise generic-looking character and instantly make him unique. I'd like to see more of this low-effort, high-impact technique of making an AV or end boss stand out. Sister Solaris's outfit remains my most-wanted costume pieces ever.

What don't I like? Well, I've always hated Sister Psyche's top and bottom pieces. Either would work, but not the two of them together. It just doesn't look right. The gloves, boots, belt and hair are all terrific, though. Statesman's faceplate is annoying. Please make it a full helmet. Valkyrie has one of the most boring looks in the game; Battle Maiden in Praetorian looks significantly better.

I'm sure I'll remember other items later, so I'll update once I remember enough.

K

I'd have to say: Reuchman, requiem, and maybe Trapdoor
Reichman is still hard for me mainly cause of the phasing/invulnerable? That only mms can take out or the tf is basically screwed.

Requiem because there's not to much on him and mysterious.

Trapdoor cause I feel sry for him :P and since I'm always dragged into helping ppl do alpha slot I'm like help him!! Help him!! And it's been about 50/50 of ppl that kill him or help him. :P

........ And maybe lord recluse cause he's just awesome he's got a cool history behind him and him n states being half brothers and states having a big family talk about family feud with states family vs Arachnos

Ok, another vote for the much beloved Ghost Widow. She really has one of the most distinctive looks in the game.

Lord Recluse is always impressive and intimidating.

Statesman is very classically Silver Age.

A few other NPC's that have caught my attention and may not have been mentioned here....

Mr. Bocor, Port Oakes' resident voodoo villain: His look is fairly simple but its always added a bit of a disturbing edge to that mission arc. He could probably use a bit of a brush up but the basic idea should stay the same.

Willy Wheeler: One look at him and you think "weasel" and, more or less you're right.

Dean MacArthur: You expect the mirrorball to descend and the disco to start any moment.

Johnny Sonata: An evil lounge lizard. He fits perfectly with the overall theme of St. Martial.

Golden Roller: The first time I went looking for this contact my response was 'WHA?' A big gold car with music thumping out of it. Cool. Another one that might need a little polish but leave the basic idea alone.

Radio/ Television: Surreal. Just Surreal. Cool, but surreal.

Those are just a few that come to mind.

1. Neuron
2. Sirocco
3. Foreshadow
4. Rose Star ( Not sure if this one counts )
5. Dr. Quatrexin
6. Ice Mistral
7. Maestro
8. Hero 1
9. Tyrant ( The new shiny one )

Thats about it i think

I'm a big fan of the Clockwork King. Sure, he's not very big compared to later stuff, but brain in a jar, man. It's awesome. With him is the entire Clockwork faction. I loved the mission in the new Positron TF where you're in a Clockwork factory and it feels like they're coming out of the walls. You can just imagine Clockworks becoming dangerous because they swarm.

Romulus. Just the reaction you get when he goes full Nictus is, even if you know you can take him, kind of "aw crap" feeling. He looks like one scary Roman.

Mako. Mako's an animal. His look really gets that across. It's simple, but suits him. Sure, he talks and walks upright, but his grin and that look in his eye tell you he's already thinking about chasing you across town and killing you just before you drop of exhaustion. Then the claws come out... By the way, that's something on Mako I so want for myself: he's got claws. Actual claws, not blades on the back of his hands.

The Rularuu. They're just cool looking in a tragically underused, avoided zone, which is unfortunate as they're some of the most unique looking enemies in the game.

The Victorias and War Walkers. I love these. The Victorias are agile and sleek and it's easy to forget that they're seven feet tall. The Walkers, on the other hand, are these lumbering behemoths and just fun to watch from a distance. The Goliath War Walkers especially so.

Things I'd change:

Siege. The new Siege look in the BAF, which is just a recolored War Walker. I'm not a big fan of this. Siege, as I understand it, is like the leader or alpha or whatever of the War Walkers. He's important enough of a Walker to be set apart. His name says what he is: he's a siege weapon. He's for tearing down castles and fortresses. He's a one man (robot) siege. While basing him on the Walkers, I'd say make him beefier, meaner, and more of a physical menace. Right now he looks like the Goliath's runty cousin.

Sister Psyche's costume... I'd go with something that gets across that she really is, in her head, about 80, rather than taking fashion tips from Leloo Multipass Dallas. I mean, she's been operating almost as long as Statesman. Give her something a little more old fashioned.

Arachnos Patrons: Recluse and his 4 patrons all have standout visuals and they fit what they're supposed to be. While not gushing over Ghost Widow like most, I will admit it's a good look. I find it a little interesting in that there almost seems to be a bit of deliberate visual trickery involved with her look. The other four seem to give off a grey color scheme while she's pure black & white which gives a strong contrast.

Desdemona: From someone who tends to increase the weight of my female characters, she winds up being striking almost purely for her physical build. I remember giving her a different silohuette from the other female characters was a stated design goal when she was revealed. I find it interesting that Desdemona seems slightly more of a standout than Doc Delilah but I think that may come from the fact that there was an express purpose of putting Desdemona in a promotional forefront.

Mother Mayhem: I think the revamp does the proper job of giving a sort of "power" vibe that I think was intended. It's an outfit that's slightly gaudy yet great for that and while her...assets...are a little exaggerated, she has a unique silohuette.

Statesman: The faceplate could stand a boost in resolution but he does what he's supposed to do--represent the classic "all American superhero" look.

Back Alley Brawler & Marauder: Similar to Statesman, they fit a very specific design goal on opposite ends of the spectrum--"that big scary black dude". Marauder is able to benefit from newer tech but just outright comes off as rougher. BAB is probably "scary" to villains though he could probably stand a few emotes or so to show the more honorable Mr T/Luke Cage side of such a design.

Mirror Spirit: A nice, ornate outfit combined with the coolest defense aura in the game.

Lusca & Hydra: Something they do that most other AVs and GMs don't is that they actually seem alive. Constantly waving tentacles plus the subtle "breathing" on the head/body is just dynamic.

Hamidon: Specifically the entire cell cloud as a complete unit. The first time I truly fought Hamidon was on a redside raid with the more visually impressive Abyss zone. However, the first time I saw Hamidon I just went in solo for a quick glimpse and was left in awe. While it's not a complex design, the sheer size of the complete unit left me just standing there watching it. Jade Spider and the Ghost Ship do similar jobs of being memorable due to sheer size but there was just something about Hamidon. I think the upcoming Seed of Hamidon looks like it'll do a good job of fitting the look of something that evolved from the original cell look.