Soul Calibur IV - holy christ
Doing a little bit of backfill over gaming news in the last week and I discovered that Soul Calibur IV has decided that maybe the back stories for their characters could you a little more to them — it would seem that they’re all fighting for money this time so that they can pay for lower back surgery:
Ivy leads off the set with a pair of mammaries that are — um… a little saggy if you ask me. Not like big, perky Taki:
Notice how the armor doesn’t cover the chest at all: Frankly, I think this is what Taki wants: One quick, clean slice down the front to relieve the strain of carrying all that weight around. The Soul Calibur HMO decided that breast reduction surgery wasn’t covered.
For more eye-popping jubblie action go read the article.
June 22nd, 2007 at 7:02 am
Such a shame. SC is a nice fighting game and the characters are generally cool. Hopefully there are some costume alternatives so Ivy can becomes at least a little bit less… Well, just less. o_O
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:06 am
yeah — I rather liked Soul Caliber even though playing against angrymob is an exercise in futility. I don’t really see myself playing this one, though.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:11 am
Hmm…what? Sorry…there was something bouncing in the article and I lost all focus there…
I’m back now.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:11 am
I’m. Wow.
Note to game designers. When men say the breasts are getting out of control? The breasts are fucking getting out of control. Jesus God, guys. Go buy porn if you want boobies, and stop wrecking games with this shit.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:53 am
Awww… and before I scrolled down all the way I was thinking “E! What a totally kewl dangerous looking woman!” But the balloon-sized boobs ruined it.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:59 am
Rhiannon — totally! She’s such a great badass character design that frankly, those things actually detract from the design by making her look silly! If you just show shoulders-up, she would be, hands-down the character I would use. But there’s no way I would play a woman so ridiculous-looking once you scroll down.
It’s really not cool to do this — Soul Calibur is not just saying “we’re designing our game for men” (which we’re pretty used to by now), but saying “we’re designing our game for sexist men only, and we don’t even want germy girls to play our game.”
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:02 am
Rhiannon, you took the breasts right out of my mouth. I thought that mask she is wearing looked pretty cool. It was however, spoiled by the fact that the designer obviously seemed to think the correct amount of flesh will stop a blade as well as any armour could. So therefore, giving her any armour covering that particular area of her chest would be outfitting her with needless excess baggage. And we wouldnt want that would we?
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:34 am
See, I think we’ve got this all wrong. Swordspeople practice by using extra-heavy swords. Baseball players add weight to their bats. I think those are her training breasts– when she goes into actual combat, she gets breasts that are much more realistic…
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:50 pm
that’s an interesting interpretation. Maybe the reason they’re so perky and pointy is that they’re actually solid wrought iron.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Andrew: LOL! I laughed so hard I went into a coughing fit; that was *brilliant!*
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:48 pm
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
When do I get combat-breasts? I want some.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:37 am
MP’s Mighty Combat Breasts, AC +3
-Charm Person 1/day
-Hypnotic Pattern (3) 1/day
-Requires Armor Proficiency: Medium
Crafted by the finest smiths and plastic surgeons in all of the City of Angels, this chestwear protects the vital organs located in the upper torso. Used for training and defense by certain ninja clans, these are particularly popular among the Fuma of Japan. For some reason, they do not interfere in any manner of gymnastic movement…
If the Mighty Combat Breasts are worn for multiple years of campaigning, the character will suffer an additional Age Modifier of -1 Dex and -1 Con. The character’s back will become stiff, and they may hunch, though this may increase the character’s ability to conceal smaller items.
June 24th, 2007 at 9:17 am
I apologize for the rudeness of a double post, but I just watched the SC4 teaser trailer, and JEEZUM CROW. I like women, and I like bikinis, but that’s just ridiculous. Weren’t they satisfied with her dom-theme? The thong-leotard and thigh boots were more tasteful than her current nipple-floss. Dear GOD! Here’s hoping for a redesign before the release.
My personal favorite for Ivy was her 2P from SC3. It just had the right combination of taste and goth glamour for her. I like her dom outfits, don’t get me wrong, but not as much as that one. It was just nice, and somewhat austere (at least as much as ay game designer’s willing to get for a female).
I’ll be emailing Namco, how about you?
June 24th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Geeziz. Is she nursing a baby or something?
June 25th, 2007 at 8:24 am
“For some reason, they do not interfere in any manner of gymnastic movement…”
Ah, that would be the magical enchantment “Free movement” and “weightlessness” (or maybe just featherfall?) placed on them by the highest of high wizards.
It’s just sad… somebody does NOT know how to draw boobs… they should listen to the manga master:
http://www.cablenet.ne.jp/~japanime/tutorial/fbody1.html
” One of the most important things you should consider is to make your subject look natural; you can draw an attractive female without making her look like a “silicon implant ad,” as a friend of mine put it. ^_^ “
June 25th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Thus, my love-hate relationship with Soul Calibur. Great fighting (peaked in 2, though), but terrible character design for the women. The character creation mode in 3 was great, because it allowed me to create a cast of women that were, you know… wearing clothes.
*sigh*
June 26th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Oooohkay. They’re not wearing any supportive garments. Just a little tip to game designers, no woman anywhere would hop around with boobs that large without first donning a bra. Personal preferences may vary, but every stacked woman on earth dreads the painful bouncing of the mammaries. I suggest slapping them in unsexy underwear designed by the aerospace industry to withstand maximum G forces.
Alternately, maybe we could have a few character designs that don’t look like someone is trying to smuggle extra balloons into the party?
June 27th, 2007 at 6:36 am
Seriously. Talim and Xianghua are the only ones who aren’t completely racked! I figure Talim will be older by a couple of years in 4, so her cup size can grow…to the apparently normal MUTANT proportions in the SC world.
I wouldn’t mind the excessive breasts as much if they’d at least randomize it a little. I mean, the girl in the spandex jumpsuit and slinky dom-wear just happen to have the largest breasts?
As a bit of an aside, does everyone remember Phantasy Star Online? Why don’t more games use that customization engine? That was GREAT. You could have tall or short, thin, athletic, heavy. And with current tech, you could probably have more choice in the way of costumes on the model as well. So…why don’t we see more of that?
June 27th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Great question Ghilemear- I have a friend who works in the industry, and I asked him about character generation, and why more games don’t have it. His response: As for character creation… that would be a good topic for a lunchtime debate here. I have my opinions, though. I feel that character creation is a cool feature, but its likely to get cut from many games. Most games start off with a laundry list of awesome features, and as the game goes through production and gets further and further off schedule, you start to look at what would quickly give you some room in the schedule. Character creation would be right at the top of the list. Its just such an optional feature. For most games it would have zero impact. I guess it depends… …I think any designer that wants a character creation mode has a tough conversation to get through between him and the publisher.
This is the sort of thing I talk to him about pretty frequently, and he’s said in the past that many of the designers he knows would love to put character creation modes in their games- barring franchises like Mario or Metal Gear- but that, for the reasons he listed above, it’s a hard sell.
Did anyone else play Samurai Western? That didn’t have a character creation mode, but it did have a really robust character edit feature where you could unlock items like hats or belts or boots for your character. One of the really interesting aspects was that you could actually move the item around, rotate it, change the size, etc. So, for example, if you equiped a hat item, you could attach it to his back instead of leaving it on his head, to make it look like it was hanging off his neck like it’d been knocked off or something. It was a pretty awesome to have that much control over the items. It came in particularly handy once I unlocked extra characters, too. I’ve never seen a game that let you do that before.
June 28th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
I remember Taki being normal in Soul Blade. Or at least reasonable. The Calibur games dissapoint me.
June 28th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Soul Caliber fans who happen to be ‘ass men’ — You are not forgotten!
Rm, yep. That’s not gonna be on my list anytime soon I’m afraid.
June 29th, 2007 at 10:52 am
I’m going to go on record and say that no one can stop ‘germy’ girls from playing a game, even if they (in this case the Soul Calibur series) wanted to. Girls/women have the right to play Soul Calibur IV, just like myself and other men and there is no one who can stop them from playing.
As for the titties, I’m not gonna comment on that. I am disappointed that there are still more men than women on the game.
June 29th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Maybe if the designs weren’t so blatantly pointed to a special demographic, that would change…(hmmm, I remember seeing THAT point elsewhere)
July 3rd, 2007 at 10:33 am
Wow, no one has large breasts in real life, it’s SOOOOO unrealistic!
Nice to see that they’ve given Ivy a bit of a weight gain to go along with her new assets. That actually is VERY realistic.
July 5th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Large breasts… yes. On a frame like that.. not likely, that perky, unsupported? Not without surgery.
And if I were a tough warrior woman, those things would get in the way, I’d either lop them off or bind them… but at the very LEAST I’d get some decent armor to cover them (and SUPPORT them).
July 5th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Yes, large breasts even exist on a frame like that. Yes, natural breasts do exist on a frame like that. It is rare, bu it DOES happen in real life. Taki’s perkiness is admittedly a little unrealistic, but the new shots of Ivy from the FMV segments of SC IV are extremely realistic, down to sag and uneven skin tone.
If you were a tough warrior woman, of course you’d cover them up. But, we’re talking about a video game here. A fantasy. In this fantasy world, Ivy’s skills are such that she CHOOSES to wear such clothing to distract her opponents. And contrary to what some may say, there is nothing wrong with the portrayal of large, barely covered breasts in media. To think that they don’t exist is seriously weird.
July 5th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
A *male* fantasy.
Important detail.
How many ballsacks are barely covered in SC IV?
July 5th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Oh, didnt you know MP? Oversized swinging ballsacks are a common female fantasy, to which they appear VERY often in video games, and as such, ballsacks easily sum up more than 50% of the male characters that will appear in video games. Of course, its very rare that a mans ballsack can reach the size that is sometimes portrayed in games, but to pretend they cant do that is seriously weird.
Really 11ZOMBIES, how you arent offended by those extremely large breasts is beyond me, let alone how you can complain about others finding fault with them. Then again, I suppose when it comes to some video game players (guys) extremely large breasts represent the carrot on a stick.
July 5th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Watermelons on a stick.
/correction
July 5th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
*snerk*
Taki is only a little unrealistic?
And Ivy is extremely realistic?
Not bloody likely.
The problem is that every woman in the Soul Calibur series “CHOOSES” to wear ridiculous and impractical clothing that show off their hyper-sexualized bodies. It’s not to “distract” opponents, it’s because Namco are shit and pander to the “women’s bodies = $” attitude.
July 5th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Why would large breasts offend me? Should large feet offend me? Large teeth? Gigantic hands? They’re all body parts, after all. To say that you can’t see why large breasts wouldn’t offend me is just really, really weird. Are you offended every time you see a woman with large breasts walk by out in public? If so, that’s just strange to me. I’ve never complained about those who find fault with large breasts or depictions of large breasts. If that’s what you do, have at it. All I’m saying is that large breasts are not unrealistic. They are a verifiable fact of life. And to Roy- the depictions of Ivy in the FMV segments of SC IV as presented so far ARE extremely realistic. Upon reasonable inspection, one finds that Ivy’s overall mass has been increased from previous games in the series, thereby increasing her bust as well. Very “bloody likely”. And to say that EVERY WOMAN in SC wears ridiculous and impractical clothing is the opinion of someone who has obviously never played the games. Talim is a young girl, and wears very modest clothing. Cassandra- although guilty of the occasional miniskirt- usually wears armor. And Xianghua typically dresses in traditional Japanese garb.
Although a lot of them do, not all female video game characters have large breasts. My personal favorite, Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil series, is not nearly as busty as other game girls. So the breast size does not equal sales as far as I am concerned. Do the game companies pander to the cup size = profits faction? Of course some of them do. But, game companies shouldn’t have their hands tied by silly ideas tied to body image when creating their characters.
July 6th, 2007 at 6:55 am
Ive heard explanations like this before 11ZOMBIES, so you can deny it all you like, but the breasts that these characters have been designed with are in no way designed to represent real life women. They arent taking up the fight for large breasted women, you are just using that as an excuse. You yourself admit that breasts that size are rare and that female characters can be done without them. Yet you seem to think that video game characters with large breasts are no different from any real life woman with large breasts. Like MP has already said, most of these designers are male, and its commonly known that there is a fascination with women’s breasts these days, particularly large ones. You need only look around a little to see that much. So please, stop trying to justify these things like they are a rare occurrence in video games (once again, like you admit it to be in real life) its not. These game designers arent taking into consideration the “realism” of the bodies they create. They obviously only care about how much they like it, and a certain amount of their fans will like it i.e. You.
As Mighty Ponygirl has said here before, there isnt anything wrong with guys liking exaggerated boobs, chain mail babes or a dominatrix for a character. We would just prefer it if they werent so common in mainstream games, where us who don’t enjoy them have to put up with them. There are many other “rarities” out there to do with the human form regardless of gender, but they don’t seem to appear as often as large breasts do. The only explanation to why this is, is because like I said above, the people designing this are putting them in for selfish reasons, not for any semblance of realism.
And please don’t relate finding blatantly exaggerated virtual breasts offensive, to finding real life breasts or even other body parts (feet?) offensive, because that’s just being plain asinine.
I’ve never complained about those who find fault with large breasts or depictions of large breasts.
Oh really? Well I guess its just stupid me, but I took this-
Wow, no one has large breasts in real life, it’s SOOOOO unrealistic!
-to mean that we were all overreacting, no?
July 6th, 2007 at 6:59 am
Yes. Obviously, because I’ve come to a different conclusion than you about the characters in the game, it means I’ve never played the game. Where should I turn in my gamer’s card?
*rolls eyes*
While not all women in games have large breasts, the majority do. And that’s not even, I think, the real problem. It’s the hypersexualization of women that is the problem- the breast size and exposure being one symptom of that problem. To say that they could have big hands or tiny feet misses the point. Breasts are considered a sexual charactoristic, and they’re clearly marketing “sex” there.
And while they may have increased Ivy’s overall mass, if you think that she’s extremely realistic, you need to really get out and live a bit- she’s not even remotely realistic.
And, yes, they do all wear ridiculous and impractical clothing, particularly when compared to their male counterparts.
I haven’t seen all of the costume designs from 4 yet, but look at 3…
The point, by the by, isn’t to dress them modestly… it’s to dress them appropriately. Talim’s and one of Xianghua’s costumes are about the costumes in the game that make the women dressed remotely appropriately for what they are- that don’t over-emphasize sexual charactoristics. The majority of the women in the game are wearing costumes that do most or all of the following:
1. Emphasize or draw attention to cleavage and/or show off breasts.
2. Expose or draw attention to their asses during combat.
3. Show a lot of leg.
4. Expose/draw attention to midriffs.
The women in Soul Calibur are ridiculously sexualized in ways that the male characters are not. The men are wearing costumes, for the most part, that make sense for who they are. The men are not sexualized in anything remotely resembling the ways that the women are. Even when the women are wearing armor- which is infrequent- they never wear armor over most of their bodies, and rarely wear armor that covers up their breasts.
Oh, and this is a lovely: Namco has Cassandra’s weight listed as “Lost weight recently.” Cassandra, by the way, does not “usually” wear armor, and isn’t guilty of “the occaisional” miniskirt- her only outfits in 3 are miniskirts. Both of her outfits are miniskirted, and one has armor, sure… on her arms. Her chest? Oddly… unarmored. I can’t imagine why that would be. And you’re really going to claim that Xianghua’s 2p costume is “traditional Japanese garb”? An ultra-mini skirt that draws atttention to her breasts by essentially placing them on a shelf?
A couple of the costumes in SC3 aren’t hypersexualized for the women characters, but the majority of them are.
July 6th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
First off, to TheBends- Of course many game designers are male. And there has been a fascination with large breasts for as long as they have existed. I never said that it is rare for a female video game character to have large breasts-
“Although a lot of them do, not all female video game characters have large breasts.”
- That was my actual quote. And to say that game creators are not taking realism in consideration when creating characters is just ridiculous. With the advent of better and better graphics over the years, I would say that game creators strive for realism in their characters more than ever before. Is there stylization? Of course. Ivy and Taki’s bodies are certainly exagerated, but then again, so are the male characters in the game. Your quote- “They obviously only care about how much they like it, and a certain amount of their fans will like it i.e. You.”- doesn’t make much sense to me within the context of this discussion. These game designers are artists. Of course they design characters to their own personal preferences, and to the preferences of their target audience. Your argument then, is that since some people (i.e. you) find offense with large “virtual breasts” they should be forever banished from video game design at large? Should the stylized male form then be banished as well?
And yes, that comment was to say that folks are overreacting. But it wasn’t me complaining about those folks, merely pointing out the fact that large breasts exist in real life as well as games.
And to Roy- Your argument seems to be that “hypersexualization” of women characters is actually what sells games, not the gameplay or the entertainment value. With the sales of video games as high as they are today, to proclaim that those sales are solely because of the “hypersexualization” of female characters is just as ridiculous as saying that games sell only because of violence, or only because of (insert personal offending video game element here), etcetera, etcetera. These numbers simply do not point to one certain element of a game making that particular game sell. I would argue that many games sell because they have many things that appeal to many people, since individual tastes are different.
“And while they may have increased Ivy’s overall mass, if you think that she’s extremely realistic, you need to really get out and live a bit- she’s not even remotely realistic.”
This is definitely one of THE funniest comments I’ve ever read. As I’ve said in TWO previous posts now, I’m referring to Ivy as depicted in the FMV segments of the upcoming SC IV. There is a VERY high quality shot of the character model in the new EGM. Everyone I’ve showed it to so far has commented on the added realism this time around. I get out and live all the time. No matter how much you deny it, body shapes such as Ivy’s DO exist in real life. I know a couple of girls who have similar physiques that would probably argue with you on that one. Also, Cassandra does wear miniskirsts- but in her 1P costume, she is also wearing tights under her skirt. Brown tights. Which show off no leg at all. Even her cleavage, midriff, and arms are covered. Her outfit is certainly form-fitting in the legs, but does not go out of the way to oversexualize the character.
It’s also disingenuous to suggest that none of the male fighters in SC are sexualized at all. Kilik wears no armor at all, and frequently fights in an open shirt or with no shirt at all. Mitsurugi frequently fights with no armor. Voldo has exposed buttocks. Zasalamel has his biceps and upper arms exposed, certainly a part many women do find sexy. Maxi wears an open shirt, baring his chest and abs.
My point is this- sexualization is a part of the Soul Calibur series for both the male AND female characters. ALL of the characters wear “ridiculous and impractical clothing”, not just the women. And if that somehow offends you personally, then you can choose not to play the games. OR, you could play the game and choose a less “offensive” costume. Most of these characters- even Ivy and Taki- have variant outfits that are much, much more modest. It’s that simple. But to be upset that there would be female characters with large breasts in games designed by men is silly. Those male game designers shouldn’t have to kowtow to people with body image issues, no matter if those issues come from a male or a female. I don’t want fascism in game design. I wouldn’t want to stop a female game designer from creating a male character with heightened sexual characteristics, either. It’s all about choice.
July 6th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
AHAHAHAHAHAH
Voldo as a sex symbol? Are you shitting me?
Fighting with an open shirt is not the same as a woman fighting in a thong. Fighting with exposed upper arms is not the same as fighting in a string bikini that can’t support your huge breasts.
And yeah, it’s all about choice. That’s why I choose not to purchase this game. And we choose to take exception with how this game is designed. And we choose to call bullshit on your claims that you know women with DDD breasts and Size 8 figures (naturally, of course), who would choose to wear a little piece of boob floss when doing heavy physical activity.
You want to spank off representations of women that are completely contrary to what actual women look like, that’s your choice too. Just take it somewhere else.
July 6th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
And there has been a fascination with large breasts for as long as they have existed.
Actually I think its more likely that reactions to peoples bodies has changed over the course of human history, and that this obsession with breasts (which are obviously used for feeding children) is a pretty recent thing, limited to particular cultures around the world, namely ours for starters.
And in regards to our “fascism”, I have already clearly stated that its not so much that boobs like that shouldnt be allowed in video games, its that the designers and gamers desire to see them should be separated from those of us who dont. We are no more trying to force you to stop looking or creating at them than you are forcing us to look at them. I just think that people should be allowed to play video games, in this instance Soul Calibur, without being smothered with tits and arse. There are gamers out there who could do without this, and its poor game design and generally very bigoted for designers and gamers who do enjoy it to say “suck it up” and live with it to those who dont enjoy it.
July 6th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I’m working on Standard Troll Rebuttal Page #2 just for our friend 11Zombies.
July 6th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Yeah, it does seem to contain more reason and consideration than your average STFU-Troll, yet works towards the pretty much the same goal.
July 6th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
I like our new troll. He’s cute. “You shouldn’t care about large-breasted women in video games. I’m going to explain to you, over the next five hundred words, exactly why you shouldn’t care.”
Perhaps he hasn’t noticed that, among
humanmost women, breast size actually changes very little with ordinary changes in weight. The one thing that will reliably make a woman’s breasts bigger is having a child.Now where did I put my zombie-killin’ stick again? Alas, I don’t have a cricket bat (though I want one), but I have got a beat up old baseball bat at home.
July 6th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
I’m not trolling. I’m merely putting in my opinion on this issue dealing with Soul Calibur, a game series of which I am a fan. I’m not calling anyone names, I’m not saying anyone is stupid, I’m not being mean. I’m simply stating my opinions in a calm and reasonable manner.
“And we choose to call bullshit on your claims that you know women with DDD breasts and Size 8 figures (naturally, of course), who would choose to wear a little piece of boob floss when doing heavy physical activity.”
Regardless of your call of bullshit, I do know women who have that figure. And no, they don’t “wear a little piece of boob floss when doing heavy physical activity” (well, one of them has when performing at a rock show in the past…) but it’s because they are in real life! Ivy, Taki et al are not real! They are game characters!
“You want to spank off representations of women that are completely contrary to what actual women look like, that’s your choice too. Just take it somewhere else.”
Amazing! I’ve never said anything like this! Simply read my posts, you’ll see I’ve never said anything about “spanking off”, and you’d also see that my point all along has been that there are women out there that look like Ivy! So much for enlightenment…
“Actually I think its more likely that reactions to peoples bodies has changed over the course of human history, and that this obsession with breasts (which are obviously used for feeding children) is a pretty recent thing, limited to particular cultures around the world, namely ours for starters.”
That is incorrect. Ancient depictions of fertility goddesses with voluptuous hips and breasts have been discovered around the world. To have represented that form in stone for the generations to see proves that breasts have been objects of fascination for thousands of years, even objects of worship for the same amount of time.
“I just think that people should be allowed to play video games, in this instance Soul Calibur, without being smothered with tits and arse. There are gamers out there who could do without this, and its poor game design and generally very bigoted for designers and gamers who do enjoy it to say “suck it up” and live with it to those who dont enjoy it.”
Again, you may choose another costume that isn’t as revealing. Most of the female characters in the game have another costume that is much more modest.
“I’m working on Standard Troll Rebuttal Page #2 just for our friend 11Zombies.”
No need- I’m not a troll! I just had to comment on this issue though, seeing as I’ve been playing the games for so long now. I appreciate all this discussion, it’s been a blast for my girlfriend and me.
July 6th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Oh, he’s not a troll! He doesn’t spank off to Ivy! I guess that solves it then!
And just so ya know: Fertility goddesses typically weren’t worshipped as sex symbols, unless you have naughty thoughts about mommy.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
“Oh, he’s not a troll! He doesn’t spank off to Ivy! I guess that solves it then!”
What??? I seriously have no idea what you are saying. I come on here and offer reasonable discussion with no name calling or juvenile behavior and I become the target of masturbation jokes instead of a target for thoughtful communication. By the owner of the blog no less, a person who I would assume enjoys the trading of ideas in a public arena due to the fact that they put their own thoughts out for the world to see. And instead of a meaningful exchange, what do I get? Masturbation jokes. Again, so much for enlightenment…
And you are correct, fertility goddesses were not TYPICALLY worshiped as sex symbols, but in some cultures they went hand in hand as a symbol of motherhood, fertility, and sexuality. Fact.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Um. When men get to saying that the breasts and breast-jiggle physics are getting out of control, maybe it’s more just than feminist oversensitivity involved. That DOA Extreme Volleyball video that was going around a while back was hypnotic, but for all the wrong reasons.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
We’re not enlightened because you really like Soul Caliber 2.
Gotcha.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
11ZOMBIES, youre trying to say something that doesnt take rocket science to figure out is solely for male pleasure, is actually a realistic and plausible approach to take, even when some people disagree with that. So forgive me for saying that I have trouble taking any of your “facts” seriously. Nobody here has a problem with you enjoying Soul Calibur, just dont come here telling us how its a realistic or plausable representation to be putting out there. Thats a little something I learnt from the discussion on Drow here.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I agree. The breast physics in DOA have always been completely over the top, not like reality at all. I always wondered if that’s how men really think about breasts moving. In that series, I would agree that it’s out of control. But in a game like SC, where even the men with exposed posteriors have “butt jiggle” physics, all of this talk of Ivy and Taki seems a little reactionary.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Us bitches need to shut up and let him enjoy his game, I guess.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
“11ZOMBIES, youre trying to say something that doesnt take rocket science to figure out is solely for male pleasure, is actually a realistic and plausible approach to take, even when some people disagree with that.”
The SC series isn’t solely for male pleasure. I’ve played many a game of SC with women, with nary a comment on the physiques of the fighters. We always had a great time. I’m sure folks will say I made it all up, or that everything I say is bullshit, but I know what has happened to me in the past.
“We’re not enlightened because you really like Soul Caliber 2. Gotcha.”
Again, you completely misrepresent me and my position. Go back and read my posts, my points are definitely over and above simply “I like Soul Calibur”.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
“Us bitches need to shut up and let him enjoy his game, I guess.”
Again, I’ve never called names (”bitches”), and I’ve never asked anyone to shut up. I have not been rude at all! This blog isn’t keeping me from enjoying the games, and it never will. I merely wanted to express an opposing viewpoint with reason and eloquence.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
You failed.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Eleven? Can I call you Eleven? Look, you come to a blog called “Feminist Gamers” — it’s right up there at the top of the page, and the entirety of your first comment is as follows:
This, I submit unto you, is trollery. Not a shining example of reason nor eloquence. If the shoe fits, perhaps you might consider changing your feet.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
It worked, it started a conversation. It isn’t misspelled(as per many trolls), I didn’t call anyone names, and I didn’t get mean(unlike others on here…). Not trolling. I’m fully aware that this is a feminist blog. I just wanted to get some other thoughts out there. Aren’t basic freedoms for everyone a basic bullet point of feminism?
And to “Mighty Ponygirl”:
No. I didn’t. I remain eloquent and reasonable.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
The SC series isn’t solely for male pleasure. I’ve played many a game of SC with women, with nary a comment on the physiques of the fighters. We always had a great time. I’m sure folks will say I made it all up, or that everything I say is bullshit, but I know what has happened to me in the past.
*sigh*
Right after I said…
Nobody here has a problem with you enjoying Soul Calibur
Right okay, you and your friends enjoy Soul Calibur, and didnt have a problem with the female (or male, as if there is even a comparison between the levels of sexualisation, but Ill humour you) physique’s presented, so therefore, we just have to sit here and shut up about them? A somewhat unrelated point, but I think that sounds similar to how some men treat sex. As long as they enjoy it, they arent prepared to make any compromises. Or say, anyone who would complain about the smoking ban in England. “Look, I like smoking okay? So because I like it, youll just have to sit there and breath in my second hand smoke”. To which I reply “Im happy you enjoy smoking, but fuck off and do it elsewhere please, because I wont be the one to make compromises for your benefit”.
July 6th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Hi, I found this blog while looking up screen shots for Soul Caliber lV. I can’t believe all the negativity about Ivy’s breast size. I mean, they’re big,yeah, and her new costume definitely accentuates the bigness, but big deal(no pun intended)! This is after all a fantasy game where none of these things are real.I think it should be the responsibility of the gamer to choose games that are pleasing for them and stay away from the ones they find offensive. The game designers (Soul Caliber) I do not believe are bigoted and only resign themselves to cater to the big booby loving crowd as there are other characters that are not as top heavy.
By the way, breasts do change size with weight, not just baby weight. Women often complain about loosing their boob size after going on a diet and mine have changed cup sizes from weight loss and gain.
I also agree with 11ZOMBIES that this game is not strictly targeted towards men as I enjoy the game as do other girls I know. So if the busty characters were truly offensive to women I don’t think they would play it. There are a lot of Soul Caliber cosplay groups that involve many women and girls who obviously like the characters depictions and spend many hours trying to reproduce the costumes.
The shape of a woman is very beautiful and I feel these designers do a wonderful job at rendering such life like images. And yes there are women in the world who do possess these attributes and if I were one of them and stumbled onto this blog I would be most offended at what I have read here.
Sex is a part of our society whether it be advertising, magazines or video games, it’s just a part of life. Men are also represented in very sexy imagery as well as women, just like some of the characters in Soul Caliber with their idealized body style and appearance.
For those of you who say they wish they could play the game without all the “tits and arse” is asinine to me as this is what the game has possessed since it’s creation.
July 6th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
“The SC series isn’t solely for male pleasure. I’ve played many a game of SC with women, with nary a comment on the physiques of the fighters. We always had a great time. I’m sure folks will say I made it all up, or that everything I say is bullshit, but I know what has happened to me in the past. *sigh* Right after I said… Nobody here has a problem with you enjoying Soul Calibur”
Does anyone on this blog actually respond to what’s actually being said? I related that anecdote to prove that the game is enjoyable to females as well as males. I guess I should have spelled that out.
“Right okay, you and your friends enjoy Soul Calibur, and didnt have a problem with the female (or male, as if there is even a comparison between the levels of sexualisation, but Ill humour you) physique’s presented, so therefore, we just have to sit here and shut up about them?”
Once again, I’ve never told anyone to shut up. Good God, does everything I say translate to either “shut up” or “I like to masturbate to Ivy”? Ridiculous. And yes, SOME of the male characters in SC are just as sexualized as SOME of the male characters in SC. No need to humor me, just look at the facts. If you cannot admit that what I said is true, then you are blind to serious visual evidence(and as an aside, I wasn’t joking when I mentioned Voldo as a sex symbol. My girlfriend’s 16 year old thinks Voldo is the sexiest thing about SC.).
“A somewhat unrelated point, but I think that sounds similar to how some men treat sex. As long as they enjoy it, they arent prepared to make any compromises.”
?????
What does this have to do with what we’re talking about? Am I supposed to make compromises on a game I enjoy? Or… I’m someone who views sex that way? I don’t understand what you’re getting at there.
“Or say, anyone who would complain about the smoking ban in England. “Look, I like smoking okay? So because I like it, youll just have to sit there and breath in my second hand smoke”. To which I reply “Im happy you enjoy smoking, but fuck off and do it elsewhere please, because I wont be the one to make compromises for your benefit”.”
There are no compromises for any one person’s benefit. That’s the very definition of compromise- a solution to both parties benefit. What, again, are you getting at with that? I’m really confused.
“I also agree with 11ZOMBIES that this game is not strictly targeted towards men as I enjoy the game as do other girls I know.”
Finally, someone who gets what I mean! I’m not knocking feminism, I’m not knocking anyone on this blog! I’m just saying that SC isn’t targeted toward any one certain demographic. That’s really the bottom line. Thanks for the other great points as well, mommykatamari .
July 6th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
PS- I meant:
And yes, SOME of the male characters in SC are just as sexualized as SOME of the FEMALE characters in SC.
Sorry about that…
Administrator’s Sockpuppet Notification:
For some reason, 11Zombies and Mommykatamari have the same I.P. address. I’m sure that’s just a coincidence. -MPG
July 9th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Same IP address…same opinion…hmm…
July 9th, 2007 at 10:46 am
I know! Shocking, ain’t it?
July 9th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Does anyone on this blog actually respond to what’s actually being said? I related that anecdote to prove that the game is enjoyable to females as well as males. I guess I should have spelled that out.
No, what you did was try to say that I was suggesting Soul Calibur is “for teh menz only”. Of course, if YOU were listening to ME, you would understand that when I said “created solely for male pleasure” I was referring to none other than the topic(s?) of this discussion; the extremely large breasts. NOT the game istelf! Im perfectly aware that women and men can both enjoy Soul Calibur, and Im also perfectly aware that some women and men would prefer Soul Caliber that little bit more if they could play it without insulting physiques. Since they have paid the same amount of money as the “booby loving crowd”, doesnt that entitle them to same amount authourity on the game? And if the designers ignore this fact, that is what’s making them bigoted.
What does this have to do with what we’re talking about? Am I supposed to make compromises on a game I enjoy? Or… I’m someone who views sex that way? I don’t understand what you’re getting at there
I am comparing your behaviour here to similar kinds of behaviour elsewhere. They are similar in that its basically completely ignoring someone elses wishes, despite the fact that they deserve just as much say as you do. Perhaps I didnt make that as obvious as I thought.
There are no compromises for any one person’s benefit. That’s the very definition of compromise- a solution to both parties benefit. What, again, are you getting at with that? I’m really confused
AGAIN last I checked the people who dislike the extreme SC boobs still pay as much money for the game as “the booby loving crowd”. By this I determine that they have as much right to enjoy the game without big boobs, as other people have the right to enjoy it with big boobs. Unfortunately, that isnt possible right now, and “the booby loving crowd” are enjoying themselves perfectly, while the other group has to put up with it. I didnt think it would be difficult to see the parallel between the two, but you obviously dont listen to us as much as you seem to think we dont listen to you.
I think Im perhaps getting a little carried away in trying to explain things to you. It really does seem to be an exercise in futility…
July 9th, 2007 at 11:08 am
s’okey theBends — there’s only so much you need to bash your head against a wall of troll.
The standard Troll Rebuttal page is up, and 11Zombies is ready to be banned.
July 18th, 2007 at 1:20 am
Hey, new poster. I was just thinking with all these fallacies brought out to stop those darn feminists trying to take our fun away maybe someone should make one of those “Bingo” articles for videogames like the one for comic book sexism.
I haven’t read any of the troll’s messages myself because I like my stress levels the way they are now but I get their point: “Bigger breasts are realistic.”
Sure, absolutely realistic. But statistics are also realistic. How many women have breasts that size? How many in Soul Calibur?
How many large-breasted women involved in some form of exercise wear no protection or support for their gigantic mammaries? Hell, how many normally endowed women do so? How many in Soul Calibur?
July 18th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Someone did make a bingo card!
A couple of days ago I just didn’t have the patience to let through a commenter suggesting that Ivy was “more realistic” because she was older and not a total stick figure. So we should be grateful that she’s shown as a size eight and not a size four, I guess, and that makes up for everything. (rolleyes)
July 20th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Crazy zombies need shotgun medicine. That is all.