I found this little ditty on Kotaku and found it dovetails nicely into some of the discussions going on here about how women are presented in video games.

There are two images. One is official art from D.I.C.E's upcoming 'Mirror's Edge' which depicts what some critics are calling a very 'westernized' Asian character. The second is an artists impression of the same character with changes made to tailor the character to "Japanese tastes".

Original

Doctored

What do you think?

Eggo:
Men in general love large breasts.

What else more is there to say?

I actually find it quite refreshing EA went with the look they did (we all know EA wears the pants in this relationship), in the original she's got quite the strong jaw line and isn't exactly busting out in the chest cannon department. Could this be the begining of a trend?

I like the second more if only because it doesn't have the tattoo.
Really not something I think is attractive.

Perhaps it is the western look that appeals, rather than just the breasts. The women in anime are usually whiter than white and curvaceous. Whereas many japanese women are more petite, in general. After all, check out how they've changed her eyes too.

Also besides some increse in size. Her eyes are a lot more Asian in the 1st one there are in the 2nd. I personally like the orginal better, it's not something you see everyday and there's just something about her look in the 1st one. The 2nd is just is just "O mah gawd busty lady".

Japanese men?

She doesn't look like an anime character in the first one. Intellectually I prefer the first, because it's realistic and she even looks a little threatening (look at ehr eyes!)

My penis prefers the second. We agree to disagree like this quite often.

PS: Bullshit the second is supposed to be japanese mens tastes. It's Otaku's tastes. She has anime eyes, an anime face, and anime tits.

Actually I suppose what's funny is that if the game is making westerners sick I don't see how the Japanese are going to tolerate it. Especially with their problems with motion sickness.

Edit: Wombat she looks about 15 in the second picture.

Me rikey arot!
*cough* so anyway... I prefer the second one for uhhhh... (insert bullshit reason here)
Tho I would have preferred the second one kept the eye tattoo.

The pictures are aligned almost perfectly to my Page Up/Down spacing. Awesome.

The second one has slightly different hair too. Strands of it are clumped together and it has a more bluish tint, like you might see in... well, Anime. So yeah, going with what Wombat and Doctorpus are saying, they'd like to turn her into animu jailbait. Gotta give EA props for not stooping to that.

EA is publishing this so isn't it their perogative to give... er I mean charge the japanese with dlc for the second look.

I prefer the first one, if only because I'm sick of Lara Croft type heroines.
The face is nicer in the second picture though.

I care slightly for the first, but that's only because I hate anime/manga/whatever with a furious passion.

She kinda looks like a kid in both. Does anyone know whether depicting kids sexually in art is illegal, as opposed to in photos? Because much of that sorta stuff that comes outta Japan is really dodgy and sick and could be turning people into Gary Glitter/Michael Jackson types.

I'd like the facial shape of the second, with everyone else from the first.

I like the rounder, "smoother" face of the second one more, but everything else from the first feels more realistic and adequate.

Does anyone know whether depicting kids sexually in art is illegal, as opposed to in photos?

Considering that lolicon(probably NSFW, just urbandictionary though) is legal, if 'frowned upon' in the west, I don't think something like that is illegal.

Prefer the secnd one, nicer hair.

Does anyone know whether depicting kids sexually in art is illegal, as opposed to in photos?

It can depend on the intent sometimes. Look at Bill Henson - although he was photographing nude children, as it was for an artistic purpose, rather than for personal usage or exploitation, he wasn't charged.

But then that was in Australia, and everyone knows how fucked up our legal system is.

And is she rescuing her older sister or her younger sister?

Amnestic:

Does anyone know whether depicting kids sexually in art is illegal, as opposed to in photos?

Considering that lolicon(probably NSFW, just urbandictionary though) is legal, if 'frowned upon' in the west, I don't think something like that is illegal.

I think it is in the UK; they were definitely trying to pass a law that would make it illegal to produce (and maybe own?) that sort of stuff a while back. I don't remember if it made it into law in the end, but I can't imagine many Westminster MPs standing up for people who look at lolicon...

I like the first one, now I don't feel like I'm going to hell for unpure thoughts about computer game characters.

I like the first one because she actuality looks like a strong woman who can outrun a government via rooftops, the second one while cute looks to me like shed just run.

EDIT: aww jeez I had a good comment all lined up, but then i realized it was Japanese men ENJOY tits, not HAVE.

oh well.

My pref.
Body from the first, face from the second and the eye tat back

Marcosco:
EDIT: aww jeez I had a good comment all lined up, but then i realized it was Japanese men ENJOY tits, not HAVE.

oh well.

*pats head reassuringly*

oAmadeuso:

My pref.
Body from the first, face from the second and the eye tat back

Yeah, I like that one better than the others. The eyes in the first one really scare me (she looks like shes gonna kill me, rape my corpse, then eat my soul).

the large chin, small eyes, and eye tattoo in the first one make her look manly. The second one, besides just having larger breasts, does look more feminine. I like #2 better, both intellectually and as a male.

Yeah, I like that one better than the others. The eyes in the first one really scare me (she looks like shes gonna kill me, rape my corpse, then eat my soul).

She's supposed to be a badass freedom fighter (and, oddly, package courier) in a dystopian future city.

The first picture conveys the badass part far better than the second, and looks like an actual person, without big googly anime eyes.

I much prefer the official design. She looks tougher, older, and far more like an interesting protagonist.

oAmadeuso:
(Snip image)

My pref.
Body from the first, face from the second and the eye tat back

I like it! Not sure whether I'm all about the eye tattoo, but it's not really a big deal for me.

aniki21:

Amnestic:

Does anyone know whether depicting kids sexually in art is illegal, as opposed to in photos?

Considering that lolicon(probably NSFW, just urbandictionary though) is legal, if 'frowned upon' in the west, I don't think something like that is illegal.

I think it is in the UK; they were definitely trying to pass a law that would make it illegal to produce (and maybe own?) that sort of stuff a while back. I don't remember if it made it into law in the end, but I can't imagine many Westminster MPs standing up for people who look at lolicon...

From the lolicon wiki:

However, on 13 December 2006, UK Home Secretary John Reid, announced that the Cabinet was discussing how to ban computer-generated images of child abuse - including cartoons and graphic illustrations of abuse - after pressure from children's charities.[65] The Government published a consultation on 1 April 2007, announcing plans to create a new offence of possessing a computer generated picture, cartoon or drawing with a penalty of three years in prison and an unlimited fine.

Looks like they planned it but it never came through. There's stuff there for a bunch of countries. Australia has a zero tolerance policy on all pictures, cartoon or otherwise, of sexualised depictions of persons under 16 (or those who appear under 16). Lolicon with explicit sex scenes is also illegal in the US, however "sexualised" images, such as possibly the ones you can take from this thread, would not fall under that law, I think.

GloatingSwine:

Yeah, I like that one better than the others. The eyes in the first one really scare me (she looks like shes gonna kill me, rape my corpse, then eat my soul).

She's supposed to be a badass freedom fighter (and, oddly, package courier) in a dystopian future city.

The first picture conveys the badass part far better than the second, and looks like an actual person, without big googly anime eyes.

I much prefer the official design. She looks tougher, older, and far more like an interesting protagonist.

QFT

#1 : believeable person
#2 : sexified object

The fac in the first one looks like Sigourney Weaver. Not good. I'll admit, the second one does look a bit.... young, but with some tweaks, maybe just a chin that's small, but not pointed, and slightly smaller eyes, it' okay. I just can't stand how manish the first one is. And saying that it's more realistic isn't necessarily true, there are plenty of women who are grown and mature who don't have faces and bodies that make them look like they take testosterone treatments.

Man, those things can not be fun to deal with while running all over the place. Am I right ladies?

They would negate having to model the feet and legs in the first person view....
Theres no way you could see past them!

Though they could help limit the impact from a face plant...

Hey Joe:
Man, those things can not be fun to deal with while running all over the place. Am I right ladies?

I cant answer you question but if they do give her bigger breast, the game will take a lot long to complete as everyone will just be looking down while jumping for first few hours of play.