Geralt's "anemic" body in leaked gameplay footage

[tr3buh]

There he looks better, proportions are normal

 

[username_3236367]

Less armour on waist so he can twist and turn easily, padded gambeson with mail bulking up his shoulders and upper torso from what I can see of his new armour (haven't seen leaked stuff, assume it's same as in official trailer.) Can't for the life of me see any corset, looks like good realistic armour as is present throughout the Witcher games, just upscaled for the increased danger of a war torn realm.

Actually, I disagree, and I think so would medieval armour/warfare academics (they exist). Chainmail only works if it is not tightly packed on a person. The more tension there is between each link, the less impact it can absorb. This is why you always see the best chainmail and their replicas (say, those worn by the richest or the most powerful --kings, knights, etc.--) as loose fitting. A tight chainmail would actually restrict movement, since you are supposed to move INSIDE one, not with it. In other terms, chainmail would restrict mobility, unless it is not tightly packed on the person wearing it. Here are some typical examples:

http://www.raisonsbrassband.com/images/chainmail.jpg
http://www.bueker-gmbh.de/pics/l/alias3/AH6802-roman-chainmail-for-legionairies.jpg

So no, spandex chainmail is fundamentally a flawed way of going about this. Geralt being what he is, he would be aware of the limitations provided by a tight fitting mail, and he would not use one. To this day, even with, say, shark suits which are basically just chainmails, they have to be loose for effectiveness both in mobility and providing safety. http://owussnorthamerica.org/wp-content/gallery/shark-feeding-bahamas/img_0293-001.jpg

 

[Mihura]

Based on the official gameplay trailer, I would say his body definitely looks a bit too effeminate compared to in W2. It's weird that they seemingly tried to counter-balance that design choice by literally giving him a beard, but it might have been easier to just make it look like he's not wearing spandex everywhere except his shoulders.

I mean, look at him at 0:48 in the trailer, when he dismounts his horse and walks up to the guard. His pants look way too stretchy, and his chain mail doesn't even look real because of how tight-fitting it is. It looks like spandex with chain mail paint on it. (Side note: there's absolutely nothing wrong with effeminacy, it's just not consistent with the Geralt we know and love...or his new beard.)

IMO his design in W2 was fantastic; no matter what he outfit he wore in that game he looked awesome. I know people are saying, "Oh don't worry you'll be able to change his armor as you please", but it would definitely be a step back to have to change his armor just to keep him from looking weird.

Bottom line to me is that W2 had a very realistic look that, by most appearances, the producers seem intent on keeping for W3. This was true for the landscapes, the buildings, the weapons, and definitely all of the clothing in W2. So it strikes me as very weird that Geralt is suddenly dressed somewhat like a superhero (or as someone else mentioned, Commander Shepard) for W3. It feels almost...JRPG-esque.

This is body shaming, I am sorry dude but there nothing wrong with having a smaller waist in a male body and if you think effeminate is some kind of insult wow. And no, it is not JRPG at all, I do not like the style because it does not have color but that could as well be imitating a little on the shoulders and waist the eastern designs.

Also if you think having swords in your back is realistic or some of his armors I am sorry for you, yes they had a good design and look mostly functional and pretty but that is it. I agree with Bloth after some consideration, I do not like the design sure but the armor is practical and suit him in a kind of athletic wolf manner. The more I see him the more I like it.

 

[destroyraiden]

His low pay and war tend to make food more difficult to obtain so him being slender is no problem.

 

[username_3689154]

This is body shaming, I am sorry dude but there nothing wrong with having a smaller waist in a male body and if you think effeminate is some kind of insult wow. And no, it is not JRPG at all, I do not like the style because it does not have color but that could as well be imitating a little on the shoulders and waist the eastern designs.

Also if you think having swords in your back is realistic or some of his armors I am sorry for you, yes they had a good design and look mostly functional and pretty but that is it. I agree with Bloth after some consideration, I do not like the design sure but the armor is practical and suit him in a kind of athletic wolf manner. The more I see him the more I like it.

I guess you skipped over the part where I explicitly emphasized that I don't think there's anything wrong with an effeminate look. I just said it doesn't fit with Geralt based on my experience of playing W2, and it doesn't fit with his beard.

I guess I also didn't adequately explain my criteria for the word "effeminate", but I wasn't talking strictly about his waist size. I happen to be an adult man with a somewhat small waist size and I don't think there's anything wrong with it at all. My issue, which jives with the issue some others have had here, is that his proportions look out of whack.

Anthropologists have actually studied this; as humans we're hard-wired to view someone with an hourglass figure as feminine (something about a magic ratio of hips to waist to shoulders, I can't remember anymore). And in these previews Geralt sort of has an hourglass figure. Not just big shoulders and a small waist (which is perceived as masculine), but a waist that then comes back out to slightly wider hips (which is feminine). There's nothing inherently wrong with that, it just looks inconsistent with his appearance in past games. It looks more feminine, and that femininity also doesn't feel consistent with his new rugged beard.

Now, we can debate whether this arises from his armor and clothing or the underlying proportions of his actual body, but IMO the bottom line is that in these previews he just doesn't look quite like the rugged, masculine Geralt from previous games. And it feels like this is an attempt on the part of the designers to make him look "sexier" in order to respond to perceived market demand--to make him look like some of the other sexy male superheroes that have been gracing videogames and movies over the last few years.

Also, I agree that the double-sword-on-the-back thing is not actually realistic, and I'm pretty sure the actual designs of his clothes are not historically accurate at all. But my point was that his clothing/armor in W2 looks and feels realistic and really cool in a very different way than his getup in W3 based on trailers so far.

Again, I think his proportions (whether due to his armor/clothing design or his underlying frame) just look more like a sexy, slightly effeminate superhero than in past games, and I don't like the change because his character design was already basically perfect in W2.

ONE MORE TIME: Nothing inherently wrong with a small waist, and nothing inherently wrong with a feminine appearance--I just liked him the way he was, and this new look feels less realistic.

 

[username_3689154]

There he looks better, proportions are normal

Agree that his proportions don't look quite as out-of-control in this still, mostly because his shoulders don't look so huge. But one thing that really stands out here is the way his waist tapers in and back out, giving him an hourglass figure. And that brown thing around his waist really does look like a corset, as some others have commented. And taken together, these things make for an overly sexy Geralt that I don't like as much.

To paraphrase Shakira, those hips don't lie.

 

[kitta]

I guess you skipped over the part where I explicitly emphasized that I don't think there's anything wrong with an effeminate look. I just said it doesn't fit with Geralt based on my experience of playing W2, and it doesn't fit with his beard...

Why should I bother reading what you have to say when I have a social justice point to make

 

[Mihura]

I guess you skipped over the part where I explicitly emphasized that I don't think there's anything wrong with an effeminate look. I just said it doesn't fit with Geralt based on my experience of playing W2, and it doesn't fit with his beard.

I guess I also didn't adequately explain my criteria for the word "effeminate", but I wasn't talking strictly about his waist size. I happen to be an adult man with a somewhat small waist size and I don't think there's anything wrong with it at all. My issue, which jives with the issue some others have had here, is that his proportions look out of whack.

Anthropologists have actually studied this; as humans we're hard-wired to view someone with an hourglass figure as feminine (something about a magic ratio of hips to waist to shoulders, I can't remember anymore). And in these previews Geralt sort of has an hourglass figure. Not just big shoulders and a small waist (which is perceived as masculine), but a waist that then comes back out to slightly wider hips (which is feminine). There's nothing inherently wrong with that, it just looks inconsistent with his appearance in past games. It looks more feminine, and that femininity also doesn't feel consistent with his new rugged beard.

Now, we can debate whether this arises from his armor and clothing or the underlying proportions of his actual body, but IMO the bottom line is that in these previews he just doesn't look quite like the rugged, masculine Geralt from previous games. And it feels like this is an attempt on the part of the designers to make him look "sexier" in order to respond to perceived market demand--to make him look like some of the other sexy male superheroes that have been gracing videogames and movies over the last few years.

Also, I agree that the double-sword-on-the-back thing is not actually realistic, and I'm pretty sure the actual designs of his clothes are not historically accurate at all. But my point was that his clothing/armor in W2 looks and feels realistic and really cool in a very different way than his getup in W3 based on trailers so far.

Again, I think his proportions (whether due to his armor/clothing design or his underlying frame) just look more like a sexy, slightly effeminate superhero than in past games, and I don't like the change because his character design was already basically perfect in W2.

ONE MORE TIME: Nothing inherently wrong with a small waist, and nothing inherently wrong with a feminine appearance--I just liked him the way he was, and this new look feels less realistic.

Fair enough but you have to accept that if CDPR want to attract more people it is in their rights to do it, no? it not like they change their playboy Triss PR just because some people complain about it and that does not even comes close to this. And again I see nothing wrong with making him more whatever at this point, I just find it odd that only "guys" I assume, complain about this being sexy. I would say the design is ugly and not sexy at all but ok. Why every time Geralt is more "sexy" or "beautiful" people complain? Why shouldn't some people that like Geralt get eye candy too.

Why should I bother reading what you have to say when I have a social justice point to make

Why do I even do pointless posts bringing nothing to the discussion.

 

[username_3689154]

Fair enough but you have to accept that if CDPR want to attract more people it is in their rights to do it, no? it not like they change their playboy Triss PR just because some people complain about it and that does not even comes close to this. And again I see nothing wrong with making him more whatever at this point, I just find it odd that only "guys" I assume, complain about this being sexy. I would say the design is ugly and not sexy at all but ok. Why every time Geralt is more "sexy" or "beautiful" people complain? Why shouldn't some people that like Geralt get eye candy too.

Totally agree that CDPR can do whatever they want to their characters. I'm just voicing my opinion against it, and in favor of continuity with previous games in the series.

Also, you're right, female (or gay male) gamers totally deserve eye candy in their games as well. I think Geralt can provide that without having an hourglass figure, though. Many women seem to find Russell Crowe sexy with his traditionally masculine appearance, and many find Orlando Bloom sexy with his more (according to stereotypes) feminine appearance. So I think you can do rugged sexy and you can do effeminate sexy, but I think that for the sake of continuity with previous games in the series, they should just continue making Geralt rugged sexy (especially since they seem to be trying to do that anyways by giving him a beard).

Anyway, it sounds like you're not a huge fan of his appearance in the trailer either, so why are we even arguing about this?

RE Triss, don't get me started on CDPR's handling of sex and nudity...I'm all for putting adult elements in the game, but the way it was done in W2 felt very contrived. It felt more like quote-unquote-adult elements that were really aimed at teenage boys. I sort of gave it a pass, though, because unlike in film and television, sex and nudity in videogames hasn't been around long enough for developers to really learn to get it right.

 

[Agent_Blue]

I guess you skipped over the part where I explicitly emphasized that I don't think there's anything wrong with an effeminate look. I just said it doesn't fit with Geralt based on my experience of playing W2, and it doesn't fit with his beard.

I guess I also didn't adequately explain my criteria for the word "effeminate", but I wasn't talking strictly about his waist size. I happen to be an adult man with a somewhat small waist size and I don't think there's anything wrong with it at all. My issue, which jives with the issue some others have had here, is that his proportions look out of whack.

Anthropologists have actually studied this; as humans we're hard-wired to view someone with an hourglass figure as feminine (something about a magic ratio of hips to waist to shoulders, I can't remember anymore). And in these previews Geralt sort of has an hourglass figure. Not just big shoulders and a small waist (which is perceived as masculine), but a waist that then comes back out to slightly wider hips (which is feminine). There's nothing inherently wrong with that, it just looks inconsistent with his appearance in past games. It looks more feminine, and that femininity also doesn't feel consistent with his new rugged beard.

Now, we can debate whether this arises from his armor and clothing or the underlying proportions of his actual body, but IMO the bottom line is that in these previews he just doesn't look quite like the rugged, masculine Geralt from previous games. And it feels like this is an attempt on the part of the designers to make him look "sexier" in order to respond to perceived market demand--to make him look like some of the other sexy male superheroes that have been gracing videogames and movies over the last few years.

Also, I agree that the double-sword-on-the-back thing is not actually realistic, and I'm pretty sure the actual designs of his clothes are not historically accurate at all. But my point was that his clothing/armor in W2 looks and feels realistic and really cool in a very different way than his getup in W3 based on trailers so far.

Again, I think his proportions (whether due to his armor/clothing design or his underlying frame) just look more like a sexy, slightly effeminate superhero than in past games, and I don't like the change because his character design was already basically perfect in W2.

ONE MORE TIME: Nothing inherently wrong with a small waist, and nothing inherently wrong with a feminine appearance--I just liked him the way he was, and this new look feels less realistic.

Sir, you nailed it.
Nothing to add, except that hourglass figures are taken to signal fertility. Generally speaking, women tend to even out their silhouettes as they go past their forties.

 

[wichat]

Hourglass shape is not a exclusive female treat but a human body treat. The accumulation of fat in female breasts and hips, make more apparent narrowness of the waist compared. Marking this silhouette by corsets and girdles differentiation has been a forced and unnatural fashion.
Pretending that a man's waist is not narrower than his hips is a fallacy and a lack of awarness of human antomy. I do not mention the layers of fat because Geralt has not one iota of that stuff it in his body.
Waist and hips are not the same.
I spoile them in order to avoid offending certain sensibilities not accustomed to these visions. />/>

Spoiler

If some one doesn't like the way Geralt is dressed it's a matter of taste, but never an anatomy incorrection.

 

[Agent_Blue]

Hourglass shape is not a exclusive female treat but a human body treat. The accumulation of fat in female breasts and hips, make more apparent narrowness of the waist compared. Marking this silhouette by corsets and girdles differentiation has been a forced and unnatural fashion.
Pretending that a man's waist is not narrower than his hips is a fallacy and a lack of awarness of human antomy. I do not mention the layers of fat because Geralt has not one iota of that stuff it in his body.
Waist and hips are not the same.
I spoile them in order to avoid offending certain sensibilities not accustomed to these visions. />/>/>

Spoiler

If some one doesn't like the way Geralt is dressed it's a matter of taste, but never an anatomy incorrection.

Waist-to-hip ratio in women and men are typicality different:

0.7 for women and 0.9 for men has been shown to correlate strongly with general health and fertility.

I don't see how one could disregard a 25% gap.

 

[wichat]

Waist-to-hip ratio in women and men are typicality different:



I don't see how one could disregard a 25% gap.

I don't deny it. But I cannot ethier admit that a thin athelic man look effeminated just because he wears a belted semi-armor rather by sujeccion as lumbar protection of sharp turns over 290 degrees to annoy masculine silhouettes preset canons. Men have waist too.