TOR TOR Art Design Discussion

Lets discuss the art design being featured in The Old Republic. Personally, I hope that these early images will undergo a change as time goes on. Right now, I'm not getting the "Old Republic" feel, as much as the "Movie Era in a slightly different shade of blue" feel.

The character designs are a bit of a mixed bag. While the smuggler and the Jedi Knight both have looks that I like, the Trooper comes off as a straight up Clone and Stormie ripoff. The bounty hunter likewise looks like she has an oversized bucket on her head.

Well, lets try to start some discussion shall we?

 

For the most part, I'm finding the new aesthetic very visually attractive. Maintaining the texture and atmosphere that is uniquely Star Wars, but twisting the style so that it's not just Star Wars, it's uniquely The Old Republic. However, there are times that I feel that wasn't taken quite far enough.

For instance, I love the evolution of the Jedi Knight and Consular, and the Sith Warrior and Inquisitor. Their attire and equipment are true to the history and evolution of the two respective Orders. However, the Trooper and Bounty Hunter are both somewhat iffy to me. It's generally acknowledged that the Jedi and Sith are both incredibly old and rich Orders. That's kind of the point. So the manner in which their appearence changed over the centuries is logical. But you mean to tell me that military-issued armor hasn't changed in a couple of millennia? No, no, no, no, no. So, yeah, I appreciate the nods to our current Star Wars canon. But there's a limit.

Character Classes aside, I love the artwork applied to the different planets and locations. KotoR Nouveau, I call it. It's sharp, it's clean, and it feels like Star Wars. I'm one happy fan.

 

Planets: I am very, very pleased with the art designs of the planets so far. each one manages to capture the..atmosphere of the place. Tython looks serene, like you would expect the homeland of the Jedi to be, while Voss looks mysterious, Dromund Kass looks creepy, Korriban looks harsh, Taris looks sad and forgotten etc.

Costumes: It varies really. Not just between the classes but between the individual costumes, that said:
-Bounty Hunter: Well, the main suit looks a lot like Fett, but I appreciate what they did change. For example, I love that shiny visor. The other outfits only appear for a bit, so I don't know what to say, other than there is surprising variety, and I like the space suit-with-a-skull-mask design.
-Smuggler: We easily have the most amount of designs for this class. Most of them are simple but effective, and I like their basic look...but worries how similar most of the outfits look.
-Agent: Don't often see the cyberpunk look in Star Wars. It works though, it works surprisingly well.
-Trooper: Well, much has been said about their main outfit and I have little to add. I am kind of meh about most of their other outfits. I am rather fond of the Jungle Armor and Heavy Snow Armor though.
-Knight: Kind of bland, but I like the fancier armor they showed.
-Counselor: Nice variety and detail available here. My favorite has to be the beaten up robes with the runes inscribed in them: nothing say "wise old master" I think.
-Warrior: Kinda meh again.
-Inquisitor: Easy the best. I mean, far and away the best. Mind blowingly awesome. If the Counselor capture the image of a venerated wiseman, the Sith really capture the look of a dark wizard; mysterious, menacing, vaguely otherworldly and more than a little creepy

Vehicles: Well, some certainly resemble their inspirations a little too closely, but I feel that they have received a disproportionate amount of attention. Most are actually fairly creative, baring no strong element of any other star wars ship. Though, that is not to say they have been very unique either: most are rather simple designs with nothing that reaches out and grabs your attention, kind of generic looking actually.

Creatures: Not a lot of creatures so far, but I do like what we have seen, especially the Tython Flesh Raiders.

Characters: Kind of a wak point, though they have been getting better with each new batch of screenshots.

Weapons: The lighters sabers are, as a rule, awesome, whether they go for the tried and true look or the more esoteric ones (I like the one with the lightning running through the clear tubes). The guns..well, some of them look a little blockily and kind of weird with the big circle in the middle, but I liked most of the ones so far.