Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time hits PSP / PSN on July 31st!

[Annubis]

But yes, the artwork was done by a guy who has also done an occasional hentai and is notorious for all of his characters having that plastic look to them.

Occasionaly? Hell, there's an erotic artbook for every Growlanser game.

-Inappropriate, over-sized blush
-H-face (basically O-face without quite going into O-face territory)
-Over-sized breasts
-Exposed thighs
-Glistening skin (it's a particular effect that I used to think was H-game character only as that's where it predominately crops up)
-Chainmail bikini syndrome
-Nipple eye-catch ornaments
-Crotch exposure (minorly so; but still present)
-Overt cleavage exposure
-Demure, un-assertive, if not outright submissive posing

Funniest thing is... you could be talking about a hundred games just with that.

Since we're talking about FFXII lately:
http://whatafy.com/storage/2011/11/Final-Fantasy-XII.jpg
http://jeuxvideosduweb.free.fr/data/media/1/wallpaper_final_fantasy_xii_01_1600.jpg
http://wallpaper.metalship.org/walls/final-fantasy-xii.jpg

[(Tunnels)]

Yeah, I'm pretty stoked for this game, shiny, oddly dressed people and all. I liked Grow 2 and really liked Grow 3. I keep trying to get into Grow 5, but every time Seldous opens his mouth about hating war so darn much, I want to put my fist through the screen.

[ZeronHitaro]

omg Zeron don't derail this thread just cause you don't like seeing sexy artwork

Riiight; cause in the past half decade+, with the hundreds of characters I've spent developing for different novel possibilities...

I've never dipped into the fanservice pool.
Ever.
Not even once.
Didn't even work with artists of 'alternate tastes'.

*cough*

My original point was less to rail on the artwork and more on wondering if the rest of the game made up for it; which it looks like it does.
I was re-inforcing my nitpick just by pointing out how the art tipped over that line between 'sexy' and 'racy' (if I recall the word's meaning properly) by virtue of how much fanservice was used and on how many characters.

[Kevadu]

I went back through the Growlanser screenshots to try and figure out what you're talking about, Zeron, but it seems pretty tame to me...

[ZeronHitaro]

I went back through the Growlanser screenshots to try and figure out what you're talking about, Zeron, but it seems pretty tame to me...

Eh, maybe just me then. In the late 90's, when I was newly exposed to the 'anime' phenomenon, I did a fair amount of internet research trying to find new shows, games, ect. in the same vein to garner my interest. Needless to say that even back then there was a lot of H-material you wouldn't know was H-material; and virtually all of them had the same design aesthetic as the Growlanser characters. I don't know what the modern H-designs are, which may be why they don't register to you (assuming less that you've actually seen said designs and more that you haven't seen any of them); but for me personally they're pretty much dead ringers for 90's H-character art.

[TiamatNM]

My original point was less to rail on the artwork and more on wondering if the rest of the game made up for it; which it looks like it does.

It stops with the artwork unless this is an exception to the 5 other Growlanser games I've played.  I don't think I've seen the words "boobs/breast/etc" even once while playing these games.  This isn't some NIS game where they make flat chest jokes every 10 minutes.  There is virtually no sexual content beyond the artwork itself.  

[insertnamehere]

Check out these CGs, although some of them could be spoilerific?
http://www.growlanser-realm.com/officialart/cg.htm
Remember this is that version with romantic "vacations" that seem ripe for fanservice.
Besides artbooks these games really tame

[ZeronHitaro]

Huh, in game art doesn't even have half the sheen effect. Bah; guess the static art just gave me bad flashbacks. XD Might have to look into this one then; budget allowing.

[Alisha]

my only dissapointment is that silvernale isnt playable since she was one of my favorites in chaos wars.

[Kevadu]

I went back through the Growlanser screenshots to try and figure out what you're talking about, Zeron, but it seems pretty tame to me...

Eh, maybe just me then. In the late 90's, when I was newly exposed to the 'anime' phenomenon, I did a fair amount of internet research trying to find new shows, games, ect. in the same vein to garner my interest. Needless to say that even back then there was a lot of H-material you wouldn't know was H-material; and virtually all of them had the same design aesthetic as the Growlanser characters. I don't know what the modern H-designs are, which may be why they don't register to you (assuming less that you've actually seen said designs and more that you haven't seen any of them); but for me personally they're pretty much dead ringers for 90's H-character art.

Well, the style of the Growlanser art is a little more old-fashioned than what's popular these days.  But that's 90s art in general, not just 90s H art.

[Yggdrasil]

The guy that design the characters is Satoshi Urushihara. Many (if not all) of the characters he has designed looks mostly the same, and a lot of his previous works and/or illustrations has ecchi and hentai stuff in them.

For what I understand most people in America knows the work of the guy nowadays (outside of Growlanser) because of an OVA that he directed around 2003 or '04 called "Front Innocent" which got lots of recognition from fans of animu and hentai.

Which also caused some confusion with people since the art direction is the same in both that Hentai OVA and Growlanser or every other work from Urushihara. So yeah, that's all I know about that.

[Alisha]

its not uncommon these days. i mean you have tony taka and the high school of the the dead guy.

[Aeolus]

The guy that design the characters is Satoshi Urushihara. Many (if not all) of the characters he has designed looks mostly the same, and a lot of his previous works and/or illustrations has ecchi and hentai stuff in them.

For what I understand most people in America knows the work of the guy nowadays (outside of Growlanser) because of an OVA that he directed around 2003 or '04 called "Front Innocent" which got lots of recognition from fans of animu and hentai.

Which also caused some confusion with people since the art direction is the same in both that Hentai OVA and Growlanser or every other work from Urushihara. So yeah, that's all I know about that.

http://myanimelist.net/people/3177/Urushihara_Satoshi

(For the full list of non videogame stuff he's done.)

[cj_iwakura]

I've always liked Satoshi's 'serious' art. He does quite good costume and armor design, if you can get around the occasional questionable material.

That said, believe me, the SRPG elements stand very well on their own, as do the stories. Growlanser is stellar at both.

@Alisha: Silvernale has her own path/ending now, I believe.

[daved]

Huh, in game art doesn't even have half the sheen effect. Bah; guess the static art just gave me bad flashbacks. XD Might have to look into this one then; budget allowing.

Yeah, this is definitely a game that you don't want to judge by it's a cover.   Honestly, I'm not a big fan of anime / manga in general; but I would still get Growlanser games if they used stick figures, because the gameplay is that good.

And whatever the art may imply, this series is not chock-full of fanservice.  The female characters are very well-developed (and I'm not just talking about their breasts) and tend to have very strong personalities.  I know from playing previous Growlanser games, if you act like a creep, the female characters will take offense.  Generally, the characters act like real people; if you are kind to them, they will like you more.