Context: this post is going to be specifically about the Dark Queen from Battletoads, as I am a retro gamer. I also might be slightly biased because I am gay.
Ok, the original design I admit, is very pretty and appealing, but a bit boring. She looks like if Jessica Rabbit was part of Evanescence. My problem is that nothing in the design like sticks out to me except for her skin. And the laughably short cape. Other than that, it's fine.
Then there was the reboot. I do not like the redesign. She just looks like an adult version of Shezow and got rid of the stick out design from the original. Instead it's just all purple and covered. I understand they wanted to "redesign her for modern audiences" but I don't think her being sexy was the problem. Also purple is NOT her color, at least not that bright of a purple. I feel like a better direction would have been to make her self aware of her appeal like Bayonetta for instance. This new design just feels like attempted censorship.
And then you have the group who blame this on "those pesky SJW and lefties!". Fellas, as a "leftie" I'm with y'all, I bloody hate this redesign! What are you getting mad at me for! This ain't our fault!
I don’t really love either one, but the new one speaks to a completely new art style that I would guess also applies to other characters? Idk I don’t think the first one is good enough that it really needs defending. It’s just a swimsuit and heels. I also don’t think it’s censorship every time a character is redesigned.
Battletoads is rated E for everyone. Maybe it’s less about caving to the “woke left” and more about making a game that is more appropriate for the children who will be playing it. That’s what conservatives really care about right? The children? Well, that’s what they say about banning drag shows at least.
Anyway, I dont really see a problem with this. If there was less sexualization of women in children’s media (like in Dragonball Z and Naruto) maybe they would sexualize women less when they got older.
Woke is when women wear clothes.Â
Unfortunately, as long as mass media exists, someone will make money off stoking outrage. And, tale as old as time, from Socialist to PC to SJW to Woke, someone is making money off telling the conservative party that ‘everything you hate is progressive’s fault!’
Also unfortunately, attempting to play nice with the far right always inevitably eventually backfires. They’ll *at best* co-opt you until you in any way deviate from their views and then turn on you quicker than you can spit. And at worst, they’ll ignore the common ground and be nasty to some degree.
That said, yeah not a big fan of the redesign either. Which is a pity, because they kind of nailed it from the shoulders up, at least.
They’ve got to wake up and realise the “lefts” have no say over these crap redesigns. It’s corporations enacting performative “feminism” whilst making characters actually look more conservative to not upset parents.
It’s primarily about marketability.
The companies don’t really care about who they offend. Their data shows that doing X thing results in better sales. So that’s the thing they do. OR that doing Y thing has fewer sales but overall greater profit, so they do that thing.
But the troglodytes believe that their great nemesis – The Left – has so much power over society. It’s hilarious, honestly. Being in touch with reality has always been beyond them.
I love Battletoads so much 🙂
For me, I love the Dark Queen’s personality. She’s snappy, witty and hilarious. She’s been that way since the first game in 1991.
I didn’t understand her redesign in Battletoads 2020 at first, but I feel it works fine. She’s an older woman at that point (nearly 30 years have passed since she was last seen) and her outfit felt like it’s what she would want to wear herself in her own lab.
She also has some of the best lines in Battletoads 2020. I love her!
Honestly, I don’t take anyone seriously when they complain about people being “woke.” They’re just showing their true colors. Let them complain and don’t give them your power. Better them being upset than you!
(I know this is easier said than done đź©·)
Eh, I lurk here sometimes because I’m non-binary and a POC and I relate to the struggles.
I personally hate trolls who do this stuff. Basically they act like the “left” are all card-carrying haters who just want to ruin peoples’ fun. I don’t get to vote on whether something like the Little Mermaid movie decides to “diversify”. I do however, have to put up with the weirdos who get angry about it.
TL;DR none of us are out here deliberately sabotaging the fragile worldview of neckbeards and NEETs.
She had a Grinch head staff? Also ‘if Jessica Rabbit was part of Evanescence’ is hilarious and accurate.
I don’t hate the new design, it feels very much like the Tangled cartoon but it doesn’t look even close to the same character. Maybe it matches the personality, I never played Battle Toads, but it feels like it’d be jarring for anyone from that fandom. They didn’t even keep the short cape!
But yeah this is 100% corporate design choices.
These guys are gonna be upset when they find out the woke left and their capitalist overlords are the same people. As though companies would do things that don’t make money just to make some men who spend too much time online upset.
https://preview.redd.it/41q6tir85uwc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc4fc43c87fbd306d9f9680bc1459e3aac1872a4
I think it’s more to do with late 80s early 90s design sensibilities and a modern E for Everyone redesign designed to be kid and parent friendly.
For the record, I’m not a fan of either.
I like them both, personally. Idk who exactly is out here shitting on the old design, but I guess redesigns are a crime against men if they can’t ogle the new version
Aww I really like both of those
Wow, the redesign looks nothing like the original.
The redesign of Lola Bunny was controversial but at least you could tell it was the same character.