#2: Sep 12th 2022 at 7:57:40 PM
Let's start with first half the Video Game folder
Video Games
- In Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, the narrator suddenly dons a chicken mask for no reason.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The player can take over this role. Utterly serious cutscenes can have the protagonist standing around in any number of insane outfits. The possibilities are in the hundreds, such as: boxers only, a Groucho Marx face mask and tuxedo pants, or even a gimp suit. This last, in a business meeting with his sister.
- The Secret World and its remake/continuation, Secret World Legends, allow you to do this. And given how darkly horrific and serious the game's NPCs can be, Hilarity Ensues.
- The Soul Calibur series has been getting worse and worse in this topic with each new entry. It reached its lowest in Soul Calibur IV, specially with Ivy's ridiculous strip-bra. In Soul Calibur V they seemed to recover from it, although there are still some characters with ludicrous outfits.
- VI makes this worse by removing alternative costume options (which traditionally were more modest than the main ones), though Create-a-Soul allows you to make your own. Even Hilde, the Token Wholesome of the series, got a new design that embroiled her in the recent "boob armour" debate.
- Another real standout was Asteroth's alternate costume in Soul Calibur III. In the first two games, his alt costume consisted of an executioner's hood (granted, one with stupid looking antennae that curved over his back) and Spikes of Villainy protruding from his shoulders. In three, the hood was changed to a giant claw hammer and the spikes were replaced with nails. Actual giant metal nails.
- On another note, designs for ZWEI and Viola (V) and Groh (VI) have been complained about for looking too much like JRPG characters in a game based on Historical Fantasy and Magic Realism. Groh particularly has been criticised for looking more like a K-Pop idol than a medieval warrior from Denmark.
- Unique and memorable character designs are usually a good thing in fighting games, unless the designers interpret that as "ludicrous, eye-searingly garish and ugly mismatches of colors and patterns for half the cast" like they did in the Fighters Destiny games. Day-glo, animal prints, and odd choices like thongs over tights or full Native American headdresses are just a few of the highlights, and if you're lucky, these won't all be on the same character.
- The Saints Row series, with its insane degree of Character Customization, features equally insane wardrobe choices depending on the player's whim. Including hot dog suits and gladiator helmets. This has the potential to ruin the mood of many story cutscenes. A character's funeral is a hell of a lot less of a Tear Jerker when it's attended by a hugely muscular Scary Black Man wearing a bra and a miniskirt with a traffic cone on his head and mime makeup on his face. Saints Row 2 allows you to rewatch cutscenes whenever you want, so you can try out different outfits and see what ruins the mood in just the right way for you.
- In both Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2, the player can make some questionable wardrobe decisions. Nothing says intense zombie fighting action like a pink women's business suit and a servbot helmet.
- This video
from Two Best Friends Play hilariously depicts the sort of Refuge in Audacity this game can become when it comes to inappropriate outfits to fight the zombie apocalypse in.
- This video
- IGN rated the outfit Link wears at the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword as making him one of the worst-dressed video game characters of 2011, calling it a "burlap sack disaster" and saying that "dressing like an Arizona grandma" was bad for the already effeminate hero.
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gives the player the Tunic of the Wild◊ as a reward for completing all 120 Shrines in the game. It's basically the original, green tunic, only with dorky, toddler-like short sleeves and pantaloons. Some players found the design to be baffingly underwhelming, to say the least.
- Who sends a bunch of mercenaries to fight, probably to the death, with paper bags or rubber gloves on their heads? Team Fortress 2 in a nutshell. The most iconic example is probably Demopan. Just LOOK at it◊, and you will see why some of the diehard fans see him as the symbol of everything that is wrong with the game today.
- The Last Story doesn't suffer as much, but it does suffer. Upgrading the armors can help make them look more sensible, or a lot worse. There's also a color option in case you think Calista's bright pink armor is too insufferable. Honorable mention goes to the Dragon greaves, which looks like half of a bad Dragon costume that was used at a furry convention. Of course, you could just make them invisible, which just makes the characters run around in incredibly boring underwear.
- Mass Effect:
- Mass Effect 2 has taken some flak for putting several (female) characters in outfits utterly impractical for fighting in. The first game was good about giving characters practical outfits - every team member wore armor, flattering figures be damned. Then in Mass Effect 2 you have Miranda in a sexy Spy Catsuit, Samara in... another sexy catsuit with a Navel-Deep Neckline, and Jack with just some leather straps over her nipples. However, Miranda and Jack have unlockable alternate costumes that are much more reasonable; in Jack's case, she puts a shirt on, and a downloadable costume pack gives Miranda form-fitting composite armor and more sensible boots.
- Mass Effect 3 received similar criticism when trailers featured Ashley Williams not only wearing what essentially came off as the Alliance's version of Miranda's uniforms but also letting down her hair, which would be impractical during combat. There were alternate outfits available, however; though they only added armor and didn't adjust the hair. There was also the form-fitting hospital gown that was see-through enough that her nipples were visible. It really clashed with the tone the scene was trying to set when you visited her in the hospital.
- Mortal Kombat 9 has a few of these. Specifically, Sonya Blade's primary costume. Does Special Forces not require their female operatives to at least wear bras or something? And high heels too? Seriously?
- Mortal Kombat got into the game as early as part 3. Kabal, Stryker, Unmasked Sub-Zero, and especially Shang Tsung stand out the worst, and the weird spandex-y ninja outfits even managed the previously unthinkable feat of making Scorpion look like a dork.
- Similarly, in BlazBlue, we have squirrel girl Makoto Nanaya. Her Stripperiffic battle outfit is ridiculously impractical. Example: here◊ is her costume in Calamity Trigger, here◊ is her NPC costume in Continuum Shift, and here◊ is her playable character costume. The impracticality of it is even lampshaded in one episode of Help Me, Professor Kokonoe!
Kokonoe: Who the hell goes around dressed like that!? How do you live knowing you're always one slight breeze or sudden cough away from a massive Wardrobe Malfunction!?
Edited by Ayumi-chan on Sep 13th 2022 at 4:00:08 PM
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#3: Sep 13th 2022 at 1:25:15 PM
- Plumbers Don't Wear Ties: ZCE.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Seems too meta.
- The Secret World: ZCE.
- Soulcalibur: Asteroth and Groh might be valid, but there's a lot of complaining.
- Fighters Destiny: Possibly valid, needs complaining toned down.
- Saints Row: Seems too meta.
- Dead Rising: Seems too meta.
- The Legend Of Zelda: Complaining.
- Team Fortress 2: Not meant to be serious.
- The Last Story: Possibly valid, needs less complaining.
- Mass Effect: Complaining about fanservice.
- Mortal Kombat: Sonya is complaining about fanservice, the ninjas might be valid.
- BlazBlue: Complaining about fanservice.
I think if you the player choose to wear garish combinations of outfits, you're not taking things seriously.
#4: Sep 13th 2022 at 2:00:40 PM
Anyway to rewrite some of them. And for the record, this is the first half.
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#5: Sep 13th 2022 at 6:15:19 PM
I mean... it's a complaining trope. Unless you're arguing to cut it altogether, I dunno what exactly is wrong with a lot of these.
I think if you the player choose to wear garish combinations of outfits, you're not taking things seriously.
This, though, I've said repeatedly.
Nen_desharu
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto
Since: Aug, 2020
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Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
#6: Sep 13th 2022 at 6:32:35 PM
While the page is cleaned up, it would be great to alphabetize the examples on the page itself.
Kirby is awesome.
#7: Sep 13th 2022 at 6:35:49 PM
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I think what Baritone wanted are the examples to be more objective and state the problem, rather than just pure bashing.
#8: Sep 13th 2022 at 6:42:40 PM
This basically. There are plenty of ways to say "Audiences generally find this character's outfit too ridiculous to take seriously" in a neutral tone.
#9: Sep 13th 2022 at 6:59:30 PM
But anyways, I think we should write up some rewrites for the more complain-y entries.
edit: Also, To Densharu, duly noted.
Edited by Ayumi-chan on Sep 13th 2022 at 11:54:39 PM
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#10: Sep 14th 2022 at 1:42:57 PM
Now that I've had some time to think about it, the best way I can describe this trope is "wardrobe-induced Narm." Most of the standards that apply for that trope should probably apply for this one as well.
#11: Sep 14th 2022 at 4:33:15 PM
Good point, I think it would be best if we start a sandbox for the rewrite and use those standards
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RJ Savoy
#12: Sep 17th 2022 at 3:40:46 PM
I believe it was decided at one point that we should not add tropes that only come about by the player's choice. For that reason, wearing a strange costume during the game cutscenes should not count (unless, maybe, there's an in-game incentive like good attributes).
Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
#13: Sep 17th 2022 at 3:51:27 PM
In that case, it's still your choice to wear the item, so it doesn't count regardless.
#14: Sep 17th 2022 at 10:34:33 PM
Alright I made a sandbox for the rewrites and alphabetization
#15: Sep 18th 2022 at 6:53:34 PM
What about the Cobra Kai examples that are about the characters being dressed for the Atlanta weather as opposed to the Los Angeles weather?
#16: Sep 22nd 2022 at 5:28:30 PM
I dont know really
Edited by Ayumi-chan on Sep 22nd 2022 at 7:28:38 PM
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#17: Sep 24th 2022 at 11:55:10 PM
- WTH, Costuming Department?:
- In "Pulpo" and "No Mercy", a lot of the kids are shown wearing long sleeves and sweatshirts on the first day of school, even though the series takes place in California's San Fernando Valley, where early September temperatures average around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 C). It's pretty clear that these scenes were filmed in the Atlanta area during the fall months, which are much much cooler on average than California is during that time of year.
- Tory has a bit of this happening in season 3 with regards to her hair. The showrunners wanted Tory to have an edgy, dark look to her, but Peyton List is a blonde in real life. While List was dying her hair in season 2, she didn't want to go through the process while filming season 3 (likely due to being involved with other projects simultaneous to the shooting of season 3 in late 2019) so the makeup team settled for giving her wigs. The wigs were pretty unflattering and left much to be desired, so List went back to just dying her hair for season 4.
- Again in Season 5, which plays during Summer Break, people are wearing long sleeves, several layers and jackets. California must've been really cold in 2019!
- A lot of times the children are dressed unsuitable during training and tournaments. For example, Tory, Devon and Sam fight with hair styled in their face or down instead of tied back completely; Tory has long nails and Bert is wearing his glasses. All of these things are covered as dangerous in the first class hour in Real Life and martial arts teachers would not let you fight like that.
The Tory example might fit, but the rest are just clothing related fridge logic.
RJ Savoy
#18: Oct 2nd 2022 at 8:05:40 AM
I agree only Tory fits. The others would go on Artistic License – Martial Arts and maybe California Doubling.
Total posts: 18
A cursory glance at WTH, Costuming Department? shows a massive amount of complaining. Let's fix that.