Beth messed up our elves!

[Susurruss]

ITT: No one has seen Lord of the Rings.

 

By seeing, did you mean watching the movies with human actors with minimal makeup effects portraying elves as pointy-eared mysterious humans? Or reading the books and physical descriptions of Tolkien's wonderous and terrible elves? Those are two very different things.

 

Historically in RL mythology, elves are more often small, fey, and distrustful of strangers (most like the Bosmer, I suppose). Many old drawings and carvings of elves show them with pointed teeth, oddly stretched features, claw-like pointy fingers, and other physical oddities. Storytellers like Tolkien are most responsible for our modern version of elves, and popular video games and movies with A-list actors have sexied up the image until elves became ultranoble superhumans. I guess some people see elves as a step-up from humanity, and want to raise them on a pedastal of human beauty.

 

I'd rather let elves be elves - they have their own faces because they are their own distinct races.

[WarKirby3333]

i think they look great. espcially altmer

[Reddimus]

ITT: No one has seen Lord of the Rings.

 

By seeing, did you mean watching the movies with human actors with minimal makeup effects portraying elves as pointy-eared mysterious humans? Or reading the books and physical descriptions of Tolkien's wonderous and terrible elves? Those are two very different things.

 

Historically in RL mythology, elves are more often small, fey, and distrustful of strangers (most like the Bosmer, I suppose). Many old drawings and carvings of elves show them with pointed teeth, oddly stretched features, claw-like pointy fingers, and other physical oddities. Storytellers like Tolkien are most responsible for our modern version of elves, and popular video games and movies with A-list actors have sexied up the image until elves became ultranoble superhumans. I guess some people see elves as a step-up from humanity, and want to raise them on a pedastal of human beauty.

 

I'd rather let elves be elves - they have their own faces because they are their own distinct races.

 

Not that I hold elves in such a high regard, but there're already plenty of ugly creatures to fill that gap. Ogres, trolls, orcs, goblins, gremlins, etc.

[raatorotta]

I think elves look just like they did in Morrowind, just with better graphics. Elves in Oblivion looked too much like human with pointy ears. Now elves are back to what they used to be.

[tmx]

All my attempts to create a decent looking dunmer for this game fails. Guess I'm in the minority who liked Oblivion face system. Its a videogame, I don't worry too much if its not exactly like the lore said, just have to look good and playwell. Cyrodiil was not a tropical forest like the lore, but I like its varied landscape more than Skyrim.

 

The Khajit and Argonians looks meaner in this game, but lost a good deal of personalities, all of them male and female looks very mean and no other characteristics.

 

Of course, on the dialog side, the shop owners are boring too. But atleast there is a better atmosphere in towns and bars, but not by a lot.

Edited November 21, 2011 by tmx

[natelovesyou]

Bethesda is just too damn good at ruining their own lore. Now half the elves look like lifeless, soulless martians, what with their creepy faces and black eyes. SO ugly...

[Lachdonin]

ITT: No one has seen Lord of the Rings.

 

By seeing, did you mean watching the movies with human actors with minimal makeup effects portraying elves as pointy-eared mysterious humans? Or reading the books and physical descriptions of Tolkien's wonderous and terrible elves? Those are two very different things.

 

Historically in RL mythology, elves are more often small, fey, and distrustful of strangers (most like the Bosmer, I suppose). Many old drawings and carvings of elves show them with pointed teeth, oddly stretched features, claw-like pointy fingers, and other physical oddities. Storytellers like Tolkien are most responsible for our modern version of elves, and popular video games and movies with A-list actors have sexied up the image until elves became ultranoble superhumans. I guess some people see elves as a step-up from humanity, and want to raise them on a pedastal of human beauty.

 

I'd rather let elves be elves - they have their own faces because they are their own distinct races.

 

As a technicality, the oldest myths pertaining to "Elves" have nothing to distinguis them from humans. In fact, in the oldest germanic traditions, they were akin to human shamen. The same can be said for Dwarves, there was absolutely no physicality to diferentiate them from the common human stock. It all boiled down to where they lived, how they acted and where they came from.

 

That said, even Tolkien's elves were not 'Human'. The impression i get from his writing is more akin to the Dragon Age elves, with elongated face, flat nasal ridges and almost deer like faces.

 

As for the 'Too good at ruining their own lore' thing, Nate, they've done nothing of the sort. If anything, they've gone back to the lore, focusing on the definate differances between species and races which have always been part of their background, even if it's at the expence of a degree of customization.

 

And TMX, how could you NOT make a cool looking Dunmer? I ahve yet to find a facial set which doesn't look bad ass... Lets face it, the Dark Elves are the ultimate race. If they weren't so interested in their house wars, they'd roflpwn everyone :P

[FastBlackCat]

It's a matter of taste and preference, and personally, I find the elves hideous. They look like a cross between Klingons/Romulans/Navi. Dark elves are my favorite race to play, but when I saw the elf faces in Skyrim I went :yucky: and for the first time as far as Elder Scrolls games, I made my PC one of the human races. I can hardly wait for the construction set to come out.

[kitsuneshoujo]

Of all the games I have played both RPGs and MMOs, I have never seen such hideous, deformed, monstrosities. Dark elves are my favourites, I like dark skinned girls, so that translated over to what I like in characters and with elves, dark skinned high elves look weird... and plus dark elves just have a certain sexiness that other races lack.

 

Anyway... the dark elves in Oblivion after some minor modification were totally hot. Skyrim dark elves look like zombified klingons. I've been playing a Nord and occaisionally an Orc. I almost never play either of those if there are other races to play.

 

I hope that the person who did that awesome underdark mod with the black skinned dark elves ports it over to Skyrim.

[Wraith Darkholm]

I'm on the "Likes-the-New-Elves" bandwagon. Beth has gone back to making the them look as distinct as the Khajiits, Argonians and Orcs. From a distance, you can now tell that they're Elves, and not cross-species dressing wannabes.