I'm assuming I'm not the only one that's noticed that zerglings in Starcraft are actually kind of cute. They look cute, sound cute, and run cute. I'm sure many people would actually buy zergling plushies if they existed. My point is, I looked up zerglings for SC2 out of curiosity, and I've noticed that their design is actually pretty lame right now, as it seems to have been unnecessarily changed. They no longer have dog-like bodies and dog/raptor-like muzzles like SC lings, but rather have flatter faces and big tusks sticking out from the sides, with heavy-looking bodies and bug wings that totally make them look like roaches from an overhead view. I mean, I'm new, but I thought the point of the zergling was to be fairly fast. The new zerglings are not only ugly, but unnecessarily altered to look most unswift.
Okay, just so we're clear:
SC Manual art
SC zergling overhead view
This is the original zergling as everyone sees it now...
Now for the changes:
SC2 zergling overhead view
SC2 winged model
This is the horror. I've found this in several places just searching Starcraft sites, to my dismay--I was hoping it was a badly done fan art or something, because surely they wouldn't have done this...
This is the conceptual abomination (even for the zerg) conceived by the Blizzard artist.
Now, these are just ugly. They've gone and destroyed the zergling that everyone knows and loves. That chaps my hide, it really does. Samwise Didier, the art director and concept artist, was commenting on the latter pic on Blizzcast. And I quote:
Quote
Well, we took the basic shape and style, and the elements of the zergling that everyone liked, the little small hoppy guys, mouth full of teeth and claws and all that and, when doing the concept, it’s like, "Okay, yeah, this is cool, we got a zergling. It’s a little bit tweaked different than the original one"...
And I quote Mr. Didier again:
Quote
But that was basically the idea. Was to take, you know, sort of a cool character from StarCraft and then give it the next level up. Like, not changing what it is. Like everyone who looks at this won’t say, “What the hell’s that?” you know. It’s a zergling. You know what it is. "It’s a zergling, Lester, a different kind of zerg."
I just think it would be a shame to let them make the zerglings super-amazingly hideous for no reason. Sure, give them wings, but the whole look doesn't need to be overhauled. And bug wings just make me want to smack it with a fly swatter about 26 times to be perfectly honest. I just figured since no one's brought attention to this that I should, before they release it like this. Doesn't this bother anyone else?
Finally, roaches (not to be confused with the new Roach unit) "emerging" from a sewer grating:
http://gomeler.com/pic/Articles/Starcraft%202/Zergling%20Rush%20Small.jpg (img tag not working here.)
None.