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New character design by Saudi woman chosen by SNK to be featured in upcoming game
- Thread starter Choppasmith
- Start date
I don't know how much of it was SNKs fault. The contestants didn't know the game was for SNK, all they knew was that it was for a Japanese fighting game. They didn't even know if the game had fantasy elements or even if it took place in modern times.
I like the design but it seems too out there for a SNK design. More Guilty Gear/BlazBlue-ish if anything.
All of my support! I have friends in the Muslim world and it is great to see their culture being positively represented. :)
As a Saudi I really don't like the design. But also as a Saudi I'm very proud of her, she deserves the win.
I just hope future contests are better managed. The deadline was within 10 days from the announcement and no details around style were given, just that it's for a "popular Japanese fighting game" (to be fair I was trying to suss out if it was SoulCalibur :p).
There were other awards by the way. The only one with a previously announced monetary prize is best stage:
The wall in the foreground is supposedly Almasmak, Riyadh's old fort. The background is Riyadh's skyline.
Best weapon:
Sofooq. The body text is too small for me to read. The weapon is a shimagh (headdress), it is used as in impromptu weapon IRL but without the dagger. Side note: the number one comment Tekken's Harada got from Saudi fans on Shaheen was to give him an iqal (black circular crown thingy) based rage art (a more effective impromptu weapon IRL).
Best creative design:
Gaara. Bankam. Controls sand and makes his weapons out of it, wears goggles to avoid sand. Can also stop time for his super attack.
Albaz. Beloved professional wrestler who is popular with kids. Used to make falcon hoods for a living but was blinded in an accident.
Best fighting move:
Khaleel, the black oil magician. Injects petroleum through his nails and lights it up with sparks from his ring. Was a petroleum engineer but became an apathetic pyromaniac after watching his dad and his friends burn in an great fire accident.
Comedic character award:
...he has a palm tree on his head.
Audience choice awards:
Sultan. Something something modern take on traditional clothes. Something something street fighting and martial arts plus a dagger for super attacks. Something something lawyer in his dad's firm people are murdered.
I just hope future contests are better managed. The deadline was within 10 days from the announcement and no details around style were given, just that it's for a "popular Japanese fighting game" (to be fair I was trying to suss out if it was SoulCalibur :p).
There were other awards by the way. The only one with a previously announced monetary prize is best stage:
The wall in the foreground is supposedly Almasmak, Riyadh's old fort. The background is Riyadh's skyline.
Best weapon:
Sofooq. The body text is too small for me to read. The weapon is a shimagh (headdress), it is used as in impromptu weapon IRL but without the dagger. Side note: the number one comment Tekken's Harada got from Saudi fans on Shaheen was to give him an iqal (black circular crown thingy) based rage art (a more effective impromptu weapon IRL).
Best creative design:
Albaz. Beloved professional wrestler who is popular with kids. Used to make falcon hoods for a living but was blinded in an accident.
Best fighting move:
Khaleel, the black oil magician. Injects petroleum through his nails and lights it up with sparks from his ring. Was a petroleum engineer but became an apathetic pyromaniac after watching his dad and his friends burn in an great fire accident.
Comedic character award:
...he has a palm tree on his head.
Audience choice awards:
Sultan. Something something modern take on traditional clothes. Something something street fighting and martial arts plus a dagger for super attacks. Something something lawyer in his dad's firm people are murdered.
Her name is Mashael.
I love the design, but it is sort of sad that it is a head to toe covered character.
Not that she needs to be sexualized in any way, but it still feels like the design is oppressed and limited because of the designers origins.
Still looks great, and if it came from just about anywhere else I would be super happy with it. It just carries a bit of baggage.
Not that she needs to be sexualized in any way, but it still feels like the design is oppressed and limited because of the designers origins.
Still looks great, and if it came from just about anywhere else I would be super happy with it. It just carries a bit of baggage.
I'm getting "Arab Bayonetta in the Skullgirls universe" vibes.
I'm actually very surprised by the design and how non-conservative it is. It's sexy without being embarrassing.
Really? The design actually seems surprisingly sexualized, if anything. Her figure is emphasized, her breasts aren't completely concealed, and her legs are in display in non-loose clothing. She even has a move where she temporarily loses her hijab. It seems like a far cry from anything that would be considered "traditional", and I doubt it would make it past Saudi censorship.
I'm actually very surprised by the design and how non-conservative it is. It's sexy without being embarrassing.
It's a plateau in central Saudi Arabia and the name for that region (where Riyadh is). It's a common Saudi name. I guess it means something like a plateau, a hill, or a highland lol.
OP
OP
I will translate this page
Nagd ( Character Name )
Although we live in the 21 century with all advancements in our world , but the Stories of the Genies are still haunting us
We see our 21 Years Old University girl got a Special Training since her Childhood along with another girls Same as her age in order to get the "Halek" Abaya , Halek is a Stubborn Genie that isn't easy to control and Nagd was the Most deserving one to wear "Halek" Abaya
Nagd is Calm most of times as controling Halek requires a lot of concentration and If she lost control of it then it will harm her and her surrounding
She is a Student at Morning and a Justice Guardian at night due to her Night Stealth abilities
There were other awards by the way. The only one with a previously announced monetary prize is best stage:
The wall in the foreground is supposedly Almasmak, Riyadh's old fort. The background is Riyadh's skyline.
Best weapon:
Sofooq. The body text is too small for me to read. The weapon is a shimagh (headdress), it is used as in impromptu weapon IRL but without the dagger. Side note: the number one comment Tekken's Harada got from Saudi fans on Shaheen was to give him an iqal (black circular crown thingy) based rage art (a more effective impromptu weapon IRL).
Best creative design:
Gaara.Bankam. Controls sand and makes his weapons out of it, wears goggles to avoid sand. Can also stop time for his super attack.
Albaz. Beloved professional wrestler who is popular with kids. Used to make falcon hoods for a living but was blinded in an accident.
Best fighting move:
Khaleel, the black oil magician. Injects petroleum through his nails and lights it up with sparks from his ring. Was a petroleum engineer but became an apathetic pyromaniac after watching his dad and his friends burn in an great fire accident.
Comedic character award:
...he has a palm tree on his head.
Audience choice awards:
Sultan. Something something modern take on traditional clothes. Something something street fighting and martial arts plus a dagger for super attacks. Something something lawyer in his dad's firm people are murdered.
Thanks for the info, I'll add this to the OP.
Just a theory, but my guess is, SNK wanted to add a Middle Eastern character and thought holding the contest would be a good way to add authenticity rather than risk some kind of bad stereotype while also helping to increase their brand awareness in that region of the world.
I wonder if those other winners will be added in some way (background NPCs, friends of "Najd" maybe).
I'm not sure how that winning stage would be feasible though.
No Problem , Glad that I helped
Just want to add that the character exact name pronouncing is just like what you typed " Najd " , I went with Nagd because In our country we pronounce J as G but that is an exception and I forgot to change it to J , Najd and Nagd are typed the same in arabic but the correct pronounce is Najd like what you typed so I hope you mention in the OP that her name is Najd and correct my quote with the correct name
Also another User Translated another page midway in case if you interested in adding it to the OP
Also there is another page that has her attacks , I am at work so I can't fully translate it ATM but she has two kinds of attacks , Her own Basic attacks consisting of Punchs and Kicks while her Super attacks involves using Halek "Her Abaya/Dress with Genie's Supernatural Powers"
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OP
OP
No Problem , Glad that I helped
Just want to add that the character exact name pronouncing is just like what you typed " Najd " , I went with Nagd because In our country we pronounce J as G but that is an exception and I forgot to change it to J , Najd and Nagd are typed the same in arabic but the correct pronounce is Najd like what you typed so I hope you mention in the OP that her name is Najd and correct my quote with the correct name
Also another User Translated another page midway in case if you interested in adding it to the OP
Also there is another page that has her attacks , I am at work so I can't fully translate it ATM but she has two kinds of attacks , Her own Basic attacks consisting of Punchs and Kicks while her Super attacks involves using Halek "Her Abaya/Dress with Genie's Supernatural Powers"
So it's kinda the Arabic equivalent to the Japanese L/R? Am I understanding correctly you would pronounce the name like Naw-gd (Hard G) or would it be closer to lodge with a Soft G? I apologize for being completely being ignorant about the Arabic language.
Also sorry about the change, I saw this post
made me want to change it, but since you translated it, I'll give you final say. Again thanks for the translation, no need to rush on the extra stuff :) As an SNK fan, I find this all too cool.
Yeah that's my preferred style of female characters on games. Funny how SNK's pretty much known for the bouncy "Queen of Cleavage" Mai (seriously lewd fanart of her pretty much drowns out everyone else) but they actually have a good many characters who are much more modest and not as ridiculous but still "sexy" (B. Jenet, Vanessa, Rosa) and it looks like Nagd fits into that aesthetic quite well.
That's what I think as well, I could see it being Samurai Spirits character due to her ability.
That's a really good design! Love the scarf monster thingy
As a Saudi I really don't like the design. But also as a Saudi I'm very proud of her, she deserves the win.
I just hope future contests are better managed. The deadline was within 10 days from the announcement and no details around style were given, just that it's for a "popular Japanese fighting game" (to be fair I was trying to suss out if it was SoulCalibur :p).
There were other awards by the way. The only one with a previously announced monetary prize is best stage:
The wall in the foreground is supposedly Almasmak, Riyadh's old fort. The background is Riyadh's skyline.
Best weapon:
Sofooq. The body text is too small for me to read. The weapon is a shimagh (headdress), it is used as in impromptu weapon IRL but without the dagger. Side note: the number one comment Tekken's Harada got from Saudi fans on Shaheen was to give him an iqal (black circular crown thingy) based rage art (a more effective impromptu weapon IRL).
Best creative design:
Gaara.Bankam. Controls sand and makes his weapons out of it, wears goggles to avoid sand. Can also stop time for his super attack.
Albaz. Beloved professional wrestler who is popular with kids. Used to make falcon hoods for a living but was blinded in an accident.
Best fighting move:
Khaleel, the black oil magician. Injects petroleum through his nails and lights it up with sparks from his ring. Was a petroleum engineer but became an apathetic pyromaniac after watching his dad and his friends burn in an great fire accident.
Comedic character award:
...he has a palm tree on his head.
Audience choice awards:
Sultan. Something something modern take on traditional clothes. Something something street fighting and martial arts plus a dagger for super attacks. Something something lawyer in his dad's firm people are murdered.
Her name is Mashael.
These are amazing too, wow
Go With Najd , As I said In My country we usually pronounce the J as G So that was a mistake on my side as I forgot the Character's Origin :) , As in Saudi/Gulf Arabic it is pronounced Najd so we shall go with the Character's Origin accent
The Letter that has the Two Different pronouncation is ج , In some Arab Countries it is pronounced G ( Like in Good ) while the Other is Pronounced J ( Like in Jill )
I Updated my Original Translation Post with the Correct name so You are free to correct my quote as well in the OP
We all know the Japanese voice actors are going to mispronounce the hell of this name anyway :(
There is no hard G in formal Arabic, but dialects often have it in place of a different letter. Sometimes instead of ج Jeem (J) like Cyberpunk's dialect, or instead of ق Qaf (no Latin equivalent but usually represented as Q).
However Najd is pronounced with a soft G in both formal Arabic and where she's from.
The developers just added an O, Najdo.
I knew where are you from once I saw the g :P
Hi mista. Nice to see you after all these years man. Why don't you like the design?
BTW the abaya name "halek" means every dark. And also solvent. Which I though that it's a clever pun :)
KoF has a decent mix of modern and classic looks, in no small part because it is itself a crossover of different series where those influences are already mixed.
NGBC is more about established characters, despite a few originals. But according to Twitter, this design is specifically for a KoF game, although I'm not sure if a mainline one or a spinoff...
Yeah, it was neat how in XIV Mian was pretty much the anti-Mai - near-fully covered and painfully shy, although she also incorporates a fan in her attacks - and they made her work quite well. Applying similar principles to newer designs can't hurt, and although ms Shiranui is unlikely to be dethroned as the "first lady of SNK" in the minds of the wider gaming audience, I'm glad they're focusing on designs that stray from that path, like when they left Mai out of XI and XII.
Tackling that along with middle eastern fashion standards the SNK devs might not be fully familiar with through a local contest seems like an interesting step forward that I hope works out well for them.
Edit: apparently this was the ad that triggered the contest applications: http://manga.com.sa/designing-a-saudi-character-and-a-combat-arena-for-a-global-fight-game/
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So apparently (found this out via the Unofficial SNK Facebook page) this was part of an investment deal between SNK and Manga Entertainment
And similar deals with Square Enix and Toei Animation were just made too.
And similar deals with Square Enix and Toei Animation were just made too.
OP
OP
Nice! I figured they'd be done with DLC, can't wait to see her in action!
Yeah! I would've guessed they would be saving her or their next game. Glad to see KoF14 get more support, & glad we get to see her in a game sooner!
So Manga Production was selling a shirt with Najd's game render at a con:
I think I prefer the design without the hood. Abaya's are a cultural thing as opposed to Hijab, which makes the creative license more acceptable IMO. The designer likes it too. She expected the darker skin but was surprised by the white hair. Seems to love her facial features in particular.
I think we are getting her trailer in less than a month as well as a playable build in some con? I found a few people mention it on Twitter but without a source I'm familiar with.
I think I prefer the design without the hood. Abaya's are a cultural thing as opposed to Hijab, which makes the creative license more acceptable IMO. The designer likes it too. She expected the darker skin but was surprised by the white hair. Seems to love her facial features in particular.
I think we are getting her trailer in less than a month as well as a playable build in some con? I found a few people mention it on Twitter but without a source I'm familiar with.
There was a monetary prize that amounts to nothing (which unfortunately is the norm for any design competition).
I'm a sucker for white-hair-dark-skin design but at the same time she looks like Krizalid in this render
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The creator was surprised with the white hair?So Manga Production was selling a shirt with Najd's game render at a con:
I think I prefer the design without the hood. Abaya's are a cultural thing as opposed to Hijab, which makes the creative license more acceptable IMO. The designer likes it too. She expected the darker skin but was surprised by the white hair. Seems to love her facial features in particular.
I think we are getting her trailer in less than a month as well as a playable build in some con? I found a few people mention it on Twitter but without a source I'm familiar with.
There was a monetary prize that amounts to nothing (which unfortunately is the norm for any design competition).
People love putting white hair on darkskins in fighting girls
Yup, I'm not surprised that they "SNK-ified" the final design.
That's a sweet design overall, really like it. Digging the glove/boot material as well.
*edit*
Ah, just saw the 3D version. Still digging it, looks cool.
*edit*
Ah, just saw the 3D version. Still digging it, looks cool.
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High heels are actual weapons
And someone that can style on you in them?
it was a joke
careful though, once the thread goes down that rabbit hole it's never coming back
she looks like cloud of darkness abridged though