Character creation- Help, or hinderance, your thoughts?

I believe character creation in games to be a fun and interesting system that helps players really get attached to their in game characters, your thoughts?

I haven't come across a character creation system I like. Either they are too in-depth (i.e. letting the player control everything down to the nose bridge depth, etc) or are not in depth enough (i.e. pick from these 3 presets in a handful of categories).

usally they are not well done, but i love them too, i think its mandatory for rpg games

I don't like them, they never fit into the story as naturally as a pre made character.

its why I keep my character default on mass effect, it feels like that's what the story intended.

I appreciate its existence. I create my own character(usually according to my likeness) so it kinda adds to the immersion.

i like character creation but the bad thing is i never can make up my mind how and what to create and then i mostly spend more time creating my friggin character than playing the whole game

It depends on the game. Elder Scrolls games has a really diverse character creation that helps me to become invested in the creation of my characters. Stories behind the scars I put on his/her face, the rite of passge to earn the face paint of whatever race, etc. I get into RPGs (probably due to extensive pen and paper RPG experience) so anything that I can customize is normally a good thing. However a game can have a killer character creation, but if the game play fall on its face then it is just wasted effort.

If pressing a "randomize" button doesn't yield a decent looking character, the customization features have gone too far.

It really depends on the kind of game. In some games (like WRPGs) character creation is an important part of the game mechanics, but in other games it's entirely cosmetic. Some games let you configure your avatar even though you hardly ever see it, which is kind of pointless. Other games let you do it because there's a strong multiplayer component and it's more about how other people see you. Personally, for the correct kind of game I think it's critical, but you can have an excellent game without it.

-Byshop

is there anyone else who constantly visits those plastic surgery stations in the SAINTS ROW games ?

i think i visit them every hour just to make my character look different and try every kind of haircuts etc.

@jcoop_345: Absolutely agree. I always enjoy creating a custom female character for all my custom made games.

I like character creators, but I never bother with it too much if there's too much customization involved. I just wanna play the damn game already.

I find that I become more attach to premade characters. They just look better, act better, and more immersive that the characters I must make.

I get why they are there, but I personally think its just a waste of time, I just want to pick my class and jump right into the game

@sabretooth2066: you are not alone, I find myself tweaking my character to the very last inch of there bodies.