Follow-up thoughts to PROJECT skins after viewing previews of them (WHY ARE SOME PRAETORIAN?!)
Despite being a day since my last post discussing my thoughts on the PROJECT skins this year, two things have happened:
- The original blew up (wasn't expecting that)
- We got some previews this morning
With the latter arousing my interest, I decided to take a look as we only got a good look at Pyke from the preview cinematic...and I almost feel that was done intentionally. Here's the thing, outside of Pyke and Irelia, everyone else feels way too different from PROJECT. Almost every single one of them feel like they're in the Praetorian skinline or something else.
Let's just go over each one to really get into it:
Pyke - Overall, I think it's well designed and fits. He's the only thing about this that looks like he belongs. The effects on his Q and E look nice, I especially like the little Hydra/Snake hologram on the E and even more so on the mech of his recall. The ult, though, feels a bit too much like Sylas doing his Q move, I'm a little rough on that part. It's got good color mixture, it feels like the rest of the series, I like it (still wish they'd hold off on this skin for a little bit though).
Warwick - AAAANNND we immediately start running into our first issue. While I won't deny that the skin looks pretty good, really good if you notice the human head in the recall (that actually took me off guard and I love that detail), it doesn't feel like PROJECT. Really look at the design and compare it to Praetorian: does it feel like that more than PROJECT? I actually am going to admit it: I really wasn't understanding why Riot was choosing Warwick to be added in this series. While he may be human of origin, you can't really make him look like the rest of PROJECT, unless you keep more of the fur and flesh and just make him look like a cyber-werewolf. Here though, they're going more for a man trapped in a machine/suit, which I think could work but the way they designed it does not imply PROJECT. That's honestly what I feel is the biggest disconnect from this whole skin.
Jinx - ... Riot, what are you designing? Similar to Warwick, Jinx does not feel like she fits in but rather than feeling more Praetorian, she just feels like a vigilante with cyberparts. I don't understand. It might be the video quality since it's not the best and my guess is it's more of a solid black visor, but it looks like one of those weird, fancy, party, bird, half-masks you see in like old historic films or those fancy parties. She also feels the least PROJECT out of all the skins so far, mostly due to the fact that she has a mid-rift and seemingly normal legs/pants. The only cyber part about her is, again, the horrid mask and the arms. She doesn't feel modified as whole as say Fiora, Kat, literally anyone in the series as all of them are fully covered in some form of augmentation suit/armor. Best way to describe this: Rejected Odyssey design recycled. I would've preferred the fan art version of her with a hoodie as that feels more accurate to the series.
Akali - Akali just looks bad and bland. That's it. Nothing about her really screams anything to make her stand out. She doesn't look like she belongs in PROJECT but also doesn't belong in Praetorian, even though it has a similar feel. It's like she's stuck between the two but can't decide which one to be with. Honestly, she just feels too clean on her top armor. There's little color on her armor to make her stand out, outside of the orange and bit of red, so it can't even be consistent on what color she wants (especially with that neon blue hair) and, with no other way to say this, is just white all over the armor. And it's just the top have because there's nothing below her chest that makes her feel more like PROJECT! Just spandex pants, maybe a one-piece and straps. Remember when more was added to the legs, like armor/padding, to the rest of the roaster to feel more cohesive? Nothing here. She's honestly my most hated design in all of this.
Irelia - Now, this one I was kind of one sided on but after rewatching and pausing it over and over again for a good bit, I think it's the other good skin we're getting out of this. I like the design of the hood she has with the visor, the legs have some sort of armor/padding like the rest of the series, the effects are pretty good, it just feels like a PROJECT skin. I will even go as far to say that the Prestige skin she is getting is actually pretty decent looking and one I might try and pick up, despite I don't play her a lot.
Once again, overall, it feels disappointi-no, this is kind of pissing me off. This is really the best we're getting for PROJECT this year?! 3 out of the 5 skins just not looking like they belong with the series? Bear in mind, this is still just my opinion and thoughts on the matter, but HOLY FUCK I was expecting better from Riot. Again, I really hope the next batch of skins we get after this are better because I'm really losing interest in what Riot is planning if they keep pulling skins like this and pulling for the constant popular/new champs.
