Earlier this week, Blizzard revealed the in-game model of Diablo 3's male Wizard, and fans of the series were not happy. The official forums were flooded with complaints about the Wizard's appearance, calling him "wimpy," "effeminate," "gay," "a transvestite," and even compared his animation to a "belly dance."

So why are the fans so riled up? And is this one character's appearance really such a big deal? Incgamers.com takes a look.

Go to the source for the full article.

Given the surprising outburst of (largely negative) criticism the reveal of the in-game version of the male Wizard has generated, I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look. The shot to the right shows a comparison between the concept art and the final in-game model, and looking at those, you can see what the, “he looks wimpy” complaints are about, even if you don’t fully agree with them.

The face is different, but the real change is in the pose and angle of his head. The concept art version looks haughty and rebellious. The in-game version looks is meek and submissive, almost entirely due to his lowered, averted gaze. The soft face and narrow jaw don’t exactly add to his macho quotient either, especially compared to the broad, strong jaw in the concept art. That, taken with the downcast eyes, gives the male wizard a tame, emo sort of vibe, which seems at odds with the game fiction, even aside from the latent homophobia, or at least effeminate-ophobia, it’s triggering in so many (younger male?) fans.

Miss Razz via diablo.incgamers.com »