Armor Expert Reacts To Sci-Fi Video Game Armor

I really like how he looks at the style and desgin and how it was influenced and not simple if its realistic or historical

I love how much he engages with the subject. Like, he puts himself in the perspective of the video game universe.

I love how Dr. Capwell's commentary never stops at the "how" of armour, but always delves into the "why" of it as well, especially in terms not of sheer practicality, but rather in what certain choices reveal of the man that made the armour, the man that wore that armour and how those that witness that man and his armour might think because of those choices. The "psychology" of armour, so to speak. That and how expertly he discusses aspects that are normally not even considered by non experts, such as how one perceives themselves while wearing armour, and the effects that the increased bulk of wearing one has on the wearer's mind. Truly fascinating to listen to.

Toby is one of those people that you can listen to for about half a sentence before you realize they are absolutely brilliant.

The fact that Capwell mentions Don Quijote in the Reinhardt section based off of his armor and character design alone without knowing that Quijote is one of the major inspirations behind the character just goes to show both how amazing Blizzard's art team is and how well versed Tobias is when it comes to armors! Truly a great vid!!

I really love how he embraces the different types of armour and doesn't just say " thats impractical and dumb" he looks at the design and the character that wears the armour and understands the concepts

4:29 Another thing to note= The OG dead space creators went for alot of "skeletal" looks. Not just the armor of Isaac, but for example, the USG Ishimura. The design of that ship is modelled after a ribcage.

Fun fact: Master Chief's armor in Halo 1 is based off of a Japanese Mountain Biker. That's why his helmet looks like a motocross helmet (Used by mountain bikers).

The idea that good sci-fi plate will inevitably look medieval because we figured out how to armour up the human form a long time ago is very funny and fascinating.

I never considered that point of view on the Predators' armor. I've always thought it evoked a sort of gladiatorial image, to kind of go along with the whole 'hunting for sport' thing they're doing. However, adding on the given analysis, I feel like the image has become far more complete.

Going off what he said about alien armour, you should have him react to Mass Effect armour. Lots of different styles that work differently depending on the species. It would be interesting to hear what he has to say.

The Halo MK VI armor is so clean, especially the helmet

Should've included the armors from Metroid and Metal Gear. The Power Suit and OctoCamo are insane in lore.

One aspect I really appreciate about how most of the Hunters’ armours are designed is that it reflects…well…a hunter. They don’t have full coverage, they utilise asymmetric weapons intended as quick and non-skirmishing tools. It definitely reflects an absence of conventional warfare to the point where approaching it from that frame of mind just immediately counts it as dangerously impractical.

Always thought Vader was a very good play on the representation of a German stahlhelm and gas mask combo.

Another thing about the Master Chief's armor is that it's very inspired my motorcross equipment including the helmet peak resembling a motorcross helmet sun shade

Tobias here is so good as recognising the artistic and practical aspects of armor, and finds ways to appreciate armor in way's I'd never thought of. Love this guy, and love the theme of more videos talking about the practical realities that influence and inspire games!

To make a note on the predator armor. In the comics this is actually addressed. There is a human who becomes an honorary predator and her forearm blade system had to be custom made for her. Instead of being the 2 (or 3) claw blade, it was a single blade like a sword. The female character notices the difference and actually notes that the way her arm muscles are "built" are the opposite of the predator. Their arms are built in such a way that the clawing motion uses their stronger muscles, where as if they did a human slashing motion it would not be as strong. She uses this anatomical difference during numerous fights against predators to her advantage.

Dude is casually dropping amazing game dev analysis at the same time His commentary on Dead Space was excellent - imagining how in the future a visual display of a soldiers “stats” on their back could be useful to a commanding officer - and how that also relates to UI and putting the character information on the model’s back for the player to see without screen clutter - and the artistic merit of the design looking skeletal and spinal Crazy amount of perspective for such a short moment

I really love his ability and willingness to not only analyze the practicalities and historical inspiration of the various armors, but to engage with the premise and intention behind them in good faith. There's a lot of good insight here and it's very well conveyed.