Good sci-fi and fantasy armour

[Lord Sovereign]

Well, we've got a thread on somewhat silly armour, so how about one on good armour? I'll start with something that at least looks functional and is aesthetically pleasing at the same time.

Helghast armour has always looked splendid, but it reached new heights in the underwhelming but beautiful looking Killzone: Shadowfall. Here is the standard issue of Helghan Army in 2390.

This armour is vastly superior to that worn by the Helghast in the Second Extra Solar War some thirty years before, as since the Terracide, the irradiation of their homeworld and the devastation of the population, the Helghan Army has switched to quality over quantity.

 

[Captain X]

I kind of liked the OG ODST design.

 

[bintananth]

Star Wars storm trooper armour, colour scheme aside, as initially presented. It provides full body coverage, doesn't hinder movement, and shown to be effective towards the beginning of the first film.* It's basically mass-produced scifi full-plate.

Then "plot happens" and it's presented as providing about as much protection as a sheet of wet toilet paper.

* They win a boarding action in starship corridors while taking few, if any, casualties.

 

[Emperor Tippy]

Do you mean good in that it is aesthetically appealing in some way? Or good in that it seems a rational design for the situation, technology, and tactics of the setting?

Like that Helgast armor is running what appears to be an air hose on top of the armor on the chest (i.e. the most likely place to get shot).

 

[Buba]

Adepta Sororitas - even if with shot-traps i.e. sculputed boobs and wasplike waists, at least everything is covered.
And they have BOOTS, not high heels.
I know, a low bar ...

 

[bintananth]

And they have BOOTS, not high heels.
I know, a low bar ...

The only time high heels are a benefit instead of a hindrance is when you need those heels for control purposes: like when riding a horse and using the stirrups to tell the horse what to do.

 

[Lord Sovereign]

Do you mean good in that it is aesthetically appealing in some way? Or good in that it seems a rational design for the situation, technology, and tactics of the setting?

Like that Helgast armor is running what appears to be an air hose on top of the armor on the chest (i.e. the most likely place to get shot).

A little bit of both, really.

In answer to your point about the gas mask, the Helghast have always had a bit of a problem with that. I think the technology for environmentally sealed helmets does exist in Killzone, but it would be ludicrously expensive for rank and file soldiers. That and the Helghast semi-need their gas masks because their lungs are completely buggered up by Helghan's atmosphere, whilst the gas masks have turned into a symbol of culture/national pride.

That aside, not a good place to get shot, I will agree. Still looks bloody awesome.

 

[ATP]

Adepta Sororitas - even if with shot-traps i.e. sculputed boobs and wasplike waists, at least everything is covered.
And they have BOOTS, not high heels.
I know, a low bar ...

And still do not use helmets in galactic when everybody could made sarin or worst.Or just schoot them in head.
But,with added helmets,i have no problem with them.

 

[Buba]

And still do not use helmets in galactic when everybody could made sarin or worst.Or just schoot them in head.
But,with added helmets,i have no problem with them.

Some minis do have helmets.
Looks better on the tabletop.
For all we know these might be kevlar wigs with facemasks. Think of your female acquaintances with "extra hold" hairspray producing the "biker helmet" hairdo ...
EDITED:
Ha! Found the image I knew I saw sometime somewhere!

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2016/8/26/822981_mb-.jpg

 

[DarthOne]

I'd like to recommend the Black Ops soldier's armor from the Resistance series of games.

(Resistance is a series that I've always felt was let down due to a combination of inexperience with the game designers for FPS's and what seems to have been somewhat a general lack of planning for how the series would unfold. I'm firmly convinced that Resistance could have easily rivaled Halo in popularity)

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I unashamedly love Warcraft's bulky, colorful armor designs. I know people make fun of the huge shoulderpads and the spikes of doom, but honestly they're just really cool. They're iconic to me. I've lost track of how many hours I've lost to just assembling custom transmogs on WoWhead, and then trying to assemble it ingame.

Faction leaders as of the Wrath expansion, by Wei Wang.

Left: Orc Death Knight by Wei Wang. Right: Sunwalker Dezco, by Alex Horley.


For more armors that don't require you to be a body builder, I like Lord Soth's, designed by Larry Elmore. Lord Soth was THE original fantasy death knight and codified the aesthetic look for the archetype (along with John Howe's Witch King). Today he mentors Dark Knight players in Final Fantasy XIV.

Left: drawn by Keith Parkinson. Middle: drawn by Clyde Caldwell. Right: drawn by Steve Ellis.