Character Design in Video Games

@Rehabilitation_Please Said

and yet IGN will give the games these characters star in a 9 out of 10, praising the great character design and storylines.

@Grrrl Said

So today I found this (although it's not new): Devolution of Character Designs

What are people's thoughts on character design in games?
Is diversity important?
Do you prefer customisable characters? I do personally, because I find making a brand new person such a rewarding aspect of a game play, it's a part of why I love Mass Effect and Skyrim so much.

@townie_guy Said

I perfer the character Im playing to be customisabe. However I like the NPC's to have engrossing backgrounds and stories that interact with my character.

Best example would be Balurs Gate 2. Sure there is a background to your character, your the son/daughter of Bhaal. But its the NPC's that make the story not your own characters background.