A general observation about graphics

[Yoshitsune]

Look at cartoons. You have the low-end stuff like He-Man- the more surreal stuff like Samurai Jack and then you have top-end cgi stuff like The Incredibles. Each one of these is succesful- people like variety imo!

The same with videogames. People brought-up in the 8bit/16bit era witnessed the evolution of 2D from Donkey Kong to Yoshis Island. A long the way 2D has enabled surreal looking games- anime looking games- and more realistic looking games etc.... People once again enjoy different styles and variety.

Imo any serious gamer that has a passion for videogames also enjoys diversity in their gaming experiences. For me personally I can play Forza one day and then enjoy Rez the next- I like different styles and new challenges.

The thing is... does the massmarket want variety? Do they want 2D games- and surreal abstract experiences? I hope enough people do and that the market has once again began to appreciate other styles away from realistic 3D, but I only see vague signs of hope at the moment.

Yep i agree with you on most points,absolutely !!

[Leon Retro]

Yep i agree with you on most points,absolutely !!

Do you think the mass-market will ever embrace 2D console gaming or original and abstract experiences again? Even Jet Set Radio sold poorly probably because it doesn't have the realism factor of Tony Hawks.

Most people I know on this forum seem to seek and enjoy variety in their gaming. A lot of people here rave about Rez or games like Psyvariar etc... The mass-market though shun these types of games.

The problem with loving appreciating and enjoying unique games for me is watching them become a dying breed. It spells the end of adventurous game design if the only people that buy the games are serious passionate gamers.

I see a bleak future for original design- are game genre's really going to become as safe and restrictive as I imagine?

Even Nintendogs is far from as eccentric and imaginative as I would like.

[mid]

Have you seen the latest Edge, though? In an insanely great move, the upcoming Tony Hawk game for the DS has completely stolen JSR's style. Looks far, far better than the dull 'realism' of the X360 shots next to it.

[Jusatsushi]

Just a quick point, and one that may have already been mentioned (if so, my bad), but the technology concerning how we view our games must be a contributing factor when looking at how they've aged.

When I played Streetfighter 2 and Resident Evil back in the day, I played them on 18" cheap colour portables, with small blurry images. It was much harder to pick holes in the pixelation, dodgy rendering and blocky 3-D. Put the same games on a clear as a bell 42" widescreen though and the problems couldn't be more highlighted if you had a graphics expert pointing out every flaw with a big pointy stick as you play!

This thought came to me as I was playing Star Ocean 2 last night, and lo and behold, here is a thread ready made for my observation. I know it's bloody obvious, but still.

[Keitaro]

I liked the interesting combination of 2D sprites (beautifully animated I might add) and 3D enviroments in Xenogears. The sprites are just very beautiful and animated to such a degree that they don't feel truly like flat objects skidding around a 3D field (I'm looking at you, Dragon Quest VII - but you're still plenty fun).

It seems to me that well-done 2D graphics don't age, and soon the same can be said of 3D games. It just requires the right amount of graphical power and the right amount of effort put into using that power.

[eastyy]

I liked the interesting combination of 2D sprites (beautifully animated I might add) and 3D enviroments in Xenogears. The sprites are just very beautiful and animated to such a degree that they don't feel truly like flat objects skidding around a 3D field (I'm looking at you, Dragon Quest VII - but you're still plenty fun).

It seems to me that well-done 2D graphics don't age, and soon the same can be said of 3D games. It just requires the right amount of graphical power and the right amount of effort put into using that power.

Like with guardian heroes for the saturn?.

The one thing with 3d games that i do not like (though it is improving) is collision detection.With games like tekken/vf and many other fighting games (along with other genres)it looks like moves do not connect though like i said it is getting better

[Leon Retro]

Like with guardian heroes for the saturn?.

The one thing with 3d games that i do not like (though it is improving) is collision detection.With games like tekken/vf and many other fighting games (along with other genres)it looks like moves do not connect though like i said it is getting better

3D was always gonna take longer to evolve than 2D. We are at a point now where advanced physics will solve a lot of the problems you mention- and creators will finally be able to make really beautiful looking environments without all the shortcomings of the past.

There is still a long way to go with 3D though- and with a bit of imagination and courage I think we will witness some truely exciting games next gen!