When it comes to most games, graphics aren't the most vital part of the game, probably the least important thing under most circumstances. However, nothing says they can't enhance your experience or make a game more distinctive from its peers, especially when things like atmosphere are vital to the experience.
And that's what this is about, the graphics in games that impress you for whatever reasons. It doesn't have to be from a really recent game, it doesn't have to be realistic, heck, the game itself can be terrible. As long as it looks good, it counts (though that obviously won't save a bad game).
And that's what this is about, the graphics in games that impress you for whatever reasons. It doesn't have to be from a really recent game, it doesn't have to be realistic, heck, the game itself can be terrible. As long as it looks good, it counts (though that obviously won't save a bad game).
- Okami: I personally wasn't able to get into this game, but from what little I did play and watching my brother play it through at least 2 times, I gotta say that the art style is really amazing. The heavy ink and paintbrush style combined with the vibrant colors makes this game a visual wonder, even moreso when restoring an area.
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: Didn't get very far in this game either (beat the fourth dungeon, then just kind of gave up), but what I saw was beautiful for a gamecube title, and it still looks good today. The facial expressions and body language of the characters are amazing, and the effects when you hit an enemy are incredibly satisfying.
- Dust: An Elysian Tail: Gorgeous hand-drawn characters and environments with some 3D thrown in for a few enemies and Dust's sword. Those animations are incredibly detailed, it's no wonder it took 3 years to make with how beautiful it looks and how well it plays.
- Freedom Planet: Beautiful sprite work on the characters and environments, with lots of visually distinct areas and some really cool-looking bosses. The animations are smooth and while it has a few hiccups with the sprite rotation or clipping at times, it looks like a 2D game that I could easily see on the Sega Saturn, which was a 2D powerhouse.
- Kirby's Epic Yarn: I love the yarn and fabric style of this game, it just looks so beautiful, especially for a Wii game. It really looks like everything is made of actual yarn, and if someone told me these levels were actually made from real yarn and then scanned into the game, I would believe them.
- Katawa Shoujo: For a game made by a bunch of random The Butt Zone-ers, this title looks really good, especially the character portraits and the FMVs. Mike Inel did a really good job animating each of the 6 animations in the game, even if it isn't close to the best animation I've seen. The portraits are incredibly detailed for this kind of thing, too. Seriously, you can see every curl in Misha's hair drills, and while some of the sprites could have used a bit of extra cleanup (mainly Emi), they're great for what they are. I will admit that the CGs are wildly inconsistent in quality though, especially when it comes to Hanako's burn scars.
- BIT.TRIP Flux: Very simple graphics, but done with a lot of flair and style. Plenty of visual pizazz to overload your retinas while you block tiny squares in a one-sided musical Pong game. This is a prime example of how simplicity can look better than all those realistic graphics engines.
- Dragon Quest VIII: More cell shading, and quite well done. Looks really good for a PS2 game, and it still looks good today, helped immensely by Akira Toriyama's distinctive art style. The animatons, the spells, and the designs are all just wonderful, and I wish more games would do something like this as opposed to trying to look realistic, because those graphics age really poorly when compared to something like this.
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: Didn't get very far in this game either (beat the fourth dungeon, then just kind of gave up), but what I saw was beautiful for a gamecube title, and it still looks good today. The facial expressions and body language of the characters are amazing, and the effects when you hit an enemy are incredibly satisfying.
- Dust: An Elysian Tail: Gorgeous hand-drawn characters and environments with some 3D thrown in for a few enemies and Dust's sword. Those animations are incredibly detailed, it's no wonder it took 3 years to make with how beautiful it looks and how well it plays.
- Freedom Planet: Beautiful sprite work on the characters and environments, with lots of visually distinct areas and some really cool-looking bosses. The animations are smooth and while it has a few hiccups with the sprite rotation or clipping at times, it looks like a 2D game that I could easily see on the Sega Saturn, which was a 2D powerhouse.
- Kirby's Epic Yarn: I love the yarn and fabric style of this game, it just looks so beautiful, especially for a Wii game. It really looks like everything is made of actual yarn, and if someone told me these levels were actually made from real yarn and then scanned into the game, I would believe them.
- Katawa Shoujo: For a game made by a bunch of random The Butt Zone-ers, this title looks really good, especially the character portraits and the FMVs. Mike Inel did a really good job animating each of the 6 animations in the game, even if it isn't close to the best animation I've seen. The portraits are incredibly detailed for this kind of thing, too. Seriously, you can see every curl in Misha's hair drills, and while some of the sprites could have used a bit of extra cleanup (mainly Emi), they're great for what they are. I will admit that the CGs are wildly inconsistent in quality though, especially when it comes to Hanako's burn scars.
- BIT.TRIP Flux: Very simple graphics, but done with a lot of flair and style. Plenty of visual pizazz to overload your retinas while you block tiny squares in a one-sided musical Pong game. This is a prime example of how simplicity can look better than all those realistic graphics engines.
- Dragon Quest VIII: More cell shading, and quite well done. Looks really good for a PS2 game, and it still looks good today, helped immensely by Akira Toriyama's distinctive art style. The animatons, the spells, and the designs are all just wonderful, and I wish more games would do something like this as opposed to trying to look realistic, because those graphics age really poorly when compared to something like this.