Weekend Debate: Your favourite video game art style

The first Borderlands was a blast to play, not only because of fun gameplay, but the amazing graphics. I know some people who only like photorealistic graphics, but to me the Borderlands style fits perfectly with the manic gameplay and fun story.

And by the looks of it, the sequel looks, if possible, even better. Can’t wait to get my hands on it (wink wink!).

I’m surprised and happy to see how many of the answers given so far have mentioned a cell-shaded game. I have to admit that I love that kind of art style as well, cell shaded games look so unique and different. As silly as it may sound, I feel like a kid staring at the toys shop window, it’s always nice to look at them

Among the what we could consider “more realistic” art styles, the Uncharted series is by far my favourite one. Rich backgrounds full of details that perfectly match the music and almost make you believe you are living the adventure yourself, great characters and level designs, chapter after chapter, there’s always room for a surprise. Every single element in the Uncharted games oozes good taste.

I certainly am amazed whenever I stare at a photorealistic videogame (hd textures and all), but I always prefer the cartoony art-style. Cel-shaded, stylized, manga, whatever you may call it. It makes me laugh, particularly when coupled with cartoony humour (a la Looney Tunes)!

Titles like Rayman Origins, Crash Bandicoot 3, Asura’s Wrath, and Zone of the Enders: the 2nd Runner (among others) have been so much of an optic pleasure, bettering the overall feel and elevating the quality of said games. I wish there were more of those art styles in videogames nowadays.

Classic Doom art style all the way.

Doesn’t try to hide pixels and goes directly at your face.

For me it’s got to be Dragon Quest VIII Journey of the Cursed King on PS2. One my favourite games ever.I just love the look of it. It’s bright,vibrant and cheerfull, it brings me joy to see it. Even though it’s a few years old now i still think it looks great.Want to play it now. Goes and routes out PS2.

I recently bought Tales of Graces f because i thought it looked a bit like it and i’m glad i did, great game. Looking forward to Ni No Kun Wrath of the White Witch coming the end of January, looks awesome .

Dragon Ball Z Budokai series is the first thing that crosses my mind, also my favorite fighting series and my first experience with cel-shading style. DBZ is also my favorite manga series and I wouldnt imagine how it would look like in other style than handrawing style. Cel-shading was used in Borderlands and that made the game an unique, succesful FPS.

My choice would have to be the art of Persona and Catherine, both by the Japanese artist Shigenori Soejima.

I find myself often put off by the anime art of most JRPGs. But the flaws I see there simply don’t apply to Soejima’s work. Characters are proportioned realistically, with a manga influence to the faces, whilst the outfits are practical, realistic and most importantly stylish.

The art carries through to all other aspects, likewise. Despite coming out in 2006 and 2008 respectively, Persona 3 and 4 have some of slickest, most stylish menus in games, being distinct for their unique colours and smooth transitions. Environments have received the same attention, with Persona 3′s modern setting and cold palette creating a sense of isolation in a crowded space unlike any other game out there.

I could talk about Soejima all day (I’ve barely even mentioned Catherine!), but in essence, it boils down to a talented, modern, stylish artist who is creating work which is so far ahead of nearly everything in the industry. The lineart is flawless, and the colouring creates a sense of space, lighting and depth which is just astonishing.

Gaming is full of great artistic games. An I always think it gives a fresh breath of air, whem something new and unique comes along. Games can be artistic in more than just the graphic, I think. Sometimes a wellwritten script can be just as artistic as a game painted like a canvas. I thought going throught the unfinished swan, was a peak in my gaming world. The sweet little story unfolded around very artistic graphic. I especially loved the start were you painted the world to life, and In that process you made something of your own . Otherwise nothing beat the charm of celshaded graphics. I will remember the rest of my days, the prince journey through the corrupted land in the remake of Prince og Persia. And I don’t think I would have been the same, without it’s drawn style. These kind of games have a high impact in my mind, and it shows the none gaming community, that gaming is so much more than just plain voilence.

It seems out of fashion but I do love Cell Shaded games and the release of Jet Set Radio on the Vita reminded me of how good they can look.

Even the much maligned Cell Damage on PS2 game me some great fun multiplayer games but was only picked up because the cell shaded graphics made it look like a cool Wacky Races game (and Wacky Races is cool, anyway, right?)

But Jet Set Radio remains my number 1 go to game for showing just how good Cell Shading can look and how it can make a title stand out.

Wipeout 2097.

I’m going to have to mention one of the most underrated games of this generation for this debate: Folklore for PS3

While the game isn’t as graphically powerful as games like Uncharted, Folklore is an incredibly beautiful game, partly because of it’s amazing environments and dream-like feel. I’ve spent a lot of time in that game, just admiring the scenery.

The characters, Keats and Ellen, are quite special too, artistically. They look realistic enough to fit in the real world, yet colourful and vibrant enough to not look out of place somewhere like the Fairy Realm.

Whenever a game can accomplish something like that, it has a very impressive art style.

I may have one of the most unorthodox answers – Flower.

There is something very special about Flower that made me fall in love with both Thatgamecompany & the sixaxis. I remember the day my brother bought the game for no valid reason, I mocked his feminine taste as the game downloaded. We had never heard/seen anything regarding the game before, so we had no idea what to expect – but boy did I eat my words. That mellow opening with a single lonely petal, the bland environment opening up to the lush and beautiful colour palette as each unopened rose by a touch, it was sublime. The effect was heightened by the realistic animations and calm yet dramatic soundtrack rising up as the area expanded, it was all brilliance and had me begging my brother to carry on just so I could WATCH ! The landscape shot after every level showing the revived scenery is on par with the best pictures of fields you can find, I guarantee you. I recently ended up repurchasing the game on my account just to own the game myself & show my support to this absolute gem of a game.

Rarely can I tolerate sitting down, watching someone else play a game for a few hours, but with Flower it wasn’t like watching a game, it was like watching art.

hello boys & girls,
i’d say that for me it is Skyrim. cause i’m a huge fan of epic fantasy rpgs and the world of epic fantasy in general!
well, skyrim delivers the perfect feeling of being and living in such a world. and to speak the truth, the first time someone says that he/she loves a game is when he/she feels the magic of what it’s shown in the screen! the magic of a perfect delivered world that stands on it’s name and even better! the magic of it making you feel like you really are there! and yes, this can only be achieved with a great art direction! and after that comes the story. because having a great story to tell but a game not looking good at all…no, that’s not going make you one with the game!

Thank you for reading my opinion!

In terms of visual style I prefer the cartoony, cel-shaded look simply because it ages very well. There will always be new ways to make a game look more real but if you dedicate yourself to an unreal style it can be timeless.

But it narrow it down to a single game… It would have to be the original Sly Raccoon, because I think the visual style of that game is more closely intertwined with it’s appeal and it’s identity than any other game I’ve played. When I think of Sly, I think of him as he was in Sly Raccoon. I only realised how highly I valued that when I started seeing screens and videos of Sly 4.

All the graphical upgrades in Sly 4 have watered down the iconic style. More detailed texture maps, more advanced lighting, higher pixel count, etc all sound good on paper but to me Sly just looks wrong when his fur is textured. It’s like it’s not the same character. The bold, solid colours and angular lines of the first game are a big part of the game’s soul, and some of that soul has been lost now.

There’s no other game franchise I can think of where such a (seemingly) small, superficial change would have such a large impact on me. New Dante didn’t bother me half as much as Sly’s fur.

Flower the art in that game is amazing and can be very calming. when told to download it by my brother i looked at the trailer and thought he had lost his mind. Then i played it. Wow very relaxing and great little game highly reccomend to everyone.

This is a tough one to decide as there are a lot different good art work styles.

If I had to select only one it would probably be Jet Set Radio.

The fact that you have the cartoon effects with very strong colours, but the main character and key objects are surrounded with thick black borders give very sharp and clear images. This style of artwork I find very pleasing to watch as the colours and objects do not tend to fade or blend with each other giving good clean cut images throughout.

Every Final Fantasy amaze me. Everytime i think i’ve see the best, the next chapter bring always something new that gives emotion to my eyes and to my heart.
The textures and the colours, the design of the characters and foremost their voices it’s something it will always stick in my mind.

No contest easily an xmb without singstar wins everytime.

I’m going to go against the grain of the Okami/Journey posts, whilst it’s a beautiful game, My vote would go to my personal game of the year ,The Walking dead. The cell shaded comic style lends itself to the world brilliantly, The characterised cartoon characters in the bleak painted world is a treat to bring myself to everytime, it’s just perfect.

I’d say Binary Domain also had a great style going for it, The Yakuza team helping on it made it all shine through, The enemy design looked great, And the Cyberpunk environments really popped out, More people should have witnessed that gem.

It looks like DmC Is going to be my next favorite styled game, Those bright environments pushing themselves into your face, those contrasting gritty enemies also getting in your face just makes it feel like a great rush. More Bright engaging games please industry, there brilliant!

Or XIII from ubisoft from the PS2 days great game and comic book style cutscenes.

My answer is GTA4, and it’s because after the 4th time i’ve played it as a GTA, i’ve started to play it again with the eyes of a perfect nobody, and i realized sudddendly all the details and all the attention and care that the developers putted down in this game. At some points i really enjoyed to watch the dawn, to walk down in the middle of the street, to enjoy living in Liberty City. I started to feel emotional about the history, about the characters and it’s the first games that did this effect on me.

I am a big fan of cell shading as an art style in games, it may be an unpopular opinion to voice on the Playstation blog but Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is IMO one of the most beautiful games ever created and the art style means that it can still hold its own even all these years later. More recently the Borderlands games have become well known for using an art style that few other FPS franchises have dabbled with and I think that Pandora wouldn’t have even a fraction of the charm it possesses if it was photo realistic…

Gran Turismo games at it’s finest. The graphics on GT looked really stunning and smooth especially on the PS3. The car models and the tracks on the games looked realistic and if you haven’t, you should check them out.

And of course the classic WipEout games. With it’s futuristic racing and techno music at it’s finest. It still defines a classic.

For me one title that stood out this year was Journey, the simplistic art style made it more impressive than any CoD or Battlefield. The gentle music that changed with the situation you were in or the danger you faced made it so immersive! Add in the ways of communicating with other players with the beep calling and it proved to be very touching and original addition to the gaming art

Final Fantasy IX. The European styled environments mixed with some Japanese, goofy characters and twists just did it for me.

The moment the CGI intro starts and the airship skids across the waves the look and feel of the game connected to me, and it didn’t let go until the end. Beauty around every corner, lot’s of great new suprises along the road. Even if the game itself weren’t as great as it is, it would’ve been a joy because of the art… It also was the first game I ever felt that loving adoration for the art…

(I would’ve said this was a no brainer, but it isn’t. Gaming has such beautifull ranges of art designs its hard to pick one. Okami, Catherine, Rogue Galaxy, Limbo, Journey, LittleBigPlanet, Borderlands, Deus Ex Human Revolution. The list is tremendously long.)

I can see why many people would go for a game like okami given that the art style pretty much is, art but my vote goes for 3D Dot Game Heroes. Its combination of everything being created from giant pixels giving the retro feel but also being in 3D to give it a modern feel makes it the perfect choice for a veteran gamer such as myself.

Not to mention the ton of easter eggs thrown in to remind you of the good old days when pixelated characters were the only option!

Orson Welles said : “Create your own visual style… let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.”

This sentence reminds me of my favorite art style in recent memory :Costume Quest.

Take away special effects, ultrarealistic lightning and crazy animation technolgoy and you get this little jewel in the video game landscape.
The art of the game comes straight from Tasha Harris imagination and it is one of the most unique designs I have seen in recent years. It feels like you are playing in a children’s book. The simplicity of the art takes us back to trick-or-treating and the world that unfolds right before your very eyes has strangely touched me emotionally. Costume Quest remains today my favorite downloadable that has been released on the PSStore.

There have been many games that have had simply stunning artwork that has not really translated perfectly into the game, a prime example of this is Guild Wars 2, don’t get me wrong it’s an awesome game that looks great however if you check out some of the artwork it is simply amazing and that, though it obviously would have been hard to translate in game, did not reflect the final games style!
There are however so many games with awesome in game art styles, the Unfinished Swan, Age of Empires 2, Journey and Mirror’s Edge to name but a few, all adding to the games personality and experience. My personal favorite though is Limbo, it, for me was the game that’s art style added the most to the experience, a sheer sense of despair and gloom but also at the same time intrigue. It was something I did not know was possible of a 2D game and have not seen repeated since, a truly unique gem.
Anyway interesting seeing everyone else’s opinions; some top choices flying around

For me I can’t really decide, I love both cell shaded and photorealistic style.

For cell shaded it’s got to be Borderlands 1 & 2, Jet Set Radio and more recently Gravity Rush (And Fred you couldn’t be anymore right about the latter’s likeness to the Studio Ghibli films) hands down, all four games look like they’ve stepped out of a page of a comic book and they couldn’t be better at showing off this wonderful style.

But on the other hand, games like Flower and Journey just take my breath away with how real, beautiful and colourful they look, it’s almost like you’re there with the flowers all around you.

Both have advantages and disadvantages when it comes to gameplay, as does any kind of art style but both are undeniably beautiful in their own unique way.

Mine is definitely the entire God of War franchise! i mean i was always a huge fan of greek mythology, reading it in books and stuff, but playing it as a game and interacting with gods left and right was amazing! the artwork from god of war is really appealing, and it became better and better as each new game came out. the way they introduced the Hydra, Medusa, Ares and the Pandaro’s Box was quite detailed in the first God of War on PS2, but then they had the colossal statue, the revealing of the Titans and Zeus! but even better, was the incredibly detailed Poseidon in god of war 3!! the way they made all the water features running through its body!! it is definitely a work of art!

it has to be singstar, its the first piece of art i see every time i turn on my ps3, its simply beautiful and something im really proud of ( obviously i dont want your prize and while your at it take your icon back too)

2D art Style is my favourite. Alot of the indie devs make great use of it in my different ways. Prime examples would be braid, Scott Pilgrim VS the World and pixeljunk eden.

I especially love the art style of Rayman Orgins. While many would look down at it for being a primary 2D game but when i got a copy for my Vita, I was constantly playing it, perfecting levels and reaching closer to that Platinum trophy. Its great to see that even with HD 3D games being the main style for games at the moment, that developers are taking different routes and creating unique games.

its a shame some people look down at these games viewing that as not worth the asking price due to it being 2D, many viewing them as cheaply made, but its unfair to few that as im sure alot more time and love has been spend on creating these gems, compared to many of todays AAA titles.

Rez. Lots of other games can make more impressive screenshots, but Rez looks the most beautiful in motion. Maybe it’s because Mizuguchi was inspired by Kandinsky (an artist and art theorist), that every aspect of the game is so coherent when you play it. It’s not that any individual entity in the game is a work of art in itself, but the game as a whole certainly is.

Kingdom Hearts
The game has the whole color palatte in use from white to black.
By not being confined for realistic looks it gives the games artists very big creative freedom which you can see in the different versions of the Heartless.
The over the top clothings from Final Fantasy mixed with Disney characters give the characters personality and enjoyment and they are executed insanely well to be an eye sore.
Different styles can be seen between the worlds.
Those little things like stars popping during combat when being up close and personal just are icing on the cake.

Honorable mention for Ratchet & Clank games too.

For not being eye sore whats so ever.
Should proof read before posting.
Kick Square Enix in the butt to speed up KH3. I want it yesterday.

Lords of Shadow.

It wasn’t quite the Castlevania i wanted it to be but hot damn did the environments look beautiful. From the rain drenched village at the start to the Beautifully gothic castle where you fight Camilla and Laura. Never have i seen a setting more fitting for Castlevania.

The castle in the game had me awestruck, never have i wanted a fantasy gothic castle so much, every single part of the castle has been wonderfully crafted, perfectly befitting of a vampire Lady.

Final fantasy 7, the graphics are pretty bad but the art style makes you completely ignore that, i just loved how the backgrounds where done and how sometimes you couldn’t tell if you where supposed to start moving or not after a cut scene. I can’t tell you how many times i just stared at the screen thinking that it was still a cut scene when it wasn’t, but didn’t care because i was looking at an awesome piece of art. Like when you first enter gold saucer on the elevator. The first time i played that game was when it came out on the psn store a few years ago and the art style along with the amazing story and gameplay are the reasons i believe makes it a timeless classic, which is in my top 5 favorites despite playing this gen. Without the art style am not sure if it would be as awesome a game as it is.

Valkyria chronicles made me feel like i was playing an anime, it was so beatuifully done. Seeing the changes scene to scene as well as the amazing gameplay just made me want to keep on playing. Also really hope we get a PS3 sequel at some point.

Also Flower had great ambience, its hard to look at a game visually without taking note of the music and the changing scenes in flower between levels had a great way of setting your mood and helping you interpret the level how the developers intended.

Its difficult for me to seperate the two so i’ll just say i love both.

This may sound a bit strange but personally thought Braid’s art design was fantastic.

The way the dark and misty colour mixed together to create a re-wind time sensation. It was a Dark gloomy looking game but the textures looked and ran smooth as they do n Journey although it has that darker and evil feel to it. I really thought it helped me to enjoy the game better

There’s honestly too many to list.

If I had to pick one though, it’d be Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on the DS.

This game wasn’t very well-received due to its linear nature, but if you actually played it you’d find it has beautiful and smoothly animated sprites with plenty of variety in the level design.
The fact that the whole game wasn’t set inside Dracula’s castle meant they had freedom to make believable landscapes, such as forests and swamps, which worked perfectly in a platformer game.

Shanoa’s sprite has a wide array of animations which surprised me as a DS gamer and what impressed me the most is even during more intense sections of the game, the animations never get “cancelled”, they’re so smooth and flowing that it created a seamless visual treat while never sacrificing the tight controls.

A must-play for gamers of any skill level.

There are a lot of games I could say here, Tombi, Okami, Borderlands.. But I’m going to stick with two of my favourite franchises. Ratchet and Clank was to be my first choice, but then an old memory hit me and I had my answer… The world of Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy.

J&D1 had some amazing pull to it when I first saw the start menu on a big, shiny tv in a Game window display at Lakeside (yes, I remember it that well). Just seeing this big, wide world, all colourful and appealing was captivating. I didn’t own a PS2 at the time but it made me want one big time. And when I did get it… wow. Being able to go from one end of the world to the other, with all those colourful characters.. and even going to the highest part of the game, in the mountains, and looking around to spot the spinning artefact atop the Jungle Temple miles away… fascinating.

It was the first thing I saw on the PS2, and therefore REALLY got me into the love of gaming that I have now. I owe it to that game and it’s art style. So there you have it!

Gameplay always trumps graphics for me, but there are the occasional videogames where the graphics or art style simply just can’t be ignored. It almost gets in the way of whatever you’re trying to get character X to do, and you have to give in, take a hit, sit back and gaze upon the sweat and tears of artists and designers and visionaries alike.
In this generation of gaming, high-res graphics are pushing the boundaries of real and unreal, bringing in unbelievable lighting, textures, and movement. Those cars in the latest Gran Turismo games might as well be plucked right off some heavily raced and televised track; those plants and jungle bushes in Uncharted are covered in bugs, and you know it; those faces in L.A. Noire are true faces, skinned off their respective actors by sick-minded men like Dr. Hannibal Lector and tossed into the game to give you a realism unlike any you’ve previously seen.
Games like Limbo, Patapon, PixelJunk Shooter, Bit.Trip Void, and The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom all stand tall with stellar gameplay and a look to match it. Would Limbo have been as haunting as it was if you could actually read the little boy’s expressions? Most likely no.

I think Aquaria has a fantastic look to it, nailing a world we honestly don’t know too much about and only get to glimpse sparingly through documentaries or movies or fascinating photos. Like in Finding Nemo, the scenes set underwater in the wild ocean where life is all colors and bubbles were a sight to behold. It’s so foreign and strange under the water, and yet it can be equally calming and uplifting, just floating in the blue, weightless, full of wonder.

I do vow to return to Aquaria and Naija’s troubles someday, At least for one more look at beauty in motion.

Rez

One of the first games I played on the PS2, and it completely blew me away, and redefined video games as a storytelling medium. The genius of the art-style is not just the sheer aesthetic pleasure of watching its insanity unfold, but how interactive it is, changing both by your actions and inactions, while having a will of its own, pushing constantly towards a goal I won’t mention here for fear of spoiling the experience. The game felt alive in a way no other game I have ever played felt, including Bioshock, and the art-style remains unique to this to day.

I miss good ol’ 2D graphics, like the PS1 games Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Suikoden II (both these games are also unfortunately missing from PSN). They might be a bit pixelated by the standards of today, but that’s a bit of the charm and they are vastly better than the earlier console generations and had a LOT of detail into them. And for the record, Suikoden II is still one of my absolute favorite games, but not only because of the beautiful 2D graphics, but also because of the great soundtrack and especially the amazing story.

Also, good 2D graphics age rather slowly. While realistic 3D graphics age a lot quicker, cause it won’t take long until a new realistic 3D game comes along and raise the bar and then the previous “gorgeous” game suddenly no longer look so gorgeous.

Cartoony 3D graphics like Okami is another thing I like very much, as are the very artsy Ico & Shadow of the Colossus.

The only thing I don’t like with japanese cartoony games these days is that way too many games seem to go into the “fanservice” direction rather than being, well, deep and functional, I suppose. Watching H-cups almost explode out of the bikini armor isn’t really my kind of thing.

Hard to make a decision but if I would have to I would say The Elder Scrolls 3 Morrowind. It was just a small island but full of stuff to explore. Different regions (vulcans, coast-region, small and big settlements, ruins etc). Everything (tribes, regions, factions and so on) with its own kind of style. No 2 places looked the same and everything was filled with little details / surprises.
A great piece of work which couldnt even be achieved by oblivion and skyrim. I just dont wont count the hours I’ve spent with the game and its expansiosn.

mfg
Olli

My favorite art style in a game is Rayman origins. Why? Because it is something new. Mario’s art style has always been so safe. It’s always stayed the same. That could be said about so many games.

Then Rayman origins comes. It not only looks different but it looks like one of the prettiest games of this generation. It’s vibrant crisp graphics could cheer up or relax anyone who plays it.

And above all it showed Ubisoft wasn’t afraid to create a game that looks different. A game that throws away many of the normal graphical ideas of other 2d games and makes up something new.

It looks looks an indie game and that shows they weren’t afraid to take risks. In an industry in which a games looks can make or break the sales they switched everything up. And in the end they made a brilliant game that failed. But it still looked awesome.

I’d have to say Jet Set Radio. With the new HD release on PSN no one has an excuse to not play this amazing game. Not only is the actual games art style unique and vibrant but so is the art within the game, like the graffiti and music. Everything about this game just screams artistic joy.

ONIMUSHA 3: DEMON SIEGE

Played On The PS2, From Every last detail, from the animations of Jacques and Samanosuke’s face to the elaborate stage designs, The animations and special effects are just as striking, and the textures are some of the best that the PlayStation 2 had to offer along with Gran Turismo 4 Racing through the snowy peaks was a visual treat.