2D Art Appreciation Thread

Nowadays, whenever we see a 2D game, people immediately thinks it should a download title and that disgusts me. They think that 2D games require less money and effort to make. While I'm sure 2D games today don't have to struggle with technology like 3D games do, the time and effort it takes to animate them beautifully is as painstaking as making a 3D game. But if it's true that 2D games are cheaper to make, why have movies moved away from traditional animation? I heard the supposedly, 3D movies (as in CGI) are cheaper to make compared to 2D.

I know 3D game and 3D movies aren't the same thing, but don't both of them have to deal with technology and expensive computers? Or is hiring skilled 2D animators more expensive than doing animation with a huge render farm? I think animating 2D games are done pretty much the same way as movies nowadays.
 
Nesh said:
How could anyone forget this
Click to expand...
It's my favorite game of all time, but graphically, I feel it's long been surpassed by the likes of Guilty Gear, KofXII and Blaz Blue.
SVC: Chaos had some awesome art and animation for its time, too.
 
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All time favorite 2D games? I'm assuming we mean 2D rendering without what we would consider now days to be 3D rendering with most of the assets being actual 3D objects.

The first would be Bard's Tale on C64/Apple ][ (and later on Amiga/Apple ][gs). Amazingly creating a feeling of a 3D world using just 2D sprites. Same goes for Might and Magic which had the largest world by far of any game for many years.

Fallout 1 & 2. Glorious. Great visuals and great atmosphere.

I have to give my nod to Populous up there. Loved that game. Then again Syndicate would fit right in also.

In the arcades the 3 screen versions of Darius and Ninja Gaiden. They looking absolutely glorious is ultra widescreen on 3 high res monitors.

Dragons Lair, Lupin, and Space Ace, were also excellent for their art and animation although as a game...it's just simon says.

Gah...I could go on and on and on with great 2D games. Loved Earthworm Jim series. Abe's Oddworld series. Prince of Persia. How could you not like Karateka?

Defender in the arcades was awesome at the time. As was the Dungeons and Dragons games in the arcades. Golden Axe. Metal Slug games are still great to watch and play.

OK, I'd better stop now...

Regards,
SB
 
I love the art of Top Hunter. Very detailed and colorful, just as you'd expect from a big old Neo Geo cartridge. The gameplay was pretty cool and unique as well. Basically it's a side scrolling brawler/platformer that takes place on two distinct planes, adding a good deal of strategy to the game. You can even perform a good number of fighting game moves with your characters such as fireballs, dragon punches, rapid fire punches and ground slides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX7I8z0BK04&feature=related

Another favorite of mine is actually a very recent game: Castlevania The Order of Ecclesia. Drop dead gorgeous spritework (this is how the DS hardware should be used damn it. 3d will always look hideous on the thing), kick-ass soundtrack and a suprisingly old school level of difficulty. Good luck leveling yourself out of tight spots in this one. The other castleroids are cakewalks by comparison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1ocPvOqL7s

And let's not forget The Neverhood and Skullmonkeys. Not exactly hand drawn, but 2d is 2d I guess.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1qb6d_i3To
 
ShadowRunner said:
Going to pick up Muramasa on wii soon. Check it out:

Just wish they would have made it in HD for PSN/XBLA
Click to expand...

By the way, yeah, Muramasa is great, just like the wondeful game made by the same artist before it, Odin's Sphere:

 
Now here's something interesting ... someone who seems to be quite the expert at turning 2D into 3D. He did an amazing job on Monkey Island 2, and there are some more examples of his work in this thread at Gaf as well. Awesome stuff. The youtube has a good quality HD version so go check that out.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=374701

 
Arwin said:
By the way, yeah, Muramasa is great, just like the wondeful game made by the same artist before it, Odin's Sphere:

Click to expand...

I just started playing Odin Sphere. It really is gorgeous. Pretty damn unforgiving and rather tedious at times, though. The negative status effects are downright cruel.
 
For some reason I always loved the graphics in Sega's Shinobi, I still play the game a few times a year:




Btw, the guy playing in the video must be a noob, you don't shoot shurikens during the first levels so you can get the special bonus ;)
 
For 2D graphics, I think the DS is very underutilized. The funny thing is that I feel like 3D on the DS is pushed more than 2D on the system.

Here's one of the most impressive 2D games on the DSi Ware.

yik1.jpg


I mean, look at it! This is a DOWNLOAD game. It looks amazing. This looks better than A Boy And His Blob on the Wii. This is made by the same people making A Boy And His Blob on the Wii. More developers should do amazing pixel art on the DS.
 
Not bad, though not necessarily that much or maybe even any better than Rayman perhaps? And that looked great on the GBA already too. Still, quite pretty.
 
DeadlyNinja said:
yik1.jpg


I mean, look at it! This is a DOWNLOAD game. It looks amazing. This looks better than A Boy And His Blob on the Wii. This is made by the same people making A Boy And His Blob on the Wii. More developers should do amazing pixel art on the DS.
Click to expand...
The final version looks even more impressive than those shots. (The second pic stage even features layered fog. The area in the 3rd pic has nice water refraction effects going on too.) And the characters animate like butter. I guess that's Paul Robertson for you.

And it's out now. Go download it. A fantastic package both graphical, audio, and gameplay wise.
 
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