Best Art Design in a Game?

Started by pompayyy January 26th, 2014 1:29 PM
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pompayyy

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What's your favorite Art style in a game? This doesn't necessarily mean graphics, but more the style of characters and surroundings the game uses.

Personally, Okami is an artistic masterpiece. From the the watercolor style, to all of the Japanese inspired goodness, this is the only game I can think of where I could spend hours just looking at it.













And don't even get me started on this box art:




Pink Moon is on its way.

Dansparce

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Probably the Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD or Skyward Sword.

Wind Waker HD:
Spoiler:


Skyward Sword:
Spoiler:


Another game with a good art style was Ultimate Spider man. The art style makes it look like you're playing through a Spider man comic book, and it works really well.

Ultimate Spider Man (Not exactly the best picture...):
Spoiler:

Spinosaurus

Seen May 27th, 2019
Posted June 7th, 2018
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Rayman Origins all the way
Spoiler:


This game's art direction is unbelievable. Really feels like an actual cartoon moving.

Honorable mention goes to...

One of my favorite things about the GBA Wario game (which are my favorite games of all time, just so you know) is in its art. Wario Land 4, Warioware Inc and Warioware Twisted have this crude, gross offensive and broderline comedic art style that really distinguishes it from the rest. There's nothing truly like them, and they pretty much reflect Wario as a character. Wario land 4 in particular has some really amazing background design as well, which is par on course for the team behind Super Metroid.
Spoiler:



Rhythm Heaven doesn't even look like a game. If you play it perfectly in front of someone, they'll wonder if you're playing a game at all. Rhythm Tengoku clearly has some Warioware sprinkled in it, and each subsequent game is cleaner than the one before it, it's really nice looking either way.


I can't leave Wario Land Shake It out of this. It actually feels more like a cartoon than Rayman Origins, and the animation are fantastic. This is all hand drawn people. I give it to Origins purely because the game has a distinct style, but Shake It is nothing to scoff at.


The sprites are hit or miss, but the background design is amazing. Oh and by the way, this music plays for this level. DKC2 does atmosphere like no other, thanks to its art design AND sound design

Spoiler:


I'm not particularly sure what I exactly like about Ouendan/EBA. Maybe it's the Manga/Comic book art with its own style and the overyly awesome exaggerations. It's actually mostly the character design, though.


I actually ADORE what Next Level Games managed with Punch Out Wii. Whil Origins/Shake It are borderline cartoon, this is what cartoon looks like in 3D. The very distinctive look of each boxer combined with the animations make this a gem.

Spoiler:


I gotta give it to Super Metroid/Metroid Fusion. It does isolation so right that it's still unmatched to this day. There's something very unsettling in its art, particularly Fusion. The environment design is just amazing.

Spoiler:

One more, and I'm giving it to Tropical Freeze. I always loved Retro's art and environmental design, but I'm particularly fond of this game. Each level is just filled with details in the art and environments, that it makes sense it took the game 3 years to be developed with all the heart put into it. Absolutely can't wait.

...Too much? Had more in mind. lol

T!M

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Cell shading is my favorite type of art. Games in this particular style have already been listed. Ultimate Spider-Man and Borderlands. I've never played Ookami but that looks to be cell shading from Floyd's screen shot. Anyway, cell shading is the best.

Hyzenthlay

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I agree with the above poster, any game can look good when it's cell shaded, like some of the Zelda games. The two pictures of Borderlands Atomic Pirate posted looks amazing, though I've never actually played the game myself.

Though there are plenty of games that look great without the cell shading. Skyward Sword or Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for example. I always thought that if a game has a good art style, the graphics won't grow bad over the years, unlike, say, Skyrim. That game's graphics are amazing with mods and the highest settings, but sooner or later we'll be looking back on it like it's Oblivion.

Skyward Sword has the cartoon-like style that can never grow old:
Spoiler:


Then there's Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. This game's art style is simply amazing, and once you play it you can't help but admire every aspect of this tragic game's graphics. What makes it so great is that the creators haven't gone for a realistic style like Skyrim, so we won't be looking back at this game in horror ten years later. :P

Here are some pictures:
Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:
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Satoshi Ookami

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I'll agree with OP.
Okami is an art masterpiece. Especially the HD remake ;) Makes me remember the fishing there, though... xD
The same art style was used in Sumioni:Demon Arts.

Other than Okami, I like pretty much every hand-draw anime arts.
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Hiatus

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I loved the art style of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. It was very bright and colorful, and unlike most games today (which try to look realistic), everything was simply cartoon-ish. It was a nice change of pace. :] Aside from Skyward Sword, Rayman Origins' style was pretty good, too.

Satoshi Ookami

Memento Mori

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Rayman Origins all the way
Spoiler:


This game's art direction is unbelievable. Really feels like an actual cartoon moving.
That's from PS3 version, right? Have you tried Vita version?
I only played the Vita one so I can't really compare but the PS3 version seem to have more detailed art.
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Spinosaurus

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That's from PS3 version, right? Have you tried Vita version?
I only played the Vita one so I can't really compare but the PS3 version seem to have more detailed art.
I have the 360 vers and the Vita one. From my experience the 360 version definitely pops out more, especially in HD. Although Origins still looks fantastic on the OLED.
Seen September 18th, 2020
Posted February 18th, 2018
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All this Rayman Origins; y'all never play the original? It has the same sort of style.


Journey has an excellent aesthetic, although I can't comment much as I haven't played it or seen much of it.

Among games I have played, Homeworld (2) stands out with its memorabe... I don't know, Arabian space opera theme? Very atmospheric setting, especially for the genre, with great pacing and soundtrack, fluid gameplay and detailed visuals... really, everything. Any strategy fan should know Homeworld.

Almost forgot — Shadow of the Colossus. The colossi move as appropriate for their various sizes, and fighting them really does seem like the test of desperation and courage that it must be for Wander as he ascends their oft-towering bodies. It seems deliberate that Wander should be both a capable horse-archer and swordsman; combined with the rest of the game's design, it gives him an ancient samurai mystique. About the atmosphere outside of combat, I've little to say as I've only watched the fights.

Satoshi Ookami

Memento Mori

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I have the 360 vers and the Vita one. From my experience the 360 version definitely pops out more, especially in HD. Although Origins still looks fantastic on the OLED.
I see, wonder how 360 would fare against PS3 version... but since it's fundamentally same there shouldn't be any huge difference.
I see, thanks, I might try PS3 version sometimes because it really shows more art than the Vita version in my opinion =)
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Morkula

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itt The Wind Waker and Okami: The Thread

I also just finished BioShock Infinite, and I have to say the art direction in that game is absolutely fantastic. I can't speak for the other two BioShock games because I haven't gotten around to playing them yet, but Infinite is freaking gorgeous - and the irony of the art style contrasted to the actual tone of the game is just great.
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Anything that isn't realistic I like. Okami is a masterpiece both musically and artistically? I liked Skyward swords art style and irc Hyrule Warriors or the one coming out on the WiiU looks a lot like it except Link has a blue scarf. Borderlands, A Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead both share the same art style and its great really makes you feel like your in a comic book. I honestly can't settle for a game with great art, how about I just say bastion and get it over with?

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definitely the uncharted series, especially the third one. i just love the graphics. they're just so realistic. here's some screenshots;
Spoiler:






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Ozymandias

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Gotta agree with Kayla. Uncharted is absolutley beautiful... most of the Naughty Dog Games look great for that matter XD just look at The Last of Us

Spoiler:
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seeker

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Yes yes, love this thread. I love aesthetics, naturally gameplay is highly more important to me, but visuals are something I feel add a great deal of immersion and depth to gaming.

First on my list, is one that springs to mind Bioshock Infinite
Probably one of the most fantastic, and beautiful games of this decade. Incredible art direction, with a perfect balance of light and dark thematics. The character design was flawless, with Booker and Elizabeth sharing this extreme visual bond that was so evident, even though you were playing a first person shooter. There hasn't been a game that does the up in the clouds theme so well at all. Zelda's Twilight Princess, is one that comes to mind that has done an area in the sky, but it went nowhere near the quality of Columbia in Infinite. It was a joy to actually explore the visuals, as much as play the game. That's rare for me.

The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker
Of course this was going to make it on my list. The Wind Waker is probably the most beautiful on the hardware it was released on. It has such clever design and aesthetics, and was so original for its time. It was a pivot point in TLoZ series for graphic style and art design. It brought games like Skyward Sword so forward it visual style, as well as many of their handheld games such as Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass. Beautiful game, I would argue that even now, the art style stands out ahead of modern games.

Borderlands 1 & 2
Borderlands was one of the first ever games to really achieve the cartoon comic book style. XIII did a good job at it much before, but Borderlands actually had such beautiful design on characters as well as the world they created. Not only was it visually appealing, simple, yet striking, but the way they created their world was so original in its time. It's hard to get players to want to play in a wasteland without making it look like Fallout 3, but Borderlands brought a dead world to life, and that was an incredible feat in their art department.

The Last of Us
It's thanks to the art department that this game felt so on point. While the pacing, and the story were fantastic, the visual style had a big part to play in the game. Creating an original and detailed looking post-apocalyptic world using old (PS3) hardware was not easy to do. Not only that, but they made their characters feel so real due to their design and relatable looks. They weren't overly striking, everyone looked like a real person who was suitably hardened by the end of the world. The creature design was also incredible, I imagine the art department had a lot of fun working on Clickers...let's face it, one of the scariest damn things in gaming, ever.

Limbo
One of the more simplistic looking games on this list, however their eye for design is impeccable. The dark, and flat art style of the game really led to the uneasiness of the whole experience. It's such a pretty game though, it's so simple, yet so beautiful thanks to the art department shipping that one out just right. Certainly a worthy mention on this list.

Dragon

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The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker
Of course this was going to make it on my list. The Wind Waker is probably the most beautiful on the hardware it was released on. It has such clever design and aesthetics, and was so original for its time. It was a pivot point in TLoZ series for graphic style and art design. It brought games like Skyward Sword so forward it visual style, as well as many of their handheld games such as Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass. Beautiful game, I would argue that even now, the art style stands out ahead of modern games.
Ah yes, I love this game's art. <3 You should check out the Wii U version's cell shading!



It's really remarkable, and I love this cartoonish style! I hope that they will incorporate that to Zelda games more often!

Another title that I love the artwork in would have to be Tales of Xillia. The graphics style is also pretty impressive for the PS3, and I love how the attacks just sync together into an artistic eye candy, with all the lights and colors blended together.<3

Oh god, I also love the graphics from Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. Sooo amazing! <33


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Raine

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The Last of Us
It's thanks to the art department that this game felt so on point. While the pacing, and the story were fantastic, the visual style had a big part to play in the game. Creating an original and detailed looking post-apocalyptic world using old (PS3) hardware was not easy to do. Not only that, but they made their characters feel so real due to their design and relatable looks. They weren't overly striking, everyone looked like a real person who was suitably hardened by the end of the world. The creature design was also incredible, I imagine the art department had a lot of fun working on Clickers...let's face it, one of the scariest damn things in gaming, ever.
Agreed. Not only are the graphics exceptionally done for the game, but the overall art design/style played a significant role in presenting the player the environment that creators were looking to immerse them in. We don't know what an apocalyptic world would look like, but we have ideas and the graphics department for that game absolutely put them together quite flawlessly. With the exception of the occasional glitch here and there XD

Razer302

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I love the art for several games tbh, picking one that I love above all the others was really hard but for me it has to be Ni No Kuni, I love the style of the game, it goes very well with how the game as a whole feels and fits in together and thiis from a person who doesn't normally like the graphics style to look as colourful and bright as that as I normally prefer darker games that to me was a totally amazing graphical look to it.

Satoshi Ookami

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I love the art for several games tbh, picking one that I love above all the others was really hard but for me it has to be Ni No Kuni, I love the style of the game, it goes very well with how the game as a whole feels and fits in together and thiis from a person who doesn't normally like the graphics style to look as colourful and bright as that as I normally prefer darker games that to me was a totally amazing graphical look to it.
Ghibli animation does wonders =D I think every anime fan knows it and loved the Ni no Kuni animation =D
I personally loved it as well (not as much as Okami, though =D) it but it kinda felt more kiddish than it could have been =/
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