The Evolution of Graphics

[esperance]

I'm sure anyone that has played Pokémon has noticed that the graphics have come a long way since their humble beginnings in the black and white of Generation 1.

What are your favorite graphical changes that you've seen? Do you have a particular overworld style that you really like (8-bit, DS, 3D, etc.)? What about the Pokémon themselves, which version looks the best to you? And where do you see it going from here?

For me, my favorite art is probably everything from Generation 5, from the overworld to the battle art. I love the way the maps look and how they change with the seasons. And the fully animated sprites are a real treat. The newer 3D art is nice, but it just can't compare to the beauty of BW and BW2.

 

[Hikamaru]

I really enjoyed 5th Gen's graphics, since they were quite impressive for a DS. I also loved how the environment changed with the seasons in-game, which is why I felt upset about 6th Gen removing that feature. 6th Gen's full 3D overworld does look awesome, but I feel like 5th Gen had more beauty put into it with the seasons.

 

[Poké Bean]

Gen 5 used to be my favourite. When Gen 6 first came out I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the same, but now after playing it for so long, ORAS especially, I would have to say the latest style is best. Everything is so clear and has much more detail and the animations are far superior.

 

[esperance]

Gen 5 used to be my favourite. When Gen 6 first came out I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the same, but now after playing it for so long, ORAS especially, I would have to say the latest style is best. Everything is so clear and has much more detail and the animations are far superior.

I agree, the animations used in Gen. 6 are really wonderful. The only problem I have is the greens of the overworld are just a bit too green, if you get what I mean.

 

[Cassandra]

I've gotta say, Gen 4 really looked pretty good. It felt 2D, but also 3D at the same time. A really well executed combination between the two.

 

[esperance]

I've gotta say, Gen 4 really looked pretty good. It felt 2D, but also 3D at the same time. A really well executed combination between the two.

As far as Gen. 4 is concerned I think HGSS is the only one that really looks "good." The DPPt art feels rushed and sloppy. A bit too pixelated while HGSS has the right balance.

 

[Cassandra]

As far as Gen. 4 is concerned I think HGSS is the only one that really looks "good." The DPPt art feels rushed and sloppy. A bit too pixelated while HGSS has the right balance.

Yeah, I'd say that's fair.

 

[Frozen Lotus]

My favorites...

Gen IV: It was the most advanced the sprite work seemed to ever get, as Gen V's really didn't seem any more detailed or well developed. I love most of the Pokemon sprites, the world is beautiful, and it just has a nice feel. When it comes to 2D graphics, this is my preference.

Gen VI: The graphics I prefer universally. If I had a choice, I'd completely forget about the 2D graphics and have all the games be 3D. It gives the world so much more life. The Pokemon have so much more personality, the animations look so much better, and it makes things like trainer customization possible. Nothing at all against 2D graphics... but this just worked so well for me.

As for the worst...

Gen III: I just really, really dislike the GBA's graphics in general. There's something about the weird plush colors and blurry textures that doesn't sit well with me. It's probably a big part of why I couldn't get into Emerald or even Leaf Green very much. I hated the look of them. Now, had I played these games when they were NEW? I'd have probably loved them, because they were the biggest graphical advancement in the series next to the dimensional jump.

Gen V: It's basically Gen IV's... except it had awkward 3D models mixed into the overworld and really... REEEEALLY ugly moving sprites that were just excessively pixelated and awful to look at. I appreciated the innovation and ambition, but it just ended up looking so... bad. I did like some aspects to it, like it showing the scale of some of the areas, but... I just don't miss it in the slightest.

 

[Sun]

Yeah, I'd say that's fair.

Not for me. {XD}

Look a the seawater tiles:

Sinnoh really deserves that kinda treatment too.

As for the actual main topic, I recall I made a remark that the graphics and series are evolving like the Pokémon themselves. :) I hope they can continue the good effort while not neglecting the frame rate problems for the sake of better graphics. I believe there's a way to find a balance; frame rate shouldn't be sacrificed for better graphics.

 

[Sopheria]

My favorite graphical style is 6th gen, OR/AS particularly. This isn't necessarily because of the 3D, but because the color palette looks so warm and inviting. It just makes Hoenn look and feel like a beautiful place to be.

I also have a fondness for the graphical style of BW2. B/W always felt a little too...dark to me. It feels like BW2 brightened up the palette a bit. Not sure if that's just my imagination :P

 

[Drayton]

You just gotta love a flat 3D graphic in Gen4 because it was closer on improvement, Gen5 surprised me with even more detailed 3d graphics of building and the NPC/Player were also looks more sharp than Gen4. Now, Gen6 took it the total with full-fledged 3d graphics which gives me a nice feeling of the interior and exterior.

 

[BettyNewbie]

I feel like I'm in the minority when I say I prefer Gen II's style of graphics. Though I suppose that has more to do with the soundtrack at the time perfectly fitting with the graphics more than anything else. :x

No you're not. :) The Gen 2 games had nice graphics for the era, and Crystal still has the games' best animated sprites, IMO.

HGSS, BW/B2W2, and XY/ORAS all have gorgeous graphics and nicely transitioned the series into 3D. On the other hand, I can't stand Gen 3's graphics, if only because the GBA was capable of FAR more than what RSE/FRLG had. GSC may have had fewer colors, but they actually took advantage of their handheld's capabilities.

As far as RBY and DPP go, I seen them both as graphical "beta tests" for their respective handhelds that were perfected with later games (GSC for the former, HGSS and the Gen 5 games for the latter).

 

[Spinosaurus]

I hate everything that isn't gen 1, 2 or 3 (and even then, I don't think they're particularly good either. But they're simplistic enough for me to like them.)

The 2.5D style that gen 4 has looked awful. The 3D models were incredibly out of place, ugly and jagged. Not a good look, on top of only bringing worse framerate. (The games should NOT drop from 30fps jesus christ) Gen 5 was worse, and had the awfully animated sprites that mostly consisted of cropping and stretching and it was terrible.

I don't even wanna talk about gen 6 outside the fantastic Pokemon models (although too bad about the drab colours, ugh). Game Freak are pretty incompetent technically, the series should have evolved far more than this.

From the OP, I'd take the image on the left over the one on the right any day.

 

[Lycanthropy]

My favorite style is Gen IV, it has the best sprites and has a larger amount of tiles compared to earlier generations. Starting Gen V, the game became 3D-ish and this feels totally different from the simple overworld style the games had before.
The biggest improvement is from Gen II to Gen III. The second generation still had very simple tiles and Pokémon Centers looked exactly like any other building, the only exception being a sign next to the door, while Gen III actually gave different layouts to different buildings.

 

[Infinitum]

I like the improvements Nintendo made for the 3DS games, which were for me the biggest improvements they've ever made. Coming from Black/White 2 and ending up with X/Y probably needed a lot of effort and work. I always had the feeling that between generation IV & V no graphical improvements were made, because Nintendo never thought it was essential and due to the limits in the DS' hardware. Generation VI made so many improvements, only opening the ways to what the future might bring.

 

[Return]

It really look interesting how the graphics are changed and improved, the major improvement that i have seen in graphics is Gen3(Yes, Directly customised tiles from Gen1 - Gen3).Gen 4 - Gen 6 have revolutionized the world of graphics, anyways My favorite is Gen 5 Graphics because of it more beautiful tiles with most importantly Weather changing systems(Some 3d graphics too) but i dislike Gen 6 because of its removal of many things from the game.So i Prefer Gen 5 over Gen 6.