AuthorTopic: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions  (Read 45415 times)

Offline Cow

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #30 on: April 26, 2006, 12:49:55 am
Demon's Crest gets my vote. Dunno if much can be learned from Mario/Zelda because of their minimalistic styles [Minish Cap to a lesser degree than ML]. Minish Cap is a great looking game, but technique-wise I'm not sure.

Offline goat

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #31 on: April 26, 2006, 02:15:26 am
Adarias: I for one really appreciate the input and am glad you feel as strongly about it as you do; it'll be a great dimension to add to a critique if DC gets selected.

Quote
  they look like what a lot of other games were doing around the same time
Like sonic said, MLSS and MC look an awful lot like the celish-implied-detail-simplistic-flat-style that was popular at the time/now.  Just because a game exemplifies a popular style or era shouldn't exclude it from critique, as for that reason we've given our nods to Square, SNK and most recently The Bitmap Brothers.  Personally, I think it might be more productive to revisit games that might not be as fresh in our memories as games from the GBA era, especially when so many people are flocking to styles similar to those found in MLSS/MC/FFTA and such, and so many of them doing it for the wrong reasons.    On that note:

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also, simplicity is important because in pixelling, it transcends style, size, and palette.
If you're talking about avoiding meaningless complexity, then I agree not only in pixeling but in all life pursuits :p  If you're talking about the kind of simplicity mediocre artists use as a crutch, then I don't. Since I have faith in your artistic competence I'll assume you meant the former. 

Simplicity is a variable from piece to piece and is totally independent from the skill of the artist or the quality of an image's execution.  Therefore, to say it transcends any other variable, like size, colors used, etc. is weird and incorrect and I will trade punches with anyone who disagrees and is also smaller than me.

We've all (and by we I mean all of us) seen amazing pixel art that used simple forms and conservative palettes, and we've seen amazing pixel art that dripped detail from every single pixel.  We've seen crappy pixel art that crowded in too much detail (from artists who thought that the sheer quantity of detail would save it), and we've seen crappy pixel art that suffered from a lack of definition (from artists who thought that simplicity was a good enough excuse). We've seen everything in between.

And as a final note, I actually thought the graphics in SG&G were pretty clumsily made compared to their other titles of the time.  Not bad, just stiff and uninspired.  Plus, I just realized I totally just parroted what 3 other people said in previous replies.  /shrug
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Offline Helm

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #32 on: April 26, 2006, 07:20:54 am
I could write paragraphs of praise and explanation just for the fire-mouthed gargoyle on the wall in screenshot 1. SG&G is inferior, as is Street Fighter and other capcom lineup games of the time, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't discuss SG&G at some point or Street Fighter or even not mediocre games but awful looking games. This is critique. We can discuss both the good and the bad aspects in any pixelled game. That was the original intention. We're not looking for games that are the best exclusively, we're looking for the games that are interesting to talk about. And I for one don't find a lot to say about the Mario game. Significantly more for the Zelda game and Demon's Crest is my pick because there's so much going on in the tiling and color selection.

Offline neverest

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #33 on: April 26, 2006, 07:40:23 am
I'd love to see Minish Cap in greater focus.
Primarily because its the only one that looks particularly beautiful to me, but also it seems a lot stronger in terms of design even if the techniques arent as clever as DC. Also while I don't know enough on the subject, I think the tiling looks exceptional.
I will agree that although I dont like the look of DC, it would make for good critique. If for nothing else because of the strong love/hate feelings it obviouslt arouses in people here. Theres nowt wrong with a bit of controversy.

Offline Larwick

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #34 on: April 26, 2006, 05:46:23 pm
Ok, scrap my choice of M&LSS, i'm going to choose DC, because it's more of a style i want to learn/talk about at the moment.

Offline Sohashu

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #35 on: April 27, 2006, 06:09:22 am
DC>  That style would be interesting to go deeper into.
Back from hiatus, just remembered how excellent this community is at forming technique in a fledgeling artist of any kind.

Offline snake

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #36 on: April 27, 2006, 12:57:11 pm
Heh, this topic took away absolutely all the attention from the Iso project.

My vote goes to Minish Cap.

I found Superstar Saga to be a great game, and I really like it's style. However, it works so well because you get the feeling of enviorment. Stripped down, it won't have the same shine. Personally, I both love and hate the graphics in Demon Crest. I've never seen that specific game before, but it reminds me of a style that became common for alien-shooters, R-type lookalikes and everything involving Demons and organs. I like the backgrounds and the spriters clearly have skill. It's just that semi pillowshading, overdetail and contrast that I've never had a connection to. I know, it's not the correct terms, it's just my own reaction to the style. I'm sure it would make one hell of a topic, but my choice is mostly based on what I prefer artistically. I think I would benefit a lot more from learning about Minish Cap, a game that I myself think looks brilliant rather than looking through a style I have no plans of using.

(but then, clearly I'm loosing this battle anyway  ::) )

Offline setz

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #37 on: April 27, 2006, 02:26:06 pm


I just thought that was another great shot from the game, infact all through the game great attention is paid to detail everywhere, including the backgrounds, even if you don't notice them.

M&L:SS, I felt everything was too squared off in, Minish cap is sexy in it's own way, which happens to be the way of many other simplistic games. DC is beatiful =D.

I might as well change my vote to DC, partly because I want to see this paragraph that helm wrote, and partly because I'm curious to see the likes/dislikes of it technically. M&L:SS and MC were both released while many people were on the internet talking about it, back when DC came out it didn't get that kind of attention.

Offline goat

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #38 on: April 27, 2006, 08:05:39 pm
DC uses way too many colors in places, I agree.  Some of the graphics look like they may have been molested by selective color reduction.   I have some bones to pick with their lightsource placement too snake, we can moan about it together if the votes keep going the way they have been ;p although, this topic will be open until the 30th.. a lot can happen between now and then :P
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Offline Xion

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Re: Next Commercial Critique (MAY 06): Suggestions

Reply #39 on: April 28, 2006, 02:03:02 am
DC, but if I can suggest a new game, Yoshi's Island.