Hey everyone! First of all thanks for watching and for all the love on the video so far. I did want to address and correct a few mistakes that have been brought to our attention. 1. The background music is louder than usual, loud enough that we've gotten some comments on it and even a couple people that said they had to stop watching. We do apologize for this as we should have double checked audio levels more before posting. It seemed fine when playing it back through my headphones in Premiere but for the future I need to check it through other means before officially uploading. In hindsight, listening to it now on my TV and computer I can definitely hear how some parts are too loud against my audio. It's particularly bad in the intro with tracks like Balamb Garden but I will say after that a good chunk of the video is leveled more appropriately so if you can make it past the first few minutes, it gets a lot better. Regardless we'll do a better job with this going forward, our other videos don't suffer from this issue so it's mainly just a problem with this particular video. 2. During The Legend of Dragoon section, I make a comment about the game showing arrows on screen to signify entrances/exits. I make it seem like this is the only PS1 RPG to do this but that's actually not correct as FF7 had done this years ago already. I remembered that FF7 and FF9 showed a pointer above the character, but I admit I forgot that 7 also showed arrows to exits on screen. This mistake was made doubly worse as out of all the examples we could have shown during this part, we picked the one other game that actually did do this. All around this was just a mistake on our end so we apologize. 3. I mention that Resident Evil was the first survival horror game to use the pre-rendered background graphical style. I was incorrect about this as apparently Alone in the Dark on the PC was actually the first to do so. I knew that Sweet Home on the NES was the first survival horror game but wrongfully assumed that Resident Evil was the first of its kind. Again, this is made even worse by the fact that I actually do talk about Alone in the Dark on the PS1 in the video so I should have looked more into the older games. I did a lot of research for this video but definitely dropped the ball on instances like this. I can't 100% promise that another mistake will never be made in a future video, but I can promise I will try to rectify and address them when they're brought to my attention. Accountability and owning up to your mistakes is important, and I'll never be above constructive criticism when trying to improve our content. So yeah, sorry for the errors in this video everyone. We will try to do a better job of being more thorough with research going forward. Thanks again for watching and hope you all have a good day! EDIT Also going to throw in a link to our Patreon because fuck it www.patreon.com/gamingbroductions
legend of dragoon didnt just do the arrow thing. The 3 final fantasy games did it too by just pushing the select button, it would show the characters with a finger above them, and then little red triangles where doors and exits were.
Something bizzare isi never played Legend Of Dragoon because i only ever saw it advertised with those arrows and assumed you didn't turn wm off. I never thought that woth FF. I'm willing to bet they're on by default in LOD and off in FF7
Pre-rendered backgrounds might have helped provide a much needed "visual immersion" back then, but the lack/limited "interactive immersion" with the elements of those pre-rendered backgrounds was the reason why I was happy that games were going to be fully 3D, even if that meant losing some visual detail... and besides, there's the always fixed camera position with pre-rendered backgrounds. Pre-rendered backgrounds were an artistic design choice based on the hardware limitations of the time
@@you2be839 not to mention that pre-rendered backgrounds caused the character models to stick out, in a bad way, being different resolution and having different lighting
“Your imagination filled in the gaps” so true bro… I would argue that was probably my favorite aspect of RPGs back in the 90s and 00s. It gave me same vibe as reading a great book or playing with my friends pretending to be knights or something like that. Running through Midgar, Balamb and Alexandria totally fueled my imagination. It certainly didn’t limit it like some forms of media.I may be old school but I miss that about the PS1 era rpgs. As always great content man. You can always tell when people truly love what they talk about.
Ive been saying this since FFX released and it finally nice to see other people talk about it. I miss prerendered graphics and static camera angles in voiceless JRPGs. Like reading a book like you said and heavy use of the imagination.
Thank you for making this video. I miss the days of prerendered graphics and static camera angled scenes in voiceless JRPGs. The effects the had on the imagination was real!
Man, those PS1 games had so much more charm and personality with those pre-rendered backgrounds. I have them saved and sorted in folders just to admire every tiny detail from time to time. Like, there's just something that the FF7 pre-rendered backgrounds (especially the interiors of homes) does that the fancy graphics of the remakes can't do, they make you feel fuzzy inside.
Modern games look all like the same movie, as being mostly 3D adventure the camera is always behind the shoulder. Take FFVII for example, each stage had a different composition and the characters moved from one direction to another. In modern games having the same point of view makes everything look like a corridor
Pre-rendered backgrounds are absolutely beautiful and achieve things even modern games haven't, there are only about 4 videos on RUclips talking about them, and they've never gone as in-depth as this, looking to be a great video.
True. So few people talk about prerendered backgrounds in video games, and even fewer devs consider using this technique anymore, sadly, though it would feel very nice with modern character movement's controls.
Back then it literally signaled the future. We knew it then. Also waking up early to play a new title was always an amazing day ahead you didn't want to end. I was a rollerblader then so Xtreme games in the long box was HELLA amazing to me. Toshinden, Tekken, ridge racer. That year was amazing!
Ridge racer, Tekken, Tenchu, Coolboarders, Resident Evil, Dino Crisis and so many more are still great to this day. PS1 was definitively revolutionary. Hard to believe it is almost 30 years ago
@@hattorihanzo1329 I've been saying Tenchu needs to come back. And I own a copy of Cool Boarders 2 and Jet Moto 1 the sweet spot of both of those series. Jet Moto was a game my parents got me without me asking and I ended up loving it! Twisted Metal 2 and Vigilante 8 were insane. Rogue Trip wasn't bad either! Soo many fun colorful games back then. I got my brother on R4 recently, he even admitted it was the best in the series and they should do another for ps5. I wish!
On the subject of Chrono Cross... I used to just piddle around the maps because they were so beautiful. Even with nothing to do there, the soundtrack and backgrounds were so lovely I just wanted to live there.
the reason that 3D models from that era look *especially* bad on modern displays is because they aren't 'smoothed out' by the scan lines of the CRT. that's the little bit of graphic magic that's missing.
Yeah, it's hard to describe how and why CRT were "better" to people who've never played on original hardware.. dunno how we used to find the room for them though 😂
@@unbearifiedbear1885 They were heavy and pretty much required a table or cabinet to place on. I still have a small one with built in VCR thats not too heavy. I haven't really used my PS1 on it in decades but I might decide to do it in the future as a little retro day or something. You really do have to see it in person to know what it looks like.
RUclips game music fans/remixers/producers are one of the best parts of RUclips, period. The work and creativity that you peeps put in is magical! I'm a huge fan of the old crew that put together the Street Fighter 20th Anniversary tribute project, so many bangers in there. But they're just a drop in the ocean of good musicians, and now I discovered you too. Keep up the great work!
Chrono Cross is like the only game that had me constantly taking in how beautiful the backgrounds were (with Baten Kaitos being the other one recently and now I know why lol), I just really love the aesthetic that game went for and it really kickstarted me missing this style of rendering when I played it for the first time last year.
the background music made me cry, damn man, im old as fk, playing since atari, ps1 WAS THE BEST RPG ERA, nothing came close..i don't remember a bad rpg i played in ps1...damn good old times..
Thanks for this nostalgic time travel session. Have not seen gameplay of the old PSX Final Fantasys for a long time. Maaan, Final Fantasy was so amazing back then. FF6, FF7, FF8 & FF9 were incredible.
Amazing video, the pre rendered background have a certain vibe that I can only describe as "a still shot of beauty of an even bigger world", I always wondered how the world would look like and it let my imagination run wild.
I can literally listen to you talk about this for hours. I absolutely love the style and creativity of pre rendered backgrounds. I would actually frame some of them on my walls.
First time on your channel. That channel opening gave me a nostalgia trip and it transported me to a time when so many things were possible. I am now longing for a time and place that we can never go back to. CRT TVs, Blockbusters, arcades, Motorola and Nokia phones, Pagers, Sony Walkman's, VHS. Internet and personal computers killed that. Maybe I am just old now and tired of being an adult. Growing up during the 90s was truly an awesome feeling. I will forever miss that era.
90's born here 34 ur not old but it was a nice trip it passed fast because we had an awesome time thats why it seems so little it was a great dose of positive dopamine :D keep living happily like we did back then,
I know this is PS1 and I didn't have a PC at the time but this video sent me back to when I watched my older friend first play Blade Runner on the PC in front of me. I never really knew this type of graphic had a name. Cool vid!
Thank you for taking me back in time where things were much simpler, families were still whole, no responsibilities and all the care in the world I had to give was my next long play session on my cousin's PS1. I remember fondly of having to just put the controller down when I load a specific part of a game just to take in the atmosphere while listening to the gorgeous OST (eg. PE1 Police Station, RE3 Streets of Raccoon City and FF9 Esto Gaza) Truly those were the good old days. I'm well aware that this method of presentation is archaic by modern video game standards but there's just this charm about it that gives it a unique, creative, expressive and a more consistent art direction with how the devs present their games despite the technical limitaions at the time.
I’ve gotta say I love the Channel Theme…really reminds me of late ‘90’s-early ‘00’s aesthetics. Very much reminiscent of something Toonami-adjacent. Great work on the video as well, pre-rendering backgrounds has definitely been largely set aside.
I'm so glad you mentioned Chrono Cross. I feel like people tend to focus on the soundtrack when giving that game its flowers but the backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous, too. Those two elements swirl together to create an atmosphere that is so dreamlike and fantastical. The impressionistic art style was a great choice, not just because of how it ages but because it really captures a spirit of escapism and immersion that I think for a lot of people is why they play video games.
Bro i just gotta say please keep making vids like this. I came to this channel for a random top 10 list but after seeing the video about forests or the one about campfires or snowy places or beach areas thats what made me subscribe and and become a huge fan. I love your enviromental videos please keep making them thank you so much
We definitely plan on making more environmental videos in the future, just not sure when the next one will be yet. Unfortunately they’ve never really done that well in the algorithm for us but I do enjoy making them and people to seem to like them. Thanks for subbing btw!
Great video! Dino Crisis 2 has some of my favourite pre-rendered backgrounds in any game. Especially when they were dynamic for jnstance when the T-Rex was walking in the background. Or when you are crossing a rope bridge and you see movement of the trees underneath you etc
@15:30 - the point on sometimes getting lost in pre rendered backgrounds - ff7 seems to be used as the example of this, but you can toggle on/off the arrows in this game too!
That feel when you are starting the planning phase of a indie RPG trying to do the same style as PS1 Square RPG's and you stumble upon this amazing recourse of a youtube channel.
Dude, it’s a crazy undertaking, my brother and I are working on a Resident Evil style pre rendered background game, that we’ve been workshopping the story for almost 4 years now, after about 6 months I finally have a working camera system that automatically renders the depth of the pre-render I’m using by utilizing the alpha information from the renders. It’s just so hard to find information on this style in a way that’s compatible with modern tech. But it is possible but be prepared for way more work than you think. You’re basically doing twice the amount of work you would be to make a regular 3D game. So though tough don’t get discouraged, you have all the time you need, if it takes 5 years so be it! But I wish you the best of luck it’s an undertaking!
Dude, it’s a crazy undertaking, my brother and I are working on a Resident Evil style pre rendered background game, that we’ve been workshopping the story for almost 4 years now, after about 6 months I finally have a working camera system that automatically renders the depth of the pre-render I’m using by utilizing the alpha information from the renders. It’s just so hard to find information on this style in a way that’s compatible with modern tech. But it is possible but be prepared for way more work than you think. You’re basically doing twice the amount of work you would be to make a regular 3D game. So though tough don’t get discouraged, you have all the time you need, if it takes 5 years so be it! But I wish you the best of luck it’s an undertaking!
Dude, it’s a crazy undertaking, my brother and I are working on a Resident Evil style pre rendered background game, that we’ve been workshopping the story for almost 4 years now, after about 6 months I finally have a working camera system that automatically renders the depth of the pre-render I’m using by utilizing the alpha information from the renders. It’s just so hard to find information on this style in a way that’s compatible with modern tech. But it is possible but be prepared for way more work than you think. You’re basically doing twice the amount of work you would be to make a regular 3D game. So though tough don’t get discouraged, you have all the time you need, if it takes 5 years so be it! But I wish you the best of luck it’s an undertaking!
Dude, it’s a crazy undertaking, my brother and I are working on a Resident Evil style pre rendered background game, that we’ve been workshopping the story for almost 4 years now, after about 6 months I finally have a working camera system that automatically renders the depth of the pre-render I’m using by utilizing the alpha information from the renders. It’s just so hard to find information on this style in a way that’s compatible with modern tech. But it is possible but be prepared for way more work than you think. You’re basically doing twice the amount of work you would be to make a regular 3D game. So though tough don’t get discouraged, you have all the time you need, if it takes 5 years so be it! But I wish you the best of luck it’s an undertaking!
Heart of darkness and Abe exodus had great pre-rendered background with super cool level transitions. Like a cinematic would trigger looking exactly like the pre-rendered background and would make the camera travel from one background to another, almost seamlesly.
I wish they didn't suddenly disappear from the industry the way they did. AI upscaled FF7/8/9 still looks *gorgeous* and I think it would still work today in modern games. Live 3D environments are just too difficult and expensive to make, and I don't think every game or genre benefits, particularly JRPGs where I feel the loss of fidelity and detail has really made their worlds feel so lifeless and boring.
AI upscaled looks like shit to be honest, everything becomes "oily" and text turns into gibberish sometimes. The best way to make prerendered backgrounds look better is to use crt shaders.
Pretty sure these pre rendered ones actually take more time to develop because every time you want to make any small change you have to re render the whole scene and now you don't have to do it anymore as realtime graphics have more than caught up there is no reason to
Pre-Rendered graphics are actually 3D polygons that are then converted to a flat 2D image. If you're taking all that time to make a pre-render than just make it into an actual 3D space that the gamer can explore.
“Live 3D environments are too difficult and expensive to make”… how do you… how do you think they made the pre-rendered 3D environments to begin with 😭
I’ve been looking for an artist that can replicate the style and feel of these pre-rendered backgrounds mostly from Resident Evil 1-3, Final Fantasy 7 & 8 and Parasite Eve, I love the style and atmosphere they portray, it really screams the early 90’s at a time when we all lived carefree.
There are not much Artists that have that kind of Freedom of Expression like in ff7-9 era. even today, the Modern FF like 15 and 16 have a Bland City that mimic real world, instead of exploring the Novelty and focused more on Art Direction my theory is, it was either because the key people left square and replaced by newer generation, and it became a Lost Art, so Unique that it was Never to be found again in a New Generation Talent Or They're embarrassed about it, especially how vocal about them wanted to be Accepted by western Audience, therefore they thought that creating a Bland Environment like Bethesda game or other Medieval game will Win over Western Audiences, not knowing that they lost their identity in the process, even today, they still confused about what game they're supposed to make, you can see this in Forspoken, or the Game studio that they acquire, which is like Hitman or Tomb Raider i think they should Lean More about Fantasy and Novelty, and just screw the Naysayer who said that their Character or Environment is Edgy or Cringe. don't fear to be weird, don't fear if the Environment took too much creative liberty and not resembled real world at all. after all we played game to Experience a new world, not to explore the real world again. like why would i play something that repeating Medieval village over and over again? there are already a neverending Ubisoft game, skyrim or witcher, that already done the job.
@@almostdarkslide3851True, but it takes more than just knowing how to use the hardware and software, it's more of trying to capture the look and feel of the 90's pre-rendered background games.
I really like those video game and anime mashups that show up with your logo. It reminds me of the good old days when I would chill watching adult swim and play video games on the weekends. Cool vid doods
While I do enjoy how full 3d backgrounds has made more immersive gameplay, there is just something special about those old pre-rendered backgrounds. In fixed camera, pre-rendered backgrounds, it's like your characters are running around in beautiful paintings. There's a billion modern pixel art games, but you don't see many that use fixed cameras and pre-rendered backgrounds (or duplicate the pre-rendered look using 3d assets) Maybe I would be more interested in retro-styled indie games if more of them tried that art style.
Making a pre-rendered RE style game with my brother, gotta say I’m always stoked to see some new content discussing it, there is very little resource for information on this style for modern tech, and it’s been a doozy trying to get it right, but we finally have the camera system working though!
I am so happy RUclips recommended me this video, and I see you're truly going for some really awesome more specific content I haven't seen anywhere before 😋 I hope you keep going 🤗
i really love pre-rendered backgrounds, and i thank you for showing some love for them aswell. I do use some of those backgrounds as wallpapers in my PC and phone.
I started playing games on the ps2, but I love the ps1 and pre-rendered backgrounds. Playing them even as an adult put me in awe of that time period. I hope you take about FMV soon too because I also love them too. FF8 ones hit so right
I so love pre rendered backgrounds. So much mystery on them. Mainly from Final Fantasy series. The forggotten city , Corel , Midgar , Mt.Nibel , Gold Saucer , Cosmo Canyon , Tomb of the unknown King from FFVIII , Balamb . Practically everything felt so weird and mesmerizing. We could dream on touching and walking in those backgrounds and use our imagination to add more to that. Although FFVII is my all time favorite story/ game , there’s a special feeling in FFVII. A feeling starting from fire cavern and tomb of the unknown king that keep with every memory of laguna and the soundtrack of “find your way“ I think the combo of story / backgrounds and music is unbeatable. I could be writing for hours but you pretty much did this for the rest of us in this amazing video.
Resident Evil 2 and Spyro the Dragon were my first PS games and I was blown away by them, coming from Sega Genesis Drive console. I was obsessed by Residen't Evil's pre-rendered backgrounds to the point I would stand and analyze every detail and level design. It was so realistic back then! Chrono Cross was my first RPG and for weeks I was pretty much immersed in its world, storylines and design. It was truly a unique time in gaming.
I got to about Seven Minutes into your video and I was completely satisfied with the experience. I was all, what a great video that was, I sure love the way this guy presents and gives such an organic Narration, can't wait for the next one, and moved my mouse, and saw there's a whole another half hour left of this video, dude, you made me soooo happy.
What a great video! You mentioned a ton of good stuff here. Special shoutout to the Myst games by the way! I'm glad we still get a lot of pre-rendered games within the point-and-click genre at least. It's such a beautiful style. Final Fantasy IX is definitely my favourite when it comes to this style though. It's just brimming with detail, and the fantasy vibe is amazing!
Pre-rendered backgrounds from back then are definitely my favorite thing by far in my more than 3 decades playing games. Nowadays filters help with their low res, but using a CRT to play them is still the most satifying way for me personally :) What an awesome video, made me emotional haha
Just finished the video and i gotta tell you just how much i appreciated it. I'm 40 years old so i grew up with a lot of these games (i was hoping you would include legend of dragoon and was not disappointed) so sitting back and watching this was the best kind of nostalgia porn that made me feel a sense of wistful comfort. Plus seeing other games I'm unfamiliar with like that summertime adventure was a real treat, those backgrounds on that game are god tier old school anime style that i hadn't seen in a game before quite like that game has. Made me think of background shots in anime such as Golden Boy (which you should absolutely watch if you haven't already it's one of the funniest anime I've ever seen) and others from that era. Thanks for making this it was a really nice throwback with great music and vibes from my youth🙏 *shoutout to that fluffy cat at the end too, love to see it
Love to hear that you enjoyed the video as much as you did dude. Golden Boy is an awesome show for sure and hilarious as hell, I’ve always really loved the overall aesthetic and vibe of it. Very strong sense of style and cool backgrounds like you were saying. Yu Yu Hakusho is another one that really nails that old school 90s anime vibe with its backgrounds. Thanks for watching and Nugget appreciates the shoutout! She’s the real MVP of the channel
One thing that is great is when a pre-rendered background first seemlessly transitions into a pre-rendered FMV and then, again seemlessly, into another pre-rendered background. Basically a fluid change of scene instead of the usual jump cut. I'm not sure which of the games you mentioned did that, but one example of a game that has auch scene transitions (not mentioned in the video) is Oddworld. Another cool thing about Oddworld was that it had not just pre-rendered backgrounds, but also pre-prendered characters. This was possible because it had a fixed side-scrolling perspective, similar to Donkey Kong Country a few years prior.
My favorite PS1 game is Saga Frontier 2. The watercolor backgrounds and the 2D look of the game is one of the main reasons why it's my favorite. My favorite Final Fantasy game is is on the PS1 as well - FFIX. Beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds in that game. Those were the glory days of Square.
I'm so glad you brought this topic up because for the past few months I have been really finding out about how much I love and miss pre rendered backgrounds and as I was playing through the remake of the Star Ocean 2 i was WISHING that there was an option to play the game in the older style. I hope these come back someday and I am glad to know i'm not the only one out there.
Awesome video, never saw a lot of games. Really made me appreciate pre-rendered backgrounds even more. Many times I went: this is really on PSX? wow. Thanks for your video.
CGI or Pre-Rendered, were the main reason why the jump from 16-bit to 32-bit felt so far apart, we were playing cartoon like games (mostly) and in 1994 you had games like Myst, we also played the first Resident Evil on the Saturn in 1997, then Riven and many more. Honestly, while technically we can't compare it to the 128 era of consoles, from a visual and artistic point of view, this aspect alone from the 32-bit era looks more stunning than most games from that era and even the PS3/X360. The amount of care and detail couldn't be reproduced in real-time on these consoles, true, that most are static backgrounds or FMVs, but then again, this is what proper use of the technology at your hands is like., but, but for those who were there and experienced these games were impressed and immersed with this (I know I was). Take all that and add Tomb Raider, a fully 3D free-movement game, the perfect arcade orts and many original games that peaked in a very enthusiastic industry, those were great to watch and play, I can't think of another era in this niche that provided so much new stuff in so little time. The end of the 90's, compared to 1990, for instance, is a huge leap, compared to ,say , 2000, 2010. There were plasma TVs and even touch tablets in the late 90's, albeit way too expensive and experimental (see The Computer Chronicles).
People complain about pre rendered background but i love them. They show the creativity of developers with console limitations. Like how SNES and genesis games were developed.
The intro music on your channel, mixed with the images is like my absolute vibe, I love it so much. Then you go and talk about cosy RPGs on your other videos and man, instant sub
Something that has come along with in the past decade is the use of AI Upscalers to breathe new life into these games. They look absolutely stunning with the upscale and i highly recommended to anyone who owns these games on steam to install the AI upscaled pre-rendered backgrounds to give the games of their childhood a SHARP new look!!
I would argue that the charm of pre-rendered backgrounds is also captured by fixed cameras (think the original Devil May Cry, or Silent Hill 2) which allow for full 3D when it's needed, but also gives it the more cinematic angles. I know sometimes it's annoying to transition from one screen to another in these kinds of games, I really really prefer how cinematic it feels.
The transition part doesn't really need to be a problem these days with emulators (probably a option to skip these wasted frames maybe?) Most certainly if games were made like this today, the slow optical disc drive won't factor into slow transitions anymore (even if it sometimes added to the experience, ie Resident Evil's tension inducing doors).
Fantastic topic for a video. It's amazing how with a little upscaling these backgrounds still look fantastic today. It was such a novel solution to the limitations of the time that doesn't seem like it would work on paper, but thanks to the artistry of those who made these backgrounds seeing 3D characters navigate through them felt quite natural
Ah, the PS1. Nowadays I'm more of a Nintendo fan but man, the PS1 will always be special to me ❤ Oh, and Jade Cocoon had some amazing looking backgrounds, absolutely love the forests!
Nintendo was my introduction to gaming, but I feel like the PS1 is what really solidified my huge passion and love for it all by introducing me to so many of my all time favorite games
I Adore the style as well. I remember back in the day they were somewhat seen in a negative light, a copout if you will, of a pre-baked image, which is essentially what they were, a way to get more detail mileage out of the hardware. But they did, and still do have a certain charm to them. The layering is what i think impresses me.
God I appreciate this channel so much. It hits every nostalgia bone with a hammer. The creators really know how to bring back the spirit of early console gaming that the current generation just doesn't have anymore.
Oh I loved this quite a bit. I remember playing these games and I was really fond of the backgrounds too. I'd get so close to my CRT I could almost see the pixels just to really visually explore everything. This was a nice video that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, I enjoyed seeing titles I had long nearly forgotten about.
Chrono Cross' pre-rendered backgrounds were the TOP-pest of tiers. Between the music and the look, it's basically untouched. Also, waiting for Legend of Dragoon >: ) I know it's coming. Another banger, fellas! Back to the vid. Chat soon 🔥
Ahhh yeahhh my man just uploaded a new video. Hope you’re having a good week bro thanks for the video, already liked it before watching it cuz I know it’s gonna be quality.
Mate, this is the best video you've made so far. I totally agree Pre-rendered backgrounds need to have a come back. They are literally my favourite art form. If anyone hasn't looked into it, so many of your old favourites have had their backgrounds upscaled with AI and look so amazing now, you can see all the details from the orginal art, they were always heavily compressed to fit on a PS1 disc. Sometimes it feels like playing the game all over again with these amazing details you never could see before in the backgrounds. Games that I know have AI upscales are FF7, Re2 and Re3 but i'm sure there's many more. Check out this video where the person talks about FF7 but used mods to make it look faithful yet modern: ruclips.net/video/GrruN4Hg8R8/видео.html
As well as the incredible detail, it is great to recognize that the best examples of prerendered backgrounds "force" visual composition and angles that have been refined in cinema over the last 100 years, and art long before that. I believe this is part of why even a full 3D game with the same amount of detail may not have the same feeling of atmospheric potency. E.g. In all of those examples in FF8 where your player is small against the huge background - this specifically communicates to your brain to feel the grandiosity of environment you are in.
pre rendered background aged really poor when games increased resolution, they were really good when the 3d and 2d bits were both at low resolution, so they looked very natural
Your intro and little in between songs have such nostalgic vibes to them. Makes me think of early 2000’s adult swim music and other things from my childhood.
Back then when game studios were happy making games for gamers. Today are so greedy and mediocre they pander to normies and casuls hoping to break sales records.
Truth! I feel like most of the world is oversaturated nowadays you know ? like they’re a great things still being made, but it won’t be what it once was ever
I too love pre-rendered backgrounds; thx to your vid, Ive got try out some of these titles! Ive played FF7-9 (8 and 9 I never sadly finished), but Legend of Dragoon ugh... I couldn't help but sit and enjoy all the detail crammed into the screen. I do say YAY for mentioning Digimon, I don't hear many ppl talk about when talking about pre-ren backgrounds.
I was thinking the other day about how much I love the pre-rendered graphics of the good ol' 90s and your video appears in the feed... I must thank the almighty algorithm once again 🎉 PS1 plus pre-rendered graphics is the cherry on the pie
Love the video! I also love prerendered backgrounds, especially in jrpgs. I started my adventure with them at that era and they hold a special place in my heart.
Hey everyone! First of all thanks for watching and for all the love on the video so far. I did want to address and correct a few mistakes that have been brought to our attention.
1. The background music is louder than usual, loud enough that we've gotten some comments on it and even a couple people that said they had to stop watching. We do apologize for this as we should have double checked audio levels more before posting. It seemed fine when playing it back through my headphones in Premiere but for the future I need to check it through other means before officially uploading. In hindsight, listening to it now on my TV and computer I can definitely hear how some parts are too loud against my audio. It's particularly bad in the intro with tracks like Balamb Garden but I will say after that a good chunk of the video is leveled more appropriately so if you can make it past the first few minutes, it gets a lot better. Regardless we'll do a better job with this going forward, our other videos don't suffer from this issue so it's mainly just a problem with this particular video.
2. During The Legend of Dragoon section, I make a comment about the game showing arrows on screen to signify entrances/exits. I make it seem like this is the only PS1 RPG to do this but that's actually not correct as FF7 had done this years ago already. I remembered that FF7 and FF9 showed a pointer above the character, but I admit I forgot that 7 also showed arrows to exits on screen. This mistake was made doubly worse as out of all the examples we could have shown during this part, we picked the one other game that actually did do this. All around this was just a mistake on our end so we apologize.
3. I mention that Resident Evil was the first survival horror game to use the pre-rendered background graphical style. I was incorrect about this as apparently Alone in the Dark on the PC was actually the first to do so. I knew that Sweet Home on the NES was the first survival horror game but wrongfully assumed that Resident Evil was the first of its kind. Again, this is made even worse by the fact that I actually do talk about Alone in the Dark on the PS1 in the video so I should have looked more into the older games. I did a lot of research for this video but definitely dropped the ball on instances like this.
I can't 100% promise that another mistake will never be made in a future video, but I can promise I will try to rectify and address them when they're brought to my attention. Accountability and owning up to your mistakes is important, and I'll never be above constructive criticism when trying to improve our content. So yeah, sorry for the errors in this video everyone. We will try to do a better job of being more thorough with research going forward. Thanks again for watching and hope you all have a good day!
EDIT
Also going to throw in a link to our Patreon because fuck it
www.patreon.com/gamingbroductions
No need to apologize, but good on you. Love your videos.
Dude, I thoroughly enjoyed the video!
Mistakes happen, don't feel too bad about it, and keep these videos coming!
Btw, Jade Cocoon, it was made together with the director for Kiki's Delivery Service (Studio Ghibli). :)
legend of dragoon didnt just do the arrow thing. The 3 final fantasy games did it too by just pushing the select button, it would show the characters with a finger above them, and then little red triangles where doors and exits were.
Something bizzare isi never played Legend Of Dragoon because i only ever saw it advertised with those arrows and assumed you didn't turn wm off. I never thought that woth FF. I'm willing to bet they're on by default in LOD and off in FF7
I love pre-rendered backgrounds so much. There was so much details which helped add to the immersion which is what I like when playing a RPG.
Absolutely, it just made the worlds feel lived in and real with how much detail they were able to pack into them
Part is also the low resolution
Pre-rendered backgrounds might have helped provide a much needed "visual immersion" back then, but the lack/limited "interactive immersion" with the elements of those pre-rendered backgrounds was the reason why I was happy that games were going to be fully 3D, even if that meant losing some visual detail... and besides, there's the always fixed camera position with pre-rendered backgrounds.
Pre-rendered backgrounds were an artistic design choice based on the hardware limitations of the time
@@you2be839 not to mention that pre-rendered backgrounds caused the character models to stick out, in a bad way, being different resolution and having different lighting
are pre rendered cgi? are they made using the game's engine so are they ingame cgi?
“Your imagination filled in the gaps” so true bro… I would argue that was probably my favorite aspect of RPGs back in the 90s and 00s. It gave me same vibe as reading a great book or playing with my friends pretending to be knights or something like that. Running through Midgar, Balamb and Alexandria totally fueled my imagination. It certainly didn’t limit it like some forms of media.I may be old school but I miss that about the PS1 era rpgs. As always great content man. You can always tell when people truly love what they talk about.
Mid to late 90's were the golden age of RPG's it seems. Hope for another golden age at some point...
Yes, in a way, we could think of it as playing trough a comic book or a strip cartoon.
or a painting,! when FF12 went with the full 3d look it didn't look as fantastical IMO
Ive been saying this since FFX released and it finally nice to see other people talk about it. I miss prerendered graphics and static camera angles in voiceless JRPGs. Like reading a book like you said and heavy use of the imagination.
Thank you for making this video. I miss the days of prerendered graphics and static camera angled scenes in voiceless JRPGs. The effects the had on the imagination was real!
Man, those PS1 games had so much more charm and personality with those pre-rendered backgrounds. I have them saved and sorted in folders just to admire every tiny detail from time to time. Like, there's just something that the FF7 pre-rendered backgrounds (especially the interiors of homes) does that the fancy graphics of the remakes can't do, they make you feel fuzzy inside.
one feels like walking through a book the other feels like walking through a movie, idk if that makes sense
I get what you mean. I love the visuals of the Remake, but their beauty is different, as was mentioned by emotrashcracja5305.
Almost as fuzzy as the backgrounds look on the PS4!!
Ugh how I wish there were someone to make a 1440p upscale of those backrounds
Modern games look all like the same movie, as being mostly 3D adventure the camera is always behind the shoulder. Take FFVII for example, each stage had a different composition and the characters moved from one direction to another.
In modern games having the same point of view makes everything look like a corridor
Pre-rendered backgrounds are absolutely beautiful and achieve things even modern games haven't, there are only about 4 videos on RUclips talking about them, and they've never gone as in-depth as this, looking to be a great video.
Totally agree. Hope you ended up enjoying it 👍
True. So few people talk about prerendered backgrounds in video games, and even fewer devs consider using this technique anymore, sadly, though it would feel very nice with modern character movement's controls.
Pre rendered backgrounds are amazing and it is great to see them get love!
The PS1 startup sound, is one of the most legendary startup sounds in existence. Great times and memories!
Back then it literally signaled the future. We knew it then. Also waking up early to play a new title was always an amazing day ahead you didn't want to end. I was a rollerblader then so Xtreme games in the long box was HELLA amazing to me. Toshinden, Tekken, ridge racer. That year was amazing!
Ridge racer, Tekken, Tenchu, Coolboarders, Resident Evil, Dino Crisis and so many more are still great to this day. PS1 was definitively revolutionary. Hard to believe it is almost 30 years ago
@@hattorihanzo1329 I've been saying Tenchu needs to come back. And I own a copy of Cool Boarders 2 and Jet Moto 1 the sweet spot of both of those series. Jet Moto was a game my parents got me without me asking and I ended up loving it! Twisted Metal 2 and Vigilante 8 were insane. Rogue Trip wasn't bad either! Soo many fun colorful games back then. I got my brother on R4 recently, he even admitted it was the best in the series and they should do another for ps5. I wish!
@@hattorihanzo1329 and yeah It is crazy to know it was 30 years ago... soo much FUN.
Okay but let’s talk about the PSP’s.
Legit heartwarming theme imo borderline magical.
On the subject of Chrono Cross... I used to just piddle around the maps because they were so beautiful. Even with nothing to do there, the soundtrack and backgrounds were so lovely I just wanted to live there.
Loved this vid. Some pre-rendered backgrounds of the PS1 era are high works of art.
Those backgrounds looked amazing when played on CRT TVs like we did back in the day.
the reason that 3D models from that era look *especially* bad on modern displays is because they aren't 'smoothed out' by the scan lines of the CRT. that's the little bit of graphic magic that's missing.
I wouldn't be surprized if, with the help of AI fans can make various remastered.
Yeah, it's hard to describe how and why CRT were "better" to people who've never played on original hardware.. dunno how we used to find the room for them though 😂
@@unbearifiedbear1885 They were better for the media where the graphical fidelity was made for those screens imo.
@@unbearifiedbear1885 They were heavy and pretty much required a table or cabinet to place on. I still have a small one with built in VCR thats not too heavy. I haven't really used my PS1 on it in decades but I might decide to do it in the future as a little retro day or something. You really do have to see it in person to know what it looks like.
Yoooo I called it on the community post! Perfect topic, the pre rendered backgrounds in PS1 games were so magical.
That you did! Nice one. Didn’t want to react to the original comment as to not spoil the surprise
Love pre-rendered backgrounds like you wouldn't believe. Thanks for the vid!
No problem, thanks for watching!
Also, thanks for featuring my music, fellas! Always surreal hearing your own work mixed in with so many other great artists. Perfect video for it 🔥
Of course dude thanks for letting us use it! Fit the vibe perfectly 💯
What song was yours,? Ff8 remix at the end?
@@randybobandy9828 I had two songs in there- the Kingdom Hearts flip and the intermission track as well.
RUclips game music fans/remixers/producers are one of the best parts of RUclips, period. The work and creativity that you peeps put in is magical! I'm a huge fan of the old crew that put together the Street Fighter 20th Anniversary tribute project, so many bangers in there. But they're just a drop in the ocean of good musicians, and now I discovered you too. Keep up the great work!
Chrono Cross is like the only game that had me constantly taking in how beautiful the backgrounds were (with Baten Kaitos being the other one recently and now I know why lol), I just really love the aesthetic that game went for and it really kickstarted me missing this style of rendering when I played it for the first time last year.
The backgrounds and the music in Chrono Cross are top tier ❤
the background music made me cry, damn man, im old as fk, playing since atari, ps1 WAS THE BEST RPG ERA, nothing came close..i don't remember a bad rpg i played in ps1...damn good old times..
I agree. Developers were knocking out of the park during the ps1 era.
Thanks for this nostalgic time travel session. Have not seen gameplay of the old PSX Final Fantasys for a long time.
Maaan, Final Fantasy was so amazing back then. FF6, FF7, FF8 & FF9 were incredible.
Amazing video, the pre rendered background have a certain vibe that I can only describe as "a still shot of beauty of an even bigger world", I always wondered how the world would look like and it let my imagination run wild.
That chillhop Xenogears track that plays in the background is something I didn't think I needed to hear.
I can literally listen to you talk about this for hours. I absolutely love the style and creativity of pre rendered backgrounds. I would actually frame some of them on my walls.
First time on your channel. That channel opening gave me a nostalgia trip and it transported me to a time when so many things were possible. I am now longing for a time and place that we can never go back to. CRT TVs, Blockbusters, arcades, Motorola and Nokia phones, Pagers, Sony Walkman's, VHS. Internet and personal computers killed that. Maybe I am just old now and tired of being an adult. Growing up during the 90s was truly an awesome feeling. I will forever miss that era.
90's born here 34 ur not old but it was a nice trip it passed fast because we had an awesome time thats why it seems so little it was a great dose of positive dopamine :D keep living happily like we did back then,
What a great video, I am so the target demo for this because these backgrounds live rent free in my heart forever. Good job!
I'm so happy I found your channel. The soundtrack, the videos. Ah man! Thanks!!!
I know this is PS1 and I didn't have a PC at the time but this video sent me back to when I watched my older friend first play Blade Runner on the PC in front of me. I never really knew this type of graphic had a name. Cool vid!
Thank you for taking me back in time where things were much simpler, families were still whole, no responsibilities and all the care in the world I had to give was my next long play session on my cousin's PS1.
I remember fondly of having to just put the controller down when I load a specific part of a game just to take in the atmosphere while listening to the gorgeous OST (eg. PE1 Police Station, RE3 Streets of Raccoon City and FF9 Esto Gaza)
Truly those were the good old days. I'm well aware that this method of presentation is archaic by modern video game standards but there's just this charm about it that gives it a unique, creative, expressive and a more consistent art direction with how the devs present their games despite the technical limitaions at the time.
Thank you for listing the BGM music. Some of the songs brings back some memories.
This was really well made! I enjoyed this a lot and it helped me to realize how much I miss these backgrounds.
What a banger of a video. Amazing job dude. The nostalgia factor hit all the feels big time. The PS1 era was special.
Keep up the great work man. 🤘
Appreciate the kind words dude! The PS1 era truly was something else. Thanks for watching
I’ve gotta say I love the Channel Theme…really reminds me of late ‘90’s-early ‘00’s aesthetics. Very much reminiscent of something Toonami-adjacent. Great work on the video as well, pre-rendering backgrounds has definitely been largely set aside.
I'm so glad you mentioned Chrono Cross. I feel like people tend to focus on the soundtrack when giving that game its flowers but the backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous, too.
Those two elements swirl together to create an atmosphere that is so dreamlike and fantastical. The impressionistic art style was a great choice, not just because of how it ages but because it really captures a spirit of escapism and immersion that I think for a lot of people is why they play video games.
Bro i just gotta say please keep making vids like this. I came to this channel for a random top 10 list but after seeing the video about forests or the one about campfires or snowy places or beach areas thats what made me subscribe and and become a huge fan. I love your enviromental videos please keep making them thank you so much
We definitely plan on making more environmental videos in the future, just not sure when the next one will be yet. Unfortunately they’ve never really done that well in the algorithm for us but I do enjoy making them and people to seem to like them. Thanks for subbing btw!
@@GamingBroductions Vid is shy of 400k views, I think its fair to say the algorithm liked this one!
Couldn’t agree more that a renaissance for this aesthetic style is overdue. It sure hits different.
I think it’s been slowly ramping up to become an art style/trend of sorts. Keep an eye out and you’ll see it becoming more commonplace here soon.
This video was such a vibe man. PS1 games really were beautiful, especially on CRT.
Great video! Dino Crisis 2 has some of my favourite pre-rendered backgrounds in any game. Especially when they were dynamic for jnstance when the T-Rex was walking in the background. Or when you are crossing a rope bridge and you see movement of the trees underneath you etc
Bro, I was sick for 2 days, binge watching all your videos on repeat helps😂
Haha love to hear that last bit! Hope you’re feeling better now dude
Bro I was dead for 28 years ,just woke up and played ps1, mind blown wow bruh
@15:30 - the point on sometimes getting lost in pre rendered backgrounds - ff7 seems to be used as the example of this, but you can toggle on/off the arrows in this game too!
That feel when you are starting the planning phase of a indie RPG trying to do the same style as PS1 Square RPG's and you stumble upon this amazing recourse of a youtube channel.
Good luck, we really need some new RPG's like this
Dude, it’s a crazy undertaking, my brother and I are working on a Resident Evil style pre rendered background game, that we’ve been workshopping the story for almost 4 years now, after about 6 months I finally have a working camera system that automatically renders the depth of the pre-render I’m using by utilizing the alpha information from the renders. It’s just so hard to find information on this style in a way that’s compatible with modern tech. But it is possible but be prepared for way more work than you think. You’re basically doing twice the amount of work you would be to make a regular 3D game. So though tough don’t get discouraged, you have all the time you need, if it takes 5 years so be it! But I wish you the best of luck it’s an undertaking!
Dude, it’s a crazy undertaking, my brother and I are working on a Resident Evil style pre rendered background game, that we’ve been workshopping the story for almost 4 years now, after about 6 months I finally have a working camera system that automatically renders the depth of the pre-render I’m using by utilizing the alpha information from the renders. It’s just so hard to find information on this style in a way that’s compatible with modern tech. But it is possible but be prepared for way more work than you think. You’re basically doing twice the amount of work you would be to make a regular 3D game. So though tough don’t get discouraged, you have all the time you need, if it takes 5 years so be it! But I wish you the best of luck it’s an undertaking!
Dude, it’s a crazy undertaking, my brother and I are working on a Resident Evil style pre rendered background game, that we’ve been workshopping the story for almost 4 years now, after about 6 months I finally have a working camera system that automatically renders the depth of the pre-render I’m using by utilizing the alpha information from the renders. It’s just so hard to find information on this style in a way that’s compatible with modern tech. But it is possible but be prepared for way more work than you think. You’re basically doing twice the amount of work you would be to make a regular 3D game. So though tough don’t get discouraged, you have all the time you need, if it takes 5 years so be it! But I wish you the best of luck it’s an undertaking!
Dude, it’s a crazy undertaking, my brother and I are working on a Resident Evil style pre rendered background game, that we’ve been workshopping the story for almost 4 years now, after about 6 months I finally have a working camera system that automatically renders the depth of the pre-render I’m using by utilizing the alpha information from the renders. It’s just so hard to find information on this style in a way that’s compatible with modern tech. But it is possible but be prepared for way more work than you think. You’re basically doing twice the amount of work you would be to make a regular 3D game. So though tough don’t get discouraged, you have all the time you need, if it takes 5 years so be it! But I wish you the best of luck it’s an undertaking!
Heart of darkness and Abe exodus had great pre-rendered background with super cool level transitions. Like a cinematic would trigger looking exactly like the pre-rendered background and would make the camera travel from one background to another, almost seamlesly.
I wish they didn't suddenly disappear from the industry the way they did. AI upscaled FF7/8/9 still looks *gorgeous* and I think it would still work today in modern games. Live 3D environments are just too difficult and expensive to make, and I don't think every game or genre benefits, particularly JRPGs where I feel the loss of fidelity and detail has really made their worlds feel so lifeless and boring.
AI upscaled looks like shit to be honest, everything becomes "oily" and text turns into gibberish sometimes. The best way to make prerendered backgrounds look better is to use crt shaders.
Pretty sure these pre rendered ones actually take more time to develop because every time you want to make any small change you have to re render the whole scene and now you don't have to do it anymore as realtime graphics have more than caught up there is no reason to
Moguri mod is my favorite mod ever and wish that were hired by other teams.
Pre-Rendered graphics are actually 3D polygons that are then converted to a flat 2D image. If you're taking all that time to make a pre-render than just make it into an actual 3D space that the gamer can explore.
“Live 3D environments are too difficult and expensive to make”… how do you… how do you think they made the pre-rendered 3D environments to begin with 😭
FFVII did have those arrows to show what was an entrance/exit and what was interactive too. Very useful!
Yeah this was our mistake, sorry about that! We address this and a couple other things in a pinned comment
@@GamingBroductions yes, you only had to press the "select" button to make them appear, i think.
I’ve been looking for an artist that can replicate the style and feel of these pre-rendered backgrounds mostly from Resident Evil 1-3, Final Fantasy 7 & 8 and Parasite Eve, I love the style and atmosphere they portray, it really screams the early 90’s at a time when we all lived carefree.
There are not much Artists that have that kind of Freedom of Expression like in ff7-9 era.
even today, the Modern FF like 15 and 16 have a Bland City that mimic real world,
instead of exploring the Novelty and focused more on Art Direction
my theory is, it was either because the key people left square and replaced by newer generation,
and it became a Lost Art, so Unique that it was Never to be found again in a New Generation Talent
Or They're embarrassed about it, especially how vocal about them wanted to be Accepted by western Audience,
therefore they thought that creating a Bland Environment like Bethesda game or other Medieval game will Win over Western Audiences,
not knowing that they lost their identity in the process, even today, they still confused about what game they're supposed to make,
you can see this in Forspoken,
or the Game studio that they acquire, which is like Hitman or Tomb Raider
i think they should Lean More about Fantasy and Novelty, and just screw the Naysayer who said that
their Character or Environment is Edgy or Cringe.
don't fear to be weird, don't fear if the Environment took too much creative liberty and not resembled real world at all.
after all we played game to Experience a new world, not to explore the real world again.
like why would i play something that repeating Medieval village over and over again?
there are already a neverending Ubisoft game, skyrim or witcher, that already done the job.
Maybe you should look for the tools they were using to render (hardware and software), it could be possible to emulate them today on modern machines.
@@almostdarkslide3851True, but it takes more than just knowing how to use the hardware and software, it's more of trying to capture the look and feel of the 90's pre-rendered background games.
I really like those video game and anime mashups that show up with your logo. It reminds me of the good old days when I would chill watching adult swim and play video games on the weekends. Cool vid doods
Yep that’s the exact vibe we’re going for 👌 thanks dude!
While I do enjoy how full 3d backgrounds has made more immersive gameplay, there is just something special about those old pre-rendered backgrounds. In fixed camera, pre-rendered backgrounds, it's like your characters are running around in beautiful paintings.
There's a billion modern pixel art games, but you don't see many that use fixed cameras and pre-rendered backgrounds (or duplicate the pre-rendered look using 3d assets) Maybe I would be more interested in retro-styled indie games if more of them tried that art style.
I have seen indies using this style and it is glorious. I will find one of them for you.
Edit: I found it. Chronicles of the Alphabet.
If you're into RPGs you should look into Pillars of Eternity. Great game that uses the same concept.
i get very excited when i see that you have posted a new video always thoughtful and incredibly well narrated and edited. keep killing it broski
Really appreciate those kind words! Love to hear about that excitement, thanks for watching and supporting
I think this is the first video of its kind. Thanks for highlighting this topic.
Just wanted to say the production quality of your videos is out of control. Really enjoyed this one! Really unique topic and super nostalgic.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this over the last couple of years. Happy to see I’m not the only one. Thanks for this video!
Making a pre-rendered RE style game with my brother, gotta say I’m always stoked to see some new content discussing it, there is very little resource for information on this style for modern tech, and it’s been a doozy trying to get it right, but we finally have the camera system working though!
Sounds great 😊
I am so happy RUclips recommended me this video, and I see you're truly going for some really awesome more specific content I haven't seen anywhere before 😋 I hope you keep going 🤗
Instant suscribe! you brought some memories dude, I need to go check the remaster version of Chrono Cross right now!
i really love pre-rendered backgrounds, and i thank you for showing some love for them aswell. I do use some of those backgrounds as wallpapers in my PC and phone.
I started playing games on the ps2, but I love the ps1 and pre-rendered backgrounds. Playing them even as an adult put me in awe of that time period. I hope you take about FMV soon too because I also love them too. FF8 ones hit so right
This was a really fun, relaxing watch. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
No problem, glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching
I so love pre rendered backgrounds. So much mystery on them. Mainly from Final Fantasy series. The forggotten city , Corel , Midgar , Mt.Nibel , Gold Saucer , Cosmo Canyon , Tomb of the unknown King from FFVIII , Balamb . Practically everything felt so weird and mesmerizing. We could dream on touching and walking in those backgrounds and use our imagination to add more to that.
Although FFVII is my all time favorite story/ game , there’s a special feeling in FFVII. A feeling starting from fire cavern and tomb of the unknown king that keep with every memory of laguna and the soundtrack of “find your way“ I think the combo of story / backgrounds and music is unbeatable.
I could be writing for hours but you pretty much did this for the rest of us in this amazing video.
Resident Evil 2 and Spyro the Dragon were my first PS games and I was blown away by them, coming from Sega Genesis Drive console. I was obsessed by Residen't Evil's pre-rendered backgrounds to the point I would stand and analyze every detail and level design. It was so realistic back then! Chrono Cross was my first RPG and for weeks I was pretty much immersed in its world, storylines and design. It was truly a unique time in gaming.
I got to about Seven Minutes into your video and I was completely satisfied with the experience. I was all, what a great video that was, I sure love the way this guy presents and gives such an organic Narration, can't wait for the next one, and moved my mouse, and saw there's a whole another half hour left of this video, dude, you made me soooo happy.
Outstanding content as always. This gaming related channel is on another level! Keep going!
Thanks for the kind words! Will do 👌
What a great video! You mentioned a ton of good stuff here. Special shoutout to the Myst games by the way! I'm glad we still get a lot of pre-rendered games within the point-and-click genre at least. It's such a beautiful style. Final Fantasy IX is definitely my favourite when it comes to this style though. It's just brimming with detail, and the fantasy vibe is amazing!
This video was so thorough and well researched. Great job!
Thanks for the kind words!
Pre-rendered backgrounds from back then are definitely my favorite thing by far in my more than 3 decades playing games.
Nowadays filters help with their low res, but using a CRT to play them is still the most satifying way for me personally :)
What an awesome video, made me emotional haha
Just finished the video and i gotta tell you just how much i appreciated it. I'm 40 years old so i grew up with a lot of these games (i was hoping you would include legend of dragoon and was not disappointed) so sitting back and watching this was the best kind of nostalgia porn that made me feel a sense of wistful comfort. Plus seeing other games I'm unfamiliar with like that summertime adventure was a real treat, those backgrounds on that game are god tier old school anime style that i hadn't seen in a game before quite like that game has. Made me think of background shots in anime such as Golden Boy (which you should absolutely watch if you haven't already it's one of the funniest anime I've ever seen) and others from that era. Thanks for making this it was a really nice throwback with great music and vibes from my youth🙏
*shoutout to that fluffy cat at the end too, love to see it
Love to hear that you enjoyed the video as much as you did dude. Golden Boy is an awesome show for sure and hilarious as hell, I’ve always really loved the overall aesthetic and vibe of it. Very strong sense of style and cool backgrounds like you were saying. Yu Yu Hakusho is another one that really nails that old school 90s anime vibe with its backgrounds.
Thanks for watching and Nugget appreciates the shoutout! She’s the real MVP of the channel
One thing that is great is when a pre-rendered background first seemlessly transitions into a pre-rendered FMV and then, again seemlessly, into another pre-rendered background. Basically a fluid change of scene instead of the usual jump cut.
I'm not sure which of the games you mentioned did that, but one example of a game that has auch scene transitions (not mentioned in the video) is Oddworld.
Another cool thing about Oddworld was that it had not just pre-rendered backgrounds, but also pre-prendered characters. This was possible because it had a fixed side-scrolling perspective, similar to Donkey Kong Country a few years prior.
My favorite PS1 game is Saga Frontier 2. The watercolor backgrounds and the 2D look of the game is one of the main reasons why it's my favorite.
My favorite Final Fantasy game is is on the PS1 as well - FFIX. Beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds in that game. Those were the glory days of Square.
I'm so glad you brought this topic up because for the past few months I have been really finding out about how much I love and miss pre rendered backgrounds and as I was playing through the remake of the Star Ocean 2 i was WISHING that there was an option to play the game in the older style. I hope these come back someday and I am glad to know i'm not the only one out there.
Now this is a movie.
Pre-rendered graphics is what made Myst jaw dropping in the early 90's.
Awesome video, never saw a lot of games. Really made me appreciate pre-rendered backgrounds even more. Many times I went: this is really on PSX? wow. Thanks for your video.
CGI or Pre-Rendered, were the main reason why the jump from 16-bit to 32-bit felt so far apart, we were playing cartoon like games (mostly) and in 1994 you had games like Myst, we also played the first Resident Evil on the Saturn in 1997, then Riven and many more. Honestly, while technically we can't compare it to the 128 era of consoles, from a visual and artistic point of view, this aspect alone from the 32-bit era looks more stunning than most games from that era and even the PS3/X360. The amount of care and detail couldn't be reproduced in real-time on these consoles, true, that most are static backgrounds or FMVs, but then again, this is what proper use of the technology at your hands is like., but, but for those who were there and experienced these games were impressed and immersed with this (I know I was).
Take all that and add Tomb Raider, a fully 3D free-movement game, the perfect arcade orts and many original games that peaked in a very enthusiastic industry, those were great to watch and play, I can't think of another era in this niche that provided so much new stuff in so little time. The end of the 90's, compared to 1990, for instance, is a huge leap, compared to ,say , 2000, 2010. There were plasma TVs and even touch tablets in the late 90's, albeit way too expensive and experimental (see The Computer Chronicles).
You have the best title card/ intro ever. Just a vibe of heavy nostalgia
People complain about pre rendered background but i love them. They show the creativity of developers with console limitations. Like how SNES and genesis games were developed.
The intro music on your channel, mixed with the images is like my absolute vibe, I love it so much. Then you go and talk about cosy RPGs on your other videos and man, instant sub
Something that has come along with in the past decade is the use of AI Upscalers to breathe new life into these games. They look absolutely stunning with the upscale and i highly recommended to anyone who owns these games on steam to install the AI upscaled pre-rendered backgrounds to give the games of their childhood a SHARP new look!!
I miss prerendered backgrounds so much. Such a great era in gaming. Great video btw you've got my sub :)
I would argue that the charm of pre-rendered backgrounds is also captured by fixed cameras (think the original Devil May Cry, or Silent Hill 2) which allow for full 3D when it's needed, but also gives it the more cinematic angles. I know sometimes it's annoying to transition from one screen to another in these kinds of games, I really really prefer how cinematic it feels.
The transition part doesn't really need to be a problem these days with emulators (probably a option to skip these wasted frames maybe?)
Most certainly if games were made like this today, the slow optical disc drive won't factor into slow transitions anymore (even if it sometimes added to the experience, ie Resident Evil's tension inducing doors).
Amazing vid, and oh wow that channel opening is probably the best I've ever seen!
The 90s was a magical time.
From video games to cartoons and anime and movies, the 90s were absolutely firing on all cylinders
@@GamingBroductions So glad all of us grew up during the 90's.
Those Chrono Cross backgrounds were soo pretty! I needed to play that game yesterday
Awesome video!
Thank you, we appreciate it!
You have some of the most unique and interesting video ideas I've seen in a while. Love it keep up the great work.
Pre-rendered backdrops are my favourite aesthetic.
Fantastic topic for a video. It's amazing how with a little upscaling these backgrounds still look fantastic today. It was such a novel solution to the limitations of the time that doesn't seem like it would work on paper, but thanks to the artistry of those who made these backgrounds seeing 3D characters navigate through them felt quite natural
Thanks! And yep, it gave the artists a lot of room to express their creativity which was awesome
Ah, the PS1. Nowadays I'm more of a Nintendo fan but man, the PS1 will always be special to me ❤
Oh, and Jade Cocoon had some amazing looking backgrounds, absolutely love the forests!
Nintendo was my introduction to gaming, but I feel like the PS1 is what really solidified my huge passion and love for it all by introducing me to so many of my all time favorite games
@@GamingBroductions Agreed. The PSX felt like the true successor to the SNES more so than the N64 did.
I’m definitely a fan of the pre-rendered environments in Digimon World.
Someone else who remembers Jade Coccoon
Bro you definitely just won my subscription. I was sold withing the first 10 minutes of this video.
The ps1 start up sound is so daaaamn good!
For me you did a great job capturing the nostalgia. Nothing more, nothing less, perfect!
I Adore the style as well. I remember back in the day they were somewhat seen in a negative light, a copout if you will, of a pre-baked image, which is essentially what they were, a way to get more detail mileage out of the hardware. But they did, and still do have a certain charm to them. The layering is what i think impresses me.
What's the song you use for your intro? It's so vibeyyyy 🔥 one of my favorite youtube gaming intros
also what's the song at 33:20??
God I appreciate this channel so much. It hits every nostalgia bone with a hammer. The creators really know how to bring back the spirit of early console gaming that the current generation just doesn't have anymore.
Its amazing seeing how the pre-rendered backgrounds and 3d models blend together when played on a crt (or a well made shader pack)
Oh I loved this quite a bit. I remember playing these games and I was really fond of the backgrounds too. I'd get so close to my CRT I could almost see the pixels just to really visually explore everything. This was a nice video that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, I enjoyed seeing titles I had long nearly forgotten about.
Chrono Cross' pre-rendered backgrounds were the TOP-pest of tiers. Between the music and the look, it's basically untouched.
Also, waiting for Legend of Dragoon >: ) I know it's coming.
Another banger, fellas! Back to the vid. Chat soon
🔥
LOL that was quick
Ahhh yeahhh my man just uploaded a new video. Hope you’re having a good week bro thanks for the video, already liked it before watching it cuz I know it’s gonna be quality.
Appreciate it man! Hope you’re having a great week yourself and thanks for watching
Mate, this is the best video you've made so far. I totally agree Pre-rendered backgrounds need to have a come back. They are literally my favourite art form. If anyone hasn't looked into it, so many of your old favourites have had their backgrounds upscaled with AI and look so amazing now, you can see all the details from the orginal art, they were always heavily compressed to fit on a PS1 disc. Sometimes it feels like playing the game all over again with these amazing details you never could see before in the backgrounds. Games that I know have AI upscales are FF7, Re2 and Re3 but i'm sure there's many more.
Check out this video where the person talks about FF7 but used mods to make it look faithful yet modern: ruclips.net/video/GrruN4Hg8R8/видео.html
As well as the incredible detail, it is great to recognize that the best examples of prerendered backgrounds "force" visual composition and angles that have been refined in cinema over the last 100 years, and art long before that.
I believe this is part of why even a full 3D game with the same amount of detail may not have the same feeling of atmospheric potency.
E.g. In all of those examples in FF8 where your player is small against the huge background - this specifically communicates to your brain to feel the grandiosity of environment you are in.
pre rendered background aged really poor when games increased resolution, they were really good when the 3d and 2d bits were both at low resolution, so they looked very natural
Your intro and little in between songs have such nostalgic vibes to them. Makes me think of early 2000’s adult swim music and other things from my childhood.
Back then when game studios were happy making games for gamers. Today are so greedy and mediocre they pander to normies and casuls hoping to break sales records.
Truth! I feel like most of the world is oversaturated nowadays you know ? like they’re a great things still being made, but it won’t be what it once was ever
I too love pre-rendered backgrounds; thx to your vid, Ive got try out some of these titles! Ive played FF7-9 (8 and 9 I never sadly finished), but Legend of Dragoon ugh... I couldn't help but sit and enjoy all the detail crammed into the screen. I do say YAY for mentioning Digimon, I don't hear many ppl talk about when talking about pre-ren backgrounds.
FF VIII > Everything!
8 sucked
I was thinking the other day about how much I love the pre-rendered graphics of the good ol' 90s and your video appears in the feed... I must thank the almighty algorithm once again 🎉
PS1 plus pre-rendered graphics is the cherry on the pie
background music is too loud.
Love the video! I also love prerendered backgrounds, especially in jrpgs. I started my adventure with them at that era and they hold a special place in my heart.