I remember a few years ago the first ratchet and clank was free for no reason on the ps store so I replayed it on a whim and forgot how beautiful and fun it was
@@aerodynamicangel2179 For big companies, yes. Makes it all the more important to spread the word of the smaller devs and lesser-known games that *do* sport those qualities. Aside from vibrant worlds and spunky/whimsical characters, what other qualities do you value in a game? And have there been any games in recent years that supplied that? I may be able to share some titles of other such games from recent years (or upcoming) that could supply what you seek.
Zelda’s are often great examples of a stylized graphics. BOTW is a gorgeous game, and Wind Waker still looks great 21 years later. That’s a big advantage of choosing stylized graphics over realism: your game ages much more gracefully. Cuphead will look just as good in 30 years as it does today, while today’s hyper-real games will age the way Skyrim and GTA V have-still fun, but they definitely “look old” now
Well, realistic games can also be very stylized. Games like Arkham Knight and Uncharted 4 are almost 10 years old, and they look just as great as the day they came out
Your point on people looking down on "baby games" definitely speaks to me. It is always a bummer to look around and see how much people cant just celebrate good games but have to pit everything against each other just for some "Game of the Year" title. I absolutely loved Astrobot and FF7Rb for completely different reasons. I understand wanting your fav to get their flowers, but theres no need to trash another great piece of media. On realism vs stylized, i'd say i definitely value more stylized visions, but also if the art direction is unique enough, a "realistic" higher fidelity game can also work. Monster Hunter comes to mind for me, where they clearly aim for a more "realistic" depiction to make their world feel alive, but it sticks to making sure people recognize its still monster hunter. New to the channel and looking forward to more of your work! Its great to hear more about games from people directly in the industry that also work on games.
I've never played FF7Rb but it didn't prevent me from enjoying it because it feels like FF7 animated series more than anything. Watching the plot edited together on RUclips has been entirely sufficient.
I find it funny how quick people are to compare Astrobot to Mario, when I find it much more closely resembles Kriby and the Forgotten Land to me. I would highly recommend playing it if you haven't already!
Yea, i think people jump to the Mario comparison because Mario is just super popular. Sadly most platformers aren't nearly as popular as Mario. Kirby's merchandise sales dwarf the success of his actual games
well kirby and the forgotten land are the first ever 3d platform kirby game, thats why people dont compare it to that, mario have plenty of 3d platform like mario 64,mario sunshine, mario galaxy 1 & 2 , mario Odyssey, mario 3d world and bowser fury, and mostly all the mechanic in astro bot are ripoff from mario game even the boss mechanic is the same
I honestly believe in this day and age. The best way to enjoy a game is to avoid all online criticisms, opinions, and just immerse yourself. No matter what the game is, they will always be toxic people judging and people wanting to influence you to think like they do. I personally block all reviews. If I'm interested in a game and enjoy it. I rather connect with other people who are like minded.Then others who are trying to tear it down.
A point of frustration for a long time has been that chasing after the "trend" of graphical advancement for its own sake almost wiped out multiple genres: - Back in the late 90s, the shift to 3D practically killed off the adventure game genre for a decade, until Telltale put their own spin on it and indie developers brought back the classic format. - In the mid to late 00s, JRPGs were also hit by the ever increasing demands of AAA production value, and while many studios have recovered (and been supplemented with indies) by focusing on stylized art and polished versions of traditional mechanics, Final Fantasy is very much still stuck in the AAA realism trap with inflated production cycles. Looking back, I feel like my own obsession with realistic graphics between the mid-90s and mid-00s was very much driven by industry marketing and id Software loyalism. While being loyal to a games company is kind of dumb in general, I do appreciate that also being into Nintendo kept me from rejecting stylized games in the way many of my peers did. Realism stops being impressive eventually, but a nice aesthetic can last forever. (And less demanding graphics are generally more practical.)
My favorite game of all time is Uncharted 4, which even today boasts impressive graphics, but the graphics aren't the reason it's my favorite game-like you said, what mattered is that I had fun with it. To me, that and story (depending, since something like Super Smash Bros. is purely about gameplay) are the two most important aspects of a game.
Games like Lies of P and Silent Hill 2 immersed me thanks to their graphics - but Echoes of Wisdom stole my heart. They both have their place and I’m glad indie devs and Nintendo games exist.
Agree, there's a Time and a place for every style...for me the health of the industry Will show when there's not only 1 type of games that take everything, but can coexist plenty of genres and styles of games In success
I like simulation and more vibrant arcade styles alike so there's certainly room for both. The main downside to the realistic style is that graphics arguably peaked around 2018 and they've gotten more demanding with little fidelity increase.
It's funny and ironic how a simple-looking game showcases the PS5's capabilities better than any other game. Those thousands of small objects moving realistically based on true physics calculations are one of the things that they promised with the PS5's arrival back on 2020. Other games just fake the physics altogether. 😂
Really love this video format! Great job. Metaphor has been the most recent game that has immersed me and reminded me why I love single player story games.
stylistic games is the only thing that grabs my attention for day 1 purchase for myself as of late. The initial Metaphor trailers honestly sold me from a visual aspect outside of being an Atlus game.
Well you're in luck, a random stranger on the internet (me) knows a lot of games from recent --and upcoming-- years with striking visual styles to share. For example: Clash: artifacts of Chaos (personal favourite) Cookie Cutter (personal favourite-- has more planned in the future!) Zet Zillions (fond of this one) Blud (fond of this one) My Familiar (I think i'll be fond of this one) Pillory Judero No Straight Roads (personal favourite) Lost in Random (and its upcoming sidequel The Eternal Die) Harold Halibut The Midnight Walk Decline's Drops (has more planned in the future! Magenta Horizon Promise Mascot Agency Ruffy and the Riverside Kraino Rebirth Immortal: And the Death that Follows The Eternal Life of Goldman Prim Bad Boro Resistor Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo Near-Mage The Dungeon Experience Yasuke: A Lost Descendant and there may be more i'm forgetting. Well worht looking into all of these!
I always find this conversation fascinating because people (not you specifically just in general) will present this as an unpopular opinion, despite this being a recurring conversation for about 20 years now. Also, I’d say that there are more stylized games than realistic games, especially considering indie games, yet every time a realistic game comes out people feel the need to say they’d prefer it to be stylized and every time a stylized game comes out those people point out that it’s better because it’s not going for realism. I think the industry as a whole is more interesting when artists use the art style that suits the game they want to make, be it more stylized or more realistic. Art style shouldn’t become a rule that every developer is required to follow.
I made the switch to PC recently but I think Astrobot looks really fun. I think the people that need their "serious" looking games to be regarded over it are literally just children looking to have their tastes validated. I enjoyed this video and how you talk about games in general on your channel. The vibe is just real chill and I enjoy it. It's good stuff.
When it comes to graphics, I'm of the mind that we can have it all. I grew up playing Nintendo and Nintendo-like sorts of games and that's still where most of my gaming attention goes, but realistic styles have their place and value. My thing is that I've been gaming long enough to watch graphics evolve in real time, but the "realistic" games stopped having any real impact on me somewhere between the PS2 and PS3 eras. While they've continued to improve and become more impressive since then, I haven't actually cared. And that's the sticky part of this because I 100% what to give credit to the digital artists and animators that make these games possible and how they push the medium forward...but I also don't really want them to have to work as much as they do to make those strides as quickly as they are.
I hope the success of Astro Bot, leads to a resurgence of such whimsical and fun games, that Nintendo of course has dominated, but there's enough space for other developers to also follow that trajectory again. Liked the video, good conversational piece! Although I'd like to highlight that the shutdown of Japan Studio, whom also developed lost of similair to Astro Bot, was a sad decision :(
I think it's less a matter of style and more a matter of scale. What astro Bot proved is that there's an audience for shorter games with smaller teams and shorter dev cycles. More stylized graphics are just a result of that production process. There should always be room for massive GTA6 style games, but I think it's healthier for the industry as a whole to scale down.
Realism only works if it adds to the style or atmosphere of a game. If it's realism for realism's sake the game will never stand the test of time. A game like Hi-fi rush blew up in 2023 because it was the antithesis to games that focus on graphical fidelity. It had a fun and old school type of style to that a lot of people loved. BOTW also doesn't have much graphical fidelity at all, but every time jogging on an open field as the sun is setting is an indescribable feeling. Graphics never mattered more than fun and artistic vision
every "realistic" game tries to be like The Last of Us or some live-action drama, I miss games like Gravity Rush and Mirrors Edge giving us unique worlds and experiences :( which is why I'm even more mad Pearl Abyss decided to focus on the boring inspired Crimson Desert first rather than the whimsical, COLORFUL, WEIRD UNIQUE FUN concept of DokeV :/ hell the trailer got 9.1M views before it was taken down, I don't understand we have so many fantasy games already
Astro Bot is amazing! GOTY for sure! First game in 30 years I’ve played again straight after fully completing it. My second favourite platinum ever. Odyssey was marvellous but Astro is better - much cooler boss fights, hidden mini bosses, other games cameo levels, interactive and expansive hub world, plot twist at the end and amazing dual sense immersion (haptic feedback)
Games like Deep Rock Galactic, Spiritfall, Warframe, and now crosscode all have me captivated lately. Warframe is the most “realistic” but still very scifi. DRG did something unique by giving you this stylized dwarven cave diving in space game type that I never knew I wanted. The whole aesthetic is so special. Spiritfall take the formula of smash bros control scheme and turns it into a roguelite. Crosscode is really hard to pin down as a type of isometric action rpg with a similar art style to chrono trigger. Each game does something very unique and makes me love games again!
Great video! I'm finding myself increasingly returning to the more 'simple' games. I think another big reason for it is my age. I'm in my early 30s now, and I just don't have the time for the huge blockbusters that favours longevity / realism over fun. I just want a nice, colourful, creative and fun game to spend my limited time on!
There are plenty of new and young games that don't look realistic at all. Matter of fact, I notice the Retro stuff is making a massive comeback. Over the span of 8 years I've noticed a lot of Minecraft fans venturing out to the Retro-Style games.
Another possible win for more stylized/more cartoony games this year as well as for smaller studios and licensed games. A 3-D platformer based on The Smurfs came out and the developers hyped it up as “As good as Super Mario 3-D World”. Reviewers scoffed, naturally. But then they played it and were like “Actually, yeah, it’s pretty close to that good at least”.
Love the chill convo style video. Games need to focus on "Game Essense", as Smash Bros Masahiro Sakurai puts it. Why you enjoyed Astro Bot so much is because it has polished its "Game Essense" to highest levels, and not bog down by meaningless trends. Unfortunately, general customers put those meaningless trends (Overblown emphasis on graphics, heaps of content "bang for buck" etc)
The reason your comment section turned into console wars is cuz Nintendo fans are crybabies who can’t fathom the fact that other companies can make games similar to them and that some ppl have differing opinions and like things other than Nintendo. To the point of graphics, we can have both tbh. We don’t need to stop pushing graphics but we also shouldn’t try to make all games the best thing ever graphically if it means sacrificing gameplay. There should be a balance and variety. I’m with most ppl on wanting more artistically different games but I also reject the idea just because a game strives to be graphically impressive that it’s automatically bad, cringe, overrated, or a movie/walking sim. Games can be and look whatever the artist wants it to be so long as it doesn’t lose and sacrifice gameplay.
I don't know if I ever truly thought about the REALISM IN VIDEO GAMES debate when it came to ASTRO BOT, but what I *do* think about is CREATIVITY. It's funny because on it's face: it's a game that is celebrating franchises, nostalgia, and the PLAYSTATION BRAND. You'd think a game like that would be soulless. But instead it's clear that all of it's money, time, and effort went into pushing forward creative new idea after creative new idea. Money going into details that big budget AAA games would never even think about. It's a diamond in an industry that has over the years, been inundated with a lot of big budget copycats and cash-grabs trying to be the next [Insert well known successful game here]. It's a big budget reminder of when gaming would also just... try new fun stuff I guess? It feels special and different to me. Otherwise: Realism has its place, as long as the game is fun. But in modern times, you can easily think of a slew of examples of games SUFFERING because so many man hours were put into making it look and feel *REAL*. PS: meme of the week implies ANNA EVERY WEEK?!
I think we crave variety simply put. Games are getting better and having really varied environments and backrounds (Thinking about Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok because I've played those alot recently) But those are definitely very mature, complicated games. The vibrancy and whimsy of Astrobot had me smiling the entire time. Sometimes its nice to just enjoy something wholly for its simplicity and the joy it illicits. The new Zelda was cute, but I still haven't finished it, It just didn't hook me like the last few Zelda games have despite being a very bright, adorable game. Astro really is quality game design. GOTY if the Elden Ring DLC doesn't count as a game at the VGA's.
I had to jump into styled colorful games after growing out of my teens playing CoD. It is much more fun when the games don't try to take themselves seriously but have real solid gameplay.
"These games have us asking whether it's time to revisit our roots and whether what was considered the future of gaming is maybe the past." OKAY???? BANGER?????
I've been watching the debate between gameplay versus graphics and what should get priority since the early 90s, more and more people are finally realizing that gameplay is what makes a video game fun and compelling. A vivid, creative art style and direction is also more durable and engaging than pure resolution and raw detail. Graphical fidelity will only ever continue to run the race of diminishing returns, and what gets called realism today will be chided as aged 5 years or less from now by techbros obsessed with resolution. The majority of games are still fundamentally wireframes, polygons, texture maps, lit and given simulated physics in a virtual environment and rendered in pixels on a 2D glass pane. It's not worth taking so seriously or being pushed as a hyper reality that ought to replace, instead of augment, real experiences.
Well I don't think we should reject realism in games we just need a balance because if we get rid of one thing the same thing going to happen with games of fun and cartoony artsyle in the 2000s
I love playing games that make me think a lot like metaphor. But I will also definitly play the infinity nikki game when it comes out. Like, I dunno. Just play what seems fun to you. No reason to let the internet judge you for what you enjoy. Also, scores are so dumb...make your own judgements by looking at one or two gameplay videos of the game and see if it runs well. Definitly don't listen to journalists like ign to make a purchase. And no I don't care how realistic or unrealistic a game is. Much more important to me that it entertains me.
Metaphor is my game of the year! As it captivated me with its beautiful homage of the renaissance era but also being colorful and is the first game in years that I have bought day 1.
Nowadays the games I like the most are actually those that try to show more with less. 2D sprites, pixel art, even straight up text-based. Playing them convinces me again and again that amount of fun rarely correlate with the complexity of the graphical presentation. There is a point where the graphics are "good enough" and we're far past this point.
I've been gaming since the the emergence of video games and arcades. I remember seeing Space Invaders, Galaxia, Asteroids, and the popularity of Pac-Man explode. Atari 2600 Adventure is still an all time favorite. It was Elden Ring in 1980. Donkey Kong brought everything to another level and then there was Super Mario Bros. The point is the only reason I enjoy video games is because of the FUN! If it's not fun than what is the point? In recent years my gaming library of modern games is very small. I'm extremely picky what games I buy and despite reviews and ratings know that I will be often disappointed. Replayability is right there next to fun. If a game has those 2 things I may go back and play for years to come.
Have you ever heard of pleasing to the eye. Just because it is realistic does not mean that the graphics are immediately beautiful. I'm playing Mario and Luigi Brothership, the cel-shading + the cartoony world and character look much better than most AAA games nowadays. The same goes for games like Persona or Cuphead or most 2D games that have been remakes in the chibi style
it happened again with Webfishing releasing and taking inspiration from Animal Crossing. So many now wish Animal crossing can take some inspirations from Webfishing because of how charming it is. Me and my friends can't stop playing it
Is realism overrated? Welcome to 2009 lol Jokes aside, the quest for photo realism has been slowly killing the industry for at least a decade. At this point it’s getting scary. Costs are ballooning, games can’t make their money back, tens of thousands of people are being laid off, studios are closing…
I don't understand the comments that say games should stop trying to be realistic. Limiting games to a specific style makes no sense. That's like saying if you like animation more, studios need to start making less live action movies. There should be diversity in styles, and realistic graphics definitely still have a place. Plus, it's like some people believe games that target realism can't be fun, which is a huge lie. And while this is another topic entirely, video games are an interactive medium that you can explore a lot of different feelings with than just fun. That sounds kinda pretentious but if games are just limited to fun and colorful, a lot of cool experiences could be lost that can explore all kinds of feelings in players.
@psychokinrazalon Well, look at the Avatar movies or the Planet of the Apes movies. Those use heavy CGI and are not considered animated movies in the traditional sense, and I wouldn't want them to change their styles
1- Realism is overrated. There's only so much you can do in a realistic setting. And we've reached the limit already to the point every single realistic-looking game is, basically, the same. 2- Videogames are, first and foremost, a form of escapism from reality. When you start wanting to bring said reality to fiction, things start becoming bad. This is the whole crux of the argument. 3- The money spent on realistic graphics and such could be better used to actually make the games more content-filled. I don't even remember the last time I've seen a realistic game brimming with content (and without 2077 bugs). It's dumb that we have a game looking so realistic but you can finish it in 5-6 hours at most. 4- In the long run, it's too expensive to keep focusing on realism above all else. Look at Square. Look at others who do the same thing. FFVIIR leans heavily on the realistic side of the spectrum, but didn't manage to reach big numbers. Of course the exclusivity didn't help but even then, I sincerely doubt it'd amount to much.
@brtruev1710 1- There is plenty you can do in a realistic setting in games and there are variety. Yeah over the shoulder shooters are common but it's not like God of War is the same as Resident Evil or GTA. 2- I can't understand this. Games, movies, books, TV, music are all forms of escapism. And why do you think people can connect or relate to stories or characters? Plenty of stories, games, movies, shows etc, have fictional stories that take place in real world settings. Last of Us is fictional that takes place with realistic humans and realistic characters. And it's fantastic 3- You mention FF7R in your next point. How is this game not packed with content? Or RDR2, and way, way more? There's even been an argument that those games are getting even longer. On the opposite end, something like Sonic games don't target realism but are generally very short. 4- GTA targets realism and these are some of, the best selling game series ever. You can bet GTA6 will sell insane numbers. It's ok to not like realistic looking games but saying that they shouldn't be made doesn't make sense.
I think the equivalent issue would be live action remakes in the entertainment industry. The transfer from animated to "realistic" graphics demonstrates the advancement of technology but loses the personality from the original works
You have great taste in videogames. I also loved Astro Bot, bought Echoes of Wisdom yesterday and am loving it, and detested The Plucky Squire. The hints are avoidable, so I didn't have a problem with them, but the Plucky Squire narrates too much.
Loved the video, the structure and the material! i find the topic of realism in games intriguing because for many years it seems like gamers have been begging for realistic, high fidelity experiences like The Last of Us and Red Dead 2 only for them to denounce and rebuke it now.
I feel like there are separate camps of gamers here. I think it has to do with the homogenization of games, meaning how so many open world games all look the same and how many FPS games look like CoD clones. But when we see a game that looks unique like Astro Bot or Echoes of Wisdom, it's refreshing to see something that looks just a bit different.
I hadn't experienced this kind of 3D platformer gameplay much since I never owned a console growing up, so games like Psychonauts 2, Plucky Squire, It Takes Two etc have felt insanely fresh to me, and they def got me interested in trying the Nintendo library soon
Congratulations on your positioning with Wukong! I was baffled the other day because of a girl of Japanese descent, that did study game development, she should how how women are treated in large parts of this industry, yet her "patriotism" apparently doesn't allow her to acknowledge the huge problems with misogyny in asian culture (and also in much of the west) which is not a stereotype, it's a fact, the Wukong guy is just another crazy example.
I think a huge flaw with gaming right now is its obsessions with fitting in. Most games live in a formula. Where's the innovators, where's our risk takers. The soulslikes went from a niche risk taker to now a new norm. Its just sad.
I noticed that the last 6 games i played where stylized not realistic graphics With more cartoon ish or anime-like style We really really need more art style in games and less real life graphics
I've come to the conclusion that majority of """gamers""" don't even know about gaming and they always go for the most obvious games while ignoring underrated ones. And it sucks that I have a shitton of friends with this exact mindset and I end up being the only one enjoying the colorful ones.
We might be slowly stopping the photorealism lunacy... That's something I wanted since de ps4 era, this will make game makers understand we want good games and the focus should be in mechanics and fun, not in making hair strands move realistically.
Yes! Finally, someone pointed this out. The game you played reminded me of Jumping Flash Playstation 1. My strong interest in games slowly dropped during the PS3 era when most of the games were focused more on graphics realism. The genre and variety were set aside to make way for the "god of war type gameplay". Sony really pushed on this kind of marketing they did the same when Final Fantasy VII for the PS1 became popular and then a slew of RPGs came out. Knowing that the general audience would be satisfied with 3-5 exclusives with the same gameplay style and worse remastered ones. It gets boring. Nintendo followed and the ones that recommend and criticize you that you haven't played Zelda/Mario are the poser ones.
This was a cool idea for a video. I very much enjoyed Echoes of Wisdom, more than I thought I would actually, but have yet to play Plucky Squire. I very much still want to and I thought it was interesting that you suggested it was very much tailored to kids which is funny it may seem obvious that this would be the case but hadn’t actually considered it until you brought it up.
Rebirth was honestly a massive let down. In their attempt to give players a lot of content, they put in a lot of draining, not fun/engaging stuff to do. They also built this beautiful open world that only looks good when you're not moving at all and just looking at it, while in quality mode.
Very cool video! I saw those shorts you talked about that went viral, but I didn't know who made them. Cool to match them to a creator. :) For me, it's cartoony for the win every time. Super realistic games don't really do anything for me -- so it's cool to see how much love Astro Bot is getting. Glad your video popped up on my recommendations! Cheers! :)
I remember how exciting arcade games were in the 90s. A lot of them were polygonal and cartoonish (sometimes even more-so than home console games). There was a fantasy element with those games. In contrast, when a game gets way too realistic, I feel like it loses a lot of that fantasy element and leans towards looking more boring, even though the game might look more graphically impressive.
For me, the difference between a game like Astro Bot and FF7 Remake/Rebirth is that while I enjoyed FF7, there were a lot of parts I never want to play again whereas I will gladly go through everything Astro Bot has to offer all over again
A focus on getting people engaged an immersed in a game over "being realistic" is so much more valuable. Also, nothing wrong with you having a preference of a game like Astrobot over Mario Odyssey, to each their own at the end of the day.
This is why indie games are so successful nowadays and why steam deck is such a perfect console. Get 20$ game thats fun and has a great art style vs 70$ that is a copy/paste of every other game
For me, I think way too much manpower goes into graphics nowadays instead of actual design, or gameplay, or debugging. IMHO the limitations of earlier consoles helped fuel greater design--both graphically and in terms of gameplay. Realistic isn't bad--it just doesn't need to be the standard.
I've been a Nintendo fan since I played New Super Mario Bros. Wii, so I prefer stylized games over realistic ones. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I started to play realistic games like Batman Arkham Asylum, BioShock Infinite, and Stellar Blade. I believe both of these games should be judged on their gameplay and mechanics.
I think realism is just about as overrated and overused as cuteness. The latter seems to me like a cheap way to make things appealing. You could also invent an artstyle that is neither super expensive nor makes the game feel like a cute little toy.
Realistic graphics are great for like racing or flight sims and where it tries to replicate the real thing. In everything else I prefer a distinct art style paired with inventive and fun gameplay. In short I want a video game to look and feel like a video game!
There can definitely be a balance. My favorite games are Uncharted, The Last of Us, Horizon, Assassin's Creed, & the newer Tomb Raider games.... I wasn't into the old ones to be honest. I like playing Sonic the Hedgehog games with my son like Sonic Superstars and I have had a blast watching him play Astrobot. I haven't played a Nintendo game since N64 but I am itching for another Mario experience. They just don't make regular consoles anymore and gimmicks aren't for me. If they came out with another box console with controllers I would purchase it in a heartbeat.
I see a lot of Little Big Planet in Astro Bots design language. Those type of games are so enjoyable. You sit down, grab a controller and just have fun. It doesn't require a guide, 15 spreadsheets and third party programs just to enter the game. Hyper realism doesn't make a game imo, games need good art style with fun creative gameplay and mechanics which feels fresh. It's why Nintendo has been so successful. Obviously story driven games with deep immersion benefit from great graphics, but it's so oversaturated and the focus has become solely on graphics. It's a big miss for so many reasons.
Fun, Fun Fun, Fun , i have playes many games over my 40+ years, i am not in the industry or work for a company making or selling, or even market these games, i just like to play games, and i buy games that are Fun, Simple or even a little to alot of complex gameplay, i will play them, as long as they are Fun. as i say that i am trying out new games, then what i am used to playing and i find that i like them, Fun, takes me to another world, place, time, era....Fun is the Game
Realism is great. But maybe they should pare down to PS3/360 "realism" rather than chase an impractical level of detail that continues to get games delayed/canceled and gets employees laid off.
The success of Astrobot and also smaller indie titles shows that the gaming audience is very heterogeneous. There is also a big difference in what kind of story content the different genders prefer. While i have no complaint about games using simplified or more stylized artwork and graphics I am no fan of simple flat gameplay. For me a game has to be engaging with complex and multi-layered systems that offer different ways to approach a challenge. Overly simple games leave me with a feeling of "what am i doing with my time?". I also prefer rich and deep stories and still see the market for simpler games that target the more gaming-adjacent crowd compared to core gamers. And there is also a niche for shorter more compact games for people with less spare time on their hands.
*these past 2 years, I've been playing older 360 era games like Bully, GTA4, RDR, Killer Is Dead, Binary Domain, Lightning Returns and it just reminded me that less is absolutely more* 🌈
Playing DQ3 HD-2D atm,and just beat Echos Of Wisdom about a week and a half ago, and while i still enjoy games like Elden Ring and FF7 Rebirth, I'm starting to see your point.
Sony this generation has disappointed me so much with all the remasters they’ve released and how greedy and anti consumer they’ve been but man Astro Bot was a breath of fresh air. I really hope they continue to release games like that.
"I had more fun with [Astro Bot] than Rebirth. I could go more in depth with it..." No need. That says it all right there. If someone else can't handle that then they need to see a therapist and rethink their life.
I hate to use words as nebulous as heart and soul but that's what it is. I like games with heart and soul. Don't really care what they look like. As an old person who predates the ability to generate "realistic" visuals that trend got old real quick to me, probably before the term "realistic" was even really deserved. Led to a lot of drab boring environments and character designs Also, I mean we had FMV in the 90's, that was more realistic then the most high end graphics because it's just real people. Didn't make the games better. The real problem is more one of logistics though. Forgive me repeating a common talking point but; As technology progresses and "realism" requires more and more budget and personal we find ourselves in a situation where the people paying for it don't want to take any creative risks. They're funding product that demands a growth return in investment. They're not making "games". Or rather the fact that the product is a game is incidental. Don't rock the boat. Don't do anything risky or that might potentially limit the customer base. You make me my money back or the whole studio is shit canned and none of you get to pay your rent. In short, after a certain budget, the earmark of realistic visuals, games tend to lose heart and soul in favor of repeating past, safe, boring successes. I've nothing against realism in theory. But it does raise flags about what kind of goals were in mind during design. Was it make something fun or interesting to play, or was it about maximizing the return on the publishers substantial investment.
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There's a reason why every few years I have the desire to play Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, and Jak and Daxter. The vibrant worlds keep me captivated.
I remember a few years ago the first ratchet and clank was free for no reason on the ps store so I replayed it on a whim and forgot how beautiful and fun it was
@@imAnnaMolly Sony coming in with the unexpected dub.
The characters are spunky and whimsical. It's a bummer that formula seems to be in the past.
@@aerodynamicangel2179 For big companies, yes. Makes it all the more important to spread the word of the smaller devs and lesser-known games that *do* sport those qualities.
Aside from vibrant worlds and spunky/whimsical characters, what other qualities do you value in a game? And have there been any games in recent years that supplied that?
I may be able to share some titles of other such games from recent years (or upcoming) that could supply what you seek.
My I introduce you to Blinx 2?
Same!!!
Zelda’s are often great examples of a stylized graphics. BOTW is a gorgeous game, and Wind Waker still looks great 21 years later. That’s a big advantage of choosing stylized graphics over realism: your game ages much more gracefully. Cuphead will look just as good in 30 years as it does today, while today’s hyper-real games will age the way Skyrim and GTA V have-still fun, but they definitely “look old” now
To be fair, I remember seeing the trailers before skyrim came out and it looked old back then too
Windwaker looks bad now, especially if you play the original.
Well, realistic games can also be very stylized. Games like Arkham Knight and Uncharted 4 are almost 10 years old, and they look just as great as the day they came out
@@MEGATONHAMMA looks much better than the HD version to me.
Agreed skyrims graphics r ugly @ssjbargainsale
Your point on people looking down on "baby games" definitely speaks to me. It is always a bummer to look around and see how much people cant just celebrate good games but have to pit everything against each other just for some "Game of the Year" title. I absolutely loved Astrobot and FF7Rb for completely different reasons. I understand wanting your fav to get their flowers, but theres no need to trash another great piece of media.
On realism vs stylized, i'd say i definitely value more stylized visions, but also if the art direction is unique enough, a "realistic" higher fidelity game can also work. Monster Hunter comes to mind for me, where they clearly aim for a more "realistic" depiction to make their world feel alive, but it sticks to making sure people recognize its still monster hunter.
New to the channel and looking forward to more of your work! Its great to hear more about games from people directly in the industry that also work on games.
I've never played FF7Rb but it didn't prevent me from enjoying it because it feels like FF7 animated series more than anything. Watching the plot edited together on RUclips has been entirely sufficient.
You know what I like? I like games that run well, and Astro Bot is a modern game that runs well, so I like that game more.
I find it funny how quick people are to compare Astrobot to Mario, when I find it much more closely resembles Kriby and the Forgotten Land to me. I would highly recommend playing it if you haven't already!
Yea, i think people jump to the Mario comparison because Mario is just super popular. Sadly most platformers aren't nearly as popular as Mario. Kirby's merchandise sales dwarf the success of his actual games
Nope, it's mostly Mario Galaxy.
well kirby and the forgotten land are the first ever 3d platform kirby game, thats why people dont compare it to that, mario have plenty of 3d platform like mario 64,mario sunshine, mario galaxy 1 & 2 , mario Odyssey, mario 3d world and bowser fury, and mostly all the mechanic in astro bot are ripoff from mario game even the boss mechanic is the same
Emulating games that I used to enjoy as a kid has brought me much happiness as of late
I honestly believe in this day and age. The best way to enjoy a game is to avoid all online criticisms, opinions, and just immerse yourself. No matter what the game is, they will always be toxic people judging and people wanting to influence you to think like they do. I personally block all reviews. If I'm interested in a game and enjoy it. I rather connect with other people who are like minded.Then others who are trying to tear it down.
A point of frustration for a long time has been that chasing after the "trend" of graphical advancement for its own sake almost wiped out multiple genres:
- Back in the late 90s, the shift to 3D practically killed off the adventure game genre for a decade, until Telltale put their own spin on it and indie developers brought back the classic format.
- In the mid to late 00s, JRPGs were also hit by the ever increasing demands of AAA production value, and while many studios have recovered (and been supplemented with indies) by focusing on stylized art and polished versions of traditional mechanics, Final Fantasy is very much still stuck in the AAA realism trap with inflated production cycles.
Looking back, I feel like my own obsession with realistic graphics between the mid-90s and mid-00s was very much driven by industry marketing and id Software loyalism. While being loyal to a games company is kind of dumb in general, I do appreciate that also being into Nintendo kept me from rejecting stylized games in the way many of my peers did.
Realism stops being impressive eventually, but a nice aesthetic can last forever. (And less demanding graphics are generally more practical.)
Not to mention.... some JRPG series fall to obscurity after become 3D like Star Ocean
My favorite game of all time is Uncharted 4, which even today boasts impressive graphics, but the graphics aren't the reason it's my favorite game-like you said, what mattered is that I had fun with it. To me, that and story (depending, since something like Super Smash Bros. is purely about gameplay) are the two most important aspects of a game.
Games like Lies of P and Silent Hill 2 immersed me thanks to their graphics - but Echoes of Wisdom stole my heart. They both have their place and I’m glad indie devs and Nintendo games exist.
I wasn't super impressed by lies of p look tbh, it's just the closest I have to my long dead Bloodborne 2 dreams lol
Agree, there's a Time and a place for every style...for me the health of the industry Will show when there's not only 1 type of games that take everything, but can coexist plenty of genres and styles of games In success
I like simulation and more vibrant arcade styles alike so there's certainly room for both. The main downside to the realistic style is that graphics arguably peaked around 2018 and they've gotten more demanding with little fidelity increase.
devs should not concentrate all of their resources to realism. We play games to escape reality anyway
Literally
Games are art.
It's funny and ironic how a simple-looking game showcases the PS5's capabilities better than any other game. Those thousands of small objects moving realistically based on true physics calculations are one of the things that they promised with the PS5's arrival back on 2020. Other games just fake the physics altogether. 😂
I definitely prefer it when my video games look like actual video games. If I want ‘realism’ I go outside and take a walk in the park 🤷♂️
Really love this video format! Great job. Metaphor has been the most recent game that has immersed me and reminded me why I love single player story games.
stylistic games is the only thing that grabs my attention for day 1 purchase for myself as of late. The initial Metaphor trailers honestly sold me from a visual aspect outside of being an Atlus game.
I can’t deny some hyper realistic games making huge promises plant doubt in me these days
Well you're in luck, a random stranger on the internet (me) knows a lot of games from recent --and upcoming-- years with striking visual styles to share. For example:
Clash: artifacts of Chaos (personal favourite)
Cookie Cutter (personal favourite-- has more planned in the future!)
Zet Zillions (fond of this one)
Blud (fond of this one)
My Familiar (I think i'll be fond of this one)
Pillory
Judero
No Straight Roads (personal favourite)
Lost in Random (and its upcoming sidequel The Eternal Die)
Harold Halibut
The Midnight Walk
Decline's Drops (has more planned in the future!
Magenta Horizon
Promise Mascot Agency
Ruffy and the Riverside
Kraino Rebirth
Immortal: And the Death that Follows
The Eternal Life of Goldman
Prim
Bad Boro
Resistor
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
Near-Mage
The Dungeon Experience
Yasuke: A Lost Descendant
and there may be more i'm forgetting.
Well worht looking into all of these!
Try Kena Bridge a spirt. It's not as simple but the art style and cartoony feel is there
I always find this conversation fascinating because people (not you specifically just in general) will present this as an unpopular opinion, despite this being a recurring conversation for about 20 years now.
Also, I’d say that there are more stylized games than realistic games, especially considering indie games, yet every time a realistic game comes out people feel the need to say they’d prefer it to be stylized and every time a stylized game comes out those people point out that it’s better because it’s not going for realism.
I think the industry as a whole is more interesting when artists use the art style that suits the game they want to make, be it more stylized or more realistic. Art style shouldn’t become a rule that every developer is required to follow.
I made the switch to PC recently but I think Astrobot looks really fun. I think the people that need their "serious" looking games to be regarded over it are literally just children looking to have their tastes validated.
I enjoyed this video and how you talk about games in general on your channel. The vibe is just real chill and I enjoy it. It's good stuff.
Thank you for watching!
When it comes to graphics, I'm of the mind that we can have it all. I grew up playing Nintendo and Nintendo-like sorts of games and that's still where most of my gaming attention goes, but realistic styles have their place and value. My thing is that I've been gaming long enough to watch graphics evolve in real time, but the "realistic" games stopped having any real impact on me somewhere between the PS2 and PS3 eras. While they've continued to improve and become more impressive since then, I haven't actually cared.
And that's the sticky part of this because I 100% what to give credit to the digital artists and animators that make these games possible and how they push the medium forward...but I also don't really want them to have to work as much as they do to make those strides as quickly as they are.
I hope the success of Astro Bot, leads to a resurgence of such whimsical and fun games, that Nintendo of course has dominated, but there's enough space for other developers to also follow that trajectory again.
Liked the video, good conversational piece!
Although I'd like to highlight that the shutdown of Japan Studio, whom also developed lost of similair to Astro Bot, was a sad decision :(
I think it's less a matter of style and more a matter of scale. What astro Bot proved is that there's an audience for shorter games with smaller teams and shorter dev cycles. More stylized graphics are just a result of that production process. There should always be room for massive GTA6 style games, but I think it's healthier for the industry as a whole to scale down.
Realism only works if it adds to the style or atmosphere of a game. If it's realism for realism's sake the game will never stand the test of time. A game like Hi-fi rush blew up in 2023 because it was the antithesis to games that focus on graphical fidelity. It had a fun and old school type of style to that a lot of people loved. BOTW also doesn't have much graphical fidelity at all, but every time jogging on an open field as the sun is setting is an indescribable feeling. Graphics never mattered more than fun and artistic vision
every "realistic" game tries to be like The Last of Us or some live-action drama, I miss games like Gravity Rush and Mirrors Edge giving us unique worlds and experiences :(
which is why I'm even more mad Pearl Abyss decided to focus on the boring inspired Crimson Desert first rather than the whimsical, COLORFUL, WEIRD UNIQUE FUN concept of DokeV :/
hell the trailer got 9.1M views before it was taken down, I don't understand we have so many fantasy games already
Astro Bot is amazing! GOTY for sure!
First game in 30 years I’ve played again straight after fully completing it.
My second favourite platinum ever.
Odyssey was marvellous but Astro is better - much cooler boss fights, hidden mini bosses, other games cameo levels, interactive and expansive hub world, plot twist at the end and amazing dual sense immersion (haptic feedback)
there's room for both realism and cartoony games idk why we have to choose
Games like Deep Rock Galactic, Spiritfall, Warframe, and now crosscode all have me captivated lately. Warframe is the most “realistic” but still very scifi. DRG did something unique by giving you this stylized dwarven cave diving in space game type that I never knew I wanted. The whole aesthetic is so special. Spiritfall take the formula of smash bros control scheme and turns it into a roguelite. Crosscode is really hard to pin down as a type of isometric action rpg with a similar art style to chrono trigger. Each game does something very unique and makes me love games again!
i have had a craving for no straight roads, psychonauts and splatoon 2 specifically ever since june this year
Great video! I'm finding myself increasingly returning to the more 'simple' games. I think another big reason for it is my age. I'm in my early 30s now, and I just don't have the time for the huge blockbusters that favours longevity / realism over fun. I just want a nice, colourful, creative and fun game to spend my limited time on!
Reject modernity, embrace polygon.
There are plenty of new and young games that don't look realistic at all.
Matter of fact, I notice the Retro stuff is making a massive comeback.
Over the span of 8 years I've noticed a lot of Minecraft fans venturing out to the Retro-Style games.
Another possible win for more stylized/more cartoony games this year as well as for smaller studios and licensed games. A 3-D platformer based on The Smurfs came out and the developers hyped it up as “As good as Super Mario 3-D World”. Reviewers scoffed, naturally. But then they played it and were like “Actually, yeah, it’s pretty close to that good at least”.
Love the chill convo style video.
Games need to focus on "Game Essense", as Smash Bros Masahiro Sakurai puts it. Why you enjoyed Astro Bot so much is because it has polished its "Game Essense" to highest levels, and not bog down by meaningless trends.
Unfortunately, general customers put those meaningless trends (Overblown emphasis on graphics, heaps of content "bang for buck" etc)
The reason your comment section turned into console wars is cuz Nintendo fans are crybabies who can’t fathom the fact that other companies can make games similar to them and that some ppl have differing opinions and like things other than Nintendo.
To the point of graphics, we can have both tbh. We don’t need to stop pushing graphics but we also shouldn’t try to make all games the best thing ever graphically if it means sacrificing gameplay. There should be a balance and variety. I’m with most ppl on wanting more artistically different games but I also reject the idea just because a game strives to be graphically impressive that it’s automatically bad, cringe, overrated, or a movie/walking sim. Games can be and look whatever the artist wants it to be so long as it doesn’t lose and sacrifice gameplay.
I don't know if I ever truly thought about the REALISM IN VIDEO GAMES debate when it came to ASTRO BOT, but what I *do* think about is CREATIVITY. It's funny because on it's face: it's a game that is celebrating franchises, nostalgia, and the PLAYSTATION BRAND. You'd think a game like that would be soulless.
But instead it's clear that all of it's money, time, and effort went into pushing forward creative new idea after creative new idea. Money going into details that big budget AAA games would never even think about. It's a diamond in an industry that has over the years, been inundated with a lot of big budget copycats and cash-grabs trying to be the next [Insert well known successful game here]. It's a big budget reminder of when gaming would also just... try new fun stuff I guess? It feels special and different to me.
Otherwise: Realism has its place, as long as the game is fun. But in modern times, you can easily think of a slew of examples of games SUFFERING because so many man hours were put into making it look and feel *REAL*.
PS: meme of the week implies ANNA EVERY WEEK?!
Thanks for your insight! And I hope to upload more but probably not every week 😅
I think we crave variety simply put. Games are getting better and having really varied environments and backrounds (Thinking about Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok because I've played those alot recently)
But those are definitely very mature, complicated games.
The vibrancy and whimsy of Astrobot had me smiling the entire time. Sometimes its nice to just enjoy something wholly for its simplicity and the joy it illicits. The new Zelda was cute, but I still haven't finished it, It just didn't hook me like the last few Zelda games have despite being a very bright, adorable game. Astro really is quality game design. GOTY if the Elden Ring DLC doesn't count as a game at the VGA's.
I had to jump into styled colorful games after growing out of my teens playing CoD. It is much more fun when the games don't try to take themselves seriously but have real solid gameplay.
I like both equally.
"These games have us asking whether it's time to revisit our roots and whether what was considered the future of gaming is maybe the past." OKAY???? BANGER?????
I've been watching the debate between gameplay versus graphics and what should get priority since the early 90s, more and more people are finally realizing that gameplay is what makes a video game fun and compelling. A vivid, creative art style and direction is also more durable and engaging than pure resolution and raw detail. Graphical fidelity will only ever continue to run the race of diminishing returns, and what gets called realism today will be chided as aged 5 years or less from now by techbros obsessed with resolution.
The majority of games are still fundamentally wireframes, polygons, texture maps, lit and given simulated physics in a virtual environment and rendered in pixels on a 2D glass pane. It's not worth taking so seriously or being pushed as a hyper reality that ought to replace, instead of augment, real experiences.
Well I don't think we should reject realism in games we just need a balance because if we get rid of one thing the same thing going to happen with games of fun and cartoony artsyle in the 2000s
i quite like you tiktoks and it makes me happy to see you on youtube in long format! Take care!
I love playing games that make me think a lot like metaphor. But I will also definitly play the infinity nikki game when it comes out. Like, I dunno. Just play what seems fun to you. No reason to let the internet judge you for what you enjoy. Also, scores are so dumb...make your own judgements by looking at one or two gameplay videos of the game and see if it runs well. Definitly don't listen to journalists like ign to make a purchase. And no I don't care how realistic or unrealistic a game is. Much more important to me that it entertains me.
Metaphor is my game of the year! As it captivated me with its beautiful homage of the renaissance era but also being colorful and is the first game in years that I have bought day 1.
Nowadays the games I like the most are actually those that try to show more with less. 2D sprites, pixel art, even straight up text-based. Playing them convinces me again and again that amount of fun rarely correlate with the complexity of the graphical presentation. There is a point where the graphics are "good enough" and we're far past this point.
Finally, some good video games discussion content on YT.
I've been gaming since the the emergence of video games and arcades. I remember seeing Space Invaders, Galaxia, Asteroids, and the popularity of Pac-Man explode.
Atari 2600 Adventure is still an all time favorite. It was Elden Ring in 1980.
Donkey Kong brought everything to another level and then there was Super Mario Bros.
The point is the only reason I enjoy video games is because of the FUN!
If it's not fun than what is the point?
In recent years my gaming library of modern games is very small. I'm extremely picky what games I buy and despite reviews and ratings know that I will be often disappointed.
Replayability is right there next to fun. If a game has those 2 things I may go back and play for years to come.
Have you ever heard of pleasing to the eye. Just because it is realistic does not mean that the graphics are immediately beautiful. I'm playing Mario and Luigi Brothership, the cel-shading + the cartoony world and character look much better than most AAA games nowadays. The same goes for games like Persona or Cuphead or most 2D games that have been remakes in the chibi style
it happened again with Webfishing releasing and taking inspiration from Animal Crossing. So many now wish Animal crossing can take some inspirations from Webfishing because of how charming it is. Me and my friends can't stop playing it
Is realism overrated? Welcome to 2009 lol
Jokes aside, the quest for photo realism has been slowly killing the industry for at least a decade. At this point it’s getting scary. Costs are ballooning, games can’t make their money back, tens of thousands of people are being laid off, studios are closing…
"Intricate gameplay systems" is probably not correct. Most "realistic" games have very brain-dead gameplay.
I don't understand the comments that say games should stop trying to be realistic. Limiting games to a specific style makes no sense. That's like saying if you like animation more, studios need to start making less live action movies. There should be diversity in styles, and realistic graphics definitely still have a place.
Plus, it's like some people believe games that target realism can't be fun, which is a huge lie. And while this is another topic entirely, video games are an interactive medium that you can explore a lot of different feelings with than just fun. That sounds kinda pretentious but if games are just limited to fun and colorful, a lot of cool experiences could be lost that can explore all kinds of feelings in players.
My thinking is that if you have to use cgi to bring your setting and characters to life, you should just make the whole movie animated.
@psychokinrazalon Well, look at the Avatar movies or the Planet of the Apes movies. Those use heavy CGI and are not considered animated movies in the traditional sense, and I wouldn't want them to change their styles
@@JH-xc9we I would rather see them 2D animated.
1- Realism is overrated. There's only so much you can do in a realistic setting. And we've reached the limit already to the point every single realistic-looking game is, basically, the same.
2- Videogames are, first and foremost, a form of escapism from reality. When you start wanting to bring said reality to fiction, things start becoming bad. This is the whole crux of the argument.
3- The money spent on realistic graphics and such could be better used to actually make the games more content-filled. I don't even remember the last time I've seen a realistic game brimming with content (and without 2077 bugs). It's dumb that we have a game looking so realistic but you can finish it in 5-6 hours at most.
4- In the long run, it's too expensive to keep focusing on realism above all else. Look at Square. Look at others who do the same thing. FFVIIR leans heavily on the realistic side of the spectrum, but didn't manage to reach big numbers. Of course the exclusivity didn't help but even then, I sincerely doubt it'd amount to much.
@brtruev1710 1- There is plenty you can do in a realistic setting in games and there are variety. Yeah over the shoulder shooters are common but it's not like God of War is the same as Resident Evil or GTA.
2- I can't understand this. Games, movies, books, TV, music are all forms of escapism. And why do you think people can connect or relate to stories or characters? Plenty of stories, games, movies, shows etc, have fictional stories that take place in real world settings. Last of Us is fictional that takes place with realistic humans and realistic characters. And it's fantastic
3- You mention FF7R in your next point. How is this game not packed with content? Or RDR2, and way, way more? There's even been an argument that those games are getting even longer. On the opposite end, something like Sonic games don't target realism but are generally very short.
4- GTA targets realism and these are some of, the best selling game series ever. You can bet GTA6 will sell insane numbers.
It's ok to not like realistic looking games but saying that they shouldn't be made doesn't make sense.
I think the equivalent issue would be live action remakes in the entertainment industry. The transfer from animated to "realistic" graphics demonstrates the advancement of technology but loses the personality from the original works
I'd love more videos like this one ✨️ this is a topic I've thought about and i don't understand the obsession with more and more realistic graphics
I'm in a cozy gaming group and people have said that they couldn't get into Stardew Valley because the graphics are "bad." So upsetting honestly 😢
You have great taste in videogames. I also loved Astro Bot, bought Echoes of Wisdom yesterday and am loving it, and detested The Plucky Squire. The hints are avoidable, so I didn't have a problem with them, but the Plucky Squire narrates too much.
Loved the video, the structure and the material! i find the topic of realism in games intriguing because for many years it seems like gamers have been begging for realistic, high fidelity experiences like The Last of Us and Red Dead 2 only for them to denounce and rebuke it now.
I feel like there are separate camps of gamers here. I think it has to do with the homogenization of games, meaning how so many open world games all look the same and how many FPS games look like CoD clones. But when we see a game that looks unique like Astro Bot or Echoes of Wisdom, it's refreshing to see something that looks just a bit different.
I hadn't experienced this kind of 3D platformer gameplay much since I never owned a console growing up, so games like Psychonauts 2, Plucky Squire, It Takes Two etc have felt insanely fresh to me, and they def got me interested in trying the Nintendo library soon
Congratulations on your positioning with Wukong! I was baffled the other day because of a girl of Japanese descent, that did study game development, she should how how women are treated in large parts of this industry, yet her "patriotism" apparently doesn't allow her to acknowledge the huge problems with misogyny in asian culture (and also in much of the west) which is not a stereotype, it's a fact, the Wukong guy is just another crazy example.
I think a huge flaw with gaming right now is its obsessions with fitting in. Most games live in a formula. Where's the innovators, where's our risk takers. The soulslikes went from a niche risk taker to now a new norm. Its just sad.
I noticed that the last 6 games i played where stylized not realistic graphics
With more cartoon ish or anime-like style
We really really need more art style in games and less real life graphics
What a GREAT vid! Love it.
I've come to the conclusion that majority of """gamers""" don't even know about gaming and they always go for the most obvious games while ignoring underrated ones. And it sucks that I have a shitton of friends with this exact mindset and I end up being the only one enjoying the colorful ones.
We might be slowly stopping the photorealism lunacy... That's something I wanted since de ps4 era, this will make game makers understand we want good games and the focus should be in mechanics and fun, not in making hair strands move realistically.
Yes! Finally, someone pointed this out. The game you played reminded me of Jumping Flash Playstation 1. My strong interest in games slowly dropped during the PS3 era when most of the games were focused more on graphics realism. The genre and variety were set aside to make way for the "god of war type gameplay". Sony really pushed on this kind of marketing they did the same when Final Fantasy VII for the PS1 became popular and then a slew of RPGs came out. Knowing that the general audience would be satisfied with 3-5 exclusives with the same gameplay style and worse remastered ones. It gets boring. Nintendo followed and the ones that recommend and criticize you that you haven't played Zelda/Mario are the poser ones.
This was a cool idea for a video. I very much enjoyed Echoes of Wisdom, more than I thought I would actually, but have yet to play Plucky Squire. I very much still want to and I thought it was interesting that you suggested it was very much tailored to kids which is funny it may seem obvious that this would be the case but hadn’t actually considered it until you brought it up.
Astrobot is what Little Big Planet should have become
Sackboy is a really solid platformer honestly, my own issue with it was it just felt too slow.
Rebirth was honestly a massive let down. In their attempt to give players a lot of content, they put in a lot of draining, not fun/engaging stuff to do. They also built this beautiful open world that only looks good when you're not moving at all and just looking at it, while in quality mode.
It's a damn shame that you need a PS5 Pro to experience Rebirth the way it's meant to be.
I think the Final fantasy Remake style is the perfect example, to me, that looks prettier than reality, especially the characters.
Very cool video! I saw those shorts you talked about that went viral, but I didn't know who made them. Cool to match them to a creator. :) For me, it's cartoony for the win every time. Super realistic games don't really do anything for me -- so it's cool to see how much love Astro Bot is getting. Glad your video popped up on my recommendations! Cheers! :)
None style is overrated. Both Silent Hill 2 and Wind Waker have one of the most impressive art direction ever made.
I remember how exciting arcade games were in the 90s. A lot of them were polygonal and cartoonish (sometimes even more-so than home console games). There was a fantasy element with those games. In contrast, when a game gets way too realistic, I feel like it loses a lot of that fantasy element and leans towards looking more boring, even though the game might look more graphically impressive.
Great video and I look forward to more.
For me, the difference between a game like Astro Bot and FF7 Remake/Rebirth is that while I enjoyed FF7, there were a lot of parts I never want to play again whereas I will gladly go through everything Astro Bot has to offer all over again
It's not. It's an artistic choice and I'm all for different styles.
A focus on getting people engaged an immersed in a game over "being realistic" is so much more valuable. Also, nothing wrong with you having a preference of a game like Astrobot over Mario Odyssey, to each their own at the end of the day.
This is why indie games are so successful nowadays and why steam deck is such a perfect console. Get 20$ game thats fun and has a great art style vs 70$ that is a copy/paste of every other game
For me, I think way too much manpower goes into graphics nowadays instead of actual design, or gameplay, or debugging. IMHO the limitations of earlier consoles helped fuel greater design--both graphically and in terms of gameplay. Realistic isn't bad--it just doesn't need to be the standard.
I've been a Nintendo fan since I played New Super Mario Bros. Wii, so I prefer stylized games over realistic ones. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I started to play realistic games like Batman Arkham Asylum, BioShock Infinite, and Stellar Blade. I believe both of these games should be judged on their gameplay and mechanics.
I think realism is just about as overrated and overused as cuteness. The latter seems to me like a cheap way to make things appealing. You could also invent an artstyle that is neither super expensive nor makes the game feel like a cute little toy.
If you played Astro's playroom (that game every PS5 owner has 😂) you would've known Astro Bot was going to be a must play.
Realistic graphics are great for like racing or flight sims and where it tries to replicate the real thing. In everything else I prefer a distinct art style paired with inventive and fun gameplay. In short I want a video game to look and feel like a video game!
There can definitely be a balance. My favorite games are Uncharted, The Last of Us, Horizon, Assassin's Creed, & the newer Tomb Raider games.... I wasn't into the old ones to be honest. I like playing Sonic the Hedgehog games with my son like Sonic Superstars and I have had a blast watching him play Astrobot. I haven't played a Nintendo game since N64 but I am itching for another Mario experience. They just don't make regular consoles anymore and gimmicks aren't for me. If they came out with another box console with controllers I would purchase it in a heartbeat.
Glad japanese and other asian developers continue to focus on gameplay and charming art style, over the West's obession with bland realism.
Good reviews and feeling super honest! Very straightforward!
Probably a good lesson here is "words matter".
I see a lot of Little Big Planet in Astro Bots design language. Those type of games are so enjoyable. You sit down, grab a controller and just have fun. It doesn't require a guide, 15 spreadsheets and third party programs just to enter the game. Hyper realism doesn't make a game imo, games need good art style with fun creative gameplay and mechanics which feels fresh. It's why Nintendo has been so successful. Obviously story driven games with deep immersion benefit from great graphics, but it's so oversaturated and the focus has become solely on graphics. It's a big miss for so many reasons.
Fun, Fun Fun, Fun , i have playes many games over my 40+ years, i am not in the industry or work for a company making or selling, or even market these games, i just like to play games, and i buy games that are Fun, Simple or even a little to alot of complex gameplay, i will play them, as long as they are Fun. as i say that i am trying out new games, then what i am used to playing and i find that i like them, Fun, takes me to another world, place, time, era....Fun is the Game
This is amazing!
Realism is great. But maybe they should pare down to PS3/360 "realism" rather than chase an impractical level of detail that continues to get games delayed/canceled and gets employees laid off.
The success of Astrobot and also smaller indie titles shows that the gaming audience is very heterogeneous. There is also a big difference in what kind of story content the different genders prefer. While i have no complaint about games using simplified or more stylized artwork and graphics I am no fan of simple flat gameplay. For me a game has to be engaging with complex and multi-layered systems that offer different ways to approach a challenge. Overly simple games leave me with a feeling of "what am i doing with my time?". I also prefer rich and deep stories and still see the market for simpler games that target the more gaming-adjacent crowd compared to core gamers. And there is also a niche for shorter more compact games for people with less spare time on their hands.
*these past 2 years, I've been playing older 360 era games like Bully, GTA4, RDR, Killer Is Dead, Binary Domain, Lightning Returns and it just reminded me that less is absolutely more* 🌈
Playing DQ3 HD-2D atm,and just beat Echos Of Wisdom about a week and a half ago, and while i still enjoy games like Elden Ring and FF7 Rebirth, I'm starting to see your point.
Sony this generation has disappointed me so much with all the remasters they’ve released and how greedy and anti consumer they’ve been but man Astro Bot was a breath of fresh air. I really hope they continue to release games like that.
Yes, and I really hate them always literally using actor models these days. Gives an uncanny feel
Yes! Depending on the actor, it can just take me out of the game.
it's not overrated, the realistic games are a completely different genre from the "cute" games
Without gameplay. Graphics don’t mean shit.
You have Yoshi and a moogle in your room!
I could not possibly care less about realistic graphics. If I wanted to explore a world that looks like the real world I would just… go outside lol
"I had more fun with [Astro Bot] than Rebirth. I could go more in depth with it..."
No need. That says it all right there. If someone else can't handle that then they need to see a therapist and rethink their life.
I hate to use words as nebulous as heart and soul but that's what it is. I like games with heart and soul. Don't really care what they look like.
As an old person who predates the ability to generate "realistic" visuals that trend got old real quick to me, probably before the term "realistic" was even really deserved. Led to a lot of drab boring environments and character designs
Also, I mean we had FMV in the 90's, that was more realistic then the most high end graphics because it's just real people. Didn't make the games better.
The real problem is more one of logistics though. Forgive me repeating a common talking point but; As technology progresses and "realism" requires more and more budget and personal we find ourselves in a situation where the people paying for it don't want to take any creative risks.
They're funding product that demands a growth return in investment.
They're not making "games".
Or rather the fact that the product is a game is incidental.
Don't rock the boat. Don't do anything risky or that might potentially limit the customer base. You make me my money back or the whole studio is shit canned and none of you get to pay your rent.
In short, after a certain budget, the earmark of realistic visuals, games tend to lose heart and soul in favor of repeating past, safe, boring successes.
I've nothing against realism in theory. But it does raise flags about what kind of goals were in mind during design. Was it make something fun or interesting to play, or was it about maximizing the return on the publishers substantial investment.