Let's talk about the state of graphics on the DS. What's the best and worst you've seen this year? How do you feel about most games? So long as everything is clear and glitch-free, how much do graphics matter to you when it comes to DS games? Sure, it's nice when something looks good, but will mediocre work for you in an otherwise good game?
DS Daily: Graphics revisited
Let's talk about the state of graphics on the DS. What's the best and worst you've seen this year? How do you feel about most games? So long as everything is clear and glitch-free, how much do graphics matter to you when it comes to DS games? Sure, it's nice when something looks good, but will mediocre work for you in an otherwise good game?
_cg_oct22_kjgfdhd_thumbnail.jpg "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
9-21-2008 @ 11:04AM
RasenganFury said...
I think the art direction is more important than graphics. As long as it doesn't look like a GBA game im usually happy. I have a Bleach The Blade of Fate and although its 2d, the sound, backgrounds, and character sprites separate it from anime-based fighting games on Game Boy Advance. I'm not too sure about the best and worst graphics but i think Phantom Hourglass looked pretty nice.
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9-21-2008 @ 11:27AM
Anthony said...
It doesn't matter how the graphics are in a game, unless the game has an underwhelming storyline, then the next thing to look at is the graphics. If those are crappy, then you can assume safely that the developers spent one week creating the game.
For example, a game like... Metroid Prime: Hunters. Yes, I know its old, but it's just an example here. The game didn't have as great of a storyline as the others in the Prime series, but it was still a great storyline for a portable version of the game. So, if you look at the graphics, they are nice looking, especially for a 3d game on a portable console. Now, look at a game like Deal or No Deal. The graphics are a fuse of 2d and 3d, kinda almost like the GBA version of the game. But that doesn't matter because it's a fun game, that anybody who tunes into TV knows how to play.
So the graphics don't matter unless the storyline sucks. and if the storyline sucks then I just wouldn't get the game.
If you look at the GTA:CTS screens, when they are sized correctly, without the magazine print specks and things, the game looks really well made. If it has a good storyline it might be a perfect 10.
Thats my opinion.
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9-21-2008 @ 12:27PM
Roto13 said...
I love how you didn't even mention gameplay once. "Gamers" today....
9-21-2008 @ 6:19PM
Anthony said...
Ummm, I started with the storyline, which is the most important aspect of a game. It determines everything about it. If you thought about it for more than two seconds... you would've seen that the storyline determines the gameplay. So ha, not so good storyline, not so good gameplay.
"Retards" today... ;)
9-21-2008 @ 6:26PM
Roto13 said...
"If you thought about it for more than two seconds... you would've seen that the storyline determines the gameplay. So ha, not so good storyline, not so good gameplay."
Uh, no? That's not true at all. When a game is shoehorned into a movie, it's bad news. There are plenty of games out there with crappy stories and great gameplay. Any game that focuses that much on the story should have been a movie instead.
Most important aspect my ass. The story is just about the least important aspect of any game worth playing.
9-21-2008 @ 8:51PM
Jacksons said...
I have to admit that if a game lacks any character development or an interesting story I lose interest in it. Even popular franchises like Zelda. Great gameplay, but the non-speaking, lifeless characters usually cause me to leave the game unfinished. This only applies to certain genres, of course.
As for graphics? I'd like to be part of the "graphics don't matter" crowd, but I'm not. The graphics are okay, but due to the low processing power, there's a lot of gameplay elements that can never happen on the current DS. For example, I'd love to play 8 player wifi Mario Kart DS on all the tracks, but it just can't do it.
9-23-2008 @ 2:18AM
Trada said...
You are in the minority. Most of those who consider themselves gamers hold gameplay as the number one priority. Yes, we all know that the casual base out there seems to favour 'graet grafics' way too much for the rest of us.. but if you prefer storyline > gameplay I recommend a novel.
9-21-2008 @ 12:06PM
Eric said...
But why, makers of FIRE EMBLEM DS, why? You've seen what FF3 and FF4 can look like. Would it have killed you to make just one intro CG-scene? From the screen-shots it looks even worse than the GBA FE games. Why not, at least for the map-portions of the battles, have something resembling more like RADIANT DAWN? I guess the programmers at Intelligent Systems don't care to make an effort on the presentation front; that, or they've been getting the shaft from Nintendo HQ.
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9-21-2008 @ 12:17PM
Mr Khan said...
They could've stood to put far more CG into PoR and Radiant Dawn, also, but they didn't.
Though i was initially opposed to the battle animations, now i quite like what i see, and i suppose the admittedly rather strange looking field graphics are an effort to replicate the extremely sparse look of the original game
9-21-2008 @ 7:59PM
Zealot said...
Nintendo's mistake was commissioning Production I.G. to do the cutscenes for Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn; they're one of the more premier animation studios in Japan so they likely paid more, got less for it, and couldn't afford all that much to begin with considering that FE isn't a multi-million-selling franchise. I don't mind so much the lack of cutscenes in handheld versions of FE, though. In fact, as for FEDS, I'd sacrifice all the graphical varnish and cutscenes in the world just to have the old character portrait style back. Maybe my mind will change when the game makes it out of Japan (which seems to be sliding toward "if" rather than "when", unfortunately.)
9-21-2008 @ 12:13PM
Matt G. said...
Graphics are not a priority for me. Of course, it's nice to have a great-looking game, but I found myself with a collection of N64 games that GS gave low scores to that I still love to death to this day.
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9-21-2008 @ 2:46PM
Eric said...
M. Khan: "i suppose the admittedly rather strange looking field graphics are an effort to replicate the extremely sparse look of the original game."
Que? I'm not buying that. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a remake to begin with? Why not just release a translated version for the VC then? Oh right, all the extra side-quests and newer gameplay mechanics. Well they better be good considering how poor FE DS looks visually. And hopefully the soundtrack is equal or better to the first western GBA FE release, or at least some select tracks from PoR.
I find with the FEs that of all the western releases there is a tremendous variation in quality--sometimes the story is great but the gameplay is simplified (i.e. PATH OF RADIANCE), othertimes the gameplay is very complex and interesting but it's a really uninspired story (i.e. SACRED STONES). In other words, despite ostensibly being from Nintendo, FE games lack the Nintendo "shine" or polish whereby no aspect of the gameplay experience goes unchecked. Nintendo will never do for FE what it does for Mario.
My main argument is this--gameplay and story are far more important than graphics and sound, but the latter two help enhance the formers. They shouldn't be ignored.
9-21-2008 @ 12:23PM
Morning Toast said...
I think most the 2D graphics on the DS are tops. It's when games try to go all 3D that are ugly and just don't work. The DS's graphical limits are hide when you try to go all 3D in a game. Some games split the difference (Ninja Gaiden, Nanostray) and many of those are pretty good.
Do the graphics need to improve? Personally, I don't think so. The game, play control, and fun factor far outweigh graphics in importance. As long as the graphics don't distract from the enjoyment of playing, then it's all good.
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9-21-2008 @ 12:33PM
GSC said...
On the comment below I only said good/great looking 3D games, showing that they have space on DS.
There's space for them, specially for the well-made ones :P
9-21-2008 @ 12:28PM
GSC said...
Well, there are lot of games with A+ graphics, but most of them are from Nintendo. Nintendo games are usually the most polished ones, what turn them wonderful.
To say ones from Nintendo: Mario Kart DS, Mario Slam Basketball, New Super ario Bros., The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass, Metroid Prime Hunters, etc.
If you notice, they all get the max of the DS and the games are as beautiful as they could be.
But there are pretty non-Nintendo games too: Final Fantasy Ring of Fates [and the other 100 FF games for DS too hehehe]; ANIMAL CROSSING [cooll!]; Brother In Arms, Call Of Duty 4 , Dementium [these last 3 not so polished as Nintendo ones, but very good]; Crash of the Titans [great, very polished and pretty]; etc
The are a lot more, but they would not fit here [i'm only saying some of the 3d ones here, but there are lots of great 2D games, like Dragon Ball Supersonic Warriors 2, Lock's Quest, Fullmetal Alchemist, Bomberman etc).
The graphics aren't the most important, but the game needs to be cool.
For ME, Tomb Raider Legend DS don't have well made graphics, but the game was'nt boring because of the puzzles, so I liked it.
As long as the game is cool, graphics aren't the most important.
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9-21-2008 @ 2:28PM
FantomRedux said...
Uhm.... Animal Crossing IS a Nintendo game. Go on... Have a look at the box... *sigh*
9-21-2008 @ 12:34PM
bmcgooch said...
I sometimes (wrongly) assume that if a game has notable graphics for a handheld, it's probably compensating for crummy game play. This was often true in the GBA days (most 3d shooters, most 3d racers), but less so in the DS days.
That said, I'll prefer simplicity and good bg-sprite contrast over polygon count any day. I don't have a choice for best DS graphics on a technical continuum, but if I had to choose a game with the best art direction, I'd say TWEWY hands down.
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9-21-2008 @ 12:44PM
RebeliousMoose said...
I was never really concerned with "omg, it's so realistic!" graphic games. The DS makes up for it with good quality sound (for a handheld, that is) and simple yet addictive gameplay.
Consider EBA, Ouendan, or Ouendan 2. The only 3D graphics are the dancers, and the gameplay is amazing. The World Ends With You utilizes a comic book-like graphic and is one of the highest rated DS games out there. Pokémon Diamond/Pearl have 2D sprites, but clear animations and clean scrolling. I'd rather have a game with olay graphics that'll get 90 hours of gameplay then a bad game with realistic graphics.
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9-21-2008 @ 1:00PM
Char6296 said...
Well, Phantom Hourglass and FF4 were the two games that made me wow over the graphics first time I saw them. And I loved the art style of TWEWY.
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9-21-2008 @ 1:08PM
m.ali said...
the best thing gaphics ever seen on Level-5 Inazuma Eleven and Professor Layton
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