/vr/ - Retro Games

>>4750426

Kolibri

>>4750426
I have a weakness for the Sierra VGA games

Strider

I still think the DKC games look amazing, especially the first two.

>>4750432
Damn
I am going to really have to use retroarch after all then

>>4750438
That reskin irks me no end. The original holds so much more meaning, for me. I will grant that the remake looks nice on it's own, it's just a shame they tried it on something so wonderful to begin with.

>>4750531
On topic tho, Chrono Trigger looks incredible. Not every scene, but the forest ones.

Mr Gimmick

This level still strikes me as one of the most beautiful moments in 2D games.
It's creepy and dark, but at the same time sparkly and moody.

>>4750445
Looks like plastic vomit.

>>4750772
Because it's stretched to 1024x768
Here's a better version. Still stretched though, not at the original 240p resolution, but at least it's animated.
DKC games and 2D games with pre-rendered graphics always look better on CRT, at their original resolution. The difference is notorious.

>>4750426
Demon's Crest

Any of the 16 and 32 bit 2D castlevania games like Rondo of Blood, Dracula X, Chronicles or Symphony of the Night.

You’re pretty much guaranteed to get a timeless looking pixel art masterpiece.

Wonder Project J2 on N64 has amazing large and expressive sprites and animation.

Steel Empire

Breath of Fire 3 has a very striking visual flair to it.

The Heart of Darkness
For a kid’s game, this has some awesome M rated style gory deaths in it. It has meticulous animation and utterly surreal landscapes.

Nosferatu on snes.
Think Out of this world or Flashback style cinematic platforming meets castlevania. A lot of artists who would go on to work on symphony of the night started here. Goregeous game that’s only held back by its absurdly strict timer.

>>4750426
Breath of Fire IV.

>>4750432

Covfefe

>>4750426

yoshi's island is one of the most beautiful games ever made, it's also kinda fun. i wish it had a 2 player mode, but otherwise it's perfect. people who say it's not a "real" mario game are fagtarded rapedicks

>>4750445
>especially the first two.

DKC3 has great graphics, it's certainly not a downgrade from the first 2. I played through it again recently, and the thing that struck me the most was the Music. I know the game caught a lot of shit at the time for having "bad" music, but it sounds really interesting to me now, 25 years later or whatever, it's like ambient electronica, and very different from the soundtracks to any other game at the time. The gameplay in DKC3 is certainly questionable, and I never want to hear the sound of kiddy kong whining and stamping his feet again, but o well. It's a decent game

Burning Force

>>4750765
Maaah nigga, SCIV really was splendid in visual and audio. That level's track is one of my all-time favs.

>>4750830
I really wish I can bring myself to play more jrpgs. I guess it's not easy to get all gameplay, visuals, audio and story top-notch. Not that pic related is an exception or anything.

Secret of Evermore had visuals that stuck out to me as far as RPGs go. It has a LucasArts vibe going on in it which is very uncharacteristic for a Square game.

Actraiser 2 is a gorgeous game that is held back by its crushing difficulty. Most people never get to see the sighs because the balance is so unfairly stacked against you.

Batman Returns for the Snes recreates very nicely the movie atmosphere.

>>4750426
I like natural environments.

Three Wonders captured the art of old Psygnosis games without being overy detailed.

>>4750869
Fucking christ that looks dope

>>4750952
I wish Capcom had done more with the Three Wonders series. It just had such a great look to it and it was incredibly fun to play

>>4750445
They look awful, especially in motion. Like most of retro games with 3d rendered sprites.

>>4750827
Agree. Even the portable ones have nice graphics. Like Aria of Sorrow.

>>4750992
I disagree, but again, seeing an stretched image on a modern HD display doesn't really make it justice at all.

>>4750426
>pic unrelated

>>4750952
There were really amazing artists working for Capcom in that era. I love CPS2 games, but I believe I prefer the style of CPS1 games a bit more.

Keeping on with the thread, I like a lot the funky artstyle of Wario Land 4. The Wii one was nice but less unique, I think.

>>4751000
You will appreciate how good this game looks once you get past your teenager edgy phase. It happened to me, too.

Is the FX chip on Yoshi's Island giving the game more colors than the SNES would normally do?
Its colors always impressed me, to this day.

>>4751002
>>>/v/ you fucking retard.

>>4751012
It was pixel art, but yeah, my mistake, edgelord.

>>4751014
I liked it

>>4750973
Bof IV is one of the best looking games on the system.

>>4750973
BoFIV was quite a landmark in game animation when it came out. Each of the main characters have something like 4,000 frames of animation. Today I'm sure there's a few things that maybe surpass but it's still an amazing feat of animation.

The Adventures of Lomax is pretty nice looking.

Wonder Project J
This is a super famicom game that has huge and well animated expressive character sprites. Detailed backgrounds and excellent design work. You never see work like this in modern indie games.

>>4751149

>>4751149
>>4751152
I love shit like this
So tiny and wonderful

>>4751149
>>4751152
I love everything about this game except the damn gameplay. I just get so frustrated trying to make the kid listen and he always just gets pissed and start to refuse my commands. Cool game and someday I hope I can get into it actually

>>4751149
Most retro indie games didn't have the resources to make sprites of that quality either though. Independent always usually comes along with a low budget for things like graphics, animation and music.

>>4751163
That’s kinda the point of the game is to raise the kid.

Teaching him is the core gameplay and the rpg mechanics mixed with the point and click adventure interface make it very unique. After the initial hurdles in the beginning the gameplay smooths out and yes pretty exciting. You really bond with pino as a result.

>>4751149
>You never see work like this in modern indie games.
Lol what, the exact opposite is true.

While the gameplay was a big step back from the previous entry, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more beautiful looking ps1 rpg than Saga Frontier 2

The Darkstalkers series. Sprite animation that blew people's' minds back in the day not just for its quality but its creativity. In an era where Street Fighter 2 clones were everywhere and every fighting game had its own karate guy, ninja, boxer, wrestler, and kung fu chick and attacks didn't get much fancier than throwing a fireball or two, you now had a game where zombies impale you with their ribs, mummies put curses on you, robots sprout drills and wrecking balls, mermen throw you with their tongues, and yetis spit snowmen at you. All rendered in fluid, cartoon animation on the level of classic Looney Tunes and Disney.

Astal on the Saturn.
Beautiful game that will be lost in time :(

Princess Crown

I wish vanillaware would get this shit localized and release an updated port of this like they did with the enhanced re-release of Odin’s Sphere, dragon’s Crown and Muramasa

Gun force 2

Keio Flying Squadron 2

>>4751187
Never going to happen, sadly. I recall reading in an interview that the original files are lost, and they don't own the rights to it anyway.

Super Tempo

>>4751201
You don’t need the original files or source code. They can reverse engineer a retail copy. That’s how Bluepoint games does all their remasters like the Ido and Shadow of the Colossus Collection, God of War Collection, MGS HD collection and the Shadow of the Collosus remake.

As for the rights, anything can be worked out.

>>4751175
THIS. I kept playing this game just to see what would happen next. The battle system was weird though, and while I enjoyed it I liked the first game way more. I never beat the game though - Battle of South Moundtop ended my run

Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara

Capcom’s sprite artists really were on another level.

>>4751207
You may not NEED the original files, but it sure makes it a hell of a lot easier. For the amount of effort it would take it's extremely unlikely that they'll ever bother, especially for a game that isn't all that popular to begin with.

>>4751221
All I know is Bluepoint has never once relied on archived data and they have made a big name for themselves by using retail copies. If they managed to do it, I don’t see why not anyone else. Something that is visually striking like Princess Crown would get a lot of attention and the opportunity to improve on it would make it a desirable product.

Just seems like money on the table to me.

>>4750445
The explosion looks like it's flipping them the bird.

The Saturn version of Earthworm Jim 2

>>4751212
I knew that was capcom because of the staircase, it's real similar to the ones in X4 and X5.

>>4751193
Better than metal slug

The Willow arcade game.

U.N. Squadron in Snes. Again by Capcom.

>>4751247
I always thought of it as one of Capcom’s weaker CPS titles. Little Nemo or 3 Wonders are far more beautiful games.

When I was a kid the world of Monkey Island was one I really wished I could live in.

Full Throttle is probably the best looking scumm engine game ever designed. Peter Chan’s designs and art are top notch.

The best European pixel art.

>>4751275
Judging by the filenames
If you are the same dude posting a lot of the games
Thank you
And everyone for these pretty suggestions

Alien Storm. Crazy old Sega at its best.

Edward Randy had some of the best art of the classic Data East games.

Thalion's games are gorgeous overall, but I think Lionheart looks the best. The colours, the cool environments, craploads of parallax.

https://youtu.be/n6b0rrhqMv8

Vagrant Story might be the only 3D ps1 game to have beautiful graphics

Both Oddworld ps1 games

Little Ralph’s Adventure

Kirby games.

>>4751489

>>4751492

Always thought Super Star backgrounds looked kinda shitty. Why did they try to go for that fake 3D look after the wonderful hand drawn look of Dreamland 3?

Run Saber

>>4751505
Fake 3D? That looks as 2D as it gets to me.
Anyway, didn't DL3 came after SS?

Gourmet Sentai

>>4751518
Words can’t explain how insane this game is

>>4751507
Oh My God.
Ew.
Get it away!
Stop it! Stop it from living, well I guess it's already dead...

I love the whole look of this game.

Surprised Mana 2/Denetsu 3 hasn’t been mentioned yet

>>4751492
>>4751505
>>4751516
To me some look like pre-rendered backgrounds, like Donkey Kong but cheaper.

Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross really achieved visuals like no other game I ever seen. Very graceful approach to prerendered backdrops.

>>4751535
I don't see it, to me it looks like a more colorful Kirby's Adventure.

>>4751494
*BRAAAAAAAAAAAP*

>>4751548
Even Cross’ 3D elements aged well due to careful design and use of color.

*blocks your path*

Some System 32 goodness.

Another Capcom classic. Love the little details in the backgrounds.

Treasure always got the best from the MD.

>>4750824

Lode Runner 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5epq4ZuYKdc

>>4750426

Rayman 1

Minish Cap

>>4751852
not /vr/

>>4751494

>>4751593
Dynamite Headdy is definitely up there, pretty amazing what the developers were able to squeeze out of it despite the 64 color limit.

Tempest X man

>>4751492
Super Star definitely had amazing aesthetic

>>4751556
yyyYOOOooooooOOOOOOO *CLACLACK!*

>>4752350

>>4750993
>>>/v/

>>4751006
The pipe still looks like a bad shoop.

>>4752379
oh cool it's all neon n shit, like a las vegas billboard. That would make an interesting art style choice for a game, but if there was a console that just always looked like a lite brite it'd be laughable.

>>4750830
>>4750836
>>4750842
You really couldn't put these all into one post?

>>4752714
Some are gifs

everybody is posting 2d examples but what are more like this? >>4751541 low poly can be great too

>>4752801
low poly is an acquired taste

I also love the look of the original DKC. Colors are great

>>4752863
Ewww

The original Spyro trilogy still looks nice

Sonic Jam and R

>>4751465
>only

whoa, now

>>4752801
The usual suspects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc4Uw0b81dg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkznhen0vNo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzGPzdlWENk

Outside of Vagrant Story and Chrono Cross, there are not too many legitimate beautiful early 3D games. There are a few exceptions here and there.

Silent hill to me made up for the technical short comings of early 3D by focusing on very striking art direction and careful use of darkness and obscuration to create a very distinct feel that you didn’t see in other 3D games. I personally find this game very beautiful.

People say ps1 3D aged like milk and they’re mostly right... except for Silent Hill. (And maybe a few other exceptions)

It’s shocking to me that this is from a Ps1 game

>>4752990
Well it didn't look like that running from a PSX.

>>4753000
This is from Masahiro’s own personal files. This was his render before it was implemented into the game proper.

>>4752987
That's because in Silent Hill everything is ugly on purpose.

>>4750426
flink

>>4752714
shut the fuck up

>>4753234
Dat fire dick on the bottom left tho

This game is so fucking cute it's a shame it sucks.

>>4753295
i accept your concession

SMW2 glitched on my GB Micro the other day. I thought it looked p cool

>>4754235
Micro screens are just so sharp and pretty.

>>4752801
A lot of low poly games completely shit the bed on artstyle because they knew they would be received as looking good just for being 3D

I really like this scene from the very beginning of Idea no Hi. It's pretty simple, but something about it.

>>4750836
>all those different scenes where the kid gets eaten and the monster gets a huge belly bulge
what an awful way to go haha

>>4750760
I know it was towards the end of the nes lifecycle but it's utterly amazing this is an 8 bit game. There are so many different types of scenery and such. If this game had some kind of first party support it would have been a major hit in the U.S. Too late in the lifecycle and had to compete with snes directly.

>>4754241
It's a shame the system themselves aren't very good for playing games on. Creaky D-pad and subpar shoulder buttons really hurt it.

>>4750426
Tinhead on genesis looks sexy. It's a spiritual successor but not sure if classifies as retro but Shining Tears has some friggin good artwork.

>>4751534
I hope they remake this, and take out all the bullshit along with it like getting wiped out in 1 attack.

>>4754412
I find the d-pad to be very comfortable to use actually, but yeah the shoulder buttons feel a bit awkward, mostly because of how cramped it feels to use them due to the tiny size of the system. Otherwise I don't really have any other issue with it, I like to use mine and anyway it's the only GBA model I own.

>>4754445
That's a monkey's paw if I ever heard one after SE's butchering of Secret of Mana.

>>4752714
Heart of Darkness deserved its own post.

>>4751601
Would be cool if Fire Brand would change forms in MvCi corresponding the the infinity stone he had.

dreamland 3 is honestly one of the best looking snes games, if not games in general

>>4750842
>A lot of artists who would go on to work on symphony of the night started here
What exactly do you mean by this? I looked at the game's credits and couldn't find anyone in common with SotN.

Yo, anyone mention Terranigma?

>>4755035
nothing in common at all?

Basically all the Disney games made in Japan.

>>4750426
>>4755248
Capcom's 16 bit Disney games and Willow in the arcade

>>4750774
>The difference is notorious

What did he mean by this?

>>4755382
Notorious: prominent, outrageous, notable

>>4755403

Nobody speaks like that nigger

>>4755406
Language evolves gramps, get used to it.

>>4754280
I know, that's why I'm asking for low poly artstyles done right. Ever since I've played the original Spyro trilogy and Dream Emulator I've been on the hunt for stylish low poly games
>>4752917
Floating Runners looks cute, too bad it's unplayable with these controls

>>4755636
Blocky is beautiful

>>4754983
I always thought it looked flat and lifeless. Especially compared to Yoshi, which was going for a similar style.

>>4750836
Poor little white boy got BLACKED

>>4751465
What a shitty bait. VS has nice texture work but the way they appear ingame has really fucked up, inconsistent texels.

>>4755656
say it loud, I'm block and I'm proud

>>4755636
I'll give you some of my personal favorites

Sonic the Fighters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR8PwP4Oq1o
Megaman legends 1 and 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAVOjAJ1920
Tail Concerto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Jdx2sRSkc
Stray Sheep - The Adventure of Poe & Merry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOV8njN4m9w
Stray sheep isn't much of a game, but I'll be damned if it doesn't have one of the best art directions I've ever seen in a game.

On my phone so can't post pics, but why has nobody posted any of the NiGHT's series yet?

>>4756398
I'M BLOCKY AAAAND...

>>4756443
PROUD!

Trip World on Game Boy

>>4756431
I'm on my phone too,

Trip World on Game Boy

>>4756431
I'm on my phone too

Mr. Gimmick on NES

Little Samson on NES

Shantae on GBC

>>4756517
That game has insane spritework

>>4750943
Man that looks so much better then the NES version I had.

>>4750426
castlevania bloodlines,reflection in many stages and zombies dont just burn away, instead their torsos stay on the ground when you hit their bodies

>>4753234
wish they would bring out the color a little more

>>4751116
>>4750869
Can I start with BoFIV without missing out on the plot of the previous games? Is it like FF where each entry is unrelated to the others?

>>4757762
Yes.

>>4755406
Quit reveling in ignorance, you aren't any better for it.

>>4750426
Undeniably the best-looking scotformer on SNES, and possibly any Nintendo console.

>>4750445
DKC3 didn't have bad music, but Evelyn Fischer is no David Wise.

>>4758705

butthurt nigger.

>>4750445
The artstyle of DK3 was very interesting, but it's a shame that is the only nice thing I could say about it.