I really don’t see the point of the whole pixelated aesthetic. I mean, it’s nostalgia, but for what? For a time when we wished we had more pixels? If you want that kind of nostalgia, why not also have a loading screen showing a cassette tape going round… for 15 fucking minutes. Hell, it isn’t even accurate nostalgia, because pixelation on a hi res smartphone or monitor looks totally different from the blurry pixelation you get on a shitty CRT TV. If you can see the corners on your pixels, you’re doing it wrong.
I know there is a lot to be nostalgic for, it’s just that the lack of pixels isn’t one of those things. Some things have simply gotten better, more pixels is one of those things. Pixelation is just a way of making a game graphically less clear and less pleasant to look at. /rant
Don’t get me wrong, I love the creativity that comes from having such a limitation. And back when it was a necessity, and you could count the color palette on your fingers, some pixel art was amazing. But it was largely about trying to transcend those limitations. For example, it was very common to use antialiasing as much as possible, because you’re trying to make things look good despite the pixellation. Whereas the aesthetic of modern pixel art tends to be about making things as clunky and jaggy as can be, so you can really check out those pixels, or showcase that crappy color palette. Conspicuous pixellation is untrue to its origins. It also makes game objects less recognizable, sacrificing utility for an aesthetic. I know there are people who like it, which is fine, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be criticized, and so far I have seen no counterpoints to the criticisms I have raised.
I was wondering how pixelation actually adds utility to the game. But I’ve looked at a few screenshots and Rimworld doesn’t seem particularly pixelated to me. Maybe we’re talking at cross purposes here, because Rimworld does have “pixel art” in the sense that it’s drawn pixel by pixel, and it does have the simplistic style that’s common in pixelated games. But it’s displayed at reasonably high resolution so it’s not noticeably pixelated.
What I’m bitching about is games like Stardew Valley where they have committed to fewer pixels on screen. The simplistic style with higher resolution in Rimworld is clear and functional. What I’m saying is that pixelated games would be better if they did the same.
Just because you personally dislike certain art style doesn’t make it objectively bad. I’m a zoomer, I don’t have nostalgia for pixel graphics and yet I enjoy pixel art. I can’t stand CRT filters on pixel games (modern or emulated) btw.
I’ve dealt with enough people who think their preferences are absolute that I just couldn’t be sure whether you’re one of them or not. I’m glad we agree that art is subjective.
Once upon a time I wanted a strong PC so badly so I could play… Grand Theft Auto IV.
Now, I don’t want anything to do with that franchise. Granted I still do play some AAA stuff, more so PS3 games, and I now want a strong PC for Cyberpunk 2077 to explore its world and give myself extra background for the TTRPG Cyberpunk RED, but other than that I mostly just want indie and retro.
I have always liked ODST quite a bit for changing up the formula and being an overall solid game. I might do another run of that soon. :)
Though, I have spent more time playing CE than every other Halo combined. Much of that due to the fact only it and 2 were released for PC until somewhat recently, and Halo 2 got saddled with Games for Windows Live. But, mostly just because CE is damn good.
I’ve been listening to CE’s soundtrack regularly recently. it’s aesthetic and story are just so unique and an amazing thing I’ve never really seen replicated. Not even the sequels manage to nail it’s unique vibe, though they’re amazing in their own ways
It is among the most immersive horror experiences for me. I still clearly remember walking down a long empty corridor, stumbling upon a door at the end of it, and when I approached the door something behind it started banging - it was so fucking scary!
Mega man is one of my favourite franchises, but man I wish we could get past the side scroller old style and get a modern ratchet and clank style open city mega man. Or a new mega man legends.
Back when 16 bit graphics were cutting edge, we thought they were getting close to photorealistic. It’s crazy seeing screenshots of games that I thought looked amazing at the time.
Nooooooooo, you’re just envious because you don’t have a RTX 5090 that only costs 15k dollars and needs to generate fake frames at 400*300 to maintain a stable 60FPS
If youre my age, then games were advancing in graphic fidelity at the same rate as getting better and more in depth. Devs were able to learn from eachother on what makes a game great. Then the horse dlc happened, and suddenly devs could only make games that could be chopped up into pieces and sold as an al a carte game instead of the 7 course meals they had been making.
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