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[D.Lo]

Tbh it has tons of parallax, but I agree.
SOTN sprites are from a previous generation and they were never that good to begin with. The actual pixel art is quite coarse, very low res and flat if you compare it to even older stuff like, idk.. Demon's Crest or Ghouls'n'Ghosts.
Nice usage of transparencies and special effects but that's about it

Alucard and some others had lots of animation, and some people think that means they are 'good sprite work'.

I personally think they are quite nice sprites, but reasonably poorly animated. Lots of frames but awkward balance of animation and movement, eg walking animations. It's also a massively inconsistent game, some elements look like Mega Drive, others like Neo Geo.

What it does really well is integration of effects, like lots of rotation and nicely integrated 3D, like the chapel.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

The Neo Geo was 16-bit but even 32-bit consoles couldn't be arcade accurate and animation frames were often cut.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

Well, here's the thing. It would probably be possible on a budget, IF Capcom did it at that resolution, but would fans accept a 640x480 game anymore? I would (someone previously mentioned yatagarasu earlier and I think it's evidence that I'm not alone in that feeling), but I think a lot, if not most would complain if the sprites weren't at least kof13 level which would be much more expensive and something barely anyone seems willing to attempt anymore. I'd honestly expect a fan to do it before Capcom right now.

Street Fighter 3 was a big budget game, and it still released with 12 characters. It took another two years and two releases to get to Third Strike. And this was at low resolution. Even matching KoF13 would take four times as much pixel detail. A 1080p 2D Street Fighter is simply not possible, not to mention that in a few years everyone will be expecting 4k.

 

[Augemitbutter]

already mentioned but i'm a big fan of sengoku blade.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

The Neo Geo was 16-bit but even 32-bit consoles couldn't be arcade accurate and animation frames were often cut.

Yeah, it blew my mind when I played the PS1 port of MSX and realized just how much worse it was. Choppy animations, entire animations removed, load screens between levels . . .

 

[Revo_zero]

He triggered me really hard. :/

I love BOF IV's style.

came here looking for this...was not disappointed

 

[miller.skippins]

Grandia
Albery Odyssey
Guilty Gear
All Capcom CPS2 games
Guardian Heroes
RayForce
Metal Slug games

 

[Tizoc]

Are these emulated? The image filtering looks atrocious.

Waku Waku 7 released on the Neo Geo in 1996.

Well, here's the thing. It would probably be possible on a budget, IF Capcom did it at that resolution, but would fans accept a 640x480 game anymore? I would (someone previously mentioned yatagarasu earlier and I think it's evidence that I'm not alone in that feeling), but I think a lot, if not most would complain if the sprites weren't at least kof13 level which would be much more expensive and something barely anyone seems willing to attempt anymore. I'd honestly expect a fan to do it before Capcom right now.

You ever heard about Vanguard Princess?

 

[miller.skippins]

Street Fighter 3 was a big budget game, and it still released with 12 characters. It took another two years and two releases to get to Third Strike. And this was at low resolution. Even matching KoF13 would take four times as much pixel detail. A 1080p 2D Street Fighter is simply not possible, not to mention that in a few years everyone will be expecting 4k.

i think it's better for capcom to learn from arc system works on how they managed to use a customized Unreal 3 engine and polygonal models to create the illusion of HD 2D spites..ala something like Guilty Gear Xrd.

 

[Tizoc]

I didn't know about a few of the games mentioned here.
Overall I'd say Capcom's CPS2 and CPS3 games had fantastic work done in them visually, and so did the Neo Geo of course.

What the fuck even is this?

 

[D.Lo]

What the fuck even is this?

Axeley, actually a fantastic looking game with many effects and layers and very nice sprite work, but I can see that screenshot out of context doesn't make it look so!

 

[Celine]

The only game I've found that gave saga frontier 2 a run for its money in the 32 bit gen is Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari.

Seems to play a lot like the Wonder Project games with a fantasy theme but I couldn't get that far without being able to read japanese.

Yeah the developer is the same (Givro).

Wonder Project J2 (N64)

Wonder Project J (SNES)

 

[Weltall Zero]

Dreamcast both has a 32bit processor and overlaps the "32bit era".

The game in question (SF3) came out ~6 months after the N64, so I don't see how you could rationally exclude it.

It came out on an arcade, which is not exactly the same. But people are posting 3DS games, so whatever.

What the fuck even is this?

That's Axelay, quite possibly my favorite shooter of all time. I still own the SNES cart.

 

[Seesaw15]

Just gonna post more 3rd Strike

 

[nkarafo]

Nobody mentioned GunForce 2 yet?

This was also before Metal Slug.

 

[Fredrik]

There's far too few Metal Slug mentions so far, those games are in a leage of their own, still hasn't been surpassed when it comes to details on the sprites and animation.

 

[Eila]

I don't think Mother 3 is the most impressive but it's perfection to me. There is a lot of detail to animation.

 

[MrCunningham]

Dreamcast both has a 32bit processor and overlaps the "32bit era".

The game in question (SF3) came out ~6 months after the N64, so I don't see how you could rationally exclude it.

Just about every game console from generation 6 had a 32bit CPU. The original Xbox used a CPU based on a Pentium III, The GameCube used a 32bit PowerPC CPU and even the GameBoy Advance was a 32bit machine. The only system that didn't have a 32bit CPU was the PS2, which did have a 128bit processor with some 32bit components inside.

Even the Wii and Nintendo DS as well as Nintendo 3DS were all 32bit. The Wii-U used a 32bit triple core PPC CPU. The Switch is the first Nintendo console to use a 64bit CPU since the N64.

Though those other later machines did have 128-256bit GPU's in them.

 

[ffvorax]

I personally LOVE Suikoden 2 artstyle!
Also Breath of Fire IV is gorgeous.
And Metal Slug was so good to see in motion!

And Alundra maybe?

 

[ProgenitorCastle]

Megaman X4

 

[Hedgey]

The only game I've found that gave saga frontier 2 a run for its money in the 32 bit gen is Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari.

Seems to play a lot like the Wonder Project games with a fantasy theme but I couldn't get that far without being able to read japanese.

https://youtu.be/kCpMV2ZsVm8?t=11m53s
Was just watching Game Sack's coverage of this game today. The sprite animation is incredible.

 

[KojiKnight]

He triggered me really hard. :/

I love BOF IV's style.

BoF 4's art is (intentionally) more drab and boring even though it is technically superior in animations... I'd pick 3 over 4 for that reason alone personally.

 

[JohnSpartanLee]

Seconding SF3, Lomax and Mega Man 8.

For 16bit it's clearly Metal Slug.

 

[Stiler]

Garou: Mark of the Wolves had some amazing detail.

Then probably the best, King of Fighters 99,

 

[Tizoc]

It came out on an arcade, which is not exactly the same. But people are posting 3DS games, so whatever.



That's Axelay, quite possibly my favorite shooter of all time. I still own the SNES cart.

Aha heard of it but hadn't played it before.

 

[jjasso21]

I always love threads like +these. Third Strike, Metal Slug, Dragon Force and BoF IV 011always gets my vote.1

 

[Tain]

i think it's better for capcom to learn from arc system works on how they managed to use a customized Unreal 3 engine and polygonal models to create the illusion of HD 2D spites..ala something like Guilty Gear Xrd.

Xrd is actually using an extremely vanilla Unreal Engine 3.

Xrd's visual success is the result of a whole lot of elbow grease.

 

[djtiesto]

Some I haven't seen yet:

Keio Yugekitai for Saturn:

Power Instinct Matrimelee:

 

[jennetics]

Ironically enough, the best Sprite work is from a direct competitor.

 

[Laz?]

Holy shit that's beautiful, is that game any good though?

I played through it years ago and found it enjoyable but frustrating. The main plot thread (with Gustave XIII) is interesting even though it's somewhat predictable. The problems are difficulty spikes, a battle system that is confusing and poor plot resolution. If you're able to nab on the cheap, it's worth a play through.

 

[KiraXD]

Legend of Mana

Saga Frontier 2

Breath of Fire IV

 

[traffiktiger]

Lunur: Silver Star Harmony looks great.

 

[MrBadger]

I don't have anything to contribute that's not been mentioned already, but I'm learning about so many great looking games that I'd never heard of before today. The 2D games of the mid to late 90's were so under appreciated in their time, but they've aged really well visually.

 

[hampig]

BoF 4's art is (intentionally) more drab and boring even though it is technically superior in animations... I'd pick 3 over 4 for that reason alone personally.

Drab and boring...? Maybe a bit more minimal, but I would never call it boring.

 

[The Omega Man]

We went from that to this

Progress they said, the future, they said

 

[Lyte Edge]

Street Fighter III (well, mainly 3rd Strike, which is kinda funny since New Generation and 2nd Impact had more detail) gets a lot of love, as does Garou MOTW, but one impressive game that goes often overlooked is Art Of Fighting 3, which was done by the same team who would go onto make The Last Blade and Garou:

Intro/Demo Gameplay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5fwGa8JEss

This game came out in 1996, almost a year before Street Fighter III, and you can see some similarities- the detailed animation, change in play style, and all new characters apart from the returning Ryo and Robert. The sprites are also pretty large. I don't recall them being as big as the AOF1 and AOF2 sprites, but they're still up there and only the original NeoGeo version has them this large. The Neo CD port had smaller sprites.

 

[Ryu Hayabusa]

 

[WilsonX100]

Just gonna post more 3rd Strike

this is DOPE

 

[WilsonX100]

Garou: Mark of the Wolves had some amazing detail.

Then probably the best, King of Fighters 99,

these are all beautiful. love background art like this

 

[TheJollyCorner]

these are all beautiful. love background art like this

Then you might appreciate this thread.

 

[Pyrrhus]

God, I miss the '90s.

 

[Crisium]

Top tier Neo Geo art, from the Metal Slugs to Garou and more, is unreal. And that's from an arcade machine that released about the same time as the SNES - in 1990, but it punches well above its weight. They even ported Hugo from SF3 series (1996 CPS 3 machine) into it.

In the era where Moore's law still functioned, this is absurd.

Good stuff here too on Neo Geo art:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1051512

 

[guyssorry]

This thread is great. This is probably my favorite artstyle ever for games (along w/ nice 16-bit sprites). Saga Frontier 2 art is incredible.

 

[jay]

Holy shit that's beautiful, is that game any good though?

It's a Saga game. Of course not.

 

[Docpan]

Astal comes to mind for sure.

Wow, first reply nails it and it's such an obscure title to boot. Never ported, never re-released, never talked about.

 

[Lord British]

mhmm good question. I just grabbed gifs of results from PxZ!

I think maybe a couple of them might be from Namco X Capcom for PS2?

 

[Sakujou]

arent people messing some stuff up here?
isnt neogeo 16bit?

 

[Vital Tundra]

Man I wish more indy devs took on 32bit style games. I guess its just kinda expensive compared to 8 or 16bit styles.

 

[Shadowhelper]

Mother Russia Bleeds looks incredible. To people who like retro sprite games, its just amazing. Well, it certainly looks amazing.

Quite a rightwing game, like Taken the game, but I love it.

 

[Manmademan]

Holy shit that's beautiful, is that game any good though?

That game has some of the most ridiculously hard fights in the genre. "Battle of South Moundtop" and "The Egg" final boss drive most people crazy before finishing it.

That being said the game looks a lot better in stills than it does to play. Animation is REALLY basic, and you feel more like you're walking around on top of that background, rather than "in" it, if that makes sense.