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Valhelm · Jul 26, 2015

Pretty straightforward thread. Is there a particular area, character, or faction from a video game that you really love?

My favorite aesthetic is probably the Covenant from Halo Reach. I really enjoyed how their architecture was both organic and obviously artificial. Every battleship looked like some kind of creature made of silicon, with valves, bones, and sphincters inside. The enemies' armor was also very natural, almost like chitin. What's really cool is that the higher-ranking units had more angular armor with a clear Forerunner influence.

ElectricBlanketFire · Jul 26, 2015

Kirby's Epic Yarn is a delight to play for its art style and music.

Rembrandt · Jul 26, 2015

The entirety of Mirrors Edge

Insanely good looking.

plasmawave · Jul 26, 2015

JSR. Especially for its time.

Ladekabel · Jul 26, 2015

Korgans are my favorite species from the Mass Effect games. While I like their design the modified appearance of Grunt is my favorite. Don't know why I love it so much but it resonates with me the most.

LordAmused · Jul 26, 2015

plasmawave said:
JSR. Especially for its time.

Reminds me of Sunset Overdrive, kinda.

Werewolf Jones · Jul 26, 2015

The sheen of the character models in Transformers: Devastation which is apparently a throw back to Masami Obari.

Skel1ingt0n · Jul 26, 2015

plasmawave said:
JSR. Especially for its time.

Wow, that was quick!

Came to post that.

Also, gotta go dig out that Mama Robotnik research thread...

It's not really chibi, and it's not really steampunk, and it's not really the generic fantasy. It's not old world but it's definitely not modern. It doesn't look ripped from the pages of LotR or a $99c fantasy book at the back of Half of Books. It's very unique, and so absolutely filled with attention to detail. It has a beautifully realized atmosphere that can be dark and brooding, yet the unexpectedly chipper and humorous characters fit right in.

Blizzard · Jul 26, 2015

Rembrandt said:
The entirety of Mirrors Edge

Insanely good looking.

I think the Mirror's Edge artstyle is indeed very pleasant. It's what I thought of immediately.

Trying to think of another example, I liked the snowy magic school area in Skyrim. Music may have been a large part of that, of course.

Valhelm · Jul 26, 2015

The Skyrim Dwemer style is another good one. There aren't enough good screenshots to do it justice, but the ruins have this amazing Art Deco aesthetic that's a little bit like Bioshock. Ancient and futuristic in the coolest way, with really great bold lines and geometric elements.

Blobbers · Jul 26, 2015

That one awesome mission in The Witcher 3.

Spukc · Jul 26, 2015

that art style tho
the barb was even stranger hehe

RazielCuts · Jul 26, 2015

I love the gothic, run down, abandoned architecture in the Soul Reaver games.

45552-legacy-of-kain-soul-reaver-dreamcast-screenshot-impressive.jpg

And the glyphs and clan symbols -

Blizzard · Jul 26, 2015

I remembered another one! NaissanceE had some horrible almost seizure-inducing black and white parts, but when the screen wasn't going crazy there were some really neat architecture parts. The term I've heard is "brutalist".

It feels a bit like some enormous, abandoned city created by strange, ancient beings.

Summer Haze · Jul 26, 2015

Yeah, the Covenant design is great. And in a similar vein to your choice, I'd go with the Geth from Mass Effect:

The_Poet · Jul 26, 2015

RazielCuts said:
I love the gothic, run down, abandoned architecture in the Soul Reaver games.

Those are some pretty bland and non-original environments..

gwiz210 · Jul 26, 2015

Daytona USA has underrated aesthetic

DaciaJC · Jul 26, 2015

Apotheon has a delightful art style.

Valhelm · Jul 26, 2015

Blizzard said:
I remembered another one! NaissanceE had some horrible almost seizure-inducing black and white parts, but when the screen wasn't going crazy there were some really neat architecture parts. The term I've heard is "brutalist".

It feels a bit like some enormous, abandoned city created by strange, ancient beings.

That's pretty cool. It reminds me of the puzzle side-game from Assassin's Creed Revelations.

Breakage · Jul 26, 2015

MGS2's dark futuristic aesthetic is one of the main reasons it's my favourite Metal Gear Solid game. The whole game feels like an ominous journey through a machine.

Choomp · Jul 26, 2015

DaciaJC said:
Apotheon has a delightful art style.

Apotheon and Cuphead are two of the coolest styles I've seen used in games. I didn't like Apotheon overall however, hopefully I enjoy Cuphead more.

Col WillieSharp · Jul 26, 2015

From the moment I saw El Shaddai, I knew that I had to play it.
The moment I played it, I knew I wanted to stop.

Unique, interesting(looking) game.

SatelliteOfLove · Jul 26, 2015

Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, a triumph of game design

Ruins of human archetecture, riven with voids, now home to clearly inhuman demons using them in oddly human ways in an almost mocking fashion.

The Vortex World is inside-out; when you look up you see ruins, demonic bases of operation and zen garden wastelands stretching to the non-existant horizon in every direction.

It is a game that delights in sending you into dark, dangerous abodes. What light there is often takes the form of wan, foggy light from the false sun of Kagatsuchi at the center of the inside-out world...

...or lost in the aggressive blood-red of magatsuhi, the fuel for demons...

Tuning, dialogue, art direction, music...it moves as one.

Mista Koo · Jul 27, 2015

Choomp said:
Apotheon and Cuphead are two of the coolest styles I've seen used in games. I didn't like Apotheon overall however, hopefully I enjoy Cuphead more.

Same here. I bought Apotheon based on aesthetics alone, but I don't think I'll ever attempt to play the whole game.

TheRedSnifit · Jul 27, 2015

Pretty much anything dieselpunk gets my approval.

Don't Starve also has a pretty great artstyle. Definitely gives off a Burton-esque, goofy-but-creepy vibe.

Mcdohl · Jul 27, 2015

Col WillieSharp said:
From the moment I saw El Shaddai, I knew that I had to play it.
The moment I played it, I knew I wanted to stop.

Unique, interesting(looking) game.

The whole game is so damn beautiful.

Persona7 · Jul 27, 2015

In Silent Hill 3 there is a small alley passage after you exit the bathroom at the start of the game and it has a weird fog/sky hue and I always thought that specific area stood out.

The entire game has a wonderful aesthetic.

akachan ningen · Jul 27, 2015

Killer7

Dr. Buni · Jul 27, 2015

Child of Light is gorgeous.

And so is Ori and the Blind Forest:

Lucidforest · Jul 27, 2015

Valhelm said:
sphincters

Heh

Trumpets · Jul 27, 2015

SaGa Frontier 2 and its watercolour art style. Looks as good today as it did on release:

Lijik · Jul 27, 2015

Evil Twin has a fun city of lost children/german expressionism inspired look to it but the area that blew me away was the school level. While most of the game is fantastical, blending that with the grounded school theme gives way to some really surreal stuff. The only area that i can easily find screenshots for is the hub area, an oversized classroom where the giant teacher shoots lasers at you from his eyes

Levels in the area include a nurse's office that wouldnt be out of place in a silent hill game, and a dream-like school yard which is my personal favorite. I cant find a commentary less video of it, so this will have to do. The imagery of the giant iron hopscotch board at the end of the playground acting as a door to a starry dreamscape really stuck with me for some reason.

Circinus · Jul 27, 2015

Tearaway.

The level in the cavern is especially beautiful.

drGonz0o · Jul 27, 2015

Muramasa, game is gorgeous.

SomedayTheFire · Jul 27, 2015

Can't post pictures right now, but I like ICO and Splatoon's aesthetics. Valiant Hearts and Journey are also lovely to look at. I love Wolfenstein: The New Order's brutalist architecture too.

UnluckyKate · Jul 27, 2015

drGonz0o said:
Muramasa, game is gorgeous.

All vanillaware games share this specific aesthetic and funny enough, all three games (Odin Sphere, Muramasa, Dragon's Crown) have different setting but still manage to share this consistent god tier art direction in Nordic-ish mythology, Edo / shinto era and european medieval fantasy

TI82 · Jul 27, 2015

Dragons Crown has some really good looking stuff, the girls just look so weird.

The Banner Saga looks really amazing like Don Bluth animation with a very strong Scandinavian influence.

Mass Effect has always looked great, but Garrus in particular just looks like this really intense badass from the get-go. Even as the series goes on and his body is mutilated he stays so... intriguing.

Dunan · Jul 27, 2015

If you liked Mirror's Edge, play Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Some gorgeous concept art.

drGonz0o · Jul 27, 2015

UnluckyKate said:
All vanillaware games share this specific aesthetic and funny enough, all three games (Odin Sphere, Muramasa, Dragon's Crown) have different setting but still manage to share this consistent god tier art direction in Nordic-ish mythology, Edo / shinto era and european medieval fantasy

Yes, very talented studio. Can't wait to see what their next game will be. Never played Odin Sphere, but I wish that they bring Muramasa Rebirth to PS4 or PS3. I guess that cost a lot of money, and they are not a big studio.

Celine · Jul 27, 2015

Broken Age art style is beautiful:

Ranma · Jul 27, 2015

gravity rush

efyu_lemonardo · Jul 27, 2015

Sam & Max Hit the Road (Lucas Arts, 1993)

MDK 1 (Shiny Entertainment, 1997)

Sacrifice (another game by the creative geniuses at Shiny, 2000)

Valhelm · Jul 28, 2015

Bumping with one I forgot: Black Velvetopia, from Psychonauts.

It's some of the most brilliant use of color in any video game. This level is so incredibly fun to prowl around in, and the use of playing card iconography is pretty clever.

sixteen-bit · Jul 28, 2015

Rocket Knight Adventures has a color palette reminiscent of a game label that has faded from sun exposure.

kingwingin · Jul 28, 2015

For some reason the transformation in banjo kazooie make me so happy. Love the way they look.

Anno · Jul 28, 2015

Most everything from Endless Legend. Many 4x games don't tend to take many liberties with their art direction: most just look like some form of the real world. EL basically has a super unique look for almost everything from the general game UI to the units and factions to the map itself. It's really refreshing to watch.

Mr. Poolman · Jul 28, 2015

This is my kind of thread!!

I'm really fond of Alice: Madness Return's art style, such a dark and grim gothic style.
It works wonders on a trully drepesing game as well.

Alo81 · Jul 28, 2015

I haven't personally played it, but from what I've seen the aesthetic of El Shaddai: The Ascension of Metatron is just absolutely magnificent.

MushroomSamba · Jul 28, 2015

Okami

SomTervo · Jul 28, 2015

Celine said:
Broken Age art style is beautiful:

This is a good answer. Me and my partner just finished it the other day. Wonderful aesthetic in that game.

I'd ad El Shaddai (which I never even played), Jet Set Radio, and Shadow of the Colossus plus Ico.

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