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[Grimm Fandango]

You guys realize that there should be a distinction into 3 categories:

1. Before the advent of scanners. Everything was pixeled by hand in Deluxepaint, sometimes with helpers stuck to the screen, but still
   (Before 1991)
2. Scanned 2D artwork, then reduced to 256 or 32 colors and hand treated for line clean up & better color palette translation
   (1991-1994)
3. Scanned or even 3D based backgrounds with integrated 3D prerendered objects helping with perspective and also probably with better tools to translate over colors into game palette
   1994+

That's really interesting. Got any more info on this? Loved the old Lucasarts' games (and I see you do too)

 

[ALLseeingEYE]

You guys realize that there should be a distinction into 3 categories:

1. Before the advent of scanners. Everything was pixeled by hand in Deluxepaint, sometimes with helpers stuck to the screen, but still
   (Before 1991)
2. Scanned 2D artwork, then reduced to 256 or 32 colors and hand treated for line clean up & better color palette translation
   (1991-1994)
3. Scanned or even 3D based backgrounds with integrated 3D prerendered objects helping with perspective and also probably with better tools to translate over colors into game palette
   1994+

Those are three interesting points in technological innovation of sprite art, but there's a lot more to it than that, I'd say.

For example, a company in stage 3 doesn't always use 3D background or 3D assets for reference in thier art, although it is definitely a great method. You can clearly see 3D images translated into sprites in some of the SNK stuff for example (such as the Giant bell in Garou), but there are also many aspects of the backgrounds that are pretty obviously painstakingly rendered, pixel by pixel, perhaps based off of 2D concept art. Pixel art that has simply been rendered then downscaled has a very obvious and distinct look as well.

For example, portraits in the game Breath of Death by Zeboyd seemed to use down-res photoshop art, as opposed to a pixel-by-pixel creation, while SNK recreated the character animation in KOF XIII overtop of 3D model renders.

 

[Shadow Ranger]

Necro bumping this thread, but anyone made any of these into neat mobile wallpapers? Scrollable kind.

 

[v1oz]

Those SNK game backgrounds have better artwork than the Street Fighter games.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Those SNK game backgrounds have better artwork than the Street Fighter games.

Yep they've always been ahead in that regard.

 

[Chev]

Today this'd get bannded in tournaments for not showing the fighters' feet.

 

[RedSwirl]

Another thread appreciating late 90's/early 00's 2D fighting game art -- basically the zenith of sprite-based fighting games (except for KOFXIII) before everything went 3D.

 

[Spaced Harrier]

I love the fact that you fight in the water in this stage.

This stage lead to unblockable touch if death combos because the characters jump into the water before the fight.

However some have slower jump arcs and animation and would not land before the fight starts which is basically on the normal jump animation (e.g. Terry)

 

[RoninChaos]

I miss 90s capcom.

 

[PantsuJo]

I miss 90s capcom.

I miss 90s, basically.
At least for gaming, it was a glorious age.

 

[Village]

The water stage is glorious, I love SNK stages

I miss 90s, basically.
At least for gaming, it was a glorious age.

* looks at this year*

I don't know, this year is pretty dope.

 

[Projectjustice]

Amazing art!!!

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

The water stage is glorious, I love SNK stages



* looks at this year*

I don't know, this year is pretty dope.

This year is like the first great one in more than a decade, though... so I understand the point.

'90s Capcom and SNK were amazing.

 

[tzare]

Samurai shodown 3 would disagree. Weaker hardware though

 

[Peltz]

Love when this thread gets bumped. So damn good.

 

[Village]

This year is like the first great one in more than a decade, though.

That isn't true at all?

2007, and 2008 would be included in that decade, and those years were fucking amazing. The next two years in that argument, invalidate the argument. Video games are dope as shit, and have accelerated in their their rate of release of dope shit

 

[fatty]

I've always been a Capcom guy when playing fighters but SNK does some beautiful backgrounds.

Necro bumping this thread, but anyone made any of these into neat mobile wallpapers? Scrollable kind.

Yeah, I'm wondering this too. That would be great.

 

[Fuz]

Yeah, this one is really, really impressive.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Dang Fuz those SNK backgrounds look hot

Here's a meagre contribution of my own:

(my fav stage in Art of Fighting 3)

 

[EightBit Man]

Heh, I remember checking this thread before I was a member ages ago.

 

[Spukc]

Can you guys stahp bringing up this thread?
It makes me fucking depressed looking at KOF 14

 

[GrayFoxPL]

I love the fact that you fight in the water in this stage.
Also the water in the waterfall stage of KoF 95 is amazing.

BTW can someone PLEASE find me a GIF of Anakaris' stage from Darkstalkers and/or Darkstalkers' Revenge? I can't seem to find the damn thing ANYWHERE

I love this stage. When Terry throws his hat, it floats away on the water.

 

[EightBit Man]

The only problem I have with these backgrounds is the same characters doing the same routine over and over again because of limitations. Wish they would build further upon it with random characters with random animations.

 

[Naked Lunch]

Artistically speaking in terms of videogames - call me crazy or old fashioned or both -
but ill take high quality 2D art over 3D rendered art any day of the week.
2D is so much more impressive and satisfying to my eyes.

 

[kunonabi]

The only problem I have with these backgrounds is the same characters doing the same routine over and over again because of limitations. Wish they would build further upon it with random characters with random animations.

No thanks less is more. Capcom tried making the background characters do all kinds of random crap in their 3d games and it looks awful.

 

[cireza]

Dang Fuz those SNK backgrounds look hot

Here's a meagre contribution of my own:

(my fav stage in Art of Fighting 3)

Inhuman pixel-art.

 

[lock2k]

This thread made me go back and play KOF. Glorious thread.

 

[Fuz]

This thread made me go back and play KOF. Glorious thread.

Same

Capcom tried making the background characters do all kinds of random crap in their 3d games and it looks awful.

Like what?

 

[TacosNSalsa]

I loved the cameos in the backgrounds ...these games had such style it was a shock to see what happened with KOFXIV . SamSho seems to be a step back in the right direction i think it looks great.

 

[NahaNago]

The only problem I have with these backgrounds is the same characters doing the same routine over and over again because of limitations. Wish they would build further upon it with random characters with random animations.

I agree but it kinda seems weird to focus a lot of development on background characters at the same time.