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[Ethelwulf]

I remember creating new saves every time I could while playing FFVII just to be able to watch endless times my favorite CGI cutscenes. How to forget Aeris's death scene, it marked me for a long time. Back then I said: "imagine if actual gameplay could look like this. Not a chance". Now games can look beyond what I could have ever imagined.

I like watching that CGI cutscene again because of pure nostalgia but it looks ugly by making a direct comparison with modern games. Current CGI's look amazing and I'm sure future Gaf could have this conversation again or look back to this thread and make jokes of it. Which CGI cutscenes blowed your mind and now they look meh compared to in-game graphics?


Some jaw-dropping gifs:

 

[Pitmonkey]

Easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7ybUhrMVwA

 

[icespide]

Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9 CGI scenes

 

[dark10x]

The king

OK, maybe it didn't blow minds, but it wasn't shabby either.

 

[jooey]

tekken 1-3 endings

edit: beaten but for a good cause

 

[DecoyOctopus]

Final Fantasy VII

 

[UberTag]

Clearly this will be FFVII - the thread.

 

[Ethelwulf]

The king

OK, maybe it didn't blow minds, but it wasn't shabby either.

Jesus.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Onimusha

j/k

 

[ZSeba]

Time Commando, Warcraft 2, Starcraft

 

[Orochinagis]

All blizzard games?

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

All blizzard games?

naw, go look at the WOW cgi from 10 years ago. Still holds up really well.

 

[Manu]

Easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7ybUhrMVwA

This is still amazing.

 

[SovanJedi]

I was so obsessed with a game called Lost Eden back in the day, both because of dinosaurs and I had grown a love for point and click adventure games on the PC at that time, but it basically enticed me into buying a PC with a CD drive.

I still think the game is great, and I love the soundtrack for just how unusual it is, but by GOD do the 3D dinosaurs look dodgy as fuck now.

Attract Mode

 

[Sephiroth_GR_]

All of PS1 games era CGI videos.

The exception is FF VIII and IX. Maybe Tekken 3 too.

 

[nelchaar]

Syphon Filter (PS1).

 

[HalfwayOrb]

This:
AH-3 ThunderStrike (Sega-CD)

I recorded it with a VCR so I could rewatch it without firing up Sega CD. I know, it's shitty, but it was mind blowing for my 10? years old mind back then.

 

[Gundy2010]

them Blizzard games.... especially so for WAR3 Chaos Reign

 

[dark10x]

I was so obsessed with a game called Lost Eden back in the day, both because of dinosaurs and I had grown a love for point and click adventure games on the PC at that time, but it basically enticed me into buying a PC with a CD drive.

I still think the game is great, and I love the soundtrack for just how unusual it is, but by GOD do the 3D dinosaurs look dodgy as fuck now.

Attract Mode

Yeah, I still have the full cardboard box and everything for the PC version of the game.

I also have it on 3DO which I recently played. Not a great game but I also enjoyed that kind of stuff back in the day. Cryo was all about that kind of CG.

 

[Commanche Raisin Toast]

Soul Reaver
Siphon Filter (lol)

 

[TRI Mike]

The intro to Final Fantasy VIII was incredible to me, I just couldn't believe my eyes. I just thought I'd never see a game looking better than that in my life. Then the Dreamcast and PS2 came out.

 

[Sentenza]

I was in awe with Warcraft 2 intro when I was far younger.

Now looks like garbage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU-n8UZM5Cc

 

[crimilde]

Legacy of Kain Blood Omen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwS_GbMo99Y

 

[Asbear]

Everything in Mass Effect 2 and 3. Like, I'm playing on PC, and for one the resolution of the CGI is locked to 720p and they're half the framerate of the ingame stuff, but those awful god-rays and other unfinished-looking FX they used in those CG scenes just look plain amateurish.

 

[Carn82]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnfzqwUzp8o

Still not beaten!

Spoiler

j/k ofcourse.

 

[Kinyou]

them Blizzard games.... especially so for WAR3 Chaos Reign

I'd say it still holds up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrQ17wPP6kA

Not as mindblowing as it used to be, far from bad looking.

 

[theofficefan99]

All of PS1 games era CGI videos.

The exception is FF VIII and IX. Maybe Tekken 3 too.

Disagree with this. Chrono Cross' CGI is still pretty good today, along with Koudelka and Vagrant Story.

 

[Coldnoodle]

It's the reverse for WWE games

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyQtoXGUoc0

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

Diablo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9RG2DVqOsU&sns=em

 

[Ethelwulf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnfzqwUzp8o

Still not beaten!

Spoiler

j/k ofcourse.

Can't believe this was released almost 10 years ago.

 

[josecitoxnyo]

Omega Boost Intro.

The mix of CGI, live action and the hype music blew my mind at the time. The mecha is fantastic, so sad it did´nt had a sequel.

 

[Amentallica]

That tree that pops in toward the end of the gif really, really bothers me.

 

[AppleMIX]

Diablo 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdiQxOFpGzY

 

[Asbear]

That tree that pops in toward the end of the gif really, really bothers me.

This is from the XB1 version.

 

[kittens]

The king

OK, maybe it didn't blow minds, but it wasn't shabby either.

what the hell is that from

 

[RedAssedApe]

what the hell is that from

tekken?

 

[Manu]

Syphon Filter truly is the king of this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBtqxPwvhns

It's even uglier when you think it came out the same year as FFVIII, just compare the FMVs to the ones in that game.

 

[Shaanyboi]

I remember being blown away by RE2's intro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7ybUhrMVwA


Some of Blizzard's early-mid 2000's work still looks pretty good, largely to good direction, but some of the technical aspects certainly have aged.

Diablo 2

Warcraft 3

 

[majik13]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPO7c_XmesU

this was the first video I donwloaded off the internet when this leaked or was shown, back in early 90's(94?), back when most people didnt even know what the internet was, blew my mind.

after that it was the real FF7, RE, and other PS1 games.

 

[Ethelwulf]

Omega Boost Intro.

The mix of CGI, live action and the hype music blew my mind at the time. The mecha is fantastic, so sad it did´nt had a sequel.

OMG this game! The mech-dragon in the 7th (?) level killed me countless times. The CG still looks quite ok though.

 

[RoadHazard]

The ones I remember most fondly in this sense from my childhood are the CGI intros to Little Big Adventure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO9q-0gCNf0#t=115

...and Theme Park:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9G-PFtzMBc

Now, of course, they both look like absolute crap technically.

 

[BPoole]

The Dragon Campaign from The Legend of Dragoon blew me away when I played it. Now, it just looks okay

 

[Tidesofblood]

Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9 CGI scenes

Agreed.

Also I loved FF X cut scenes (first FF game I played)

Dem Feels

Dazzling Sun

Later finished FF 12 was full on great cut scenes that made me WEEOOOOW, this was only like a year ago too on PCSX2 when I was bored in college.

 

[Marvel]

This is from the XB1 version.

What have you done?

 

[TheHall]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJDN7JxWO90

Nina's hair was AMAZING

 

[TouchMyBox]

You guys are silly, I've never had shitty CGI blow my mind, I knew better tha...

...and Theme Park:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9G-PFtzMBc

Oh shit.

Spoiler

I guess the only CGI that really truly blew my mind though was Final Fantasy The Spirits Within, but that still looks okay compared to vidya.

 

[FryHole]

William Birkin takes extreme measures in RE2 - a cutscene that seemed so absurdly glorious at the time that my flatmate reloaded his previous save and fetched me to watch it.

Resident Evil 2: T-Virus Outbreak: http://youtu.be/BnH5oVqyWEQ

Somehow, I still find PS1 CGI to be oddly beautiful and seem to enjoy it more than any HD stuff created today. I don't know what that says about my eyesight, but it probably ain't good.

 

[Backfoggen]

Diablo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9RG2DVqOsU&sns=em

This was one of the first games I ever saw/played, so naturally I asked a friend "Man, do you think we'll ever get a game that looks like this?" and we both went "probably not". And now it looks like shit. Lol.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

The best from 2003/2002 CGI to today still holds up imho.

FFX, Warcraft 3, etc

 

[Mooreberg]

Silent Hill CG vs. Silent Hill 3 real time 3D. PSOne CG was basically the mannequin era of cut scenes.