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[bideogamer]

Seriously? No Vagrant Story yet? (unless I missed it.)

This game IMO is the king of PS1 graphics. The painterly style is like videogame impressionism. Looks great today through my PS3's clean HDMI output.

DEM PIXELS.

 

[cyberheater]

We used to have a pretty decent collection of older arcade games and pinball machines when I was a kid. This was one of them.

Just beautiful. I've spent hours on one of those

 

[Creamium]

Still impressed by Metroid Prime's graphics. I just realized that game is 10 (ten!) years old. Now I feel old

Another shot of Soul Reaver :

Incredible looking game for its time.

Ghosthunter on PS2 looked pretty good as well :

Underrated game, loved it.

 

[LuchaShaq]

I don't think a single 3d game on the ps1/N64 holds up without significant help on a pc emulator.

 

[galvatron]

DK64 looked great, but it played like dogshit. I remember loads of framerate problems.

I guess I'm just bitter towards that game. :lol

I agree. Garbage framerate even after putting a ram expansion into your system keeps this one off my list. Screenshots don't tell the whole story.

Model 2 and Model 3 stuff makes this thread too easy.

Yeah, arcade or PC games that launched at times where they couldn't be maxed out on home system hardware are at a huge advantage...

 

[Doomshine]

Team Buddies! (Ps1)

 

[MrCunningham]

Oh, and I do remember an older one, Jet Set Radio, this screenshot may not be of the original resolution though, not sure:

That's from the PC port that cam out last year. But the original Jet Set Radio is still one of the best looking games on the Dreamcast. Especially if you played it on a Dreamcast VGA adapter.

A lot of Gamecube games being mentioned in this thread as well, I also think that Luigi's Mansion is one of those titles that holds up extremely well too... and this was also a launch title:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LC4QhLvyV9M#t=103s

Outcast was great for it's time.

This was great too. Just like Comanche I love the look of the voxel environments in this one too. But unfortunately because this game used Voxel landscapes there was no way to enable accelerated graphics in this game, so it was stuck in software mode only.

 

[Shion]

Pretty much any Model 2 and Model 3 game.

Crash and Spyro are very good examples too.

Diddy Kong Racing:

 

[MarkusRJR]

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is probably the most visually appealing N64 game out there.

 

[Angelus Errare]

I'll tell you some that don't.

1st and 2nd generation UE3 based games lolololol

 

[rjc571]

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is probably the most visually appealing N64 game out there.

Nope, that honor goes to Sin & Punishment.

 

[ShadowFox08]

Pretty much any Model 2 and Model 3 game.

Crash and Spyro are very good examples too.

Diddy Kong Racing:

I knew I was missing something..

 

[daripad]

I wonder if anyone said Yoshi's Story and Kirby 64

 

[DryvBy]

I think it depends. I look at Outlaws, which is hardly even 3D and love the art style so much, I still consider it good looking. But I honestly think I believe this because the graphics are very nostalgic to me.

 

[The Awesomest]

Looks like Kirby 64 just got a couple of mentions, right before I was going to complain about the lack of mentions of Kirby 64.

 

[Darryl]

Final Fantasy IX :

this one took way too long. i'd literally buy a new game that looks like this, using the pre-rendered backgrounds, low poly-count, and no new modern effects.

 

[unaveragekid2]

That Diddy Kong racing is unbelievable, geez.

Crash Bandicoot still looks really good, and Mario 64 isn't so bad.

I said damn, Naughty Dog...

 

[dab0ne]

REmake is gorgeous.

 

[Host Samurai]

I still think PS2 generation games look fine. Early 3D are the PS1/N64 gen.

I'll say the old Resident Evils, Fear Effect and some N64 games look fine to this day

 

[SteveWinwood]

Everything on the n64 is amazing

Everything on the ps1 looks terrible.

 

[Salvadora]

I'm a sucker for the old Spyro games.

 

[kunonabi]

Not really "old" per se but still, allow me to get the most visually stunning game of all time out of the way:

There we go!

Man, playing this game with a VGA cord for the first time is an experience I'll never forget.

 

[MYE]

two examples

 

[Host Samurai]

This might not be a popular opinion but I absolutely adore the look of the original Star Fox on the SNES. The geometric style fits perfectly and really creates this bizarre looking game. Same goes for Virtua Fighter 1. I prefer the look to both these titles to their sequels.

 

[PKrockin]

Mega Man Legends 2 looks alright still.

For all the people posting Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask looks a lot better.

Oh my god I just remembered a really good one.

Wave Race 64:

The water tech was absolutely unbelievable back then and still looks really nice in motion. The way the jet ski's bounced off the waves... So many great memories.

This game shit on anything that was on the PSX.

I really wish they would make one for the Wii U. It would probably make me go out and get the system.

That HUD is absolutely horrendous.

 

[ScOULaris]

I don't give a crap if he did edit the OP with that little disclaimer on the bottom. What a shitty example to start the thread with. Where do we go from there? If SotC is an "old 3D game" as far as this thread's concerned, then we could essentially just make this a "Best-looking PS2 games" thread.

The PS2 generation played host to dozens of visually impressive games. As a matter of fact, they're still holding their own via HD Collection releases.

A thread like this really only makes sense if we're talking about the PS1 era and prior. You know, when 3D graphics were new and going through an awkward transitional phase? That makes coming up with games that were able to use art direction and clever design choices to their advantage in order to stand apart from the rest of the jittery, low-res games that struggle to remain palatable as time goes on.

Now that I've said my peace, I'll go ahead and nominate Vagrant Story once more:

While it of course didn't have the IQ shown in this picture back when it was being played on our old CRT TV's, Vagrant Story's stylish looks, well choreographed and framed realtime cutscenes, attractive environments, and smoothly animating characters all hold up very well to this day, IMO.

 

[awa64]

Star Fox 64. They did such a good job designing the vehicles and environments to take advantage of the N64's polygonal limitations that the 3DS remake doesn't even look better, just... different.

 

[RionaaM]

Little Big Adventure 2 (to a point, thanks to cartoony characters)

My man! That game has an excellent art style, I'd kill for a sequel (or HD remake, I don't care, just give me more Twinsen!)

 

[Lijik]

Some really good choices in here. I feel like anything from the Dreamcast on is tantamount to cheating though.
I think some of Capcom's old 3D games still stand the test of time thanks to their toony look, and working within the constraints of old graphics instead of trying to overcome them. They have a look thats appealing in the same vein as pixel art imo

I also think Slap Happy Rhythm Busters looks INCREDIBLE for a PS1 game

 

[partyphone]

oh yeah. roll up the whole world little guy.

 

[Cru Jones]

I don't give a crap if he did edit the OP with that little disclaimer on the bottom. What a shitty example to start the thread with. Where do we go from there? If SotC is an "old 3D game" as far as this thread's concerned, then we could essentially just make this a "Best-looking PS2 games" thread.

The PS2 generation played host to dozens of visually impressive games. As a matter of fact, they're still holding their own via HD Collection releases.

A thread like this really only makes sense if we're talking about the PS1 era and prior. You know, when 3D graphics were new and going through an awkward transitional phase? That makes coming up with games that were able to use art direction and clever design choices to their advantage in order to stand apart from the rest of the jittery, low-res games that struggle to remain palatable as time goes on.

Now that I've said my peace, I'll go ahead and nominate Vagrant Story once more:

While it of course didn't have the IQ shown in this picture back when it was being played on our old CRT TV's, Vagrant Story's stylish looks, well choreographed and framed realtime cutscenes, attractive environments, and smoothly animating characters all hold up very well to this day, IMO.

Hell yes! What a waste of a potentially good thread. This thread should be about pointing to games that hold up well from an era where most would not. The only ps2 games that wouldn't hold up today are games that would have been ridiculed at the time of their release as well. By the OPs standards I might as well post shots of crysis 3 since it came out in the past and is "technically old". Sheesh!

 

[Vire]

]I don't give a crap if he did edit the OP with that little disclaimer on the bottom. What a shitty example to start the thread with. Where do we go from there? [/B]If SotC is an "old 3D game" as far as this thread's concerned, then we could essentially just make this a "Best-looking PS2 games" thread.

The PS2 generation played host to dozens of visually impressive games. As a matter of fact, they're still holding their own via HD Collection releases.

A thread like this really only makes sense if we're talking about the PS1 era and prior. You know, when 3D graphics were new and going through an awkward transitional phase? That makes coming up with games that were able to use art direction and clever design choices to their advantage in order to stand apart from the rest of the jittery, low-res games that struggle to remain palatable as time goes on.

Now that I've said my peace, I'll go ahead and nominate Vagrant Story once more:

While it of course didn't have the IQ shown in this picture back when it was being played on our old CRT TV's, Vagrant Story's stylish looks, well choreographed and framed realtime cutscenes, attractive environments, and smoothly animating characters all hold up very well to this day, IMO.

Relax...

No need for such hostility. You won't last around here with an attitude like that.

You act like I shit in your breakfast.

 

[Unicorn]

Not many PSX racing games still look good. But Wipeout 2097 still looks nice (In motion)

Yesssss so smooth.

 

[Eusis]

Some 3D games age really poorly, while others still look great to this day.

Which ones in your mind stand the test of time and remain classic? Does it accomplish it through strong art design, or ahead of its time technology?

My pick goes to Shadow of the Colossus:


A game that still looks amazing to this day due to it's fantastic sense of scale and scope. A seemingly endless draw distance gave the game an epic feeling that hasn't been matched to this day.

So which games pre-current generation hold the test of time?

EDIT: I think people are forgetting we are approaching 2 generations removed from PS2 now.

It may not feel like that long ago, but 10 years is a long time in the relative history of video games. (~30 years, roughly 1/3 of the entire lifespan of video games)

This thread was made to discuss 3D games that hold up and still look great to this day. Not argue over what is "old" and what isn't.

Even putting aside how old the PS2 is now, that was at a generation where 3D was mature enough that so long as you didn't completely screw it up (or focused way too hard at looking realistic) it was likely to still look pretty good years later and upressed, PS1 games immediately looked like shit once the Dreamcast rolled around, and this was further stomped in by the PS2. As such, I'd rather focus on when the limits were so tight it was harder to make enduring visuals.

So for me... Mega Man Legends sticks out, going for a simple, cartoony style. And some of the SE games on PS1 tended to age well or at least look decent enough over the years, even FFVII at least recognized the limits of the PS1 for 3D rendering as mocked as it is, though I do have a nostalgic soft spot there. Then there's NiGHTS and the Panzer Dragoon series on the Saturn.

 

[Shadow Hog]

I think Doom still looks pretty good. Helps if you play it at a high resolution using a source port... but don't turn on sprite/texture filtering! Keep it pixellated, it honestly works better for this title. Mip-mapping's okay, though, moire effects are ugly.

 

[Tizoc]

@lijik- What the this is the first I've heard of Slap Happy Rhythm Busters! Need to check it out later.

i think the psx spyro games hold up quite well.

Yeah Spyro 2 and 3 hold up well, so do the Crash games made by ND.
Final Fantasy IX holds up fantastically too IMO.

...and this debatable but Klonoa 1 for PSX holds up well, at least if you've played it on a Vita =P

 

[noonespecial]

How about these?

Syndicate Wars (PC, 1996)

Myth: The Fallen Lords (PC/Mac, 1997)

Both used sprites for the units and most objects but the environments were 3D and spectacular for their time. The maps were fully rotatable with deformation (M:TFL) or entire environment destruction (Syndicate). Also both games would alter textures and leave sprites in place after a fight.


Not only were they ahead of their time in many ways but I have played both games within the last couple of years and they impress me almost as much as they did back when they came out.

Or perhaps I'm just old because I also still love the look of some of the earlier 3D games with the "jumpy" polygon rendering effects (such as with Front Mission 3 and FFIX) so I think something could be said about nostalgia having an impact on some of us older gamers perhaps.

 

[BigEvilTurtle]

11 years later and it's still such an awesome looking game.

Runners-up:
Banjo-Tooie
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Wind Waker
Doom
Kirby Air Ride

 

[Tain]

What emulator is that??

MESS, using the built-in HLSL filter.

Requires a very good CPU, though. I'm not sure if anything can run it at full speed right now.

 

[InsaneLuchador]

I'm surprised only one person's mentioned Vagrant Story.

The architectural work is pretty mind-blowing for the PSX.

Came to post this, along with this:

 

[Barrel Cannon]

Soul Calibur 2
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
MGS3/TS
Ninja Gaiden
Wind Waker
Metroid Prime 1
Super Mario Sunshine

I'm not going to list any games that heavily use Pre-rendered backrounds like RE:1 Remake because I feel they are cheating too much.

 

[Naked Snake]

I love this thread.

 

[ScOULaris]

Ugh. Not only does the OP derail its own thread by using SotC as the example of "old 3D," the screenshots chosen include the following:

- A beta screenshot of the Colossus 13 battle that doesn't reflect the finished game
- Some needlessly Photoshopped pic of Colossus 2 with a piss filter

 

[Weltall Zero]

Soul Reaver. Textures are crazy hi-res fotr the time and high poly models and great art direction only seal the deal.

Soul Reaver was crazy for its time. The Lake of the Dead was something unreal.

 

[LukeTim]

Pretty much any Rare N64 game still looks fantastic.

 

[soxinthebox]

Quake 2 on the PS1 is pretty awesome.

Someone said that Turok 2 has stood up but it really hasn't. Playing that on an N64 nowadays is a headache with a super low framerate making it hard to play.

 

[brainpann]

I don't know what it is about flat shades polys, but I still love the way the orginal Star Fox looks. Don't even get me started on Tobal. I could stare at that game for hours. Honestly, I wish Nintendo would just release a new Star Fox on the eShop with the flat shaded, low poly "snes look", in HD and 60 Fps. Throw in some online multiplayer and score leaderboards, and ill probably never play anything else.

 

[SapientWolf]

Team Buddies! (Ps1)

Yeah, simple textures were the way to go on the PS1. One of my personal faves.

 

[Salsa]

ITT we just post old 3D games

 

[Anth0ny]

When I think old 3D games, I think PS1/N64/Saturn era.

So, Mario 64, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask all fit. Nintendo's artstyles are usually timeless, and the N64 era is no exception.