Gaming's Unnecessary Obsession With Graphics

With the release of Elden Ring more than ever has this talk on graphics been in my mind I've always found it strange that so much of the modern gaming discussion when it comes to video game visuals is about graphical fidelity and that the only way to judge a games visuals is based off its graphical fidelity I've never really cared about how realistic or high poly or 4k HD games look to me the more important factor and honestly underappreciated factor has been art direction or video game aesthetic or video game art style and today I discuss why I think this and how this obsession with graphics is harmful
Games discussed:
The Legend Of Zelda
Zelda A link To The Past
Zelda Ocarina Of Time
Elden Ring
Dark Souls
BloodBorne
Dark Souls 2
Lords Of The Fallen
Last Of Us 2
Last Of Us
Call Of Duty Vanguard
Bioshock
Demons Souls
Demons Souls Remake
Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild
Detroit Become Human
Red Dead Redemption 2
Grand Theft Auto 5
Neir Automata
Guilty Gear Strive
Dragon Ball Fighterz
Legend Of Zelda Windwaker
Cuphead
Jet Set Radio
Jet Set Radio Future
Spiderman
Ultimate Spiderman
Okami
Journey
Hollow Knight
Final Fantasy 14
Music Used:
Legend Of Zelda - Main Theme
Link To The Past - Main Theme
Ocarina Of Time - Hyrule Field
Link To The Past - Kakariko Village
Kings Field IV - Village Ruins
Breath Of The Wild - Korok Forest (night)
Dark Souls - Character Creation
Dark Souls - The Ancient Dragon
Ico - Castle In The Mist
Jet Set Radio Future - Hummin The Baseline
Windwaker - Dragon Roost Island
Hollow Knight - Greenpath
Hollow Knight - City Of Tears
Pase Rock - Its About Time (Fat Jon Remix)
TimeStamps
0:00 - How graphics have changed
1:33 - Time to complain
2:45 - I'm Hard for Elden Ring
3:32 - Obsession With Graphics
4:34 - "GAMERS" the point of the video
6:36 - Art Direction Over Graphics
12:01 - Art style is important
15:47 - The problem with graphical fidelity
17:11 - Hope for the future
18:24 - Outro
#eldenring #graphics #darksouls souls
credit to these creators for the footage let me know if I missed ya sorry
YTsunny sourcespy91 gamer max channel mkiceandfire modernxp nintendocomplete jake butineau cloudsp rabidretrospectgames games from mars lazerzz dennis day mkiceandfire beardbear
iron pineapple vaati mathew new frame plus roivas alenko neverknowsbest

[@damienlarson4145]

Realism is temporary. An art style is eternal.

[@GreggyAck]

Was looking for this comment. So true. I appreciate “realistic” graphics, but it ages so fast. A great art style just gets better with age.

[@damienlarson4145]

@@joeyondakeys I don't personally see it.

[@djillusii7333]

I thought you said racism instead of realism

[@MrLachapell]

Original Wind Waker still looks great

[@keithprice1950]

That's why I can still boot up Borderlands 1 and it looks fantastic.

[@LegioXXI]

The biggest problem with „realism“ is, that it lacks personality.

[@Hauntaku]

Unity Asset Land 5: Return of the Evil Guy who does Evil Things

[@PixelHeroViish]

@@Hauntaku I loved that one, easy 10/10 GOTY for sure 😋

[@Silver-Kaitou]

Agreed.

[@jaijoerik6233]

Rdr2

[@johnpett1955]

I think that if all video games were cartoony like with legend of zelda windwaker it would also keep things aging well. Because with windwaker, when people complained about the graphics Nintendo made twilight princess which was more realistic and aged a lot worse.

[@itzepik4615]

I always wanna play new games but I HATE when games have “realistic” graphics they seem like they are trying to be realistic but look gross and fake. And when we have all the tech in gaming we can make the world look however we want it doesn’t just have to look like real life!

[@GadgetsGearCoffee]

and people are going to complain anyway

[@thatguynar]

Idk what games you playing but the ones I do play that have “realistic” graphics are all good.

[@damndanieI]

This is how i feel about call of duty. The old cods had these nice colorful filters while the new cod look realistically ugly

[@nexus8824]

​@@damndanieI honestly i like the new style for cod, i just dont like how the older cods had so much shine on it.

[@daniel8181]

Remember - Alan wake won best art direction.

[@seannapier2298]

What I’m mostly tired of in gaming is not only the obsession with realism, but that most games take place in the real world with bleak colors and gray architecture and it just zaps my want to play them.

[@traviscunningham7062]

That’s the main reason why I prefer Wind Waker over Twilight Princess. The first one is stylized as a playable cartoon while the latter is stylized as bland realism.

[@therealwhite]

Amen. And they all look the same.

[@traviscunningham7062]

But most of its textures are kinda muddy nowadays compared to Wind Waker.

[@midnightdrearyy1658]

I like when developers are creative with their graphics. Looking impressive is cool but I’m not trying to see a dude in game that I could walk by on the street irl. It needs to give escapism.

[@InternetPitstop]

Escapism is key !!

[@Watermelon_Man]

This is a horrible comment for such a broad range. There are 100% games that NEED realism to better emphasize the experience that the game is supposed to give the player.

[@dubemudeze8156]

@@Watermelon_Man Honestly no. I think games should try to hit that perfect balance of creative art styles and graphical fidelity. Like literally any of the Paper Mario inspired indie games that are planning to come out soonish I think. If that can't be achieved, shoot for creative art styles, most of the time they age better compared to realistic looking games.

[@Hauntaku]

@@Watermelon_Man Focusing too much on the graphics will destroy the gameplay. You can pump Minecraft full of shaders and 4K and raytracing but then the game will almost always run like molasses and crash.

[@peytonroyall1787]

@@dubemudeze8156 If a game is set in a realistic setting than the characters should be realistic. Not every games story fits into a non realistic world with non realistic characters.

[@mamasadie5219]

A realistic game will age like milk yet a game with an stylistic artstyle will age like fine wine

[@rmv9194]

I dont think that Will be the case anymore

[@Mash_Potatoes]

@@rmv9194 how though?

[@cadenadelreino1442]

Sort of…I am stuck at Rainbow Six Vegas graphics and don‘t need anything better so everything since Rainbow Six Vegas aged like wine for me

[@gamer-px5cu]

Uncharted 4 has aged like fine wine. That's one example.

[@ConservativeJuggaloPodcast]

Idk I played both of tlou remastered and tlof part 1 PS5 version and not only were the graphics way better but the mechanics were way better. I actually didn’t like the remaster much

[@AnnB97]

Some video games don’t feel like video games… just interactive movies 😕

[@copingflower1909]

And thats why Indies have become so much more popular in recent years, its because AAA companies have completely lost the soul reason people played games back in the day, its also why even though I enjoy a lot of gaming from now, I'm on the side of people who play videogames at all who also appreciates and respects the hell out of also what came before thaf got us to where we are now

[@edwardhoffenheim3249]

That's exactly how I feel

[@blood-reaper]

​​@@copingflower1909 yeah thay are only few AAA game company's that are actually care

[@roytore5062]

That’s the modern “gamer”, like the twitch girls

[@AnnB97]

@@roytore5062 what?

[@critlettuce9606]

You can only go so far with realism but artstyles will forever truly stand the ends of time when it comes to video games

[@itznix6962]

Tell that to any modern gamer who loves the PS5

[@REALPEDROGAMEPLAYS]

@@itznix6962 yeah fair point, there’s just so many dumbasses, too many

[@spider-man773]

And Xbox paluers too

[@copingflower1909]

I love the PS5, but I also love Nintendo and Xbox, though I think I understand your point

[@itznix6962]

@@copingflower1909 There's only few good games for the PS5 and so much of them are remakes of older titles, those remakes don't even add anything special to the game. The PS2 is the greatest console of all time because it had hundreds of great games.

[@daniaaal]

Interestingly, Nintendo’s focus on user experience rather than graphics is spot on. The fact that they’re still competing with sony and microsoft shows that games dont have to rely on chasing realism to be fun

[@BlueEyedVibeChecker]

@Dwi Agreed, I'd choose a game that stands out like Zelda, Sonic, Ratchet and Clank etc. over Saints Theft Dogs of Duty Part 2 where they all look and feel virtually the same. I like realism in games, but it's so overdone. Like yeah, The Last of Us Part 1(for the third time) or Tony Hawks Pro Skater 5 look amazing, but I'd take a Jet Set Radio over those anyday. The former have good graphics but lack style.

[@ijustbevibin0425]

@@BlueEyedVibeChecker Zelda is underwhelming to me I just got it and I’m not liking it half as much as I thought I would

[@ijustbevibin0425]

@@BlueEyedVibeChecker maybe it’s just cause I’m getting lost to much but it’s killing my vibe over and over

[@CNS-BH]

@@ijustbevibin0425 well i liked being lost, but i like it even in real life, hope ya find something that you will enjoy :)

[@Troller500000lololol]

@HeartlessIGuess this take really doesn't make any sense, they might be different compared to the other platforms, but they are still direct competitors to sony and microsoft.

[@brittanyjoson3630]

FINALLY someone mentions art direction. As someone who worked as an art director for a very small unknown game, it was frustrating to me when people point out "good graphics" when they mean good art direction. Art direction really needs more credit especially all the artists that work together to make it.

[@ZenMonkeyGod]

I certainly hope this small unknown game gains a huge following. The passion evident just from your post here is what comes from devs who actually care and deliver a genuine high quality experience.

[@brittanyjoson3630]

@@ZenMonkeyGod Sadly I've already left that company we made the game for. Even though it was unknown, it was still run by a clueless corporation who exploited our passion. Although, my friends and I are still working on our own games independently.

[@invertebrado]

@@brittanyjoson3630 that's very cool! Do you have a twitter where people could follow you to get some update? I would love know more about

[@jstange2381]

We need more thinkers like you in the industry. Especially with internet 3.0 and the rmtaverse being realized, we want a world that’s an escape,not a reminder that we’re escaping reality.

[@invertebrado]

@@jstange2381 you need to escape your escapism and touch some grass.

[@royolaniye6643]

The thumbnail is even funnier now after TLOU2 Remastered was announced

[@koolkid9k]

It’s literally the same game with ps5 features with some game modes nobody wants to play and this coming from someone who played both versions

[@jtjan6559]

@@koolkid9ki like the no return mode

[@koolkid9k]

@@jtjan6559 same I’m taking about the others

[@JohnWall-lj1mx]

@@koolkid9klast of us fanboys eat it up tho “ohhh but they have new outfits and cut content areas where you do nothing but walk around in😱”

[@theviniso]

I feel like every graphical improvement made in the last 5 years has been a complete waste of power. We should've stopped at, like, RDR2's graphics, it looked good enough. The fact that we now need absurdly more powerful systems to run slightly better looking games than that one is insane to me.

[@rajgus7638]

That thumbnail aged so well

[@traviscunningham7062]

Even Toon Link agrees that art direction is better than 4k realistic graphics. You know what they say? You can’t rush art- Geri from Toy Story 2

[@guyWSonicpicture]

Art direction is eternal, we're slowly reaching a point where graphics won't be able to go any further, I think that trying to focus on realism just makes games lesser than what they truly can be.

[@nobafan7515]

I agree. I get why everyone obsessed over graphics with polygon counts and resolution during the 90s and 2000's, but at this point, it's not worth it anymore. Now we should be discussing on whether or not the art direction was good or not.

[@guyWSonicpicture]

@@nobafan7515 yeah exactly games already look pretty much like real life, we gotta use that now to create incredible worlds that bend reality not just reproduce it

[@nobafan7515]

@@guyWSonicpicture I'm reminded of gta parody videos that look boring because the gameplay focuses on mundane things.

[@pian-0g445]

Cause even when graphics looks photo real, it’s only going to hook people of it has an interesting art direction. The map design and aesthetics. Colour grading. Etc etc. Beyond just the actual realism of the graphics is the art direction. Realism is good for games as that in itself is one part of an art direction, but it’s mostly used for the same aesthetics over and over. The guardian of the galaxy game is a beautiful realistic looking game with the world design and enemies

[@Warmaster00]

>plays games to escape reality >wants games to look like reality Me: visible confusion

[@charmingpeasant9834]

Realism has really hurt character design in particular. Most major game these days have the same, average looking, ''ultra-realistic'' characters. Iconic characters have been hurt by it too, Lara Croft for example now looks really plain and doesnt stand out anymore.

[@VeritabIlIti]

What Ive noticed nowadays is that when devs try for uber-realistic, the more likely result is just the uncanny valley. Except for the really big budget stuff, most games who try that can give some really unsettling vibes from character faces

[@Ragitsu]

@@VeritabIlIti All these "realistic" graphics are sending me back to the old games with their more, shall we say..."abstract" visuals.

[@toasty7553]

I can see where you're coming from, so many "photo-realistic" models for game characters and other things at the same time look 'same-y', actually look unrealistic as heck (it is easier to tell the difference between newer character models and real life than Barney from Half Life 2 in 2004 and an actual photo) and for the character models, they look almost no different from late-2000's/early-2010's models - at least that's the way it looks from my POV.

[@Ragitsu]

@@toasty7553 I think this is an unfortunate (and possibly unintended?) side-effect of game developers and/or consumers wanting their video games to resemble movies.

[@toasty7553]

@@Ragitsu That would be true, at least for games like God of War.

[@ChristianFlores31461]

The skyboxes and art style of Doom Eternal is unbelievable beautifully, especially for a fast-paced game where you kill and zoom past everything in your path.

[@king_poyo64]

I feel like the entire DOOM franchise has a good sense of atmosphere that tends to go unnoticed or under appreciated. DOOM can genuinely be pretty scary at times, but it’s hidden behind the humor and violence of it all. Only when you slow down and start to take it in how terrifying that wall with the many faces screaming in agony, or the intestinal looking floor is. It seems like you’re only meant to GO GO GO, but the devs still took time to build an atmosphere that peels back on how horrific this all is for anyone who isn’t the main character. It’s persistent too, it peaks in DOOM 64, but it’s still there in modern DOOM. Especially ETERNAL.

[@DARK_AMBIGUOUS]

Yooooooo Doom Eternal is my favorite game, Doom 2016 is my second favorite, I also loved this game called Scorn and also Rage 2. Also in Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal, you can find surfaces that are like clear with condensation on the inside and they look sooooo visually stunning and also the soundtracks are amazing

[@thehardshellgang8793]

This is why Hi-Fi Rush was such a breath of fresh air. Edit: Having Jet Set Radio music in the backround is dope.

[@blgctyo632]

The other issue with hyper realistic graphics, and something I noticed playing both FF7 Remake and Resident Evil 3 remake, is that those two games look very similar in certain areas - whereas respective originals would look nothing like the other. The realism in FF7 Remake also makes suspension of disbelief more difficult - why are these wanted fugitives able to run around when Shinra has surveillance equipment, guns, etc (I actually forget the context of the story but still)? In the original the crude graphics separate you from the realism and allow it to make sense in its own universe whereas having realistic graphics removes that separation and opens the logic to scrutiny

[@InternetPitstop]

Great point it also creates unnecessary bloated content for example in the og ff7 that while crane section was just a background visual bit in the remake it’s an entire agonizing section that isn’t interesting to play at all

[@wetdon591]

that seems like your own personal problem tbh

[@blgctyo632]

@@wetdon591 lol well it is a personal opinion so… yes?

[@Watermelon_Man]

If you can’t separate fictional logic and real life logic because the game looks a little like real life, then you actually have a problem. There are so many fundamentally unrealistic things with FF7R that make it easy to dissociate for the average person.

[@franciscor390]

@@blgctyo632 FF7 remake IS a bloated game though, with many meaningless side quest that ad absolutely nothing to the story.

[@alialmuhanna4938]

14:36 “A bowl of cereal in hand” that made me smile. Thank you for the nostalgic trip.

[@loganv.6655]

I really love the art style for Super Mario Galaxy. That's apart of the reason why it's my favorite game of all time.

[@traviscunningham7062]

Same. Why do you like the art style?

[@alphamoose4385]

I'd kill for a mario galaxy 3

[@traviscunningham7062]

Agreed. With power ups from the 2D games like the Cat suit and the Bubble flower.

[@BurritoDon]

Over the past few days I’ve seen so much beautiful shit in elden ring, and it’s crazy to think that people are disappointed in the graphics. I’d take elden ring’s art over an overly realistic game any day 😭

[@InternetPitstop]

You get it my guy you get it

[@blinkachu5275]

Hmm, not sure what beautiful shit you're referring to? I don't care much for super realistic graphics or not, but man... Elden Ring with its washed out look is not what I'd call beautiful. Play a game like Journey for instance, that's beautiful. There's color, vibrancy.

[@Bramagon]

@@blinkachu5275 Journey looks amazing, but to call Elden ring washed out......... bro get a better tv/monitor or something lmao

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

Over the last couple of months I have played Persona 5 pretty much non stop and to think there are people that think it is bad because if you look closely you can count the poligons is just... disheartening

[@nick_galfi9312]

@@rac1equalsbestgame853 its almost like video game models are made of polygon graphics! Oh my god!!

[@KHfan0011]

Ori, Child of Light, Bloodborne, Bioshock, and Kingdom Hearts all come to mind as games with beautiful styles that really resonate with me

[@Kryxx07]

Fantastic video. I've been playing games for over 30 years and this is how I've always felt. I never understood people's obsession with realistic graphics. For me, it's always been about art style, gameplay, and story.

[@ascelot]

Think is comes down to re-hash, as in like Call of Duty, using same engine, same assets to make a "new" game but then charging same amount or even more it. If developers want to charge £50-£70 for a game, then it needs to be worth it and not feel like its a big dlc addition.

[@jdogbemple1]

The older I get, the less triple AAA crazy graphics games I buy and the more nostalgic/art driven indie games I buy. Gimme five Cupheads/Hollow Kinghts before every RDR/Last of Us sequel.

[@Hauntaku]

"The Cruel King and the Great Hero" has a beautiful storybook art style with a charming voice-over

[@peytonroyall1787]

I would way rather play rdr not only for the world but the gameplay is much more interesting to me.

[@rossreisman]

Same

[@genericname1944]

my man have you even played RDR2?? his story, character and the world is beautiful and no is not because of the graphics is just so good i love BOTW and Cuphead BUT RDR2 is better than BOTW in story , gameplay(debatable depens on what you like) and a little bit more in characters

[@diglo123]

Cuphead is literally just a platformer. It's cool I guess but rdr2 literally is one of the best games ever made.

[@guitartruong3981]

I think this trend is the singular thing that absolutely killed any interest in AAA games (aside from the multiple editions and season passes etc.) for me. As a relatively low spec gamer, not only do I not have the choice with my limited hardware, but striving for realistic graphics makes most of the AAA releases blend together. Most of my fondest experiences came from steam summer sales where I stumble across a metroidvania pixelart bullethell game made by a small Taiwanese studio. These experiences are absolutely magical. I can't say I've felt anything resembling it trying my hands on AAA releases years later.

[@Hauntaku]

Meanwhile, the original Shantae is still a glorious masterpiece in all its pixel glory!

[@leonardokalauz3246]

@@Hauntaku only shantae I have yet to 100% amazing franchise indeed

[@naikyou]

Taiwanese metroidvania pixelart bullethell game? Rabi-Ribi is a banger game, agreed. The devs impressed me a lot by just adding a couple of fan suggestions, fixes and more content for free after the initial release. It was perfectly playable but things like the easter egg hunt, special bosses and some QoL did a lot. Alongside a really solid basic framework for varied additional playthroughs and some incredibly creative achievement requirements. Probably one of my top metroidvanias, really.

[@Manic_Panic]

Realistic graphics has unironically brought this industry to its knees. During the PS3 era, middleware companies couldn't keep up with the graphical advancements so they disappeared. Meanwhile on the AAA side, they went creatively bankrupt just to make repetitive sequels that looked good but lacked all the substance and even then, it wasn't enough, microtransactions and lootboxes were required. Reusing assets became the norm as well so big studios started to take so many years now to bring out a new title and if you don't like it... tough luck, wait another 5 years or so because they ain't doing another game anytime soon. I think early 360 graphics were completely fine and acceptable... without the exaggerated bloom effect games used to have those days and we would have a lot more games, creativity and a lot more risks. If a company like Sony has only managed to come out with measly 5 exclusives for 2 entire years... imagine how bad this will be when the PS6 comes out.

[@murkfv]

if you’re into retro-esk shooters i’d recommend trying dusk and ultrakill, they are both made by the same indie studio, and aren’t made to look good. they both look kinda cartoony and also run on low end ass pcs. ultrakill even has an option to make it look like a ps1 game. highly recommend, one of my best gaming experiences recently

[@KateKarui601]

All of the Kingdom Hearts games have art styles for every new world you get into, it's always eye candy and amazing exploring these worlds.

[@yoyowillow4836]

Takes me back to when I was a teen, having this immature debate w my friends at the time. They were Xbox 360-boys and I was a Wii-er and they always said that the games I liked were "Bad" because "The graphics weren't good". I always felt like they were kind of missing the point. Thank y

[@inescosta2671]

as a fellow nintendo fan, it hurts me when somebody says nintendo games are not good. I would rather be playing mario kart or 1,2 switch at a party than ....fucking....crash bandicoot racing, for instance. However, graphics do improve the gameplay(in the games where they aren´t the number one priority). You have got games like tlou, lis(not the nintendo switch version),the new spider mans, batman arkam city and arkham asylum, in which the great graphics make you feel more involved in what´s happening, not only when it comes to combat but also in the tini tiny moments where you are on that emotional cutscene or when you are trying to read an object. In adittion to this, understanding physics, such as water or wind physics makes the gameplay more logical and maybe makes you better at some missions that you have to interact with those elements.

[@traviscunningham7062]

I hate it when hardcore gamers hate on the Wii. They basically want Nintendo to make more powerful graphics again, like the N64 and GameCube.

[@AbbyLeaf101]

The art direction for Hades is absolutely gorgeous. There are whole sections of that game I want as prints & several elements I want as tattoos

[@KEVBOYMUSIC]

Every Supergiant game. Jen Zee is amazing.

[@albertalberto2288]

Quirky ahh

[@saricubra2867]

It's so pre-BOTW Zelda or Diablo-like.

[@thestoneyone06]

I still love the Psychonauts style just because of how well it holds up in the grand scheme of art direction

[@luichinplaystation610]

A better Diablo game than Activision Blizzard

[@XeoTheFreshReindog]

This is why indie games have been blowing up more and more as time goes on. I rarely even play AAA games now because of how unmemorable they've become while indie games generally go for unique art style and fun gameplay. Glad that indie games got our back

[@MooshroomBrosGaming]

That's how the world works. When big corporate companies or the extremely rich think they can control a market or something, its the masses that upthrow that exact thing.

[@1stflower834]

I am worried about indie games on UE5. One reason is optimization, even AAA devs can't optimize their games properly (the witcher remake has 20 fucking 80 in it's MINIMAL specs), another, individuality. Indie comes from this word

[@1stflower834]

@3rd Way if the game has 2080 in it's minimal specs, it must show us this level of graphics. But there is no footage of it, so I am hoping for the best

[@Schizobateman]

99% of indie games are boring 2d side scrollers

[@SL4PSH0CK]

And this is why AA titles are underated

[@Princesunset12]

funny how the thumb nail compared the last of us 2 and we got an remaster that the thumbnail predicted

[@TheOGComfyBoy]

I especially love combinations of realistic and artistic, kinda like subnautica or minecraft with shaders on. u can enjoy stylized visuals while also appreciated how far weve come graphically

[@dashyburd]

Having studied and done 3D modeling in college, I can tell you that it's really easy to mess up a model or make it look wrong if you're going for realism. But if you're going for a cartoony kind of style? That might just add to the charm! It takes much less effort and time to make a stylized model look good, which not only looks more unique, but goes easier on the developer team and lets them focus on other things like refining gameplay.

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

THIS. I just got into Persona 3 and the low polyness of the game straight up adds to it's elegance and timelesness.

[@sheelaflower]

That's why realistic organic objects such as humans, animals and trees are usually not modelled, but sculpted, reopoto-ed and then brought back to detail with deplacement maps (if you're prerendering. Real-time render engines aren't strong enough to handle deplacement maps yet.) Sculpting something to look realistic is much easier than modeling it, and also much easier than going full cartoon (easiest for sculpt is a semi-cartoon style tho.) What you're not taking into consideration is how almost all programs focused on modeling or simulation (think houdini or speedtree), as well as texture programs (think substance painter), render engines and lighting options, are all created in a way that making things realistic is leagues easier than making it cartoonish. Which might seem like a fault, but it's not. Because realism is the basis of everything. When we decide on a cartoony style, we do that by taking the realistic thing and breaking it down into a caricature. That's how it works in 3D as well, meaning that 3D programs already give you everything you need for the realism, because realism is always the same, and then you need to break it down into whatever style you want. Making smth look realistic is therefore much, much easier than making smth look cartoonish. Plus, the people making the look of the game and the people making the gameplay are rarely the same people unless you go to really tiny indie companies, so what the look dev team does makes little difference to the coders. Don't get me wrong, I too am tired with realsitic graphics. Have been since the PS3 era. But saying that making realism is harder because the polymodeling is more difficult is just flatout wrong.

[@Twiddle_things]

Tf2

[@pc-9826]

American games never match Japanese games. especially when corporate wokeness ruin games these years

[@litjellyfish]

@@sheelaflower i agree with what you write. Just want to say that modeles does not need to be referred to polymodeling. A sculpt is also a model. I think with mess up he mean the design. If something is off with realism it more spotted than on a non realistic design. Regardless in which way it was created. Also I agree that realism is not always harder. Usually coming up with the concept and design of a style and a character takes a lot of time even if the production of the modem might be quicker. With realism also today you have the benefits of reference images. Scanned textures and models etc. so sometimes making start to end a stylized model can take same or longer than a realistic one (also with “Clíp art” 3d. Meta humans realism stsrt to ge mkre and more to assemble pieces together than making it all from scratch )

[@RetroLiminal99444]

Cuphead is by far the best game visually. Heck my grandpa tried to figure out what cartoon I was watching. He said “I don’t recognize that cartoon” Hell the dlc is confirmed to have used more frames than the base game.

[@insertnamehere2746]

@@joeyondakeys Bro that is an absolutely dumb take 🤣 Most of the discussion around Cuphead is its difficulty and gameplay. Yes it has fantastic art and music but it's gameplay as a run and gun side scrolling platformer makes it fun as hell. The bosses are all unique and it is objectively very responsive from a control standpoint. Only an idiot would say that Cuphead's gameplay is "slightly above average".

[@Jay9966]

@@insertnamehere2746 The best sidescrolling shooters imo, is Metal Slug, those fucking games were made in the 90s or something but goddamn, the fucking characters are somehow more animated than most of the pixel games we have today.

[@arnagath1]

So I love your videos, I think you really nailed the safe haven pitstop feel. Just one grip... flora and fauna are kind of different!

[@vikingnoise]

Windwaker is timeless. I also really liked the art design of Hob, although the game itself is kind of broken. The Xenoblade Chronicles games also have a good mix of anime and shiny metal bits, XC2 being my favorite in overall cohesion.

[@Eichro]

I'd argue the GC version looks better than the HD remaster, ironically enough.

[@ralphiecifaretto8961]

I hated Wind Waker at the time. Now I really appreciate what it looks like. I think the only thing I really didn't like about it and still don't, is Link's giant Disney Eyes. If his face looked more like it did in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, I think there would have been allot less complaints.

[@traviscunningham7062]

Agreed. The HD Wii U version looks too bright imo.

[@ganonman8]

Another thing I have a seething hatred for in this argument of “more polys = better” is that higher graphical fidelity also greatly inflates the size of the game. I don’t want to waste 70GB of space for a graphically impressive game just to wind up deleting it later when I want to install something new, and then argue with myself over whether or not to reinstall it later. One could argue “just buy more space duh” but then why is that something I /should/ do? If I can enjoy Switch games smaller than 15GB and retro games less then a gig, why waste more development time/money/stress trying to push for fidelity that ultimately adds nothing more than a passing “oh that looks cool” comment?

[@kinghades3356]

because switch games run at 15-30 fps at 720p your ancient standards dont match with ours 😂

[@ganonman8]

​@@kinghades3356 Framerate doesn't necessarily dictate file size, but I'm glad you brought that up because you give me a perfect example of how this spiraled out of control: Remember back when the PS4/XB1 first launched and the biggest boon of getting cross-generation games on them was that stuff that ran on PS3/360 would run at 1080p 60fps? Remember how barely 3 years later (4 for Xbox), they had to release the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X because games started running like garbage, and yet the filesizes kept increasing? Remember how Cyberpunk 2077 was 100GB on PS5 but ran worse in PS5 mode than in PS4 Pro mode? It's even worse on PC because people expect you to go out and get an RTX graphics card and 1TB SSD, so most of the dev time is spent cranking out unnecessary graphical options rather than optimizing and compressing the data. Conversely, you have a lot of indie games like Hades, Call of the Lamb, and Sifu which are fun and replayable, still look incredibly beautiful, and don't take up nearly as much space as a lot of AA and AAA games because just like what this video said, their focus on artistic style over graphical fidelity gives them more freedom to work on tight mechanics rather than whether or not you can see individual fibers on someone's shirt. I only brought up Switch games because its weaker hardware forces developers to actually try and optimize their games on it instead of being complacent with the current hardware people work with. You still get fantastic looking indie and first party games that run great on the system (I'd guess that around 80% or so of their first party games run at 60fps), and guess what? They aren't half as large as games on other systems, which was my original point.

[@kinghades3356]

@@ganonman8 optimised to the point it becomes shit get it, mr troglodyte?

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

Honestly it’s so true, maybe I’m just old but I don’t really play modern games since I rarely have a 100gb free on my drive and installing a modern game just fills it completely. I usually stick to older stuff that often stays belong 30gb, despite sometimes being better games for a fraction of the “cost”. There’s also download times too, depending in the source it takes a good few hours to download a 10gb game, 100gb would require more than a full day of dedicated download time with my pc running without playing any games as that slows it down.

[@ellanimation816]

@@kinghades3356 native switch games like Mario kart and breath of the wild run at 60 and look beautiful and only take up 10 gigs each

[@MR2000nX]

Feel like ghost of Tsushima is the perfect balance of everything you talked about in this video. Realism but with a clear art style/ art direction. Unique setting but still very grounded. I wanna see more games follow that

[@Jay9966]

GoT is a generic open-world action game with a decent story and good art. Art aside, there is literally nothing that good about it. 10 hours into the game, the combat just gets boring, it's just rock paper scissors with extra steps. You don't even get to unlock that many cool skills. So it's basically Assassin Creed Odyssey but with Samurais.

[@SmoothAsFelt]

@@Jay9966 It was a bit overly ambitous I think. Stuff like trailing quests just seemed made to pad out gameplay. I love the artstyle, and I think we both agree it is nearly perfect visually. Hopefully with that work being done, if they make another game they can spend more time refining the gameplay. Alternatively, maybe artists from that company will be hired to make similarly impressive art for other games. I always think of Spintires when I see good terrain physics, like your wheels leaving grooves in the snow or something. That game didn't do a whole lot, it was basically a glorified tech demo, but after it came out future games started getting so much better with terrain physics and I'm hoping that games like GoT can serve a similar purpose. Get people talking about this art, even if the game itself isn't the best, and show other companies that if they have really good direction it will generate attention and therefore money. Make it so even great gameplay games can also have amazing artstyles as well (obviously they exist, but it's clear that not as many big companies think it's worth investing so much in compared to graphical fidelity)

[@Jay9966]

@@SmoothAsFelt I think the problem is that open world games are at a plateau right now. There isn't any innovations made to them. Right off the bat, open world games have some of the worst mission set pieces in the industry, because you're free to explore, it's hard to have big set pieces like perhaps Uncharted 4. One game I think has made a change that I haven't seen in recent games is Gotham Knights. Yeah people trash on that and love GoT, but Gotham Knights in terms of gameplay is similar to GoT. It also mixes linear set pieces into the open world genre, which makes cooler boss fights. I do agree that GoT's art design is very good. But the problem is, other gamers think somehow it's the best game ever made, when it's at best 7/10 or whatever score Assassin Creed Odyssey deserves.

[@ShallBePurified]

Ghost of Tsushima is the first PS4 game where I said, "This game is pretty." I've played other PS4 games like Uncharted 4 and Horizon, but I never thought those games were "pretty." They were graphically impressive, but the style being "realistic" did not appeal to me in the slightest. Ghost of Tsushima actually did something special with its visual design that makes it visually appealing beyond being realistic.

[@joaogarcia6170]

It still follows the ubisoft gameplay loop, which is why i couldn't bring myself to finish it, ever since far cry 3 it's been the same damn mechanic.

[@shootthecow69]

i always thought artstyle was more important than realism. if i want to look at something that looks as realistic as earth and has the most perfect physics and massive servers and huge open worlds with infinite possibilities and tons of playstyles i would just look at earth. games should be fun not perfect.

[@jackcox8679]

Even in a game like last of us 2 one of the most visually striking moments are when the graphics take a slight back seat and a section will be lit really Interestingly. The hospital basement with the beaming red lights in Ellie’s section and the car on fire in the forest in Abby’s section are genuinely so cool

[@shinra05]

i don't wanna take away from the hard work a lot of people put into high quality games but i just feel like "the best graphical" games lack soul, it feels computer generated, where as unique artstyles feel like people are having fun and making something unique, also now with the high graphical games being common, arcade like games becoming rare which makes me sad. (elden ring haters + L + ratio + the game has berserk refrences)

[@InternetPitstop]

Hard work will always be hard work and deserves praise I just wish it was put into something more interesting looking I guess Lol hell yeah anything Miyazaki does is gonna have berserk references that team should be making a berserk game in the dark souls style

[@Warmaster00]

the problem is that the hard work comes from the programmers and artists and such, and they probably want to make something unique and fun, but the people in charge making the decisions like the directors are the ones that are just coasting at the "just make generic pretty and ship it"

[@doublekey8931]

14:24 Truly a man of culture. This is what I always thought: Wind Waker still holds up to this day and looks stunning because of its artstyle. It's so unique and charming and that's why I also absolutely adore Breath of the Wild. Botw brought back the cel-shading and more "cartoony" look that I think fits Zelda better.

[@darklugia7]

BoTW is amazing. It’s just a shame it doesn’t even run in 1080p, a standard introduced in 2007. Hardware constraints in action.

[@eramos8916]

​@@darklugia7 but does that really break the enjoyment? For me it didn't

[@AntonioLopez-rn4to]

Top comment. Hands down.

[@clobbyhardy]

Plus playing those stylized games at higher resolution look way better than the realistic games at higher res.

[@IgnoringSilver95]

Nintendo switched back to cel shading for botw because the switch can't display realistic graphics in an open world. It's sad OOT, MM, and TP are probably going to be the last more mature art style. I think botw has the worst art style of any 3d Zelda unfortunately. Ugly game at times imo

[@kanayanfantv]

Mirrro's Edge Original is a great example too. Art direction in that game it's just perfect!

[@amansavant707]

I think graphics is supposed to either support the art styke and enhance the non artistic scenes to still look good or just to make it more "realistic"

[@amansavant707]

Anyways immersion is king

[@DevitticusBellmont22]

@@amansavant707And *THAT* is *EXACTLY* what AAA developers and publishers *FORGOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

[@matthewvalenti1348]

There’s a time and place for different graphic styles. Realism for Red Dead works because it’s so rooted in a way of life and time period that actually existed. But when you’re going for a fantastical setting or style of game, the art direction and style needs to match. The Okami example was a perfect one.

[@eriklagergren7124]

Yes, photorealistic games have their place

[@IIIceFly]

I totally agree, idk why nobody has said this. It depends on the vision

[@Squimblink]

The Western vibe makes it better too, it's part of the uniqueness of the game instead of ooo big city with cool lights like every other AAA game

[@DeaceasedDisaster222]

I love when a game has such a strong aesthetic that you can show someone a single screenshot of a random location without any characters and, based on the art style alone, you can tell what game it is. Some of my favourite games recently haven’t had the most realistic visuals but just have really good art. Hollow Knight is so recognisable. Breath of the Wild, as you mentioned, is distinctive. Minecraft is probably the most recognisable game to be honest and that’s not really artistic, that’s just got a particular style. Sometimes, I can’t tell the most recent triple-A games apart from each other coz they don’t really have any identity other than “good graphics”. And don’t get me wrong, I do love seeing what technology can do. I love seeing how realistic graphics have become and I do genuinely think that they look good. I’m just more likely to remember the art style of a game like Ori or Ni No Kuni over any of the more realistic games.

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

One of my favorite parts of P5 is how easy it is to tell any random asset is from it even on out of engine screenshots

[@AdventVFX]

triple a games should start focusing on art direction, imagine a Call of Duty map with pretty neon lights everywhere with a beautiful night sky with cell shading.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

One of my favourite games ever is like this, Deus Ex Human Revolution, it’s burned golden hue combined with unusual cyberpunk architecture and amazing roofs gives it an incredibly unique look unlike anything else, I wish any other game came close to looking that cool both in terms of architecture and colour/lighting.

[@MrNoot39449]

Yeah, a few rounds of GuessTheGame will show you that's true, most of the games I have trouble with are AAA games with good graphics

[@tawagotoCage]

fax

[@Mudan]

God damn, I love Ultimate Spiderman, would use to swing around for hours without even doing any missions because the swinging mechanic slapped so hard

[@InternetPitstop]

Bro yes! Honestly Spider-Man swinging is probably my favorite way to traverse a open world in a game

[@AlmostLakai94]

I spent an unnecessary amount of time eating people as Venom 🤣

[@prashil3k594]

The machine himself.

[@MilosCsrb]

we should be more obsessed with physics

[@inazumarai7690]

this comment is my favourite

[@VeritabIlIti]

Valve would like to know your location

[@woofer3284]

Gta 4 fans be like

[@grinderpun]

We should be more obsessed with gameplay.

[@gundy-guy]

AGREE

[@KrazyEngima]

I permanently stand my ground that if we went back to late ps2-early ps3 graphics we would have so many more amazing games with so much more meaningful content to them instead of them just looking good and feeling like shit

[@JonathanWillow-zz7rb]

I would take a PS1 its library over a PS5 and its library any day.

[@SketchyJohnny]

This channel can be summed up in two words. NakeyJakey: lite

[@noahsabadish3812]

NakeyJakey at home:

[@StrangeDad]

And here I thought I'd wouldn't find this comment anywhere. Took me long enough. Anyway, the borrowed NakeyJakey style is overwhelmingly apparent. But I've seen others do it. With every successful tuber comes those who look up too them and gets inspired to create something similar but different. Judging by this video, this particular channel feels a bit too similar and not different enough though.

[@Allplussomeminus]

I agree 100%. I'm sometimes disappointed at myself for not being impressed with realistic graphics, but this video perfectly justifies that. I'd look at GTA 5 and get bored fast, but boot up BotW and be enchanted.

[@InternetPitstop]

Thanks bro ! I love to hear that my video can help justify a feeling someone has thank you for the comment my guy !

[@iminyourwalls8309]

But what can GTA and TLOU do about it? They can't improve their art direction, they're meant to be as realistic as the technology lets them be. It's also really weird that Wind Waker is constantly brought up in contrast to the "dark and realistic" Twilight Princess, even though TP has amazing stylization that holds up just as well. Realism and Abstraction are tools that devs use according to what they need. Just saying "Lol art direction better than graficks no matter what" is as reductive as "All games need to be real life". Ultimately some people just don't like crazy art styles, like how you don't like realism. It's 100% subjective.

[@rasenseinshin5061]

@@iminyourwalls8309 yknow, despite me always loving different artistic styles and bla bla bla. You raised a very good point! Like genuinely I can agree and respect it.

[@Hauntaku]

Even though I hate BOTW, it's still a beautiful game.

[@gars129]

@@iminyourwalls8309 i used to be hard on Twilight Princess for the humans being kinda ugly, but when you're not seeing Links face and facial animation, the game still looks insanely good for a GameCube game. Playing the game with a texture pack on Dolphin really shows even more how good this game still looks.

[@timefire2586]

The same thing is also happening in a lot of movies, where CGI is used for more and more things simply because it's cheaper (rip at all the poor people who have to crunch to get the latest Marvel movie or whatever out) instead of using physical set dressing or puppets/animatronics etc. In a couple of years that CGI is going to look bad and outdated, while puppets would still just look like puppets. It's like you said, realism lacks character, while a certain style can make a game/movie memorable Some of the most beautiful games I've encountered (that you haven't mentioned) are The Witness, Abzu and Dead Cells. Running around in the sunny fields of Witness or starting up Abzu for the first time, or unlocking a new area in Dead Cells are all experiences that I'm not going to forget anytime soon, simply because the games look so pleasant and unique. Meanwhile with most AAA games there's the inital "woah, this looks realistic" and then I'm just running around in that world, encountering bugs and staring at the minimap to get to my next mission. I feel like it's also worth mentioning Minecraft here because it's about as far away from a realistic style as you can get, while still being one of the best and most beloved games to this date because of the endless possible ways to play it and mod it

[@SairinEarthsea]

Same thing is happening to animation, hand drawn is an art style yet it's pretty much completely gone now and when someone mentions it other people and animators just reply "it's cheaper/ stop living in nostalgia/ cgi looks exactly like hand drawn".

[@schmecklin377]

@@SairinEarthsea it will always take hard work to make something good. People (mostly companies looking for profit) are always looking for the easiest and cheapest ways to make something. With technological advancements, mediocrity becomes easier. Cgi and digital art is capable of looking amazing but it's cheaper to just make it look like shit.

[@Horatio787]

It's actually not cheaper to cgi stuff later, it's just a crutch director's (and rushing studios) fall in to so you don't have to meticulously plan out your filming schedule so the props work. Look at how expensive movies are now even adjusted for inflation.

[@commscan314]

@@SairinEarthsea One small nitpick; CGI is rarely used to substitute for rotoscoping or hand-drawing, it's almost always used to substitute for practical effects. The Battle of Hoth is a fucking masterpiece, and it only uses a bit of rotoscoping; the laser blasts. The explosions are slow motion real explosions, and even when Rogue 2's T-47 gets shot down, the embers are all from a model exploding as ILM filmed it on a wire in front of a blue screen.

[@blueblaze5160]

This is absolutely proven right by one trilogy of movies: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and later, The Hobbit movies. Notice how in the original LotR trilogy, the orcs still look amazing and realistic due to meticulous costume design and practical effects. When compared to the orcs in The Hobbit movies, we see that the CGI orcs now look jarring, smooth, and clean, which makes it harder to suspend disbelief, as they just look fake, because they are. Even though the CGI in The Hobbit movies looks good enough to have not aged too poorly yet, it certainly will in the years to come. The original trilogy’s orcs won’t age, because of the design being entirely real, no computer technology used for them (except in VERY large and wide shots, such as an aerial view of two armies clashing.)

[@eajayy8969]

I still think realism can be done tastefully. Like red dead for example, those scenic and almost real images on the screen enhance the gameplay so much. Its like you are there with arthur in the wild west, looking up at the twin peaks or over a city. It also helps that the story is absolutely fantastic.

[@dock7777]

Agreed. I found it a little unfair in this vid to be comparing games with realistic settings like gta and red dead, to fantasy games which have way more freedom with how they can stylize the art.

[@Aiden-Ed]

Exactly. GTA does feel really samey but rdr2 has an extremely unique setting that I personally can not find anywhere else or achieved to that level in a video game.

[@SteveCrafts2k]

​@@Aiden-Ed It looks like a western film. That's why RDR2 looks unique.

[@Aiden-Ed]

@@SteveCrafts2k agreed

[@miguelbr8567]

GREAT VIDEO!!!! Finally someone who looks at style and not only graphics. As you've said you can like graphical fidelity and admire grat art direction

[@happy_crustacean7104]

Team Fortress 2 is the ultimate example of what to do when it comes to graphics personality

[@reptilechurrasquero9048]

Also character wrinting, they are so unique and lunatic it fits the game so well and are iconic aswell, but the whole game is held by some spaghetti code and a coconut image lol

[@hatti...]

There's a reason you hear about TF2 characters and their recognizable silhouettes ad nauseum, because it really is genius design not only making a nice aesthetic with pleasing colors, but also being extremely good with visual clarity and practically no clutter that would make it hard to read what's happening (crazy cosmetics barely change this though i get why some complain)

[@reptilechurrasquero9048]

@@hatti... it might not change the silhuette that much, but when people play sniper it really fucks their aim, especially with the big ones, im glad that the monoculus is haloween restricted and free

[@hatti...]

@Reptile Churrasquero id say spies having the same hitbox even when disguised messed with aim more, but as of right now a lot of people aren't too supportive of sniper rights these days 💀

[@delayedplayer]

@@reptilechurrasquero9048 it's actually the 2fort cow holding the game together

[@gred8864]

Hyper Light Drifter is probably my favourite art direction in a game hands down, all by using pixel art

[@leftovernoise]

Best pixel art I've ever seen

[@bonbob9512]

Hyper Light Breaker better be good. that low poly artstyle makes me nut

[@grimmquote6682]

I agree! Hyper light drifter is such an interesting game too, in terms of how it relates to its creator and his team.

[@thanksyahweh8777]

I was arguing all of these points when I was in like 6th grade haha. So many years ago (like Windwaker times). Glad to see people still advocating for this position! Gameplay is the MOST important thing

[@CubanLegend561]

Just discovered this channel, love your energy and style, it throws me back to the old AVGN days. Keep it up! (Subbed btw)

[@agroed]

Mirror's Edge and Eternal Sonata have stunning unique art styles as well, and because of it, they both look like they could have come out yesterday.

[@IIIISai]

Yes I agree, the colouring is godlike, but idk how they did it but the graphics on the buildings and objects is sooooo good, but jeez the character models outside the Mc faith, are so bad, look like ps1

[@b.heaven9234]

Eternal Sonata, now that's a game I haven't heard in like... forever. Gotta say the game does look pretty, because its problems are... well, elsewhere. (I still liked it tho)

[@ronkie15]

Mirror edge what? Not the 1st one😂

[@vagamer522]

If you play Mirrors Edge on Series X with Dolby Vision it looks like a whole new remaster of the game.

[@guidorussoheck2100]

@@IIIISai its the lighting, its all about the light, the Same with AC Unity, is good cause of the light, Same with MGSV

[@stuffedsomething1699]

For all the times I taught someone how to make stylized shaders and create stylized assets, I'm sincerely hoping we see them put a lot of that to use.

[@NiktrickSpade]

A bit late to the party but really awesome video! I'm also on team art style, atmosphere and storytelling. These elements can turn a great game into a timeless masterpiece with their uniqueness. Okami is my all time favorite action adventure game which I can't help but replay every few years and just fall in love again with its ukio-e art style. El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is another good example, albeit on a smaller scale. While realism may not stand out anymore, I do appreciate the more realistic (or modern adaptions) of older, blockier games. Final Fantasy VII Remake-Rebirth is something that just had to happen and honestly would really love to see this happen to more oldies. This can also lead to 2 (or more) variations of a title that can exist together and accommodate to more demographics - Persona 3 with it's multiple variations now (FES for the Answer, P3P for the female MC and more of a Visual Novel and the recently released Reload which may or may not have future DLC with the aforementioned titles).

[@chuckydee2951]

I have a soft spot for the art that comes from super Metroid and final fantasy 4. Somethin about those pixels fills me with concentrated nostalgia

[@zhotaotai7]

Imagine. People pushing graphics is just another way to escape reality, but also have the graphics be realistic to where (ironically) it’s actually “reality” but twisted to fit the idea they wish they could have… VR… Damn… it really is copium…

[@photosynthescythe2939]

I just found your channel. I was trying to find videos that talked about atmosphere in video games and stumbled upon your take. I think you’re an absolutely phenomenal creator, and extremely relatable to my particular age group and demographic. The part about Halo: Reach in that video out my thoughts into words. Your editing is extremely clever and well done like how you turned the Mario pipe from 2d into 3D in the beginning of this video. I think if you keep doing what you’re doing you’ll find some great success in the future

[@InternetPitstop]

Yo thank you for enjoying my stuff I loved making that video so much only thing that worried me was that ppl wouldn’t like relate to it because it’s such a niche topic And hearing that you could relate to that halo like agh man that really made me happy lol and thank you obviously I’m inspired by nakeyjakey but I’m glad you could still appreciate the little details I put that in because I love little details like that hut definitely wasn’t expecting anyone to point it out I really appreciate this comment ! Consider yourself pinned ! 🌊

[@NEONsky0.5]

@@InternetPitstop I see you are also a kingsfield 4 enjoyer

[@InternetPitstop]

@@NEONsky0.5 lol I’m in the middle of trying to play I’m not the biggest enjoyer of first person gaming in general so it’s a bit tough for me but one thing cannot be denied, that soundtrack slap lol

[@cristoferaguirre7742]

Nakey jakey coo too

[@iceydiver]

@@InternetPitstop you heavily remind me of naked jakey and I love it

[@jamesliew738]

10:42 "I know what real life looks like, I see that shit everyday"

[@histhoryk2648]

I'm in that minority that thinks that XBOX360/PS3 Graphics are enough and could just stay at that level and don't require powerful hardware Raytracing? It's overhyped, nobody uses that, requires overpriced GPU, only works for specific 3D games and heavily impacts performance

[@kanayanfantv]

That's why DLSS was implemented to begin with... lol

[@flowerbloom5782]

Puppet combo is such a cool developing team, they do retro style horror and man the less graphics adds to the horror and aesthetic.

[@Hauntaku]

The quirky art style of "Agatha Knife" and "MechaNika" suits the 18+ game pretty well.

[@implord4197]

Yeah... And then you go deaf by playing their games with Puppet Combo's obsession with loud = scary.

[@matthewabsher2764]

Let's also not forget Persona 5. Keep in mind it was also a cross platform ps3/ps4 title. It's saving grace, in addition to other aspects, was the art direction. Everything from the menus, character designs, color palette, etc. was immaculately designed. It's definitely one of those games that will still look great in decades to come.

[@ibleminen]

Same witt Persona 4, looks nettet than most ps2 era games.

[@aaronbellas7938]

But it doesn't look realistic. Which is the one thing that video games need to do! When was the last time a game with a STORY was good?!

[@skybluenerd219]

​@@aaronbellas7938Agreed bro. How am I supposed to know a game is good if the graphics aren't to the point where I can see each individual cell in a character's skin?? Seems pretty un-immersive >_>

[@DDViking]

It was so good even Masahiro Sakurai was inspired by the Ui for Smash Ultimate

[@gyrozeppeli00]

you... NEVER SEE IT COMING!!!!!

[@Kyri45]

Hyper Light Drifter is one, IF THE, best aesthetic action game in pixelart I’ve seen. The ambient and the different regions and the cutscene has such amazing and beautiful color palette that are just- mesmerizing

[@trifurobert1349]

Sadly the action s really fkin boring

[@christiangasior4244]

The first trailer for that game was incredible. Was so disappointed in the game itself.

[@aruarian43]

7:07 for anyone wondering, this panting is called "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" by Caspar David Friedrich.

[@elizac.7845]

Disco Elysium is my top game graphically no contest. They make the world look like a messy oil painting that’s been coated in sleaze, grime, and seawater for years, but still has some of the most beautiful colors you’ve seen underneath the muck. Both the 3D environment and the individual character portraits give this same uneasy yet silently gorgeous vibe. Absolutely impeccable. Great video as always man, bangers every time!!

[@BECAUSE_IM_BATMAN]

My opinion has always been: "Yes, very realistic games are amazing and beautiful. They push the boundaries of what games can do but at the same time I'm not looking for the most realistic game. I play games to take me out of the real world not put me back in it. I gravitate more to games that have a style to it not just realism. Games can be realistic but also have a style to them."

[@raioh4747]

Great video on a very important subject. I work with photography irl, I do a lot of landscape and travel photos, so to me, photorealism is the most boring basic style possible in a game. It can't come even close to the real thing. Its like comparing a child's drawings to an accomplished artist who has masterd their craft

[@DukeTheDukeTheDukeTheDuke]

It's really sad that when i was young people were excited when new games came out and nowadays it's just people complaining that it doesn't look like every other ps5 game. The video game standards of today are toxic. It ruined gaming for a lot of people. Including me.

[@stormcutter59]

Just been playing Xenoblade 3 and MAN does it illustrate so much to why I still play on so called "inferior hardware"! The reason Nintendo has remained such a successful brand is cause of the pure, unrequited passion for the artistry that they sell to people. Graphics don't make the games, the GAMES make the games and when you aren't trying to be impressive visually by stretching the high end graphics chip to its maximum, that's where the talent and the skill come in. That's where the game takes center stage, the gaming experience, no distractions or complications coming in the way of that. Just pure, unadulterated, video game goodness. It's really great still, but becoming such a dying occurrence as time goes on and it scares me to see this modern day business model slowly swallow up the industry more and more every day.

[@adam145]

Yeah honestly I think that Switch games look good enough for me to not care about new generations. Sure they could use higher resolution and smoother framerate, but I don't need to see every strand of hair on a character because I don't care. I just put 140 hours into Dragon's Dogma and it's just fun to play. Meanwhile I was bored after 10 hours of Assassin's Creed Valhalla because it was the same old shit just better looking.

[@stormcutter59]

@@adam145 Great comparison of what I mean. I got a ton of PS5 games that I just don't play cause at best they want to look good before they play goof and that hurts the replayability. Meanwhile I play an old game or a Switch game and get more bang for my buck.

[@DaakkuuYRS]

Really. The Xenoblade games look amazing. They have some of the most unique landscapes in any game. I'll take any day graphics like Xenoblade instead the dead and realistic Far Cry.

[@AdventVFX]

switch hardware only sucks cause some games drop so many frames, emulating them on FHD with 60fps still maintains its art direction without sacrificing performance is all most people ask for. Nintendo is unique as they don't embrace realism but their hardware really needs to be more relevant.

[@cademaston9270]

​@@adam145 Completely agree with you in regards to graphics on the switch however it would be nice to have a higher fps count

[@Asmodea01]

I have to totally agree here. Still remember how Zelda: Wind Waker was slammed for its "childish" cel-shaded look back in the day. Elden Ring is basically Evergrace 2.0, another From Software game, which uses a similiar color-palette. There was not much going on in this game and the translation was horrible. But despite all that, Evergrace had an amazing atmosphere. Same goes for SMT: Nocturne, Valkyrie Profile, Shadow Hearts, Baten Kaitos etc.. There is also this other thing, which I don´t like about the hyper-realistic-graphics-trend: PORES. Video game characters do NOT need pores, their skin doesn´t need to breath. A well done realistic style choice was implemented in the Front Mission: Borderscape trailer. The characters look realistic, while still maintaining some stylized features such as the eyes, hair and skin.

[@FenrirAmon]

I don't want rain in my video games, the plants are not real, they don't need water.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@@FenrirAmon Rain is beautiful tho.

[@xxtianxx11]

So even tough in Ghost Tsushima, the game had realistic graphics you can see the art direction in it too, i made so many screenshots cuz the whole world was so beautiful

[@limao6880]

I’ve been trying to explain this for years, thank you

[@mcgoldenblade4765]

Just a little correction, the word "fauna" is specifically used to refer to animals. "Flora" is used to refer to plant life. It's easy to mix the two up since we often put the two words right next to each other.

[@Trianull]

Part of the reason I love Zelda: Skyward Sword as much as I do is because of its immaculate art style and atmosphere. It made a much bigger impression on me than Ocarina of Time ever did. I'm a game developer myself, and I plan to make a 3D game at some point. I don't think I'll go anywhere over the capability of the Wii, partly because I kinda like when you can still tell that a game is indeed a game, but also because it really isn't necessary in order to make something that's fun. I remember seeing this demo during E3 of this super high fidelity game that seamlessly went in and out of cutscenes, but the entire time I could not for the life of me see to playing that as fun whatsoever. I play games to take a fun break from reality, not to be reminded of it.

[@Hauntaku]

Some may called Twilight Princess's graphics "muddy" but it suits the fantastical and dark nature of the game. It's truly mystifying.

[@Trianull]

@@Hauntaku That, and if you play the game on a CRT it all just works. Things blend nicely together and you very infrequently notice a lack of polygons or low-fidelity textures.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@@Hauntaku I would say so yeah. It made it genuiely hard for me to motivate myself to play, at times.

[@thehyperstar123]

Yeah, I’m thinking of making a 3D platformer in the future, and the art style will be inspired by Super Mario Galaxy. Not only will it be beautiful, but it will be able to hit 60fps even on low-end pc/switch.

[@traviscunningham7062]

Finally someone who adores Skyward Sword! It’s a huge guilty pleasure of mine!

[@thecoach3577]

It’s funny how people will praise Undertale because it’s got so many great qualities. But then shit all over a new release before even playing it because the graphics aren’t photo realistic enough. Like bro?

[@TerraverseCo]

Agreed. I just recently beat Grandia on PS1, and thought it was a beautiful experience. Far more beautiful than half the realistic AAA stuff I see today. I feel the same about Xenogears and Chrono Trigger, too.

[@hyperlink1998]

The graphics of Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross still hold up so well imo. Granted, they were both heavily limited by the technology they were on but the art style just shines through to make them gorgeous. Chrono Trigger has stunning pixel art and quirky animations stand out as some of the very best in the 16-bit era (along with all the other things the game nails lol). Chrono Cross goes for a very different style but I love how its vibrant colours and painted backgrounds create this lush tropical island environment that really feels alive. Some of my favourite aspects of video games are how the limitations on software in the early years brought about the coolest stylistic choices. I think now that technology isn't such a limiting factor, a lot of developers try to make a game as realistic as possible instead of being creative and making something that stands out.

[@JediWarrior2007]

One balance between realistic and art style graphics would be the older Assassins Creed games. The way they capture those ancient cities and make them feel alive is amazing

[@infiniteraide1642]

Same goes for the yakuza series!

[@JediWarrior2007]

@@infiniteraide1642 That's for sure!!! I only played a little bit of 0 but I just loved the vibes of that game

[@fidi324]

Did this even need to be said?

[@krum1985]

Pixelart is my preferred art style in games. Heavily influenced by the games that made me love the medium in the 90s. Another friend of mine who grew up playing racing sims with his dad loves the early 2000s 3D sim look, and I suspect in 20-30 years, my nephew will look fondly on any game that has the current plastic-cartoony (not sure how else to describe it) look of nintendo games like Super Mario Odyssey (which I also like) 🙂

[@khlonoaa]

This is why I play Nintendo games, I remember trying call of duty modern warfare and thinking, graphically that the game looked stunning, but gameplay wise was quite boring. I turned off the game after about 12 minutes to go play Pokémon instead and those games look horrible but are quite fun.

[@MJ-uk6lu]

I actaully tried it out last year and it was incredibly boring. Even CoD 1 was more fun to play.

[@HDGaminTutorials]

But Nintendo games offer negative zero challenge is my only problem every game is piss easy

[@InternetPitstop]

Hey everyone just wanted to make sure it got across! There’s obviously a place for realism in game visuals,My point was more to say that gaming companies and fans at times obsess with the idea of hyper realistic graphics like those games and think it’s the only idea of a great looking game to the point where saying something like Jet Set Radio looks better to me than gta would be considered crazy to a lot of ppl. Hyper realism obviously has a place in gaming but not every game needs to have hyper realism.

[@E-Lad]

Facts bro

[@anathemasoul8393]

the perfect example of how you can get a point across way better in person than through text lol

[@cadencedavis7510]

Got this in my recommended! 😁 KZbin did something right 👌 *This could tie into another really good tangent on re-releases remasters and remakes. I've always found HD ports to be sort of an odd concept. Like I think wind waker HD is too bright, and with some titles you can hardly even notice a difference (TP HD). With older games, another neat fact is the graphics mattered less because things were literally being displayed less clear. So sometimes the HD ports often look worse cuz they show underdeveloped or ugly textures that weren't a concern at the time. A great example is resident evil 4. For me that game was the peak of graphics, that is still likely my climax for what feels and looks the most real and I enjoy it because of that. In HD it's painfully clear what are models and what sticks out as muddy and ugly. Ocarina of time doesn't look too hot in (fanmade) HD either (though Majora's mask has not aged so poorly graphically, they made that game look stunning). Fingers crossed for re4 remake. I'll start looking through your library of vids, but I also wonder what your thoughts are on emulation.

[@AccurateBurn]

How was elden ring internet pitstop? Or should I rephrase it, how is elden ring?

[@InternetPitstop]

@@AccurateBurn still playing every now and then! Waiting for dlc played through it with like 5 different characters first play through was like over 100 hours such a great world full of unique experiences to find my guy omg

[@MrMoronicMind]

I really like how you set the Wind Waker footage to Chrono Cross music

[@Ryan-qn1wr]

I played Blood recently, and was surprised at how well it aged(other than needing to use a more modern port to play at higher resolutions and use mouse aiming). The sounds, the art style, the level design and gameplay, it had so much charm and style.

[@4valongaming388]

I wish more people thought like this and talked about it. I feel like too much games try to be realistic nowadays and gameplay, story or other key elements are hurt cause of it. If we made it clear for companies that realistic graphics aren't what sell games, we would have a lot of more ambitious and creative productions. Too many "gamers" these days are people who would never get into gaming 20 years ago, cause their favourite part of gaming is what makes games - games. And personally I'm done with 'games' that make me press A while munching pop-corn and watching cutscenes that are smh called gameplay cause you kinda do stuff in them.. but not really. I hope companies that still produce games that makes you want to PLAY them, not just own them and wind through, and smaller indie teams that do amazing creations don't go way of big corporations producing real life sim pseudo action games.

[@creative_soul-recolo]

I just stick to the pre-2010 games. Especially the 16-bit all the way to the PS2 era of gaming. The only game(s) to impress me over the past 10 years was GTA V, Uncharted 4.

[@XZ-III]

Either I'm playing too many games or you're not playing enough because there are a shit ton of nonrealism games that have been coming since switch 2017 early 2018

[@Mesa97]

Finally someone who shares my opinion on game graphics. I'm so sick and tired of all those super realistic games 😮‍💨 Retro/ stylised graphics are so much more engaging and beautiful to me

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

I'd love to see some game dev try to capture the low poly elegance of Persona 3 someday. That game looks so timeless

[@ruiK774]

@@rac1equalsbestgame853 and even p5 which is like 7 or 8 yrs older than p3 doesn't focus too much on the realism of the graphics. Honestly atlus games impress me with how well they can do cool stuff with simple models (in gaming standards)

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

@@ruiK774 In the PS3 version especially, it doesn't even have AA yet looks so cool. Though ngl I prefer the P3/4 artstyle

[@KirbyZilla]

Yeah like mario

[@HeyImNicku]

I think a Game that has some of my favorite art direction is The Long Dark. The game looks like a painting in 3D!

[@krab6179]

lmao people really saying "graphics are not the most important thing" as if it was a controversial statement no one ever heard before 💀

[@SeddyAm]

The reason I stick with Nintendo games because of art style makes me feel alive with different vibrant color like windwaker still hold special into me since my childhood. And the reason I stop halfway on ps games due to hyper realistic graphic that I got bored midway sometimes just like my life in irl boring when you look at that realistic places where you see alot outside. Sometimes I play for fun not to immerse myself back to reality because it often disappointing and the reason why most west AAA games are dying fast due to that kind of obsession power and graphics.

[@kukukachu]

While graphics don't have to matter, they can definitely enhance the experience. I look no further than Monster Hunter World. I LOVE that they added the 50gb texture pack. I love that they gave me an option to have a really beautiful game, however, they didn't make it mandatory to everybody else. That is, I believe, how graphics should be treated. Have your art style, have your focus, but for the snobs that do love graphics, give them what they want as an optional pack as well.

[@InternetPitstop]

Oh no don’t take this vid in a way of like oh I never wanna see games with realistic graphics but lore like keep them but also don’t treat them as if their the end all be all of good looking games that both art style focused games and hyper realistic games can both be considered top tier in terms of games visuals

[@kukukachu]

@@InternetPitstop I agree. Enter the Gungeon (a great example) looks absolutely amazing, even though it's not realistic graphics. It's got so much personality and pizazz. It's art style is aesthetically pleasing as well as charming and fun. It's a game that will be remembered for decades and will continue looking just as good as it did when it was released. Realistic games age a lot more quickly because as you said, they try to make something realistic and not something that is stylish or artistic. Stylish and artistic, age a lot more gracefully because it IS art. Anybody that claims that video games aren't art are naive, foolish and haven't played the right games. While some games are made just for profits, there are a many where the developers poured their hearts into it. Your video on the different Pokemon generations showed just that. Same goes for your atmosphere video as well. I would highly recommend (if you like your own content) to check out a youtuber called Manely Reviews. He made a really great video on what makes a great video game ( the title of the video is calle "A 10/10 Game Isn't Perfect: Making a Masterpiece") As much as graphics can be an enhancer, it's about the game being more than the sum of its parts.

[@minisculex3]

I think realism graphic applies well to monster hunter as no one has seen a up close realistic dinosaur to dragon design

[@AndreJr9]

MHW was the only game in my life I stopped playing because of the graphics. It looked horrible on Xbox One, blurry as hell, I felt like I was going blind.

[@kukukachu]

@@AndreJr9 Bro, you gotta try it on PC with the texture pack...it's looks SO good.

[@unyu-cyberstorm64]

Detail and attention to detail are different. The latter is more important. Detail is super high-res textures. Attention to detail is things like the tracks a tank makes through mud, sand, or snow, actually being 3D deformations. Or like in RDR2 when you walk through snow, it changes shape.

[@spine--damaged]

Great video, totally agree!! I do like AAA realistic graphics for certain games, but I also look out for beautiful and unique art style and settings that for the most part indies deliver. Sorry if anyone has already mentioned it, but I find Little Nightmares to be a good example, it's a series that lives of art style and atmosphere alone. It honestly doesn't have much in terms of gameplay, but when I look at it I want to play it and it's so memorable.

[@ItsYourBoyR2]

I’m honestly shocked that Ghost of Tsushima wasn’t mentioned. Great atmosphere, beautiful landscapes and the realism still feels fantastical.

[@thonato295]

honestly ghost of tsushima is like the grandfather of elden ring's art direction imo

[@stealthboy5767]

Because it's an example against this guy's argument.

[@raskolnikov6443]

I am not a big fan. Feels like a Ubisoft game.

[@raskolnikov6443]

@@stealthboy5767 I think his argument is valid. No one is so childish and claims things are 100% one way or another.

[@MikedieONE]

@@stealthboy5767 Is it tho? i think Ghost of tsushima also Heavily relies on art direction. In this case on Akira Kurosawa movies. While the graphic fidelity has a realistic tone.. the art direction is not realistic at all. If you compare Tsushima(the island) in real life with the one in the game. The real one is actually really boring. The Tsushima in the game is an artistic explosion of everything the japanese traditional culture has to offer in the most visual poetic way possible. Every light, every color pattern, every framing is set on artistic purpose. THATS why the world in tsushima sticks in your head. not because the graphic looks "realistic". the entire games landscape looks a like a freaking painting.

[@alucardvania986]

This is one of the problems I had with the FF7 Remake. In comparison to the original, to me the visuals had lost any of the art style and atmosphere it once had. Sure, for the most part it looked decent, but it seemed to have lost its individuality during the cross over to 3D with more realistic graphics. Nevermind!

[@zeroattentiongaming820]

I agree but I feel like that was kind of intentional with the game set entirely in Midgar. We see so little of Midgar proper and the slums are gonna just look like a generic junkyard for the most part. When we get to places like Cosmo Canyon, Gold Saucer, the Forgotten City, that's where we will be able to really tell if Square recaptured the original or not. Downside of part 1 being Midgar only, we got to see pretty much none of the beauty that FF7's setting offers yet. Midgar isn't the place to look for FF7's magic, it's the place that contrasts everything that follows, to show that Shinra is...well killing the atmosphere both literally and figuratively.

[@islandboy9381]

Hard disagree, the game does a good job at blending the unique final fantasy stylization of 7 mixed with high fidelity of today and it even enhanced some scenes in the Midgar scenes that couldn't be communicated as well in the original because of the limited visuals (Cloud's minigame in the Honeybee for example). I mean the original FF7 was already meant to push 3D graphics of the Playstation era to its limits for an epic fantasy scale which does show its age but is also what the game got praised for, so I don't see how the Remake has taken that sentiment away now? Especially when looking at the trailers for part 2 and showing off the more open worlds.

[@crossdaboss8914]

@@islandboy9381 I think alot of the issues people take with the remake comes down to nostalgia and how things have changed to fit the more real artstyle most notable character proportions in the orginal where heavily exaggerated due ti limitations where the remakes keeps it more grounded

[@aliciafraser1835]

@crossdaboss8 Have you seen barret? Grounded isn't what I'd call those proportions, be it original OR the remake.

[@crossdaboss8914]

@@aliciafraser1835 I said more grounded of its not grounded there's a difference

[@zgoodt]

I remember on TikTok, people got so amazed at how RDR 2 has those insane mechanics, and in a video on TikTok where the player was shooting at a water barrel and water would leak out till it reaches that hole and stops leaking, and then you shoot the barrel at a lower point and water would leak again from the lower hole till the barrel water reaches that hole! You see, people are so delusional because this mechanic is found in a 2002 game called Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, where I used to shoot oil/water barrels and they did the same thing. I then wondered "HOW did they manage to make this mechanic work, this is so awesome!" but nowadays I never wonder that, I kind of lost the feeling of getting amazed. A lot of the old classical games have insane mechanics and moves, that seem impossible for their time, and new generations have no clue about them that they feel amazed they exist in today's games! GTA Vice City, had a mechanic where if a car is coming straight at you, and you press the Jump button, your character would throw itself away from it like how NPC's do it, and it was Amazing, this mechanic is not found in GTA San Andreas for an example. Also, Games tend to focus on the graphics and movements of my character's asshole hairs more than focusing on the game play and having actual fun! There's a reason why a pixel-based game like Minecraft is still popular and playable.

[@ockertoustesizem1234]

spitting fax

[@laurent.treguier]

What are the games shown at 9:55 and 11:55 (left side) ? I don't think they're any of the ones listed in the description. And also I fully agree on the topic of this video. There's a reason Hotline Miami has >95% positive reviews on Steam despite using about 5 pixels in the entire game