I Miss Pre-Rendered Backgrounds In Games

[@itsrhet]

Where is Jim 9. Give us the truth Snug

[@alexandrostype-2211]

Pre-rendered backgrounds were magical, because not everything of the world was shown. You had to imagine Yourself what was beyond the picture. And mystery is what makes a game magical. Also, these backgrounds had a true artistic vision,the interesting camera angles, supported the storytelling, the composition of the pictures had a true artistic meaning.

[@alanaristegui3655]

For real, i miss feeling that mistery as a child and thinking of "What if there is a way to get to that background place?" the world seemed bigger than it was, nowadays in open world games sometimes exploring everything feels like a burden.

[@KironVB]

Yep, I think it's the same thing as Liminal spaces which again are uncanny spaces that have a dreamlike atmosphere to them where your brain tries (but fails) to attach it to a memory. These pre-rendered graphics (especially old SGI promo stuff) basically makes your brain start to process through memories, imagination, old feelings to fill in the gaps caused by the uncanny-ness of the graphics which makes them ironically way more real and emotionally resonant. A great video game that does the same thing, but is fully 3D is Mirrors Edge. You know you've been to the Mirrors Edge city IRL memory wise, but you never actually have.

[@Iosaiv]

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus also had the prerendered backgrounds. Looked great! New ‘n’ Tasty was a good game, but it was just different, not the same, because everything moved and you can’t create screen by screen artwork that way and it feels different playing it too and I think the originals set the tone way better with that late ‘90s creepy artstyle. I would love an HD remake of both games in the screen by screen style.

[@icyboy771z]

Not only that..But the cartoony characters look pretty cool too like from an anime. Now they look photo realistic but loss the cuteness of it.

[@juansotomayor9076]

Dude you hit the nail! Fixed camera + pre-rend = Control of composition of the image. Its so good bc the game feels cinematographic and atmospheric

[@julesp8830]

A great example of "less is more, don’t try to add a real-time rendering feature but instead make sure your game looks great all the time" is the first Mirror’s Edge. In this game, lighting isn’t dynamic, so the developers could just paint the lights and shadows on surfaces and textures instead of having to process it. The end result is that the game just hasn’t aged a day

[@Snugboy]

Absolutely. Mirrors Edge looks gorgeous man. I think that the lack of dynamic lighting must’ve been a big part of why I love these backgrounds so much.

[@RinoaL]

I think the reason why we love pre-rendered backgrounds in games is because it requires a specific camera angle, which is a deliberate choice, and normally only comes about when a game has a well orchestrated story. I look at pre-rendered backgrounds and think "Ah this game has a story, not some bland nonsense!"

[@bradkirchhoff5703]

Environmental interaction as well. You cant interact w pre renders like you can a world built into the game instead of baked into the screen.

[@Lunariant]

Exactly, a fixed camera angle is an artistic choice. Every scene is crafted to show something specific.

[@odinzan]

REmake 1 is one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen and one of the most prime examples of videogame graphics being elevated to genuine art

[@Johnwhyplays]

It's like 80% the lack of fixed camera angles, and 20% art style shifts. Fixed camera angles add so much to artistry. When you think of paintings, so much thought is put into the composition and what angles you're viewing the subjects from to create certain mood and atmosphere. Some of those extreme angles in Final Fantasy could create such a sense of dread and isolation or claustrophobia even. In horror like Resident Evil, you can obscure the path the player is going down to create tension as you can't see what the character is going to come across. That's something you entirely lose when a game is 100% first person or entirely over the shoulder the same distance away from the character with a controllable camera. It should be entirely possible to recreate these feelings with full 3D backgrounds, but in the few 3D games that have fixed angles, they can't resist the urge to have the camera move a bit with you or do a smooth camera transition instead of the sudden ones we got with the still images of old, and they also seem more afraid of doing the extreme and artistic angles that might make the player lost. For the style, a lot of the old Nintendo pre-renders especially had an almost claymation look to them. It reminds me a lot of those old Rankin Bass holiday specials in feel. I'd love a Banjo-Kazooie remake that looks just like the pre-rendered promotional images. With OoT they updated it with some of the more colorful and ornamented cartoony style that they started adopting for the series later on instead of staying true to OoTs more severe and simplistic style, and something about mid-level real time 3d renders just looks shiny and fake. The temple of time in the old game looked ancient and reverent with old grey stone. The little details and flourishes they added with the brighter colors in the update paradoxically make it look more like a basic brick house or church.

[@pointfrogg]

YES! It's absolutely amazing that an entire story can be told in perspective alone. Final Fantasy IX is one of my favorite games because of this.

[@MrHammers]

Puppet Combo is a modern developer that is making horror games reminiscent on pre-rendered horror games from the PS1 era. Lots a spooky vibes. Im also playing through silent hill 2 right now and the background and rotating camera angles provide so much to the whole experience.

[@Snugboy]

Dude I wanna play Silent Hill 2 so bad but I’m the biggest scared cat on the planet lmao

[@Coreisus]

Pre Rendered, with modern tech, and selectively chosen camera angles, would feel so cinematic

[@kyledodson2992]

Preach

[@sherif956]

Plus it'd allow the game engines power to be entirely focused on character/enemy/item models makin them look EVEN more realistic and it'd legit feel like ur watchin a movie esp with the cam angles

[@Coreisus]

@@sherif956 Yea exactly, RE1remake on GameCube almost looks like a modern game. Imagine something similar built from the beginning for modern technology

[@roastytoasty8559]

@@Coreisus ive been saying this to people pretty much since re 5 :( you could make the character models actual life like using these methods

[@Coreisus]

@@roastytoasty8559 yea exactly, modern games are almost lifelike already, even with massive open worlds and full camera control. If they were to scale them down, make em like they used to make survival horror and jrpgs, then they would be photorealistic!

[@halfmilk1757]

I actually have been talking about this to people for years, the pre rendered backgrounds in resident evil 1, 2, and 3 are all just charming

[@eldergod9791]

Also Onimusha games.

[@isanarditama]

I really amazed by the graphic in resident evil 3. When i was kid, im wondering why theres not many game as detail as re3.

[@oofingberg]

Resident evil 1s looked aweful but with 2 and 3 they really figured out how to make good stuff

[@froginatub]

The ol "i want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less and i'm not kidding"

[@thecawdfather87]

Pre rendered backgrounds have a sense of surrealism and oddly dreamlike quality. They should come back.

[@CC_Reads]

@@thecawdfather87 i love them too. very pretty, and i find foliage and stuff in new games to be so flimsy and crap looking

[@thecawdfather87]

@@CC_Reads I'm in Indie gamedev with my own small studio, I'm currently working on a side-scrolling platformer with hand-drawn animation and watercolor painted backgrounds- the next project after that that has already begun concept work and whatnot; is a Resident Evil inspired survival-horror with classic fix camera angles in Old polygonal graphics and tank controls.

[@renaeg9454]

I just played FFVII for the first time on the Switch and honestly the backgrounds blew me away and was not expecting how good they are. They made me go down the hole of the pre-rendered background in Final Fantasy series. The backgrounds are now one of my favorite things with how much love and attention to detail these backgrounds have

[@Snugboy]

Once you go down the rabbit hole, you never come out lmao

[@savvysavster5262]

I wonder if the reason these prerendered backgrounds vibe so well with players is because it leans INTO suspension of disbelief. With 'realistic' graphics its easy to see where the animation in games fall short of capturing what something looks like in real life. But with prerendered, the painted feel of the environments sort of wink wink nudge nudges us into looking at it as artistic expression instead of trying to be a photograph, the same way that stylized animation tends to hold up better than "realistic" animation as time passes. Prerendered is more fixed, not unlike the way a paragraph in a book is fixed in perspective, so you get pointed towards what that background, that scene, and by extension the game is trying to convey. Taking full advantage of the fantasy to pull you in instead of trying to make it seem real.

[@Snugboy]

That’s such an interesting take. I really wonder how much of their mindset was artistic stylisation when they were making these. They either could’ve thought “oh let’s stylise it and make it a bit fantastical” or because it was the only way to achieve such high quality graphics on their hardware, maybe they genuinely thought these were photorealistic. Thanks for the perspective!!

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

I get a similar kind of thing with low poly enviroments and chracter models. There is so much charm to the simplifications they had to do back them to represent the characters as best as posible with those limitations even though I didn't grow up in that era

[@BRZguy]

It makes me wonder how amazing could a modern horror game look with pre-rendered backgrounds? Imagine like photo realistic effects and environments as well as extremely high definition character models. It would be a cool way to improve graphics exponentially.

[@benjamindittmann7431]

I'm quite fond of pre-rendered backgrounds too. Kinda miss old horror franchises like Parasite Eve and Dino Crisis now. ):

[@murph_archer1129]

You aren't the only one. The pre rendered backgrounds of ps1 final fantasy is one of my favourite aspects of the era. It's all about the atmosphere imo

[@Snugboy]

Hey everyone! What a cool topical video and topic ha ha ha. Nah but for real, if any of you have even the slightest clue what I'm getting at, please let me know. I wanna know I'm not crazy!

[@albios531]

i thought you were supposed to be stupid, not crazy :)

[@bubbadave2423]

I think the real appeal of the backgrounds is the fact they look like still images. In modern day 3d engines, shadows move depending on your perspecetive, but in these backgrounds it's a still image. The shadows stay still and don't move, the scene is devoid of motion. It makes these backgrounds look like a landscape painting and that has a profound effect on us viewers. It puts us in place for a brief moment and it stops time due to the lack of motion.

[@ilankaplan2428]

I just played the first Half-Life for the first time and the scene where you crawl through a pipe that opens up to the edge of a cliff face in a massive canyon blew me away 20 years later

[@zodiacthundaga7264]

Abe's Oddysee and Exoddus have an unmatched atmosphere to them, and their remakes could only dreamam of capturing that. Something about the prerenderedness just... enhances so much.

[@simonvandenbroek6384]

I know what it is. it's the paralex. when the camera moves around. the pre-rendered backdrops move as a whole, or in layered chunks. which is quite different from the movement you'd get in an actual 3D scene. If you move in 3D each vertex is divided by the Z-axis, which creates movement across the entire screen, all the time. in a pre-rendered backdrop none of this stuff is happening, so either a bunch of layers are moving or the entire screen is moving as a whole. you can clearly see this in your ocarina of time example. when the camera rotates in both versions, the n64 version moves the environment as a whole, whereas the 3Ds version has movement happening on all vertices as the camera rotates. As a result certain environments feel a bit larger, like the market town. when you look at the grand canyon with your real eyes. it still looks 2D. and when an object is really close to your eyes, the 3D-ness is also stronger. Less 3D means further away, more 3D means closer to our eyes. And about the shading. take a look at Zbrush-matcaps. It looks as if everything is always slightly lit from the front. which gives a lot of depth to your models and makes cavities and concaves very visible. has this oldschool oil-painterly look to it.

[@themistakingcone]

I loved the backgrounds of Grim Fandango

[@GraaD-87]

One word: "Scratches" Such a terrifying and atmospheric experience. Wouldn't work with actual 3D environment nearly as good. Unless it's P.T. level of graphics and beyond magically making an appearance 10 years earlier. I mean... Developers CAN actually achieve similar experiences with some really cutting edge tech, but such cost rarely comes with a sufficient benefit, while doing it prerendered is times easier and cheaper. However, due to obvious technical complexity and natural restrictions, pre-rendered environmental design is a lost art not being worth the hassle nowadays for most developers, when a "good enough" 3D is an easier way to go. Same thing with CG monsters in movies replacing actual stuff. Original "The Thing" is still stands unmatched in this regard.

[@AlfredBaudischCreations]

Finally I found someone who shares the same obsessive passionate compulsion of pre-rendered bgs and especially CG look from 90s and early 2000s! I can't get enough of box art/magazine renders either, like 4:06 and 3:53!

[@meursault7030]

The Longest Journey is the most beautiful game I've ever played. Pre-rendered at its peak.

[@sVieira151]

I feel like a lot of these indie horror games use a similar technique to achieve this feeling, but usually it's not in backgrounds but enclosed places. It's all to do with the lighting - you have static lighting and you can prerender as much of everything as you want to make it look as realistic as you need, especially since a lot of those games are static. Prebaked lighting and prerendered textures can do a whole lot of work

[@williamburbidge2407]

honestly, for me, personally, it was Tombi 1. (Tomba! in PAL regions). The magic of that game cannot be overstated, and a seriously large part of that is down the pre-rendered locations. the amount of care and time it must have taken to make them, they really were works of art, shown in a way that you can appreciate the exquisite detail- something that was lost in the all-3D Tombi 2. I'm really hoping the re-release on the Carbon engine will do it justice, when it comes out, be sure to check it out!

[@JamSwoosh]

I see exactly what you mean! I didn't really realise until now but pre-rendered backgrounds give that nineties and retro feel! I didn't actually remember how much Ocarina of Time used pre rendered but since it's so low-res, that's why it has the retro feel. I'm glad you bought up Resident Evil Remake, the environments are one of my favourite parts of that game, it has such atmosphere with the limitations of the GameCube's hardware. Great video my dude! 😁

[@LacklustreLena]

Oh my god I love the Nancy Drew games, so glad you brought them up in this!

[@elderjose9662]

I think what makes you feel good about zelda ocarina of time pre-rendered cgi are your childhood memories

[@ldg1414]

It's like moving around in a painting.

[@ZaiahTalks]

"No you can't refund your ticket" - Dang you got me there.😂

[@IsaacIsaacIsaacson]

Hot take (don't hurt me pls) - I don't think the real difference is pre-rendering. They were a technique to achieve results within the technical limitations of the time. Studios have stopped caring about download sizes or specs - more than once I've seen studios even boast about just how intense the hardware you'll need is. Limitations pushed for creativity, and the (woeful) quality of 3D for a long time encouraged studios to find ways to stop their games from aging horribly within a year. Pre-rendered backgrounds aren't the thing that changed. Their disappearance is just a symptom of the wider problem - game design that has striven for realism over artisanship.

[@XX-sp3tt]

I miss pre-rendered cut scenes, they grant so much more creative freedom... and remakes that rely on the in-game engine are just the real limits they have.

[@Thewolfguys.cartoons2000]

Pre Rendering is like the Hand-Drawn Animation of Video Games

[@allmyinterests5139]

I think pre rendered backgrounds are so special because theyre basically paintings. You see what youre supposed to see from the angle youre supposed to see them from, so they can be composed perfectly - just like a painting.

[@champichamp]

Oh boy, have you unlocked a memory. When I was a kid I LOVED playing with action figures (maybe they were more figurines than action figures, sort of like the amiibo ones) and I would have to make my backgrounds with whatever I had on hand. And then add to it being a 90s kid and getting to know videogames as this, as some kind of virtual recreation of my playtime with my beloved figures and AAAAH now it all makes sense

[@Snugboy]

Yoooo this is so wholesome omg!! I love that you made backgrounds for your figures that’s so cool omg

[@stephanie8477]

OMG I still play the Nancy Drew games! The first one I ever played scared the hell out of me but they got more and more beautiful with each new game. The fact that you used Blackmoor manner (my fave still) is a massive bonus. Dare to play.

[@Snugboy]

Blackmoor is the one that scared me the most as a kid. My cousin just told me about the red eyes at the start and I had nightmares 😭

[@leminnie7]

For me as a kid, it was like finally seeing a world that looked and felt more real. So it was easy to apply that to the almost geometric 3D characters as well. They were always fully fleshed out in mind and I’m sure the backgrounds had a lot to do with influencing that. It was a special time! Thanks for the reminder!

[@jinkstkittensen99]

To argue a bit in favour of technology, non pre renderered backgrounds actually allow you to interact with the background in a meaninful way. Its not fit for all genres but i'm really into games where using the items of scenario is actually fun and relevant as in Half Life or Portal. I particularly like the design phylosophy of the more interactability the better. There's also the point of lighting not being able to move dinamically which can hinder level design by a great deal. You can still make a great game with these restrictions is just that there are a bunch of design possibilities that could be hindered by them. Not saying realistic AAA games are the good path to follow, but imo its their focus of cinematic games rather than actual fun sandboxes which is the problem. Tl'dr I agree it looked charming but as a designer i just know there's less room for creative physics mechanics.

[@tenorei]

Limitation creates space for creativity. The less limitations you have, the less solutions you have to come up with creatively, resulting in a much more simple product. One could say "soulless"

[@charlieni645]

I was just playing Syberia for the first time and what a great example to back up your point! I mean the control is absolutely painful to get used to and the puzzles don't make much more senses that goat puzzles, but the pre-rendered background adds the otherworldliness and forboding feel of lots of the environments. They sell those fictional places as locations with history long before Kate arrives. Since they are pre-rendered, the game also doesn't indulge my nickpicky side to find glitched textures or foliage like I tend to do in modern games. If only the control is modernized with some accessibility options, this could just be one of the most immersive point and click games for me.

[@Snugboy]

I’ve never played it tbh! Just found it for this video, but it looks gorgeous. What’s it about? Any good??

[@charlieni645]

@@Snugboy It's about a corporate lawyer looking for a lost heir for an European steampunk automaton company that led her into a rabbit hole. A very engaging mystery for me so far.

[@skittytail]

It's really cool how the shortcuts people take in art tend to create a specific aesthetic. Surely the folks doing these backdrops were thinking more about their efficiency than what effect the visuals would have in retrospect, and yet they were creating one of the most iconic textural elements of the games we remember fondly. We love a good old chunky game.

[@Snugboy]

Absolutely! I’m sure if we were flies on the wall in the studio they’d probably be like “ah shit idk looks good enough time to compress it for the game” Yet decades later and we’re frothing over it lol

[@Hypno_BPM]

i was thinking the other day how much i loved the way cutscenes looked from PS1-2 era games. Yeah they weren’t highly detailed but they had a certain look that newer modern games don’t have. Possibly cuz newer games try to look as realistic as possible but older CG looked “video gamey” idk how to explain.

[@JontesYoutube]

They also looked even more amazing thanks to the TVs they were displayed on too. Modern screens don’t do them justice.

[@niroe82]

Devil Summoner Raidou 1 and 2 on PS2 (2006, 2008) definitely have some level of pre-rendered-ness going on. I don't think all of it is but it's there.

[@johngreen8344]

Not just pre-rendered backgrounds, but how they could be used in conjunction with fixed camera angles is something I find enormously fascinating. While I've not been brave enough to fumble my way through the Resi 1 remake (which is partly exacerbated with my already overloaded hard drive and mountainous backlog) it presents a unique challenge, throwing the player for a loop with the tank controls suddenly shifting when entering new perspectives in large rooms or cramped hallways. I even tried Silent Hill 1 on the Vita a few months ago and I was amazed by the way the camera thrashes and pitches in the beginning as things get more distorted in the beginning section, especially with how it could obscure enemies when squeezing through tight areas in the school and the other world. It's a massive shame the Resi 2make abandoned the original fixed camera angles, since there are so many clever ways it can be implemented to drive tension. Fingers crossed it'll return in some other way.

[@yule8008]

I love the style of pre-rendered backgrounds especially in cRPG games! Gives the exact nostalgia hit I need. Great video! ☺️

[@Drstrange3000]

Prerendered backgrounds are magical. I think it helped when games focused on such small zones where they could carefully handcraft each area. Since everything is open world and seamless, there are less teicks you can implement to hide limitations.

[@JariDawnchild]

The pre-rendered backgrounds are heart-stealingly gorgeous. You hit the nail on the head when you described them as magical. The point of video games (apart from entertainment, being able to actively play someone else's story, improve coordination, and being a pleasurable time suck), imo, is to be a temporary escape from reality. While the hyper-realistic graphics are lovely, it takes away from the "magical escapism" aspect. My favorite pre-rendered environments are from The Legend of Dragoon.

[@Snugboy]

I absolutely agree! I love the escapist nature of games. I’ve been thinking lots lately how a good game lets me fall into its world in the same way an immersive book or movie does, but with all the benefits you said above plus being fun.

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

You got my point! The less realistic the visuals (usually worse graphics), the more I get imersed. I don't get imersed by the Pixar-esque look of Rift Apart, but oh boy, give me all of that RaC1 low poliness or Tools of Destruction's "ugly" textures.

[@knyght27]

Microsoft 3D movie maker is a treasure trove of pre-rendered 3D backgrounds

[@twilitvigil5066]

Great video as usual! I think Disco Elysium also has prerendered backgrounds, and I would say it definitely gives a modern version of the feel you're getting at. Personally, I've always have a real soft spot for hand painted/drawn backgrounds. Games like Hollow Knight and Salt and Sanctuary just get me feeling a certain kind of way. There's also this indie game on Steam I haven't picked up yet called Existensis that has an absolutely stunning hand-drawn style that just looks incredible.

[@redalchemy7322]

I'm making an indie game with something like this in mind. Though with one small twist. We are using the geometry and depth data for environmental collisions, but the environments will be hand painted matte images. So less late 90's 3D and more playable studio Ghibli movie

[@Snugboy]

Playable studio ghibli movie yes please

[@micahaguilar3978]

Fun video on a topic not talked about much. I think it was a great shortcut for the time and used brilliantly in FF7 and LOZ. Although in my playthrough of FF7 I often had a hard time figuring out where I could go and what was just for presentation. And then I found that toggle button that pointed out exit screens and that was a huge help. I think pre rendered backgrounds will be used now and then but not much by larger developers anymore. Everyone is always looking for the best new graphics these days

[@MissyMona]

Oh man, the pre-rendered backgrounds in Digimon word is pure nostalgia. Same with Abe's Oddyssey.

[@SamanthaSaunderz]

What I think makes them special for me, especially when I was a kid is there is this tangible feeling with them. The Mario 64 look like they have a texture you can feel and I think that's why it worked I'm horror, it have the space soo much texture that can't be matched.

[@smc_onetwo]

just learning about pre-rendered graphics and background after watching asmongold play Halls of Torment. I didn't know that was what it was called after playing these games throughout childhood. great video and totally agree, i love the look of it. i can see it coming back with the indie game dev scene along with low poly graphics.

[@random_one2622]

I had never thought of this topic before but watching your video did make me realise that perhaps this was part of what bothered me in some recent games so thank you for the thought ! As always, it was a great video and I'll be patiently waiting for the next !! ^^

[@pwnedd11]

Wonderful video! The issue that confuses many people is the difference between "graphics as art" and "graphics as technology." Graphics today look better from a technological perspective. They do not look better from an artistic perspective. Art demands authenticity, emotion, and drama. Glitz, glamor, detail, and realism do not make art. Even photography -- when done as an art -- makes use of unique camera angles, messaging, and shading. This is impossible when today's companies are focused on displaying their tech and are focused purely on immersion. So, the art suffers. Pre-rendered backgrounds are a weird hybrid between paintings, comic book art, and photography. They could emerge as their own art form to be hung in art galleries someday 50-100 years from now. They also have a slight vagueness that allows our imagination to flex its muscle -- just like an impressionist painting. In addition, pre-rendered backgrounds provide "perspective" and "depth" in a manner similar to paintings -- and this gives us the illusion of a world far beyond the one we're playing.

[@French.Toast.5]

Pre-rendered cutscenes had a certain charm to them that is lost nowadays in modern video games. The only thing I don’t miss about pre-rendered cutscenes is the confusing parts of what was exploitable and what was not. The clarity with these backgrounds were inconsistent. Regardless, they were really good looking and had a vibe that will never be replicated again.

[@sunny-xc8hx]

its awesome how you always are able to put things into words that we've never thought before, but we all felt the effects of! you describe problems we've never even noticed!

[@BinaryDood]

The Lifa Tree Harp in FF9, as well with the entirety of Memoria, Lindblum and Terra, it makes me think it was the pinnacle of game presentation. Limited by resolution. Damn, all those painted in Chrono Cross backdrops. Saga Frontier, Legend of Dragoon, Batten Kaitos, Star Ocean 2... then REmake. Top notch.

[@KT-rq9id]

Holy shit! There's people like us around that still exist?? FUCK YES

[@deemster4249]

Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon from 1994 nails that classic 90s CGI look, but in real-time!

[@XX-sp3tt]

You're exploring a painting.

[@jpkan3873]

Its that "Frutiger Aero" art style that just hit so good

[@STOPTHECLOWNS581]

I believe games with pre rendered backgrounds age so much better than games with fully 3d environments. You wouldn't believe the amount of people that think the Resident evil 1 remake came out in 2015 and then are shocked or don't believe when told it's a 2002 GameCube game.

[@naomisilverfang7098]

I just finished playing Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus and the pre-rendered backgrounds in that game are BEAUTIFUL

[@NexatBlackflame]

DUUUUUDE You remember fucking TOMBA! Like, that whole damn game was practically prerendered backgrounds! Fantastic game, too!

[@MoonSarito]

Honestly, I think games with pre-rendered graphics have aged better than 3D games from the SNES/Sega Genesis and even some from the PS1/Sega Saturn/Nintendo 64, games like Donkey Kong Country 2 are still beautiful today on a CRT TV.

[@eaoereaper]

It's the crust. I literally LIVE for the crust.

[@TasmanianTigerGrrr]

Pre-rendered backgrounds gave games a lot of charm . Some of the newer games are just too overly processed with unnecessary levels of detail

[@shadowledastray]

I wish Nintendo would remaster the N64 version of Ocarina of Time and include the uncompressed versions of its pre-rendered backgrounds.

[@WindiChilliwack]

pre-rendered backgrounds just gives me this surreal dream vibe i love in videogames in whole, it's why i enjoy them so much sure new graphics do look good but i prefer the surrealistic dream-vibe just to make it feel im part of it in lucid dreams just gives us this special magical feel

[@landon1812]

this was a pretty cool video, kind of been going down a rabbit hole lately of trying to see how different things like pre-rendered cutscenes and backgrounds look compared to real time rendering in modern games to see if pre-rendered still fits in todays gaming space and my current view is it's up to the devs to see how they want to present their vision. One thing I have wanted to see with this type of technology is if somehow it's possible to take pre-rendered graphics and translate them into a 3d environment, like pre-render the main areas and stuff and then use real time to do small things to change it if need be, or would that just be how most games work with textures, lighting, etc?

[@Snugboy]

I feel like it might be tricky to do this cause it must be lighting that does the trick? But I also have literally no idea with any of this stuff

[@landon1812]

@@Snugboy yeah, I wish I could put the time into becoming a game dev myself and seeing how to make that stuff work. It's just an idea I've had in the back of my mind for awhile, just make the pre-rendered graphics in a 3d environment and if you need to change them just add effects and transformations to the graphics, at least I think it could work that way.

[@Snugboy]

@@landon1812 Well I hope to see your idea come to life one day!

[@solomiguex]

I think is the focal point what make them have that odd felling. Is make the far things look farther and the close one look closer. There is a PS1 game called blood omen, in a cinematic in the game someone grab a decapitated head of a vampire and show it to the people, the head swing and it has that effect of being closer and more far than it should be. That's my guess.

[@cassk2940]

so glad you mentioned the nancy drew games! i grew up with those and i think theyre the reason i love pre rendered backgrounds so much now (curse of blackmoore manor scared the shit outta me too..honestly still kinda does)

[@jonathon422]

We met the Zelda quota again for the video!! Let's gooooooo!

[@Snugboy]

HAHAHA

[@jadesded]

Just watching this as I've heard the descriptor thrown around regarding the survival horror game Crow Country which isn't pre-rendered but captures the vibe within 3D space. Which is interesting. I remember old PC games having 'that' vibe but I was much too young to understand the nuances of pre-rendered 3D vs full 3D and it makes sense, like why pre-rendering (others here have pointed out) is just a painting. Like that's it, that's what makes it special everything seen is intentional and let's the mind wander in a literal correlation to a painting whereas full 3D environments have unintended angles and care can't be given to every angle/free cam-scenario.

[@MEOW-dm6og]

My favorite pre-rendered backgrounds have to be from Disciples II, they look frickin amazing.

[@swootproonce634]

I think Ocarina of Time 3ds looks better mostly, but it’s almost too bright and cheery. The pre rendered backgrounds were much darker and made it feel more ominous in the OG

[@xanderscut]

Man takes a break and still manages to crank out a video for the month, your work ethic is absolutely incredible. Great work on this, pre rendered backgrounds are a super fun topic. I think my favorite example is definitely ff7. While I didn’t grow up with it, that game still has so much charm. Looking forward to whenever you give it a go!

[@Snugboy]

The truth is… I didn’t take a break 😢

[@xanderscut]

@@Snugboy it’s too easy to become addicted to work 🥲

[@thebradzone3922]

amen dude. ive been preaching this about FMV games, like Myst, for years. why overwork devs when you already had something that looks so close to reality without nearly as much effort or as many technical requirements? i'd rather play an older game that had its own charm and artistic vision than a modern game that sacrifices my graphics card just so it can look (imo) less interesting

[@meursault7030]

They still have to work to build the environments, I'm not sure what work you're suggesting it saves them

[@Didi-ld2vj]

God the nier automata music at the beginning. Too much memories

[@bekah116]

Snug said no video for September so this is a nice surprise 🤩

[@koosjuh75]

Dude I really wonder what the RE2 Remake would look like with Pre rendered backgrounds in this day and age. Or just any main line Resi from the PS1. Dude the Resi Remake or Resi 0 on Gamecube looked gorgeos still to this day!!! .... One can dream...

[@SocksFCGameArchives]

Early pre-rendering felt more like they had to really try to make the characters look recognisable with the limits they had to work with. I prefer how they used to look back then as well

[@Spearmph2]

I always loved these pre-renders because of the undefined ends of these scenarios. Often times there was just an unending sky or a fade to black in the background so these weird worlds never had a defined end which was further improved apon with the lighting. And the same goes to the reflections. And the rare occasions like Ocarina of Time's castle town still gave me this feeling either because of the limited camera angle or the artificialness of it, it's not like I could move the camera behind the mask shop or the Temple of Time. And if that's not it, you can still feel the artificialness of it. Even the additional gritty textures still feel artificially placed. I guess I could have just said it feels like an uncanny valley that has some theory to it, but oh well.

[@thisaccountdoesnotexist7142]

Fellow 90s game renders enjoyer 😎

[@Snugboy]

😎😎😎

[@controllerspixelsplayers9202]

Legend of Mana on the PS1 as well as Chrono Cross have some very gorgeous pre-rendered backgrounds, a big reason why i return to those games is the artwork and beauty

[@butterschunkmcdonalds5333]

I've been playing through the FF series lately & I gotta say, FF VIII has the most beautiful pre rendered backgrounds ive seen. Like idk what it is about them, But they're like extra detailed compared to VII & IX, People can say what they want about VIII but i think it's atmosphere is undeniable. I'm with you bro, I miss the pre-rendered aesthetic.

[@aligillani7107]

I understand the feeling. I was playing Commandos 1 after all these years and even though the graphics were nothing compared to today's tech, there was something in the shabby low pixels settings that made me nostalgic or maybe it was the game itself. But yeah it is difficult to put the feeling in words.

[@n.o.k.2119]

Was not expecting to hear some that song from nier automata in the background. Such a bop. Class choices man.

[@Katelynnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

It's still insane to me how well FFX and Resident Evil 1 on the GameCube look all because of pre rendered backgrounds. Resident Evil 1 on GameCube literally looks better than most Wii games lol.

[@thelastwindwaker7948]

I can understand the appeal in the same way a kid might look at a pop-up book. Ocarina is an example I have a hard time with since it wasn't even my first 3D Zelda, so going back to it that part looked a little rough, visually speaking. I don't like the nostalgia argument, especially with that game, but this it must have been pretty impressive if that was your first experience with 3D games.

[@Jonyman]

Totally agree with the feeling you describe with the pre rendered backgrounds. But i have to add that it happens to me too with the pre rendered characters like the Donkey Kong of snes or the toys in Toy Story of snes. It´s magical. I hope it comes back. Great video. I was looking inspiration for doing my own video about this topic and your video is perfect! PD: Sorry for my english

[@pimpweasel676]

God you nailed it on this, and I have this type of nostalgia even though I was born in 03. It's such a hard thing to describe but if you get it you get it. And god the first resident evil would NOT be the same without the stuff you mentioned

[@Snugboy]

Thank you so much! I am so glad people see what I mean and I’m not just insane lol

[@vincenttabib483]

If you are able to keep a consistent upload schedule, I think your channel is bound to boom soon. You make high quality videos. Keep up the great work!

[@Snugboy]

I’ll try my best! Thank you so much aaah!!

[@skywardlp4916]

All the Halo games use pre-rendered backdrops to sparing but pretty good effect. This is the intro cutscene to Halo 3's final level: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWfLoJR5jdpqiKs All of the scene backgrounds until it actually enters the level are pre-rendered paintings, and though they maybe stand out a bit at modern resolutions I can appreciate the craft that went into them, and it probably saves a ton of space and effort to use these rather than trying to render these moments in real-time, and these pre-renders probably look better than trying to render big expansive scenes in-engine. A lot of the out-of-bounds areas in those games are similar pre-rendered paintings, and it's one of those things that you don't really notice until you are actively looking for it; it's a pretty neat thing to look out for on your next playthroughs.

[@gabefitzmaurice8341]

Keep up the good work Snugboy some of those backgrounds really take me back. but to be real I like photo realistic games but I have always been a fan of games with more unique art style like Hades ,Wind Waker and Cuphead. P.S I like your editing style its very unique and well thought out!

[@origamianalytics6174]

Might and Magic 6 through 8 had some of the most magical pre-rendered scenes. Aside from that you'll notice new games are TOO pretty that they prevent one key component of games - imagination. When you see a pre-rendered environment it gave you a glimpse into the world you were playing in. But just a glimpse! This meant you had to use your imagination by wondering "How does the rest of this game world function and look like based on what little I've seen?".

[@Pig.._]

I totally agree with you but in the sense of how good the newest games look that for me they start to blend more into looking similarly. I love how different old games look and part of me dislikes how the games feel less "gamey" to me with how graphics have changed. Thought ofc it has only slightly changed and the style of the graphics helps tons to keep that same vibe for me.