Generation shifts in visuals, and what stands up better

CiDeRmAn

I am playing the 3D Allstars pack at the moment and really enjoying it, and I was struck by the generational leap from Snes to N64 and then to the Gamecube, in such a short space of time.
I am also playing, once again, Halo on the Xbox One, as part of the collection on that platform.

A nice feature on Halo is the ability to switch, on the fly, between the modern visuals and those of the original Halo release.

I only mention this because Halo was an Xbox title and, as such, was seen as revolutionary at the time.
Yet the shift from the original visuals to modern is massive.

However, Super Mario Sunshine is another game of that generation and, resolution aside, that game still looks incredible, and doesn't appear to have dated at all.
I won't go into Super Mario Galaxy, which looks better again, but remember that Wii hardware is simply GC hardware, repackaged, so that game is also running on the same generational hardware as the Xbox.

Yet that game, too, is still looking fresh, as does it's direct sequel, but the Halo series on the Xbox is looking increasingly tired.

Is this because of the genre?
Is it because Nintendo are simply better at optimising their software for the host platform?
Or are Nintendo just better at this than anyone else?

Anyone have any other points of view, and examples to support?

WeleaseWoderick

I think a big factor in this is the art style. More realistic style games show their age way faster than more cartoon style games.

Wind Waker on GC still looks good to this day whereas Twilight Princess looks pretty dated for example.

The texture design in Mario Sunshine is something that is really standing out to me in the 3D collection. The Mediterranean style tiles in the overworld look great in the higher resolution. Water effects is also something that Nintendo got really right in that generation.

Would love to see more N64, GC & Wii games come to Switch with the same polishing of resolution. Stuff like Wave Race 64/Blue Storm, Pilotwings 64, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Super Mario Galaxy 2....

CiDeRmAn

In fairness, they were getting water effects right far earlier than anyone else.
The PS1 and DC never managed it in that generation but Waverace 64, especially the NTSC releases of the game (PAL hobbles the speed), got it spot on.

Retr0gamer

I noticed Halo looked awful as well and way worse than I remembered it.

Well there's a reason for that. The version of Halo on the anniversary version is broken and looks nothing like the XBox Version. Lots of stuff is broken. Fog effects and shields don't work properly.

However the biggest offender is the texture shaders that just don't work at all unless you turn on the flashlight. As one of the first games to use shaders on textures it's a large part of the look of the game and it ends up looking flat and boring without them.

Halo looks way better in the original release.

I've said it before, the worst looking generation is the previous generation. As the generations move on you can start to appreciate the good art in games.

CastorTroy

As said, I think Nintendo's art style helps a lot.
Those cartoony graphics that seem to annoy so many help the game look good years later.

WeleaseWoderick

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

In fairness, they were getting water effects right far earlier than anyone else.
The PS1 and DC never managed it in that generation but Waverace 64, especially the NTSC releases of the game (PAL hobbles the speed), got it spot on.

Very true! Getting the Japanese rumble pak enabled version of Wave Race would be very welcome. Not having rumble in the original version feels so off after playing the sequel.

I would echo the idea that the previous generation is the one that looks the worst at any given time. Having said that, N64 games on original hardware do have that blur effect that thankfully is missing from Mario 64 on Switch. That console generation does have a lot of games that frankly didn't even look good at the time.

CiDeRmAn

It's true, the art style has a lot to do with it, as said before Wind Waker looks a lot better than Twilight Princess, Okami has weathered a lot better than Devil May Cry.

I suppose, with time, it will be more like comparing painting styles, with modern and classical paintings less about materials and media and purely down to the vision the artist is trying to share.
As consumers of video games will see relatively few limits on the possible games that might be made, and the power of the console will be irrelevant at that point and only the vision of the creatives at work will matter.
In a lot of ways Nintendo is already there, producing a breadth of games that seem only limited by the vision of their creators, and the power of the console seems irrelevant, again Mario Galaxy 2, only bettered by Mario Odyssey, is on a glorified Gamecube... same era as the Xbox.

CiDeRmAn

WeleaseWoderick wrote: »

Very true! Getting the Japanese rumble pak enabled version of Wave Race would be very welcome. Not having rumble in the original version feels so off after playing the sequel.

I have that version for my NTSC N64 and it is astoundingly good, even after all of this time!

I would echo the idea that the previous generation is the one that looks the worst at any given time. Having said that, N64 games on original hardware do have that blur effect that thankfully is missing from Mario 64 on Switch. That console generation does have a lot of games that frankly didn't even look good at the time.

I really tried to like Body Harvest, there was a great game there, but the visuals were just awful.
I must try the NTSC version of that, see if it is any better, maybe use the anti-anti-aliasing patch too!