Do you prefer realistic or cartoony graphics?

[jroc74]

Whatever floats the developers boat :)

I won't reject a game due to it's art style though.
Also, what is realistic and what is cartoony?

What category would TLG (or other Ueda games) be in? I guess "cartoony" but it can also be very realistic at times especially the dog.

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Yeah this is where I'm at. I think Borderlands falls in the cartoony and realism realm. I love the cel shaded look.

Wont lie, I used to reject games based on looks. Knytt Underground is the one example I go back to that broke me out of that. That led to me finally playing Minecraft, loving it, which led me to playing Terraria, loving that even more than Minecraft.

In the midst of that I finally played Hotline Miami, and while I still dont really like it, I dismissed it due to graphics and that was a mistake. Its a decent game.

 

[Ryuelli]

Cartoony for sure. They age significantly better. That's not to say that I don't appreciate realism (Red Dead 2 was my favorite game of last year), but in general most of my favorite games are stylized pretty heavily.

I'll take Wind Waker and Katamari Damacy over The Last of Us and Metal Gear any day of the week.

 

[Gundam]

I prefer good art direction

 

[theSoularian]

I usually prefer say stylized/artistic visuals. It doesn't have boil down to simply realistic or cartoony. I believe developers can way creative with visuals than that.

 

[SomaXD]

"Cartoony" i need more cel-shaded games in my life this generation... seriously

 

[SuperSah]

Depends, but I prefer 'cartoony'.

I play games for colours and fun. I'm not really bothered about video games trying to pursue any sense of realism - they don't come close at all.

 

[Deleted member 49438]

Definitely lean cartoony. I really enjoy games that are stylized & have a unique look. We're finally getting to the point where realistic looking games won't age as poorly as they have in the past, but ultimately they rarely end up having a strong visual impact on me.

 

[daniel77733]

Prefer realistic by far. Unless it's a 2D Nintendo plat-former or something like Mutant Year Zero, it's pretty much all realistic for me.

 

[GlitchyDegree]

Cartoony.

 

[texhnolyze]

Everything, but still prefer cartoony over realistic.

 

[Issen]

Give me bright blue skies, bright green plains and trees, give me bright colors everywhere.

Sonic Unleashed (through Unleashed Project), Generations and Lost World on PC are to date some of the most visually striking games I can play on any platform.

 

[Ze_Shoopuf]

Art direction is the most important factor, but hyper-realism is boring.

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i totally agree that realism is boring. i want some kind of good art-directed aesthetic.

which is why Days Gone to me looks super boring. it just lacks a visual hook.

 

[The Archon]

I don't prefer either, It depends on the designs, really.
Example I love for honor's designs, but I also love Soul calibur's designs.

So it's more a case by case basis for me.

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

"Cartoony" i need more cel-shaded games in my life this generation... seriously

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What's that last game? Tales of something?

 

[Deleted member 41931]

I don't have a preference, it's all about individual competence. Even the "cartoony games hold up better" isn't a hard rule. Bioshock is 12 years old and still looks fantastic.

 

[Deleted member 48813]

I'll take cartoony every time. In fact, I almost never play games with realistic artstyles unless it has something that really appeals to me, usually gameplay-wise (I'm very excited for that Harry Potter game despite the graphics, for example). Realism just looks bland to me tbh.

It's actually one of the biggest reasons Beyond Good and Evil 2 looks disappointing to me, the first one had a gorgeous cartoon artstyle that would've looked even better with current technology if given the chance.

 

[Deleted member 3925]

Depends on the art direction, but cartoony visuals tend to age better.

 

[tenderbrew]

Art direction matters more than aesthetic IMO. There's real bad versions of both and really well-done versions of both. I tend to prefer stylized in general over straight "super realistic".

 

[Odeko]

What's that last game? Tales of something?

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Tales of Vesperia

 

[ApeEscaper]

Cartoony is more timeless for much longer

Realistic visuals can look dated very quick

 

[Master Chuuster]

Whatever suits the game

 

[Ryuhza]

Realoony

 

[sphagnum]

I hate "realistic" graphics but that doesn't bother me because I primarily play Nintendo games.

 

[Squarealex]

Bloodborne on Cartoon ? Nah... never work

 

[Arebours]

I like naturalistic cartoon graphics.

 

[SomaXD]

What's that last game? Tales of something?

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Tales of Vesperia... and its so beautiful! (Wish i could find better Gifs of Definitive edition)

 

[Moist_Owlet]

Depends on the art. Wind waker still looks fantastic, but fortnite makes me wish I was blind.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

I think I am a odd person in regard to this. I prefer realistic art styles but at the same time, I like the anime style as well. The cartoonish style of overwatch and fortnite kills the game for me.

 

[Pyro]

I don't have a preference, but I think it depends on the gameplay, story it's trying to tell, and general feeling it's trying to get across.

 

[Huey]

False dichotomy thread?

False dichotomy thread.

Everything has its place, OP!

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Cartoony.

Video games are about imagination for me.

With that said, I don't think everything should have that style.

 

[RivalGT]

Both, and there is more than just realistic and cartoony. Unless you categorize everything that's not realistic as cartoony.

 

[Kthulhu]

I put everything, but I have to say cartoonish if forced to choose. Stylized art holds up better over time compared to realistic artstyles.

 

[bionic77]

Good art is always good.

More so than the style I care about how it animates and feels to play. Animation is king to me.

 

[TubaZef]

There's a lot more than just these 2 and I wish the industry would take more risks trying different art directions. Make a game that looks like a Van Gogh painting, a game based on surrealistic art, more stuff based on a specific regional technique like Okami or that tries to emulate other kinds of crafts like Kirby's Epic Yarn. Go crazy! We have the technology for that!

 

[Velezcora]

I don't think I can really judge a game's art-style with just those two words. A game's never just realistic or cartoony! They're very broad terms and encompass so much it's impossible for me to pick just one. The idea that realism = a boring colour palette which ranges from brown to dark brown is also far from true and something I see suggested often. Look at something like Blood & Wine for an example of a realistic game which looks incredibly bright and vivid:

Spoiler: that view!

In general I do prefer realistic titles, but I'm voting both just because there's incredible looking games that are both realistic and cartoony and I can't pick just one. I'd say my favourite cartoony game art is BOTW, and realism has to go to Witcher 3.

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You bring up an intriguing point, good sir.
By default I would say I prefer "cartoony" visuals but what I'm drawn to is actually bright vivid colours.

Like a lot of these things I think art style is more of a spectrum than it is a binary.

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

As long as it isn't brown and grey, I'll probably like it.

 

[Gilver]

Im really a fan of the sightly stylized hyper realistic graphics that are in some games this gen like FF15, DOOM 2016/Eternal, DMC 5, etc. Games that have realistic detail to textures but that have touches to proportions and assets that make them seem different to real life things.

 

[RagnarokX]

Like many have already said - it all depends on art.

I mean, I think Jet Grind Radio is one of the best looking games of all time:

... and I mean, how f-ing beautiful is Wind Waker?

Sure is pretty! Better than "realistic Zelda," right?

Realistic graphics must be worse than cartoony... wait... hold up...

**

But if I had to pick a "style," then it would be, well... "stylized:"

(arguably one of the best looking games of all time)

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Breath of the Wild isn't realistic...

They used a stylized painting look like Skyward Sword, but much higher definition. The kind of shading used also makes a huge difference.