this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 82 points 1 year ago (8 children)

I remember playing Doom for the first time and I remember thinking that graphics would never get any better than that. Like the arm even moves when he walks!

How horribly naïve I was.

[–] ExtraMedicated@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

5 year old me thought it looked photorealistic.

[–] GrammatonCleric@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That was Mortal Kombat when I was 15

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (5 children)

But mortal Kombat WAS photorealistic (in my head)

[–] MyFairJulia@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

They did have people dress as the fighters and do poses and then took photos of them and turned these photos into sprites.

So the game was photorealistic (that is within the technological boundaries of the platforms the game ran on).

I'd love to see a 2D Mortal Kombat with the original photos taken from what we may consider the OG Mortal Kombat cosplayers.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

I remember feeling the same way with Myst. "It even has video!"

[–] axellenium@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My peak game i think it was F.E.A.R., my pc couldn’t run it at full but I remember thinking it couldn’t possibly get any better than that

[–] WereCat@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

grew up with c64, spectrum+3, master system, genesis, nes, snes. So when I bought a ps1 with my paper round money and started up the intro to Soul Blade, that would become Soul Calibur, the graphics jump shook me to my core and brought tears to my eyes. I was like "THIS is the peak of graphics. Nothing can beat this.

Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jscuco8zEk

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[–] ignism@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I had those moments multiple times. I remember thinking the same about International Karate on the Amiga. Then my mind was blown with Street Fighter II, Max Payne was one for sure as mentioned elsewhere and let’s not forget Carmageddon, which got a little bit too realistic. Graphics technology developed so fast, you can’t compare it to today’s upgrades. As I’m older now 10 year old games still feel “new” to me.

[–] SpaceCadet@feddit.nl 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

As I’m older now 10 year old games still feel “new” to me.

It's not just you getting older, it's also diminishing returns.

It takes more and more effort, both in manpower as in graphical processing power, to make graphical leaps, and the visible returns are getting less.

You can compare it to video formats:

  • VHS => DVD: huge quality upgrade
  • DVD => 1080p HD: yeah that definitely looks better
  • 1080p => 4k: I guess it's a little sharper?
  • 4k => 8k: Well it's ... more. Also: why is everything running so hot?
[–] MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Well, 8k is in allmost all home-usecases useless, 4k a better choice. Except maybe for video walls. Eye resolution is limited by angular resolution (visual acuity).

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[–] thingsiplay@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

@lobut I thought Donkey Kong Country on the SNES was photorealistic and rivaled movies like Terminator 2, which used the same technology behind the scenes. I thought every game would look the same as Donkey Kong Country in future.

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[–] Hazdaz@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No way would that kid be frowning. If this was legitimately in the late 70s or early 80s that kid would be ecstatic with the graphics.

[–] FatTony@discuss.online 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 52 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

Always so kick ass

Always?

Have you seen the cover art for the first MegaMan game? lmao

Even funnier with the boasting of "state of the art high resolution graphics" at the top. Though to be fair, the actual game looks infinitely better than that cover.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

On the other hand, the European box art is fucking awesome

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Other than Dr. Wiley lookin' like fuckin' Mark Twain, that is pretty sick. Actually, fighting Mark Twain would be sick, too.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't know which I love better

  1. This isn't even the right color scheme for the character, so it's not like they misinterpreted the sprite
  2. Rock over here looks like he shit himself upon seeing a Mettaur and is trying (and failing) to pretend he didn't.
  3. Mega Man doesn't even use a gun, he uses a Buster. The only time Mega Man has used a gun are instances that parody this boxart or rare occasions like when his internet incarnation uses the Gun Del Sol during crossover events with Boktai
[–] MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 14 points 1 year ago

He does make a face like he doesn't want to be seen in that suit and with his frog legs.

[–] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Even funnier with the boasting of "state of the art high resolution graphics" at the top.

At the time, this want really that inaccurate. There weren’t many video games with the same quality.

The only reason it’s laughable now is because it’s been 35 years since the claim was made.

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[–] Mythril@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Looking at this cover art again now, it kinda reminds me of AI-generated art lol

[–] notst@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I love bashing AI art but in AI art it's usually the details that you spot at second glance that makes it fall apart. The Mega Man cover is just fundamentally messed up to a degree where even AI art is miles ahead.

[–] Mythril@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah true, AI art is more "looks OK at first glance, but smaller details are messed up", while this one is the opposite of that so "smaller details are actually fine, but as a whole it looks quite messed up" haha

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[–] FullOfBallooons@leminal.space 51 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I present Rigby, named after the finest fucking raccoon ever.

I present Rigby, named after the finest dumbest fucking raccoon ever.

[–] GreenMario@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Always loved that they play a Master System.

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[–] nutbiggums@lemmy.ml 39 points 1 year ago (4 children)
[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I love this one. Why is his face off center? Why does he have a normal gun?

[–] GladiusB@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago
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[–] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I love that they brought back Bad Box Art Mega Man in Street Fighter x Tekken

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (4 children)

VHS covers were the same way.

None of this is in the movie.

Also, it's a terrible movie that was on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

It depends on the movie, og terminator VHS slip art is fucking great. Also honorable mention to monty python and the holy grail.

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[–] davetansley@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Except in the case of the Sega Master System, where the simplistic 8-bit graphics felt like a massive leap up from the terrible box art!

Ugh

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

probably the nostalgia talking, but it was satisfying having all your games look the same on the shelf

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Remember the coverart for Phalanax and how it had NOTHING to do with the game at all? And when asked the company said they simply put a cover they thought would be eyecatching.

Why a random old coot with a banjo on a rocking chair would accomplish that is beyond me

[–] ledge@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 year ago

When everything is spaceships and big men with guns. You might ask whats this thing with old man and a banjo?

[–] NumbersCanBeFun@kbin.social 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I’m making an indie game. The last thing I’m focused on is the graphics. Nobody gives two shits if the game looks dated or not. The most important factor is how the player FEELS.

I want my players to feel like they are a master strategist as they make their way through my levels. I try to back this feeling up with some good music I’m having made for the game. The artist I’m working with has played a few levels just to get and idea of the vibe I’m going for.

I know there is more to it than that but I’m just one dude and if I’m going to spend the time, I’d rather make it fun than pretty.

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[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 year ago (5 children)

This is how I feel about mobile games. Even the good mobile games will have some epically animated scene that shows all out war between a bunch of magical badasses with explosions and all kinds of epic shit.

Then the gameplay is some low effort turn based game where the characters barely move and the attack effects are pathetic light shows.

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[–] alignedchaos@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Last panel inaccurate, games were vibrant and awesome

Just like the ones today that will feel amateurish compared to future immersive games. Give it time

[–] FatTony@discuss.online 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I like this version better!

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[–] Crul@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] CaptainAlcohol@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think it's still true, after all the success of minimalist games (like vvvvv) and similar concepts is a tangible proof of that. Than, if we go back to the past, both atari and nintendo games used the in-game gaphics on the cover art. I remember getting into games cover art after that avgn cover art christmas episodes...side note: they're still fun, give it a watch of you want.

[–] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I dunno if that's the same. VVVVVV at no point indicates it's supposed to represent anything more complex than what it looks like, it just embraces minimalism as it is.

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[–] guyrocket@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

And later we were further deceived with cut-scenes that were so much better than the gameplay.

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[–] bulwark@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Idk dude, Ultra Action Guys looks pretty fuckin rad.

[–] lemann@lemmy.one 8 points 1 year ago

For me the worst was handed down PS1 games with awesome CD art... that just wouldn't load ☹️

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