First Cel-Shaded game?

[Jasoco]

What was the first Cel-Shaded game? The first game to use a cartoony look as its artistic style. Does it go back past Jet Grind Radio? That's the earliest I can think of.

[downfall]

Even if it does go back past Jet Grind Radio, I think Jet Grind was probably the first game to use cel-shading appropriately and effectively.

[Gamereviewgod]

Wacky Races, Dreamcast. Pre-dates (just barely) JSR.

[Nature Boy]

What about Dragon's Lair?

[Half Japanese]

Wacky Races, Dreamcast. Pre-dates (just barely) JSR.

I was about to say the same thing, but was JSR out in Japan before Wacky Races hit in the states? If so that would technically still give JSR/JGR the nod...

[Flack]

Does PaRappa count?

[sisko]

Out of this World for Genesis.

From the Database:

Description: Original game designed by Eric Chahi. Witness the early origins of cel shading in video games, as evidenced in this superlative sci-fi adventure which first appeared in 1991.

[kevincure]

If you mean cel-shading on polygons, Fear Effect was probably the first true US release; it came out a good 6 months before JGR.

Dragon's Lair is similar, but cel-shading, in this context, usually refers to a style of rendering the polygons (as opposed to using things like flat shades, gourard shading, techniques like bump mapping, etc.). If you count 2D like Dragon's Lair, there are tons of games that would count as cel-shaded (Street Fighter Alpha 3, etc.)

[robotriot]

I think a major part of cel-shaded games are the outlines around the polygons, which Another World didn't have yet, so I wouldn't count it :)

[hydr0x]

Another World is not cel-shading, it's just vector-based graphics

i think the japanese Jet Set Radio was out before Wacky Races, so that one doesn't count... afaik when Jet Set Radio came out everyone was discussing the new graphics style so i don't think there was a game before that did it ;)

[Aussie2B]

As far as I'm concerned, Jet Grind Radio is the original cel-shaded game, and the only game that SHOULD be cel-shaded (and its sequels, of course). I love the style in that game, but I can't stand it in much of anything else. :/

[Griking]

Wasn't Paper Mario Cell shaded?

[Jasoco]

When I talk about Cell-Shading, I mean ones with polygons. Paper Mario and Parappa and the like are flat pieces of paper, so I don't count them. I also don't count lines around the edges. Since Zelda doesn't have them, and it's still Cel-Shaded in everyone's opinion.

[EnemyZero]

yeah, i think JSR was the first to do the cell-shaded and in my opinion the only good cell shaded game, i was just reading on IGN that the new Brave Fencer Musashi game is gonna be Anime-Shaded, a type of cell shading thats closer to anime style animation , forgot what he explained it as but go to the PS2 section and read about it

[Ed Oscuro]

Out of this World for Genesis.

From the Database:

Description: Original game designed by Eric Chahi. Witness the early origins of cel shading in video games, as evidenced in this superlative sci-fi adventure which first appeared in 1991.
It's similar but it's not "really" cel-shading. It uses vector graphics, like Flash. Cel-shading is along the same lines aesthetically but quite different in terms of mechanics - with Out of This World the "shading" part (except for old fashioned dithering techniques I suppose) is missing.

[Ed Oscuro]

Whoops Hydr0x Thundarrr beat me to it! LOL

[spoon]

South Park. ;)

I would also say JSR/JGR was the first one worth mentioning. someone else mentioned Fear Effect for psone.

[Sosage]

It is fairly close between Fear Effect and Jet Set Radio. Depending on how much you trust release dates on certain databases, the two appear to be within months apart (for some reason, that doesn’t seem correct…could have sworn Fear Effect was a year older). Some sources say Fear Effect came out before Jet Set Radio; others seem to say it came out after.

With that said, Jet Set Radio was the one title that really shoved this rendering style into the forefront. Looney Tunes Space Race, imo, was another excellent early adopter of the technique (it was the first post-JSR title that I saw that really took the cell shading ball and ran with it...first in my mind to use it with a cartoon/animation franchise, which now days is the norm...anyone remember how unconvincing an animation franchise based game looked in 3D before Space Race? :roll: ).

What I don’t get is some people’s automatic “icky pooh” nature towards this rendering style (I never understood this reaction towards pre-rendering either). Horrible art direction/execution, I can understand, but the immediate negative reaction towards anything cell-shaded feels along the line of automatically hating black and white films for the sake of there being no color. Not to hi-jack the thread, but I needed to get that off my chest.



It's similar but it's not "really" cel-shading. It uses vector graphics, like Flash. Cel-shading is along the same lines aesthetically but quite different in terms of mechanics - with Out of This World the "shading" part (except for old fashioned dithering techniques I suppose) is missing.


I always thought if they did do a remake (more like new graphics laid over the original game design as opposed to re-making the entire thing from scratch to become a third person holy-wtf-extravaganza), cell shading would definitely be the way to go. The original is very “painterly” with a very deliberate color scheme that cell shading would be able to pull off wonderfully…but the original is so beautiful, why bother doing a remake (just power up my Sega CD and spin Heart of the Alien :) )?

[Ze_ro]

I always thought Simpson's Wrestling on the PSX was the first, but I have no real evidence to support this.


What I don’t get is some people’s automatic “icky pooh” nature towards this rendering style (I never understood this reaction towards pre-rendering either). Horrible art direction/execution, I can understand, but the immediate negative reaction towards anything cell-shaded feels along the line of automatically hating black and white films for the sake of there being no color. Not to hi-jack the thread, but I needed to get that off my chest.

I agree with this completely.

--Zero

[Jasoco]

I like Cel-Shading when done right. I'd love if even MORE were like this. GHell, I am even for the Perfect Dark Cel-Shaded look that was supposed to be. What ever happened to that anyway?

Some games only look good like this. It's not a style that should be overused, but it is very nice looking.

[GaijinPunch]

While I think JSR is the best cell-shaded game to date, others pull it off well. I like both GunGraves, although it's strange seeing blood cell-shaded. :)[/code]

[ManekiNeko]

I think this title belongs to Slap Happy Rhythm Busters, a little-known Japanese Playstation release which combined two completely different genres, fighting and dancing. Yes, it was a cross between Street Fighter II and Dance Dance Revolution, but it came together beautifully. Instead of fatalities, you performed what are best described as dance-a-lities... you'd have to quickly input a series of commands, illustrated with icons flying toward the center of the screen. Get 'em all right and you'd finish off your opponent with a stylish dance-themed super move.

I am SO not making this up. See, here's proof of its existance!

http://psx.ign.com/articles/134/134982p1.html

JR

[Sosage]

Oh yeah! I remember seeing a version of Slap Happy Rhythm Busters the same year as Jet Set Radio. Poking around for a release date, some places are listing SHRB July of 2000 (with JSR somewhere around November).

Mobygames, however, is saying Fear Effect had a Feb, 2000 release. *shrug* One thing is for sure, 2000 seems to have been the magical year for cell shaded games (unless there is an obscure 1999 title somewhere we are blatantly over looking…).