Best "Fake 3-D" games?

[fishsandwich]

What are the best "Fake 3-D" games?

I'm talking games (usually 16-bit) that use scaling sprites and rotation effects to achieve a pseudo 3-D world. Technology that fools the human eye. Racing games are a prime example.

I think that that the Sega CD and the SNES had the best "fake 3-D" due to their specialized graphics chips that handled hardware scaling and rotation.

There must be many more than these I have here, but I am drawing a blank. I'm NOT counting simple polygon games like Starfox or Doom... those are true (if simple) 3-D.

<new> Let me add that this does NOT include games composed of polygons that operate on a 2-D plain like Pandemonium! or Contra: Shattered Soldier. Sprites ONLY. NO POLYGONS.

I nominate...




Battlecorps for Sega CD
http://www.mondemul.be/screen/roms/mcd/Battlecorps%20(U).png


Batman Returns for Sega CD (The Adventures of Batman & Robin has some seriously cool graphics, but I couldn't find a picture. It's also for Sega CD.)
http://www.gametronik.com/site/rubriques/mega_cd/Jeux/Batman%20Returns/Batman%20Returns.png


Thunderstrike for Sega CD
http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/original/1077457587-00.png


F-Zero for SNES
http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/original/1112369921-01.png


Pilotwings for SNES
http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/original/1067358193-00.gif


Street Racer for SNES
http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/original/1111755312-00.png


Panorma Cotton for MegaDrive (Genesis)
http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/original/1112363318-00.gif

[robotriot]

You're missing Axelay =)

[Gamereviewgod]

Totally missed Soul Star, probably the best use of scaling and color I've ever seen

[Daft Punk]

Pilotwings would get my vote.

[GobopopRevisited]

Catacombs 3D and Super Mario Kart (if they qualify...)

[suckerpunch5]

I'm gonna say, "Star Wars Arcade," even though it isn't 16-bit. I still think it has very fun game play.

[KJN]

Outrun is my favourite.

[fishsandwich]

I'm gonna say, "Star Wars Arcade," even though it isn't 16-bit. I still think it has very fun game play.

Are you talking about the 32x game? It's pure polygons. Great-looking game, though. Too bad about the difficulty!

[suckerpunch5]

no, I'm talking about the arcade game from 1983. I guess it was actually called "Star Wars: The Arcade Game." There was also an Atari 2600 cart for it too. It is really fun.

I think it is also on the GameCube Rouge Squadron III preview disk.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

How about 2.5D games like Nights or the Klonoa series? Would you consider those "fake 3-D"?


You're missing Axelay =)

Oh, good choice.

[Cauterize]

Outrun is my favourite.

Same or Super Hang On or Space Harrier!

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, I take it to mean we're talking about games with sprite scenery and a tilted field of pixels for the ground - I can think of lots of those!

GI Joe (Devestators isn't nearly as good) by Konami and Namco's Burning Force, arcade versions, head up my list of psuedo-3D games. Great stuff. One of the Robocop games has a fake 3D driving sequence, but I don't recall being thrilled by it.

Catacombs 3D is "fake 3D," but so are Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM ;) That's a whole different kind of faked 3D, though.

I can think of a few psuedo-3D After Burner type games on the Famicom and PC-Engine (whose names I can't remember at the moment), but Jimmu Densho Yaksa is an interesting Space Harrier/3D Worldrunner type game that's psuedo-3D.

Of course, gotta mention 3D Worldrunner.

Alligator Hunt is another great, often overlooked arcade title, this time from Spain.

[goats]

it may only be 8-bit but how about 3-d World Runner for the NES, that was kinda faked 3-d right?

[Ed Oscuro]

no, I'm talking about the arcade game from 1983. I guess it was actually called "Star Wars: The Arcade Game." There was also an Atari 2600 cart for it too. It is really fun.
That's real, wireframe 3D. Not polygons or Mode 7 (F-Zero style). A good choice in any case.

[Ed Oscuro]

it may only be 8-bit but how about 3-d World Runner for the NES, that was kinda faked 3-d right?
Just mentioned it, yup, that's an impressive title. I like the NES version (Tengen I guess, like Shinobi) of Space Harrier, but 3D Worldrunner is better in every regard.

[demen999]

I'm gong to go with F-zero SNES.
Axelay had awesome 3d too. So did mario kart.

[NeoZeedeater]

it may only be 8-bit but how about 3-d World Runner for the NES, that was kinda faked 3-d right?
Just mentioned it, yup, that's an impressive title. I like the NES version (Tengen I guess, like Shinobi) of Space Harrier, but 3D Worldrunner is better in every regard.
NES Space Harrier is an import by Takara. I would say the best NES ones effect-wise are the imports Cosmic Epsilon and Tetrastar.

Speaking of Space Harrier, Space Harrier 3-D on SMS was really cool because of the 3d glasses.

My favourite sprite scaler is probably the arcade game Apache 3 by Tatsumi. Taito's Aqua Jack and Sega's AB Cop are other cool ones that rarely gets mentioned.

[pragmatic insanester]

ballz. i still can't understand why everyone trashes it.

[XxMe2NiKxX]

Afterburner.

[le geek]

The Lotus Racing games on the Amiga (very similar to Outrun)...

Cheers,
Ben

[TEXASGAMEPLAYER]

stellar fire for sega cd!

[diskoboy]

After Burner, Space Harrier, Power Drift, and Subroc 3-D.

Sega, in the late 80's and early 90's, were the masters when it came to the "psuedo-3-D" video game.

[The Sage of Sega]

Shoot, why hasn't anyone mentioned Blue Lightning for the Lynx? In some cases they were able to make the sprites look like solid surfaces (mountain ranges for example).

[Slimedog]

Rescue on Fractalas by Lucasarts deserves a mention here. It was a flight game that used fractal patterns to simulate mountains years before the hardware could support keeping track of actual landscapes. I would say its the granddaddy of psuedo 3D and it was released years before the other games listed.

[Vroomfunkel]

I know it's not 16 bit ... but surely there can be no argument that the best fake 3D game is Nights into Dreams ...

http://ghz.emulationzone.org/nights/nights/nid_13.jpghttp://ghz.emulationzone.org/nights/nights/nid_15.jpg
http://ghz.emulationzone.org/nights/nights/nid_18.jpghttp://ghz.emulationzone.org/nights/nights/nid_21.jpg
http://ghz.emulationzone.org/nights/nights/nid_3.jpg

Vroomfunkel

[klausien]

Shoot, why hasn't anyone mentioned Blue Lightning for the Lynx? In some cases they were able to make the sprites look like solid surfaces (mountain ranges for example).

Hell, you could put any pseudo-3D Lynx Game on here. RoadBlasters, Hydra, Stun Runner, Blue Lightning, Wings... the system has some of the coolest sprite-scaler stuff out there. That is why I love my Lynx :)

I have always been partial to the Mode 7 stages in the Super Star Wars series. All of them are very cool.

Finally, need to make note of almost any of the various Chase HQ games, anything late 80's Sega, and a personal nod for Outrun 2019/Junker's High on Genesis.

[The_EniGma]

DOOM! That was 2.5d

[fishsandwich]

I know it's not 16 bit ... but surely there can be no argument that the best fake 3D game is Nights into Dreams ...

Vroomfunkel

There's no argument from me that Nights is an awesome game, but it does not fit the parameters of the question. The world in Nights is composed of polygons and texture maps, not sprites that are scaled and rotated to fool the human eye. Nights IS played on a 2-D plain (for the most part... can't you lose your flying suit and wander around?) but the virtual world is not fake 3-D at all. There are certainly some 2-D sprite elements in there (trees and backgrounds and such) but the Saturn is pumping out polygons to form much of the environment. The same (modified) engine was used for Burning Rangers, and that is certainly a true 3-D game.


Nights Into Dreams
http://www.danielthomas.org/Assets/nights5.jpg


Burning Rangers (Burning Rangers Go!....)
http://member.telpacific.com.au/trat2422/burn2.jpg

:D

[fishsandwich]

Shoot, why hasn't anyone mentioned Blue Lightning for the Lynx? In some cases they were able to make the sprites look like solid surfaces (mountain ranges for example).

Yeah... I forgot all about the Lynx. It had a special chip for scaling and rotation, too.


Blue Lightning Lynx
http://www.juegomania.org/Blue+Lightning/fotos/lynx/0/11/Foto+Blue+Lightning.jpg


I Kind of like Blue Lightning for the Jag CD, but I may be the only one on earth who does. It's all fake 3-D. Why they made the Jag do fake 3-D when it's fully capable of real 3-D I do not know, nor do I know why they made it a PACK-IN game for the fledgling Cd add-on. @_@

http://www.ataritimes.com/jaguar/images/bluelightning1.jpg

[suppafly]

Totally missed Soul Star, probably the best use of scaling and color I've ever seen

You read my mind...Soulstar is the best example of "fake 3d"[/u][/b]

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Opps, I didn't know you were looking for 3D games from the 16-bit era only, Fish. My bad.

Anyways, how about Hyperzone for the SNES or the 3D bonus stages in Sonic 2 and 3?

[Ed Oscuro]

Why they made the Jag do fake 3-D when it's fully capable of real 3-D
Like the Sega 32x is capable of 3D? LOL Better stick to those sprites. Look better and work just as well.

[SirDrexl]

Aqua Jack (arcade)

The Super Spy (NeoGeo)

Stealth ATF (what that what it was called?) for NES

The vehicle stages in the Super Star Wars SNES games

[Dr. Morbis]

I haven't read the whole thread, so I don't know if anyone has already mentioned it, but...

For my money, the best fake 3D game of all time is Dungeons of Daggorath for the TRS-80. It was my introduction to the first person perspective and it had me totally immersed for many months on end.

[geelw]

i'd vote for the dungeons in phantasy star. hell, the programmers managed to get smooth scrolling psuedo-3D areas in full screen throughout the whole game, something i don't think any 16-bit first-person game did (or did very well).

granted, the dungeons are all simple bricks, but there's a great sense of solidity and you really "feel" it when you fall through a trap! i love the end credits where they just show off the technique by using the "3D" as the credits appear on assorted walls...

[fishsandwich]

Why they made the Jag do fake 3-D when it's fully capable of real 3-D
Like the Sega 32x is capable of 3D? LOL Better stick to those sprites. Look better and work just as well.

This is a pretty old discussion. The 32x is equally adept at both 2-D fakery and 3-D realism.

Afterburner and Space Harrier are excellent examples of exactly what I'm talking about... scaling sprites that trick the human eye.

Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racer, Shadow Squadron, and Star Wars Arcade are 1st-generation titles that show the 32x could do true 3-D quite well. I'd gamble we'd have seen some truly impressive 3-D games had the 32x been a success.

It's a shame DarXide is so hard to find... it's a real testament to the mostly untapped potential of the 32x.


And yeah... I can't believe I left out SoulStar. I was just playing it a few days ago! It does have some mighty smooth scaling. I've been on a Sega CD kick for a few days now. I'm pleasantly surprised at some of its games. Quite a few suck, though.

:D

[k8track]

My Favorites?

Tunnel Runner, Atari 2600:

http://www.atariguide.com/sss/mini-tunnelrunner.gif

Rescue on Fractalus, Atari 5200:

http://www.qlam.com/atari/rescue_p2.gif

Ballblazer, Atari 5200:

http://www.qlam.com/atari/ballblazer_p1.gif

Blaster, Arcade:

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/screens/B/wBlaster.png