Today my friend said old games have bad graphics

[idrougge]

He's totally right, they do have bad graphics compared to todays standards.

Today's standards don't make him right. It just shows that he can't think for himself.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[Nukie]

In the terms of pretty, flashy, oooo neat, for the most part it goes to the new games. But to say that older games have bad graphics becuase you are a tool is just wrong.

[mregashu]

I would have your friend take a look at "Death and Return of Superman" and then check out Superman for the N64. Ask him which is a better representation of the character. That should help show him that greater technology doesn't equal better graphics. It's all in the hands of the developer.

Of course, if you want to compare, say, Gears of War and Donkey Kong Country your friend has a point. Today's best graphics are better than yesterdays. Way to go Captain Insight.

[boatofcar]

I really don't see why everyone's so upset. Can't someone think that the graphics of today's games are more pleasing to the eye than games from 10 or 20 years ago? Personally, I think the average game made in 2007 looks a heck of a lot better than the average game made in 1997, because most of the games from that time were just starting to try out 3D (hello FFVII) and the results don't hold up at all.

[cyberfluxor]

Chris & idrougge:
First re-read the second part of what I said. Then read a few following posts by mregashu and boatofcar, I'm on the similar track. Lets make this simple.

Doom was awesome back when it came out. When Doom 3 came out it was also cool but the graphics improved the game because now there was more gore in a game that's supposed to give the player that "WOW" affect. The thing about PC games that set them apart from console really is the graphics engines and their ability to adapt to new hardware (to a degree). Going back to Doom, no improvement on my computer right now since I first played it (except maybe less load times). Play Doom 3 on my new graphics card and now I can push it to or near the max than what was available on the market during the first release. Now since it's at the max now (what, nearly 3yrs after release?) it kept getting pushed and will continue to look "good" for a few more years to come. I'd say Doom 3 does look better than Doom simply due to a far superior graphics engine and it went from fixed 2D sprites to 3D models that could be refined with newer cards that could push the details and shading.

Now, if you want to make a debate about how Donkey Kong Country 3 sucks graphically for the SNES then I disagree with you. At this point you're claiming something designed for a specific system didn't utilize the hardware to the extent it could and should have, not "old games have bad graphics."

[majinbuu]

just out of interest, what game does your sig come from goemon

[boatofcar]

just out of interest, what game does your sig come from goemon

Only the best DP thread ever.

[goemon]

just out of interest, what game does your sig come from goemon

Yeah, what boatofcar said. If you want to stick around here, you should read up on the most legendary experience I... wasn't actually involved in. Eat communism!

[Push Upstairs]

What do you expect arcade graphics on the Genesis..

MK is far from being the only offender....MK just happened to be the first one that came to mind.

Every system has games that have shitty graphics. I'm sure even the PS2 has it's share of crappy looking games.

[davidleeroth]

What???????????????????????????????????????

Huh?

[Lady Jaye]

Well, StarFox on the SNES and other early 3D games do look like shit (my eyes! those polygons!!!). But comparing early-gen 3D to today's games is like comparing early Atari games with the NES...

Anyways, whether that makes them good or bad games is a whole different story.

[RugalSizzler]

First off 3d has been around since I was around. Like near the end of 1970's 3d was around. in 1984 at least they had 3d in the movies like we have 3d but even sharper then the PS4.

What do you expect arcade graphics on the Genesis.

.

The Genesis could do arcade graphics and so did the NES as well many other systems before these systems. It is just about cost and effect. That is the problem with creating games. People need money to live unless you are willing to live at the company ( which some companies do ).

If you mean like Street Fighter Alpha then your not thinking right. You would have to compare the most popular arcade games at the time to what the genesis could pull off. The Genesis unlike arcades was not interchangable. Where you could have the same arcade unit but with more RAM or proccessing power.

[Chris]

@cyberfluxor:
You just don't seem to get my point. While I think that an Atari 2600 game can have better graphics than an XBox 360 game (I briefly explained my thoughts in my first post) you're just viewing the topic from only one of many standpoints, which is shortsighted and doesn't do it justice imo.

Everyone that knows about Gamedesign, can assure you that new technology doesn't automatically lead to better graphics, cause as said, graphics shouldn't be judged only in terms of their technological prowess, but also on their functionality and usefullness or concept and style (something like Okami or Wii Sports comes to mind).

[segagamer]

Old games may have bad graphics in comparison to today's games, but it does not necessarily mean the games themselves are bad (gameplay wise).

[cyberfluxor]

Chris:
I understand where you're comming from. Graphics are the display of the world you're interacting with; if it does a clean way of presenting itself then it has "good" graphics.

As a software engineer the graphics from older games are outdated and most do show age. There are some amazing pieces of design that broke barriers and pushed hardware to the limits, no doubt about that. This is what limits knowledgable gamers (or someone with common sense) from declaring a game has bad graphics for it's time.

Back to the topic at hand however, "old games have bad graphics" means they have bad graphics, period. If you want to keep thinking this person meant "old games have *affective* graphics," then you're just kidding yourself.

[kainemaxwell]

it's the gameplay that should matter most.

[idrougge]

I could agree if someone said that "old systems have bad graphics", because generally they do, if compared to the cutting edge of today. But to say that old games had bad graphics, without any qualification, is as stupid as saying that 2007 games have bad graphics. There have always been games with good graphics and bad graphics.

To me, graphics are done by an artist. To some, graphics may also be done by a programmer (developments in 3D engines have displaced the unique role of the graphics artist, by moving much of what is displayed on-screen into the realm of mathematics). But if there is no artistic expression in a game's graphics, then the graphics are bad. And likewise, Castlevania III can have good graphics because Konami employed better graphicians than THQ does nowadays.

Any idiot can say that a photo looks better than a drawing, but then most people above the age of 13 would regard him as an idiot who can't tell medium and message apart.

[Chris]

@cyberfluxor:
I understand your concerns and you're certainly right when you're saying that old games have bad grafics from a software engineers point of view, I just wanted to add that that that's not the only way to look at it, a Game Designer, for example, might disagree and rightfully so.

And as long as this thread wasn't called "old games have technically outdated graphics", I think my point is valid and I'll keep encouraging other people to look behind the mere technical figures, trying to get a deeper understanding of what makes good graphics.
Cause this could help keeping people from spitting out obtrusive generalisations.
But I'm pretty sure, that the person at hand, despite only referring to the technical aspects of graphics, hasn't even thought about that there could be more to it. That's what really bothers me and that's what I'm trying to adress.

[calthaer]

Your friend should be beaten like a rented mule for making graphics out to be more important than gameplay, if that was the aim of his comment.