Cel-Shading is it good or bad?

[MadeinHell]

As in the name of the topic what do you think of cel-shading tech?
love it?
hate it?
neither of the above?
Well I'm personally on the fence with the whole "cel-shading is da new shit" thing. I don't like the technology used in Borderlands because I think that it will actually look old quite fast

Spoiler

Keep in mind that live game doesn't look nearly as good as this picture

Also I didn't like the tech used in XIII and it got old RHHHHHEEEAHHHLYY fast

Spoiler

Again this picture is in fact tweaked a bit

but than I see that

Spoiler

Evil Genius a game released in 2004 and looking like it came out somewhere around last year... games like this make me believe that MAYBE just MAYBE there is some actual point to cel-shading. If it makes games grow old THIS slow than why the hell not?

But than again it rarely ever comes out as well looking. What do you think? Is cel-shading the real way to go? and if it is what KIND of cel-shading you think is better?

Full like the one seen in Evil Genius or "partial" (as I understood it from the previews) used in RAGE?

Spoiler

PS. Also sorry if that topic already existed, I actually moved my lazy ass in to the search engine and didn't find a topic specifically about cel-shading overall so... Sorry if I'm mistaken

 

[Veldt Falsetto]

Gorgeous if done right, see Tales of Vesperia or Wind Waker.

Hella ugly if not...no examples in mind

 

[LeonLethality]

I love cel shading. It's a look that never ages. Wind Waker looks magnificent to this day

And so does Dark Cloud 2

Though it does have to be done right.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

I agree with the other posters. It looks good if done right, not so great if not. Just like any other graphic medium.

 

[IxionIndustries]

Cel shading generally makes me want to vomit.. Evil Genius? They pulled their shit off right.. But Borderlands and Champions Online just makes my stomach churn..

 

[Jennacide]

Borderlands is a breed of it's own, which is why they classified it as graphic novel shading, being more accurate. Cel Shading was a big deal years ago, with games like Jet Set Radio and Fear Effect. It all depends on the game really, as both examples worked really well with the style, but plenty of games make it look awful.

Also, Borderlands deserves a goddam medal for it's graphical style, if for one major reason alone. It runs on the Unreal Engine. Bet you never realized that, because nearly every Unreal Engine game you can tell in seconds flat, but not with Borderlands. For that alone they deserve a prize. Oh, and the game DOES look that good /on the PC./ The 360 version of course doesn't, but when I play that's exactly how it looks.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

If you want some goodness in Cel-Shading technology then play some No More Heroes.

Spoiler: Here's some examples

Now for examples of cel-shading done bad. At least in my opinion it's bad.

Spoiler: MadWorld

God my eyes hurt just from looking at just those images.

 

[Rauten]

You want cel shading done right, you have to play JSR and JSRF. Hell, I think JSR may have been the first game to use it? And it looked AMAZING. Simply gorgeous.

 

[Marter]

It looks great if done right, but in some games, it's really unnecessary.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

If done well I suppose, and it fits the theme. I would assume it means you can have less graphical power dedicated to textures, and use it elsewhere.

 

[lacktheknack]

It really depends how stylized the game is.

It works for Prince of Persia, it REEEEEEALLY works for Evil Genius, but of course it doesn't work (for long) if you attempt to make it look realistic or serious.

 

[8-Bit Grin]

I enjoyed Sly Cooper.

Other than that?

Yeah, it doesn't age but... Ugh, it bothers the hell out of me.

 

[Jennacide]

You want cel shading done right, you have to play JSR and JSRF. Hell, I think JSR may have been the first game to use it? And it looked AMAZING. Simply gorgeous.

Nope, the first game to use the style and pioneer it's use was Fear Effect. It also was the first game to use looping FMVs as the backgrounds instead of CGI stills, something that was quickly adopted by other games in the PSX era. And on a side note, was a downright amazing game.

 

[Rauten]

You want cel shading done right, you have to play JSR and JSRF. Hell, I think JSR may have been the first game to use it? And it looked AMAZING. Simply gorgeous.

Nope, the first game to use the style and pioneer it's use was Fear Effect. It also was the first game to use looping FMVs as the backgrounds instead of CGI stills, something that was quickly adopted by other games in the PSX era. And on a side note, was a downright amazing game.

Hm, true, I had forgotten about Fear Effect. Never played it, but read interesting and good things about it. May have to hunt it down someday. If my brother ever returns me my freaking PS2, that is ¬_¬

 

[EpicDawg]

I say do it if you want graphical appeal for years to come, don't do it if you want to blow people's minds with the best graphics today's tech can offer.

 

[superbatranger]

This is my opinion. It can look good, but not all the time. Just because a developer thinks cel shading will improve the overall look of their game, that doesn't necessarily mean the general public will agree.

 

[Yureina]

I don't really like that style, but I suppose we all have our preferences.

 

[UPRC]

I think that it's great in cartoony games, or games based off of existing animations (cartoons, movies, anime, whatever).

But if the game is serious or mature, then it just doesn't work.

 

[LightOfDarkness]

It looks VERY good when done right, however if it's even a millimeter off the mark it can look absolutely horrible.

IMO you can still blow people's minds away with cel-shaded graphics.

 

[Stone Cold Monkey]

Borderlands is a breed of it's own, which is why they classified it as graphic novel shading, being more accurate. Cel Shading was a big deal years ago, with games like Jet Set Radio and Fear Effect. It all depends on the game really, as both examples worked really well with the style, but plenty of games make it look awful.

Also, Borderlands deserves a goddam medal for it's graphical style, if for one major reason alone. It runs on the Unreal Engine. Bet you never realized that, because nearly every Unreal Engine game you can tell in seconds flat, but not with Borderlands. For that alone they deserve a prize. Oh, and the game DOES look that good /on the PC./ The 360 version of course doesn't, but when I play that's exactly how it looks.

I agree with you about Borderlands. The use of graphic novel style imagery lends itself to the over-the-top comic book violence and sets the tone of what the player can expect in seriousness, and it makes it instantly recognizable from other current brown and gray FPS games.