Poll: Cel-Shading is ugly

[Headsprouter]

Spoiler

I like cel-shading in the case of Borderlands, TF2, Wind waker and Pokemon X and Y, but to me, Okami looks hideous. In that image, especially. Just ew. And also...probably just me.

If it's possible, I forsee Rewind and Timesplitters 4 as being a combination of Cel-shading and realistic graphics, for the gory stuff like Headsprouter, The Deerhaunter and the rest of the Zombies and Cel-shading for the more cartoony stuff like Duckman drake, Robofish and Gingerbread man. And I'd welcome it.

Spoiler: Is this Cel-shaded?

Maybe it's just Duckman's simple palette...

 

[Canadamus Prime]

*shrug* They look fine to me. I suppose it depends on how they're employed. Although I imagine stylized cel-shaded graphics would age better than hyper realistic graphics.

 

[Sethzard]

Personally I love cell sharing. I think that it can be quite stunning and really helps to set the tone. Although it might not be as "real" as the so called "realistic" looking games, it holds up a lot better with the passage of time.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I have no issue with stylized or "cartoonish" graphics, but what is typically described as "cel shading" I find extremely ugly. Champions Online, for instance, was a pig ugly game. And that Okami screenshot floating around this thread did nothing for me.

First thing I did upon loading up Borderlands 2 was tweak the .ini to get rid of the "cel shading" effect, and it looks about 1,000 times better. All IMO of course.

 

[kamay]

I enjoy cell shading but it has to be done right. I personally like it because it provides a nice break of the "everything must look a real as possible". Killer 7, Wind Waker, Robotech Battlecy (on GC) and a bunch of the Tales games held up pretty well plus not to mention Walking Dead. If you're a fan of anime games it is pretty much the only way to do them and keep the characters looking like they should.

 

[suitepee7]

i love it... dunno what else to add really, i just like the look of it

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Cel-Shading is ugly

YES, Western Cel-Shading is usually ugly. HOWEVER, I don't consider Borderlands Cel-shaded. I just consider it comic-book style graphics. The image below it however, yeah, horrible, and what I expected to see in this thread. I consider Team Fortress 2 Cel-shaded and I consider that indicative of what we usually get in games today when they are labeled 'Cel-Shaded'. It's just models lacking detail and/or looking clay-like, is all. I know a lot of people like that style, I don't for the most part.

However, Japan proves that it can be FUCKING AMAZING:
This is damn near inseparable from the sprites in prior games; it looks like an actual cartoon, AND NOT A FUCKING FLASH ONE! (yuck) That is the good kind of good cel-shading!!

And if you think that looks "ugly" I'm going to have to ask you step outside while I beat you over the head with a rolled-up Tex Avery comic.

I do think it looks ugly, but you did beat me to posting the gorgeous eye-gasem that is GG Xrd, so I am conflicted on how to respond.

Yep, Japan seems to love these sort of cartoony cel-shaded stuff and as an anime fan who grew up on it, I love it far more than grim and gritty realism. I will still pick gundam's smoothed out faces and softer colors over the emphasis on gray and brown in CoD

I will add a caveat to it though, what something looks like should help enhance the design direction and tone of the game. You wouldn't want Dark souls to be cel-shaded because, even if it's really good, it doesn't fit the dark and oppressive tone of the game. Conversely, Borderlands and it's deliberate comedic tone and dialogue would seem out of place in a realistic art style. In short, art style and art direction must help enhance a game in some way

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Spoiler

I like cel-shading in the case of Borderlands, TF2, Wind waker and Pokemon X and Y, but to me, Okami looks hideous. In that image, especially. Just ew. And also...probably just me.

If it's possible, I forsee Rewind and Timesplitters 4 as being a combination of Cel-shading and realistic graphics, for the gory stuff like Headsprouter, The Deerhaunter and the rest of the Zombies and Cel-shading for the more cartoony stuff like Duckman drake, Robofish and Gingerbread man. And I'd welcome it.

Spoiler: Is this Cel-shaded?

Maybe it's just Duckman's simple palette...

Okami was meant to emulate old Japanese art styles. I can understand that it may seem too colorful or too muted in edges but I love it (note, I'm a massive otaku so my opinion is influenced heavily by early exposure to Japanese culture)

 

[Sir Christopher McFarlane]

Yes, this is a thread made to state my opinion which I've thinly disguised as a poll. Now that's been said, there's no need for the "what's the point of this thread" posts, k?

But really, who can think that the over-saturated colors, claustrophobic thickly drawn lines and comic-book appearance doesn't look like a mish-mash of clashing styles that don't belong anywhere near each other?

The worst part is the smooth animation style and slinking along of the characters, which looks more unnatural than even the jerkiest hand-drawn Japanese animation.

Spoiler

I can't understand how any developer thinks this looks good. What do you think?

I think it looks good. It also prevents the visuals of a game from ageing too much.

PS2:

Spoiler

 

[Zenoss]

I like cel shading, and I quite like the cartoony style of the Borderlands series. And based on the current poll results, it seems like I'm in the overwhelming majority. Still, the great thing about aesthetic preference is that we can both have our opinion without any conflict.

 

[Ryan Hughes]

I do love some Cell-Shaded games myself. But I do not think it necessarily looks better or ages better than other animation. I still think Silent Hill 2 is one of the most graphically advanced games out there, because of the Art Direction and attention to detail, not because of any particular technique or technology. Wind Waker and Okami still look fantastic, too, but is that really because of Cell Shading and not because the initial art direction is fantastic?

When we move on to the next generation, I bet many "realistic" games today will become very dated, but what separates games that last graphically from games that do not is attention to detail. Developers that choose to Cell Shade often already have some fantastic ideas, and they think that Cell Shading will bring those ideas out, but you can do that with more traditional graphics as well.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Borderlands isn't respresentative of all cell shading. I do think Borderlands looks a bit strange. I think there are plenty of other games (TF2, Windwaker, many fighting games) that do it quite well. So no.

As a bonus, it ages pretty well too.

 

[Tom_green_day]

I think it looks bad in most of the Japanese games, but I didn't mind Borderlands 2, I think it complemented the general game aesthetic there.

 

[Zantos]

Did you seriously just brush all cell shaded games over the same leaf?

This does seem to happen fairly regularly nowadays. I had to double check that the OP wasn't the person yesterday who described all anime as irritating garbage that they couldn't understand how anyone could enjoy (I think they'd tried to get into it via stockholm syndrome). I remember when this was a well chill forum.

OT: Like any art style, it's about "is it suitable?" and "is it good quality?". If the answer to both of those questions is "Yes" then it's pretty good, if not then it isn't. Some games I have enjoyed recently with cel-shading: XIII, Team Fortress 2, Fable (is Fable cel-shaded? I think it is...), Rain Slick Precipice 1 and 2.

 

[FFP2]

It's not though.

Look at a cell shaded game like Okami, then look at some PS2 COD game. Which is prettier? It's Okami. A more recent example: Borderlands 2 vs BF3. BF3 will look like shit once BF4 is out. BL2 on the other hand...

Cell shading enables a game to look pretty even after so many years. Just because Western devs aren't too good at it it doesn't mean that the rest of the devs worldwide are too. Cell shaded games tend to be more creative too.

 

[Snotnarok]

I think there's something wrong with people who dislike games for looking 'cartoonish' as they're just trying to put cel-shading as "I've grown up I have more refined tastes". Cell shading is awesome and allows for artistic freedom and very different proportions in characters that you wouldn't be able to do with a realistic visual style.
And lets be honest here, what ages better realistic or cell shading?

Realism is overrated and video games are often a escape for realism, without cellshading we have what? All games trying to look super real and there's a lack of variety. Short story? Don't like it don't buy it.

 

[Ishigami]

The new Guilty Gear is amazing.
When I saw the trailer for the first time I thought ?cool sprites? and then when the camera started to pivot it changed to ?omg that is some freakin' awesome 3D cel shading!?.
Seriously they nailed it in this one.

That said I have no strong feelings one way or the other.
I liked games that utilize cel shading e.g. Valkyria Chronicles or Tales of Vesperia as well as games that strived for a realistic look e.g. Uncharted or Gran Turismo. (Yes there are even racing games that use cel shading e.g. Auto Modellista)
Or even games that IMO sit somewhere in between using realistic shaders yet comic style assets e.g. Gears of War or Final Fantasy.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

I like realistic and I like cell shading. There's a time and place for both. Gravity Rush is easily the best looking game on the vita because of cell shading. It adds so much color and cell shaded games look amazing in HD and on a tv or monitor with nice contrast (like the vita)

 

[Scarim Coral]

Yeah no, Cel shading is not ugly (quite an unpopular opinion you got there especially when looking at the poll).
By all mean I don't want every single games to be cel shaded but none the less most cel shaded games look good (I don't like fps cel shaded game XIII for some reason).

 

[Arslan Aladeen]

Uhh, what? I've been getting into more and more games that have gone cel-shaded or just more cartooney looking simply for the fact they don't look as nasty as the muted colors of a lot of games nowadays. Real life doesn't look that drab, why are you making your game like that?!? Also figure on giving a shout out to Valkyria Chronicles since I haven't seen that one mentioned yet.