With the impending release of The Art of MGS 1-4(which looks absolutely amazing btw) I was thinking about how high the quality of gaming artbooks have become. For me it has become the perfect replacement for physical media in this digital age. Like with the Art of MGS 1-4 I can marvel at 800 pages of that Shinkawa goodness and can reminisce about the games without the chore of actually having to play them again. As someone who enjoys learning about the creative process behind the games(espescially the concept art) as much as actually playing the games themselves artbooks have really become a crucial part of my enjoyment.
My favorite must be Dark Souls 3 Official Artworks. My god the art is so good it literally looks like it belongs in a museum. It's insane. Where do From Software recruit those artists? Another artbook that really stands out is Fallout 4. I don't even really like the game but the sheer amount of quality artwork they put out in the concept phase makes me sad how much was lost in translation from handcrafted goodness to digital renders. Unless it's an overly stylized game I have to say from all the artwork From Software is definitely the one who stays closest to the original art. Maybe it's in the way they make games with concept artists working closely with the actual developers. Though in fairness Ubisoft art(espescially Assassin's Creed) also stays fairly close to the actual game, even if the art while beautiful is pretty uninspired(like the games).
My favorite must be Dark Souls 3 Official Artworks. My god the art is so good it literally looks like it belongs in a museum. It's insane. Where do From Software recruit those artists? Another artbook that really stands out is Fallout 4. I don't even really like the game but the sheer amount of quality artwork they put out in the concept phase makes me sad how much was lost in translation from handcrafted goodness to digital renders. Unless it's an overly stylized game I have to say from all the artwork From Software is definitely the one who stays closest to the original art. Maybe it's in the way they make games with concept artists working closely with the actual developers. Though in fairness Ubisoft art(espescially Assassin's Creed) also stays fairly close to the actual game, even if the art while beautiful is pretty uninspired(like the games).
