Shadow of the Colossus was a huge game changer in the game world. It upped the ante on visuals, music, storytelling, controls- everything, pretty much. What Ocarina of Time did for game design, SotC did for art.

The color scheme is predominately brown, black, and white. Everything has massive amounts of bloom on it- the lighting in general is very soft and dreamy. Colossi themselves are works of art on their own- half fur, half stone, and completely mysterious. Their movements are slow, but very self-aware- as you destroy them, you’ll begin to feel more like a villain than a hero.

Every Colossus is different – from humanoid to bestial.

The world is a statement on game design. It’s huge, but it is also very empty. The sole inhabitants are the player, his horse, the Colossi, and a bit wildlife. Exploring the world comes as a natural instinct in many games, which is interesting, for in this game, there is nothing to find. Most games have a bland open world with a few interesting spots to do find items or do small quests, but SotC embraces the openness by leaving it empty.

The lighting is simply spectacular. Compliments the color choice beautifully, don’t you think?

The story is done in a minimalist style. Outside of the intro and outro, no information is given. Who is good? Who is evil? What set the events in-game in motion? The audience is never told, leaving it up to the imagination. No definitive answers here- ultimately, it is up to the player to decide, because the game sure isn’t going to tell you.

The score is possibly one of the greatest ever written. Full of emotion, tense drama, and sorrow, it fills in what the visuals leave empty. There’s much that can- and has been- said, but it can only be fully grasped when listened to.

SotC is considered the pinnacle in gaming art design, and for good reason- everything it sets out to do, it achieves. It is a masterpiece on all levels – in game design, and in fine art.

The game, for starters, is amazing in its scope and scale. Huge vistas, large cities, and a Michael Bay-worthy amount of explosions are just a few of the many visual treats. The lighting is very well done, with many different filters and effects applied depending on the mood. There is an extraordinary amount of detail in the ruins that Drake explores. The world the game is set in is completely believable despite the island being fictional- from arches to buttresses, the smallest details help build the locale.

The whole game looks and plays like this. There might be more destruction involved, though. The camera framing is outstanding.

Uncharted has an intelligent camera (the players’ viewpoint), and it does its best to remain as cinematic as possible. When Drake swings out a window and climbs the wall, the camera will pan out and look. It shakes when there’s a vehicle chase, and it even “hides” behind cover when Drake does, peeking around the corner. The angles are purposefully chosen, and it only helps to build on the experience.

Glorious full-motion capture

The most graphically impressive part of Uncharted are the characters. Naughty Dog used full-motion capture for all characters in the game, resulting in extremely realistic movements and expressions. This compliments their character development, which is just as deep and intricate. Drake is a lovable jerk with a heart of gold, and watching his interactions with the other members is an absolute joy. Everyone has character flaws, and the way they work into the story is both clever and believable.

The score is a bit on the generic side- which suits the game just fine. Loud brass and sweeping strings trade places as the action builds and releases. Like the camera, the ultimate purpose is to make the player as though they are playing a movie- and the design team executed it perfectly. Uncharted blurs the line between film and gaming, which only makes the argument that games are that much stronger.

The graphics are the biggest pull. The style is done in a very light and cheery way- the textures and character models are very child-like in nature. Colors are bright and varied, and the lighting allows for shadows that resemble the characters- a nice change from the black circle other games used.

Oh glorious textures, how great a job you do at hiding how few polygons there really are.

The texturing in the game is incredible- after the plainness of Super Mario 64, which had limited texturing, Banjo-Kazooie had a texture for everything. Rocks looked like rocks, rope bridges had gaps, and metal had rust stains. The sheer amount of detail in the worlds, which, thanks to the low polygon limit, came mostly from the textures and their ability to overlay each other.

The music should also be given special notice- not for the compositions, which granted, are fantastic- but for its dynamic nature. As the player travels around the level, the music will change to fit the area, by changing instruments and/or tempo. Traveling from a haunted mansion into the nearby churchyard results in a seamless fade into an organ solo; and running back into the mansion grounds will transition back into the full song, which will then change to a harp solo when you dive into the well. The level of immersion added was astounding- a technique that has been emulated by many games since.

Technically, dynamic music has been around since the SNES, but it's Banjo-Kazooie everyone remembers it for.

Banjo-Kazooie was a ground-breaking game on its release. Its effect on the gaming industry was huge, showing off the potential 3D gaming had, encouraging other companies to pick up the pace, and ultimately showing just how much expression a game, though limited in technology, could have. It may not have been the first, but as an artistic expression, the game stands as a testament to the potential that 3D games had in becoming their own art form.

Minecraft is an indie game by Markus Persson, aka “Notch”. Created, coded, and published by Notch, the game has been seen as a triumph for indie gaming. It had no advertising budget or large publisher- it was by way of the Internet and word-of-mouth that the game has managed to sell five million copies.

So far as the game is concerned, it is unlike anything ever seen before. You spawn in a world made of cubes and go from there, completely unhindered. Perhaps you feel like punching trees to get wood, or go mining for ores, or building a fort? Feel free- there are no goals in the game: explore and build to your heart’s content.

Or perhaps a castle? This is my personal one I've been building since alpha.

The graphics are distinctly retro in design. Everything is cube-shaped, from the player character to rocks. The textures are low-resolution and add to the aesthetics the way the simple textures of Team Fortress 2 do. The lighting of the game is interesting- not only does it allow the player to see; it also determines where enemies spawn. Otherwise, the overall design is very minimalistic, and it is embraced fully.

Simple pleasures for simple minds. Unless your mind isn't simple. Then it's simple pleasures for exquisite minds.

An indie composer writes the music of the game as well. Following the graphical style, the soundtrack is very minimalistic and simple. Simple (live) piano arpeggios and subdued synths play at certain times of day, breaking the otherwise silent soundscape. In fact, the vast silence in the game is as important as the music itself, playing off the lonely setting. It also mirrors the player’s activity in the game- it comes and goes, much like the creative bursts the player is bound to have.

All in all, Minecraft is an interesting take on gaming. It’s not the first in its genre, but it is the most successful. It encourages creation and imagination, and through its execution, has earned its place among big-budget titles as an example of art.

            Reach is a beautiful game. The skyboxes have always been Halo’s calling card, but the game doesn’t skimp on detail elsewhere. The landscape is amazing, full of soaring cliffs and futuristic cities- the lighting engine does a great job of setting the mood while looking fantastic.

Perhaps the greatest achievement graphically is that the game has color- which for an FPS, is pretty rare. The color helps to fill out the sci-fi setting in ways that the brown-and-bloom style of…rival…games just can’t. Combining the color with the lighting produces some pretty spectacular fields of battle.

Look! Green!

Martin O’Donnell once again retakes his position as lead composer. As Reach is not a part of the Halo trilogy, O’Donnell felt that none of the sound cues should be used from them. The title theme is still there, but gone are the Halo piano chords, replaced by a melancholy symphony of strings and choir. The music helps convey the emotion of war, which, when combined with the imagery, paints a very bleak view.

This is the same city as the one in the picture above. War is hell, indeed.

The plot is a forgone conclusion: you will lose- the first cutscene tells you that. The plot is well-written and paced, if a bit simple, but again, it is the emotion that carries it through. As the story progresses, a genuine sense of depressing loss is felt as the team begins to fall apart with their home world. It’s painful and bittersweet, but then again, so is war. The final cutscene is the same view as the first one- a nice bookend of sorts.

Reach is a standout game in a genre swamped with uncreative titles. Through the use of evocative imagery, cinematic camera angles, and a lore-heavy setting, Halo proves once more why games are artistic in their own right.

Why Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2? Nintendo stated 2 was an add-on more than a new game, so we'll consider them as a single entity. That's why.

The Wii is a weak system.  It has no HD support, and the hardware just isn’t up to par. However, Nintendo took this weakness and managed to create something beautiful and artistic within these limitations.

Easily the most graphically impressive areas of the game are the skyboxes. The stars, galaxies, nebulae, and planets are simply amazing to look at. Watching lava pour off from one planet onto its neighbors, a cloud rushing through a garden, or sunbeams dancing through the water is simply breathtaking.

He wanted to go to space before it was a meme.

The lighting and texturing are superb as well, giving the game a playful design while maintaining a graphical punch. Water, ice, lava, grass, space- all are well-done while letting the game run at 60fps.

The gameplay of Galaxy is hugely imaginative. Running and jumping around planetoids gives the genre a new freshness. Throughout both games, the way the levels are designed and executed border on near-genius levels of creativity and originality. Climbing a mountain? Boring. Climbing a pair of waterfalls by turning into Ice Mario and wall jumping off the ice patches that form? Brilliant. How about jumping on huge wooden blocks and toy trains floating in the middle of what looks like God’s toy room? Well played, Miyamoto, well played.

The landscapes are brilliantly imaginative.

The soundtrack is a work of art all to itself. Composed largely of brass and strings, the orchestra has rich, full sound. There is a real energy and emotion in the pieces, and it brings the environments to life in ways unachievable by graphics alone.

Super Mario Galaxy swept most of the Game of the Year awards for 2007.

Super Mario Galaxy is a gem in the rough world of Wii games. The Wii may be looked down on as inferior, but with games like Galaxy, Nintendo proves once again that sometimes, less is more.

Bioshock is set in Rapture, a breathtaking underwater city where Art Deco and neon lights rule. The glass façade of the city allows the player to admire the view from anywhere- it’s easy to get lost simply because you were watching the scenery instead of where you were going.

"...I chose the impossible. I chose... Rapture. A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."

The atmosphere is one of the richest ever created in a game. Lighting is used very effectively, which, when coupled with the ominous sound effects, creates one chilling effect. Special mention goes to enemy design, which is not only creepy as hell, but petrifying to listen to as they rant- many of the things they utter border on nightmare fuel. As the plot unravels, the game shows off the richness of its story, culminating in a twist at the climax that is possibly one of the greatest moments in gaming.

Topping off this experience is the musical score. Mixed with the original score is a plethora of licensed period pieces from the 1950’s, which play in the background over intercom speakers. Wandering an underwater city with malfunctioning lighting, enemies dogging your every step, and hearing “How Much is that Doggie in the Window” as you pass a defunct pet shop is downright surreal, terrifying, and strangely compelling.

The way the game stays in character with 1960's America is really quite amazing.

Essays could be (and have been) written detailing everything in the game, from the art style to how the story itself is told in-game. The Smithsonian Institution held an exhibition recently centered on art in video games, and to the surprise of no one, Bioshock was  voted as one of the champions in representing games as an artistic medium. Gaining acceptance in the art world is an uphill battle for gaming, but with games of this caliber, that goal continues to draw ever closer.

The art direction of the game is centered on the old tradition of rice paper. Everything in the game has a filter over it giving a very cartoon-like feeling, as though you could pause it at anytime and have a believable print. Thick black brush work lines the 3D models in the game, shrinking and growing as ledges and edges move by.

You know it's a good game when the concept art looks this good

Your character has the moves of a traditional platformer/exploration style game, but with one important addition- an artists brush. As a goddess, you have the ability to literally freeze time and summon an celestial brush to draw in and modify the world.In the beginning of the game, most people have given up on gods, with most having been driven away by evil forces and general apathy for the last few centuries.

As the reincarnation of the sun goddess Amaterasu, you are tasked with piecing the world back together. Praise is the game’s form of experience- the more praise that is earned for solving problems, the stronger you as a god become. It all ties in very nicely with Japanese lore. Indeed, much of the plot draws directly from real folklore, such as the story’s main plot paralleling the slaying of the eight-headed serpent, Yamata no Orochi by the Shinto god Susanoo.

Glorious rice paper and ink

The art and music go hand-in-hand as well. Swelling harps, flutes, and bamboo percussion help fill out the orchestral-quality soundtrack, again adding to the Asian mystique. As a nice bonus, most of it is composed in pentatonic scale, which is the traditional Asian style.

Ōkami is one of the all-to-common cases of falling into the lost gem category. Despite mass critical acclaim, sales were not what were expected, and as such the game fell into obscurity. Fine art is hard to come by, especially in the gaming world, so if you ever have the chance, give it a spin and get swept up in the colorful presentation that is Ōkami.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is considered by many to be one of the pinnacles of 2D gaming. It introduces Alucard, Dracula’s son, who is out to stop his father from destroying mankind. Beyond that, the plot plays second- er, third, fiddle, to the gameplay and art.

            Newcomer artist Ayami Kojima adds an incredibly unique feel to the art design. Rich embroidery on coat sleeves, Dracula’s heavily textured cape- all carry a style that ties the game both to itself and it’s 17^th century timeline: dark and Gothic yet refined and elegant.

The animation of the characters is another graphical highlight. Everything that moves in the game is a sprite, and what sets them apart is the detail- over one hundred frames alone for Alucard’s running animation. Compared to the previous standard of eight, they flow very, very  smoothly- and there are hundreds of them in-game.

            The eponymous castle is comprised of over 1,000 rooms divided into several areas, which unlike real castles, have a unique look and feel to each. The Entrance Hall has rich tapestries and enormous windows, the Long Library looks positively ancient in its dull yellow overtones and towering stacks of books, and the Royal Chapel has ornate stained glass and worn organ pipes for decor. All are lavishly detailed, and help to bring out the Baroque style.

Everything may be trying to kill you, but Castlevania really is a lovely castle

            The soundtrack of Symphony of the Night is easily one of the finest to ever grace a video game. From the wicked guitar solos to elegant harpsichord and string partitas, each is beautiful in its quality and complexity in composition- giving the specific area it plays in tremendous character.

            If games were paintings, then Symphony of the Night is one of the Vernier’s. Beautifully put together with a distinct harmony between gameplay and art, the game stands as a testament to the fine art of game design.

The cel shading effect is still visually impressive, even today. Everything- explosions, clouds, water- has a intentionally cartoon look, forsaking realism for art. The shadows are segmented and monotone, like the shading in a comic book.

Character design also accounts for a lot of the games, well, character. Everyone has over-sized heads and progressively smaller bodies. The large faces allow for some of the most expressive characters ever seen at the time. In an era of low polygon ceilings and limited texture size, having such expressive faces allowed for a far more believable –and immersive- population.

The music plays a huge role in the game, both as backing tracks and as a game function. Link receives a baton called The Wind Waker, which allows him to control the wind through music. The songs it plays are snippets of the Wind Waker’s title theme- which is heard many times throughout the game. The soundtrack is Celtic in design, with Irish fiddles, harps, and bodhrans in the mix. Given the seafaring nature of the game, it fits right in.

Something else that can be said for the game is the beauty of the plot. It is not particularly complex so far as games go, but what it does it does WELL. You’ll feel an investment in the plot, a connection with the characters involved, and will actively take in interest in the fate of the world.

By the end, any gamer who has played at least one Zelda game will feel a sense of loss, melancholy, wistfulness, and hope as the tale is brought to a close. This being the last chronological game in the main series, it serves as a fitting closure- grand, heartfelt, and very much bittersweet.

TESV:S

First things first: the game is gorgeous. Huge mountains and sprawling plains, deep valleys and highlands- the terrain is wonderful to look at. The draw distance is fantastic as well- good enough that you can see the entire game world at any one time. Go ahead, climb the tallest mountain in the game. You will be able to see from the north coast to the southern border and everything in between.

The lighting and detail in the game seals the deal. The lighting engine is incredibly dynamic, casting real-time shadows and interfering with your vision should you go from something bright to something dark, simulating the eyes adjusting.

Caverns, catacombs, cities- all are beautiful

The detail in the game is, in a word, otherworldly. There is no lack of it, no matter how insignificant. The armor you wear has ancient runes carved into it. Catacombs have caved-in branches as roots grow through the ceiling. NPC’s talk to each other and interact with their environment. When it gets dark, shops close and the keepers go home to sleep. Dungeons may be half cleared, strewn with corpses of normal enemies until you come across the adventurer who failed to make it. There are even whole books you can read that flesh out the backstory, supporting characters, locations, and events, adding a layer of immersion and depth rarely seen in this medium.

Scenery Porn

Skyrim itself has a rich culture that you can learn about as you play, and the characters that populate the land bring it to life. Special mention goes to the title theme “Dragonborn”, which is sung in the language of dragons, written specifically for the game.

Skyrim won multiple Game of the Year awards, and for good reason- the game is a work of art. In the years to come, it will surely be held as a mark of quality that the rest of the industry will strive to match.

Super Castlevania IV was one of the shining examples of the SNES’s ability. Full 16-bit color allowed for richer and varied hues, and the sound card was a vast improvement over the original NES. Never-before seen effects were introduced, one being the (in)famous parallax effect. Mode-7 was also employed, allowing for faux-3D effects on a 2D plane, and sprite scaling and transparencies helped add to the effect.

The environments themselves were a huge leap in game design. Sure, there have been lakes and caves and forests in games before- but not in such detail. The SNES had the hardware to bring the landscapes to life with both higher pixel count and vast color choice.  Multiple shades of green overtop a purple night sky with varying shades of moving blue water- it simply hadn’t been done before. Previous games relied on the “game” aspect to keep people playing, but Super Castlevania IV immersed people in an experience.

The game itself cannot be mentioned without its soundtrack being brought up. Making use of the new sound card, the score sounded like an actual orchestra- a heavily synthesized orchestra, but a huge step forward from the beeps and boops of chiptune. The compositions themselves are done in a multitude of styles, from classical to dance, and are still reused today in current games and live concerts.

Super Castlevania IV was a good show of things to come. Games would continue to advance until the advent of full 3D, but many a hardened gamer will tell you that its SC4 that reigns as king of the 2D era.

Well, that is what this blog is for. Each post will revolve around a different game, and will critique its art design. The color palette, the use of the processing power, details, nuances- anything that makes the experience.  Of importance is the distinction between “graphics” and “aesthetics”. Graphics are what the game is made of- the polygons, the textures, and so on; while aesthetics are the proverbial soul- how the graphics are put to use. An example is comparing Microsoft’s Halo 3 with Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Both of these first-person shooters have landscapes and skyboxes, 2D and 3D elements, lighting engines, and texturing, but the way they employ these elements are entirely different. It is perfectly possible to have games with fantastic graphics and horrible aesthetics, and vice verse. Again, all of these elements play into the big picture, and each will be dealt with in the reviews.

Halo 3

Music is an art form too, so we will cover that aspect, too, if the soundtrack merits it. Video game music has grown as much as the graphics have, from chiptune to full orchestral arrangements. Arguably, music evokes more emotion than visuals do- there is something about it with which the human soul resonates. A heartbreaking scene is rather flat when there are only sound effects- a solemn piano solo or string suite adds so much more to the experience that visuals alone cannot convey. In a medium where music and sound effects are all the designer has to work with, it becomes that much more important. Voice acting has slowly made its way into gaming, and don’t get me wrong, vocals can make or break a game- but it is the score that still has the big impact so far as sound is concerned.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, we shall begin the reviews in the next post. First up on the list is the poster child for considering games as an art form- Double Fine Studio’s Psychonauts.