WildApple-OP: I would also like to ring in, if you excuse me :)
Yes, you have many valid poinst in your posts.
You mention economic reasons. Right, but you don't need 3D graphics for a good looking game...*
I am also slowly seeing myself in the group of people, who says, that there are simply too much new games every week with pixel graphics.
Yes, there are situations/games, where pixel-graphics can be and look good, like let's see, Tooth and Tail, Undungeon (comming soon), Lovecraft's Untold Stories, Valfaris, Blasphemous, Broforce, Crystal Caves HD etc.
[i]* Personally I prefer modern graphic like you can see in
Street of Rage 4;
Guns, Gore & Cannoli;
Monster Train;
Cat Quest series;
The Adventure Pals;
The Swords of Ditto;
Mark of the Ninja;
Zombotron;
8Doors: Arum's Afterlife Adventure (released yesterday);
Shadowrun Returns series;
Apotheon;
Blackhole;
Feudal Alloy;
Fury Unleashed;
Steamworld series
...and many others.
I tried to make a list of games you can buy on GOG.com[/i]
So, why not try something "better"?
No need for excuses. It's a discussion that's open for everybody to join in ;)
Yes, you're right that good looking graphics don't have to be 3D. However, good looking (hi-res) 2D is a ton of work too. And if your own artistic skills aren't up for the challenge of coming up with a consistent, cool 2D art style and you can't find or afford to hire somebody who'd fit the bill, then you're still out of luck. Low-res graphics are safer, in a way. That's not to say you can't go wrong there. You obviously can go very wrong with pixel graphics but I think especially for many new and possibly inexperienced devs it's still the most viable option. Meh, I'm beginning to sound like I'm making excuses for people's art-style choices :D
I like your list of games. I've played several of these myself and I agree, the ones I've played all have a quite unique style that's not just low-res pixelated. One (pixel) title I have to disagree though: Valfaris. Looks kinda meh imho. I only played this one briefly and from what I remember the graphics look pre-rendered and scaled down, kinda messy for the most part to be honest. Ah well, it's just personal preference, of course.
fridgeband: Absolutely nobody here is bashing the developer. I respect their style of game making, but there are large amounts of other people who just like different types of games. Nobody is asking for less pixel indie retro art tech demo walking simulators, people like me simply want more of other types of games so that everyone can enjoy games. I'm currently in what feels like my biggest ever video game dry spell because I can't find a single new game to buy. No games cater to my interests, simply because there is a lack of balance and variety in what new games gog seems to be releasing for a long time.
Hey, it's all good. I know you guys weren't bashing anybody. I just felt like throwing in some potential reasons why devs might be using a certain graphics style (and yeah, I'm probably stating something very obvious here.. lol). Not sure if I fully agree with you calling it a "type of game". After all, it's just a graphical style that often has little to no direct effect on actual gameplay. You can make most types of games with anything from the most reduced pixelated to the most advanced 16k ultra-blingbling-the-future-is-now 3d type graphics. Yes, there are certain types of games that are far more common than others - but that's always been the case. Remember when the original Doom came out and seemingly every second game tried to cash in on its success? Or the RTS boom in the mid to late 90s.. or walking sims.. or open world survival crafting games.. or battle royale shooter.. and the list could go on.
Nowadays it's super easy for pretty much everybody with a computer to create games and stuff. There are so many tools and engines out there, some of which don't even require any actual coding knowledge and many of them are very affordable or even completely free. You can get/buy assets as well, so you don't need any artistic skills yourself either. imo this super low entry level is the main reason why so much stuff (often quite crap) gets released today. I don't use Steam but I do keep an eye on what's being released there and holy cow, the amounts of releases are completely out of control. Which brings me back to something I already said in my other post: the games that do get released on GOG. I can totally relate to what you said about not seeing anything you want to buy. I've been feeling like this myself for a couple of months now (not that I was suffering from a shortage of stuff to play, mind you). However, while some games may get rejected by GOG, my guess is that most of the games that aren't released here, aren't because the devs/publishers have no interest in it, for one reason or another. That said, there are a few titles due to release within the next couple of months that I'm looking forward to. Hopefully you'll find something you like as well.
Okay, I'll leave it at that. Don't want to derail the topic any further
