Graphical Greats: Best Looking Games on the Genesis

[Melf]

Every else throws awards around like so much plastic, so why not us? Have a gander at our latest piece on the sweetest of eye candy in Graphical Greats: The Best-Looking Games on Genesis (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/../Graphical%20Greats-%20Best%20Looking%20Games%20on%20Genesis.htm). Then head post below and tell us why we're wrong!

[Joe Redifer]

Great article! Wanted it to be longer, though. I just wanted to read more! I like how everything was divided up into sections. What about "Best use of dithered transparencies" or "Best arcade lookalike" or other stuff?

If there ever is a BEST SOUND article, I demand to be the one to write it. BEST MUSIC is subjective so someone else can write that. But BEST SOUND is something I feel I know a lot about.

[Zebbe]

I just miss some in game screenshots that gives good examples of the great graphics, otherwise it was an awesome article.

[Dartagnan1083]

BAH!

I'd say Vectorman made better use of pre-rendered sprites.

[GeckoYamori]

Vectorman looks much more washed out and 'cut n paste' than Sonic 3D. I think Sonic 3D surpassed it tenfold in both terms of technical and artistic quality.

[Joe Redifer]

And color, which Vectorman seemed to be lacking.

[Genesis Knight]

I sort of missed the pictures, too. What gives, Melf?

And I know the entries were a little short, but I found myself pressed to form actually interesting sentences instead of "Oh my gawsh, it rawked!"

""Best use of dithered transparencies" or "Best arcade lookalike"

I can't think of everything! =P

[David J.]

I always thought that Magical Troll Adventure and the Alex Kidd game on the Genesis had the best color.

[Joe Redifer]

How about "Best use of rotation" or "Best animation" (would that count?) or "Best special effect that makes the left side of the screen go screwy" or "Best Sega logo" or "Most readable text"? Yeah.

[j_factor]

Wow, not a single mention of Red Zone, which is one of the most graphically impressive games on the system IMO.

Also, I think Virtua Racing should've been disqualified for not running on pure stock Genesis hardware.

And no 'best cutscenes'?

[Flash1087]

I actually don't disagree on any of them, and it warmed my heart to see Vectorman get the 'best lighting' nod. Even when I was a kid I knew there was something rather special about the laser blasts in that game...

[Melf]

I sort of missed the pictures, too. What gives, Melf?

Shazam!

[Joe Redifer]

Where is "best use of full screen 8x anti-aliasing"? How about "best use of texture and bump mapping?"

[JFLY]

The scaling during the ending of Thunder Force III was another Genesis/Mega Drive graphical feat that should've gotten an honorable mention.

[Mendicant]

Where is "best use of full screen 8x anti-aliasing"? How about "best use of texture and bump mapping?"
...uh hello? Flicky??

[Joe Redifer]

Well I was thinking New Zealand Story but I guess Flicky could be an honorable mention.

[GeckoYamori]

Wow, not a single mention of Red Zone, which is one of the most graphically impressive games on the system IMO.

I was thinking of writing a review for that game.

[Dartagnan1083]

I thought that vectorman had overall better designs than the sub-saturday morning enemies of 3D-blast. But oh well. . .

as for best color, I'd nominate Sonic & Knuckles. . .but I often forget that I always tweaked my TV's color settings off the default for brighter fuller colors. So what I see may not be what you guys see.

[Alianger]

Nice article overall, but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of pictures, and I think a couple of the winners didn't really deserve it. For example, both the vectorman 2 and sonic 3d intros (if that's what you mean?) look like shit to me:P Who cares if they're the most technically advanced, they sure aren't very artistically pleasing.

Another category I wasn't too happy with was "best use of colors", where the platformer Ristar should've At least got an honorary mention, if not won the category. It would also fit pretty well in the lighting category. I guess Monster world IV could fit in there somewhere, too..or Rocketknight adventures.

And don't forget Kawazaki superbikes, it definitely looks better than that F-15 game!

[j_factor]

I was thinking of writing a review for that game.

I was pondering it myself. It's one of the most impressive 16-bit games to ever be burned to a cart, IMO. Seeing all the stuff that game did made me think Donkey Kong Country's visuals were no big deal.... if only Red Zone had gotten more attention.

[GeckoYamori]

The helicopter parts were insanely hard though and didn't play as good as the Strike series.

[CRV]

The helicopter parts were insanely hard though and didn't play as good as the Strike series.

But the video was tres impressiv!

[GeckoYamori]

Yes but unfortunately all the technical wow-wow doesn't save the game from mediocrity :p

[ary incorparated]

Joe,Vectorman doesnt have a lack of color.Not at all eyh.play to the later levels and youle see,never seen the snow level color sun etc,never seen the level with the extreme thunder,the level with the lightning experience.BTW i totally agree That Ristar had to be in there,damn that one is undenieable good in depht of color,and Ranger x is good but far not better then Ristar in that sort of way.Ranger x doesnt go over 60 colors,whats that crap story about that it would be one of a few,noooh even comix zone looks better.and Thunder force sounds great but doesn graphically impress compared with other gennesis games,My friends hated the bleu water look a like effect in the first level,Paralax no shit,many genesis games use that option,Ranger x for instance.TF4 is sertainly a damn fine game overall,one of the best.but not one of the ten best looking in a scene.DONT forget about ristar,dont forget about its graphics,they where undenieable good.If Ranger x is the exeption of over 64 colours,for shure the proving screen can be posted,Please proove it ones,i think then if ranger can do it most of genesis game can do it,Ristar looks better,alien soldier,vectorman.

[ary incorparated]

Red zone plays pretty dull,but looks damn fine,Guys dont go compare snes games to genesis games,like DK country has more colors then any genesis game is untrue,DK uses more then 90 colours in screen,but eyh do the lvels vary much,no so tha leaves inc animation like 120,150 colors,and wele now the lack of animation that snes has which makes it look rather stif and digitized,clay hehe.Backgrounds do look like photos.Like any gensis game we now that always theres a lot going on,like gunstar,ever seen such smooth animations in a snes game nope,plus the level vary very much there are lots,tons of enemys and like the first level complete,youle get layered clouds and nice animated backgrouns and sky etc everything is actually moving.count the level colors if possible then youle see that genesis mostly has the advantage,its hard counting couse of animations ehy.Good example of graphic comparing,Final fight cd against final fight on snes,(snes has less characters and minor animation)while snes can do more sprites,he cant animate em so yup like max one character on screen,A other comparisment,yess Aladin on snes uses a bit more colors,but then the gensis version has the depht of the movie,uberclass animated and not a lack of detail,even the pants from the enmy fals down and a apple cut in half,so actually snes is not the better one.

[Joe Redifer]

j.factor's avatar pretty much expresses the entire pallette of Vectorman from my memory (I know there are more colors in the game than that). I actually bought that game when it came out from Electronics Boutique and took it back the next day. The graphics were alright but the music made me nauseous.

[ary incorparated]

hehehe i can understand that entirely,some techno boring bleeps yup,The alpha channels and shadow and ham mode make the more colors in screen,i think that the normal level colors would be like 40 higly inc characters,and + animations,lighten darken over 64.Thats the trick but been done.Joe is my story right about the genesis its graphics,dunno for shure but i think that is it.How about a genesis graphic top ten somethime.

[j_factor]

You want lots of colors?

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/8827/puggsy14fs.png

That's from a Genesis game. Notice how those little bars are slightly different colors. Yeah.

[Mendicant]

What game is it from??

[Melf]

The amazing Puggsy!

[Joe Redifer]

Is that an option screen or some such thing? I must buy this game and display this screen so my friends can be jealous! I WILL PAY ANY PRICE!

[j_factor]

It's part of the ending. You have to beat the game to see it!

[ary incorparated]

cool J factor rule-ism you prove it and thats the bomb.

[Zebbe]

But I thought the G/MD only had max 64 colours on screen at the same time? Is it different for the CD version? Or is there a special chip in the cart?

[j_factor]

But I thought the G/MD only had max 64 colours on screen at the same time?

Normally yes, but Puggsy uses special tricks!

Is it different for the CD version? Or is there a special chip in the cart?

The CD and cart versions are the same in this regard... and no, there's no chip.

[Joe Redifer]

I posted this elsewhere, but programmer David Perry (Earthworm Jim, Aladdin, etc etc etc) has said you can put all 512 colors onscreen at once, but it taxes the CPU somewhat.

[j_factor]

That's probably accurate.

[Zebbe]

That's interesting. Thanks for the info. :)

[theevilfunkster]

Puggsy does look amazing. I remember watching the little FMV intro over and over again. Up untill then I'd only seen that sort of thing on my friends Amiga.

[ary incorparated]

what intro,that simpel and stupid spacey shuttle flying across the screen,really nothing special at al.

[Joe Redifer]

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/8827/puggsy14fs.png
OK I have Puggsy for the Sega CD. Finished it. This screen is nowhere to be found. Where is it?

[ary incorparated]

ahaah that can be treu i completed it like 10 years ago,so i dont know it for shure,could be couldnt be,im not shure but i didnt see it,maybe a special trick or something

[j_factor]

OK I have Puggsy for the Sega CD. Finished it. This screen is nowhere to be found. Where is it?

It should be right after the credits.

[Joe Redifer]

I didn't even get any credits. I did get a screen that had 3 scrolling sections on the bottom, a changing shape in the upper left corner with some line scrolling and it was all unskippable. Music kept playing and repeating. The only thing I could do was power the system down. Should credits scroll at this point?

[ary incorparated]

BTW normally genesis lacks colours i think,even 16 brothers in that time showed more colours in screen i think,just played super street fighetr and it sucked,like 44 max colours in screen,whil snes does it with the full 50 or 70 like it should,yess lack of animation but the colours are their.TG 16 also same story over 60 or 70 colours without any trouble.still without the colours Gnesis owns both the consoles with fun music and playability,but i didnt know the diffrence was that big,WTF didnt genesis cammed up the full 70 or 100 colours in screen they could do it im shure of that.

[ary incorparated]

You want lots of colors?

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/8827/puggsy14fs.png

That's from a Genesis game. Notice how those little bars are slightly different colors. Yeah.

Only if they used this ingame,dunno if they did i never seen it.

BTW joe im curious if hed ever managed that David perry

[ary incorparated]

BTW the review over the:graphical great i halfways agree,i think how about ristar,and Wtf Tf is looks good but not as one of the best genesis titles in graphics ive seen better paralax(but not a better looking shooter on genesis LOL) And Joe Bump mapping Texture mapping i think tahttl probably go to a mickey mania or something that game was so much better on Genesis then on snes that i count it as a exclusive,on the psx it looks best but ehy dated cause its 32bit and not impressive for the psx.