Wow, check out those graphics!

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VideoGameCritic
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Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby VideoGameCritic » November 7th, 2020, 6:57 pm

In many decades of playing games there were so many times I've heard people say (including myself) "Wow, look at these graphics!" These were the sort of games you might "show off" to guests. A few really stick out in my memory:

Kaboom (Atari 2600)
Karateka (Apple II)
Desert Strike (Genesis)
Street Fighter II (SNES)
Star Fox (SNES)
Virtua Racer (32X)
Ridge Racer (PS1)
Crash Bandicoot (PS1)
NFL 2K (Dreamcast)
Bioshock (Xbox 360)

Notice the drop-off near the end. I'm not sure there were ANY games in the current generation that would prompt me to pull a friend aside and say, "you HAVE to see this!"

So this thread has two parts. First, list the games you feel belong in this category. Second, is this still even a thing? Are we still impressed by the latest graphics?

Cafeman
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby Cafeman » November 7th, 2020, 9:10 pm

Star Raiders, Atari 800.
Lots of Genesis games. Sonic, Jurassic Park, NHL games.
Batman Returns and Silpheed, Sega CD. And Sewer Shark - the 1st time we saw FMV at home.
Virtua Fighter 2 on Saturn, wow!
Dreamcast graphics were all amazing at first, especially Hydro Thunder, Soul Calibur, NFL2K.
Dirt 2 on X360.
Spider-man on PS4. Also Horizon Zero Dawn.

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pacman000
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby pacman000 » November 8th, 2020, 11:27 am

Lair comes to mind immediately.

I’ve seen videos of newer games with even more impressive graphics, so, yes, it’s still a thing. It usually takes me 2 generations to notice a significant change in graphics, so I don’t know if the PS4 would impress me, but I’d bet the PS5 or a new PC game would.

They’ve finally gotten to the point where most objects don’t look polygonal in closeups; that’s something.

jon
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby jon » November 8th, 2020, 5:13 pm

For me it’s College Hoops 2k8 for the PS3. The graphics had taken a quantum leap. The PS3 generation was quite an improvement graphics wise over the PS2.

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ASalvaro
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby ASalvaro » November 16th, 2020, 1:00 am

Hard Drivin in the Arcade
the Hologram Arcade game Time Traveler
World Series Baseball for the Intellivision ECS was a jaw dropper when it debut'd in a commercial in 83
One On One Basketball by Electronic Arts we were amazed when the backboard would shatter

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » November 16th, 2020, 1:50 am

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Last edited by ThePixelatedGenocide on November 16th, 2020, 7:42 am, edited 2 times in total.

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » November 16th, 2020, 7:09 am

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Last edited by ThePixelatedGenocide on November 16th, 2020, 7:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » November 16th, 2020, 7:23 am

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ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » November 16th, 2020, 7:27 am

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goldenband
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Re: Wow, check out those graphics!

Postby goldenband » November 16th, 2020, 1:16 pm

Hard Drivin' in the arcade was definitely one example for me. Mortal Kombat was another -- it stopped me in my tracks when I saw it.

Before that, I think I remember being astonished by certain vector graphics games, particularly Tempest and Star Wars. And on home consoles, the smooth scrolling on the Atari 5200 port of Zaxxon was a big deal to me as a kid.

Maybe something on the Atari 2600 wowed me, I'm not sure. But the first time I saw a ColecoVision, the graphics on Smurf Rescue and B.C. Quest for Tires were jaw-dropping to me. Then, when I first saw the NES, I was blown away by the crispness and brightness of games like Super Mario Bros. 2 and even Spy Hunter. Later on, the huge characters in Mega Man 2 were a big deal.

Even after I discovered the NES I remember being struck by the beautiful graphics in Tower of Doom for the Intellivision. The flickering candlelight on the stairs was especially awesome.

In the 16-bit era, I think the SNES port of Out of This World was one of the first to really make me stop in my tracks. ActRaiser, F-Zero, and Prince of Persia also astonished me, and the open 3D world of Drakkhen was an entirely new experience. But Out of This World...it almost felt real.

Strangely I don't remember being all that impressed by the 32-bit consoles or the Nintendo 64. But the first time I fired up Xtreme Sports for Dreamcast I couldn't help but stop and admire the scenery. Might seem an odd choice, but I think that's the first time I 100% thought "Wow, this looks like the real world."


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