Artistic Video Games

[Skrah]

Every once in a while, you bump into a game that is unlike any other. It goes deeper than just being fun. It makes you gape in amazement. You even begin to consider it a piece of art. Games that captivate you because of their story, landscape, characters, and bosses.

Shadow of the Colossus is one such game. The lack of life, apart from yourself, your horse, the bosses and the wandering lizards (white-tailed ones gave you more strength) just served the purpose of beautifying the land. There were times when I would just let my horse gallop in any way so I could take in the world around me.

And the bosses. I've never seen such amazing bosses. Animal-resembling giants that you have to climb, clinging to their shaggy bodies as you strike with your sword at their weak spot. Some bosses didn't even have the intent to harm you. You don't even know why you have to kill them in the first place. The only thing you know is that a god told you to do so in order to save your friend.

Or is she your friend? You don't really know either. In fact, you don't know pretty much anything about the world you tread. Not even your own name. You do know that Agro is the horse's name, but everything else is a mystery. It's a game in where you have to piece together the story. You don't know if the god you talk to is evil or good, or the origin of the beasts you slay.

The details in this game are amazing. The protagonist is a great shot with the bow, although he lacks skill with the sword. He swings clumsy strokes with it, but he can shoot his bow while standing in his horse! The sword has an otherworldly thing to it too. When you raise the sword, a beam of light shows you where the next monster lies.

This game is short. What can you expect from a game where the only task is for you to kill 15 behemoths. But let me tell you, those 10 hours have been one of the best I've had while playing a video game.

 

[Red Arremer]

I didn't really enjoy Shadow of the Colossus, mainly because of the awkward controls and camera. I watched a friend playing through the first few bosses, but I wasn't really that impressed. I see, though, where you're coming from.

However, one game that really impressed me was Okami. A beautiful game, in which all, story, graphic style, music, sound and gameplay mend into an epic game. This game is an amazing experience, and I have hardly played anything like that. I would call it an artistic game, as well.

 

[pokesmashfighter]

I wish there were a game where every frame were painted.

 

[Scott!]

Shadow of the Colossus is one of the games I most want to get right now. I've heard pretty much only good things about it, and it sounds like something I'd enjoy.

Okami is definitely another one, as Spadefox mentioned. It really is beautiful. I have the Wii version, and though I haven't gotten all that far, it's just amazing. The world looks so good, and it's just a lot of fun as well.

Another game that I would personally put into this category is Metroid Prime. I find that the worlds are just amazing to explore. I'm a bit of a sucker for awesome ruins, but these were especially awesome. The scope of the world was just awe-inspiring to me. Echoes didn't really do that for me, which is why it's my least favorite of the three. And in Corruption, they have possibly my favorite game world ever from an aesthetic point of view: Sky Town. I absolutely loved going around here. The view outside was amazing, with the different areas floating around. I also loved the feeling the whole world inspired, the isolation. The other games tried to evoke a feeling of being alone, but the constant enemies kind of got in the way of that for me. But here, for large sections of the world, there is only you, a few small creatures, and robots left carrying out centuries-old orders.

 

[finalark]

**** it, Skrah! You beat me to it! On my way home from Costco I was thinking "hmm. I'll write a blog post on Artistic games when I get home." You even used the same game I was going to use as my prime example!

Yeah, Shadow of the Colossus was an amazing game. I'm so glad that I bought it when I had the chance.

 

[Deleted member]

About 10 years back, I experienced that with the PS1 game Ape Escape. I've played that one all the way through 9 times and know everything by heart.

 

[Hyper_Ridley]

I loved Shadow of the Colossus. I love boss fights, and that game was nothing BUT boss fights mixed in with a cool world to roam around. =D

 

[pokesmashfighter]

About 10 years back, I experienced that with the PS1 game Ape Escape. I've played that one all the way through 9 times and know everything by heart.

I love that game! Ape escape rocks.

 

[crismas]

As soon as I saw "Artistic Video Games" I knew this post was about Shadow of the Colossus. By far, one of the BEST artistic games out there, gameplay, graphics, music, story...everything just made it perfect. Despite the fact that it was short, it offered so much. Absolutely amazing

 

[Man of Popsicle]

Mario Paint

 

[Red Arremer]

I know, that might not be the same style, because they are so different, but...

Another game that I remember would definitely be Rez.

That's a video of the updated version for the XBox 360's LA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-UKCFT4tn4&fmt=18

It's a shooter, but very artistic and simplicistic. The music changes with your button input.

And of course, I have to mention the Bit Generations series. That's some simple games for the GBA, but some of them are really addicted and awesome. Not all of them are like that, like Boundish, but most are...

Dotstream: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGzUEz7hAGk&fmt=18
Digidrive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtiktBKZEzA&fmt=18
Orbital: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTktCOAxxQg&fmt=18
and Sound Voyager: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C12WRgfIOC8&fmt=18

Then of course, Electroplankton. A music-based... I dunno if you can call it a game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKTKjbysw5g&fmt=18

It's just a beautiful toy to play around with, and very nice. I love it, too.

PixelJunk Eden perfectly puts itself into that line, too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viLB8_u5jJ4&fmt=18

So yea. ^_^

 

[Skrah]

Games can be artistic in their own way. Look at painting, there are dozens of styles.

SotC had clumsy controls, yes, but you get used to it lol.

And Okami is a beautiful game.

Metroid Prime series. ****, I love it. I especially like the Phendrana Drifts track.

 

[Redson]

Mario Paint

Beat me to the punch.

inb4Bioshock and Okami.

 

[Red Arremer]

Beat me to the punch.

inb4Bioshock and Okami.

UR 2 SLO!

But yea, the stuff I posted is pretty artistic in its own way. ^_^

 

[Espy Rose]

I didn't really enjoy Shadow of the Colossus, mainly because of the awkward controls and camera. I watched a friend playing through the first few bosses, but I wasn't really that impressed. I see, though, where you're coming from.

However, one game that really impressed me was Okami. A beautiful game, in which all, story, graphic style, music, sound and gameplay mend into an epic game. This game is an amazing experience, and I have hardly played anything like that. I would call it an artistic game, as well.

This.

All of it.

Seriously.

 

[kr3wman]

No More Heroes.

And this is a work of art.

 

[Skrah]

No More Heroes was awesome.I loved the funky graphics.

 

[OutlawStar]

Okami,
a beautiful game. I finished it a few weeks ago,
the style, the music, and everything about it was perfect.
Sometimes the camera and sei-an-city gave me a headache
on my big screen, but it definetly is a great game.

Zelda Wind Waker,
It`s so amazing to ride around a huge world and land anywhere with
no loading screens, and the art style is really cool. The only
things I didn`t like were it was too short and kind of easy.

Metroid Series,
I have the first for GC but am still stuck on one of the last places with all the space pirates.
I just got Metroid Prime Hunters for the D.S, and its almost perfect, aside from the
lack of a strong story-which I guess is expected from these games lol-Hunters has
great graphics and one of the best games I`ve played for D.S. It makes me want to get
more games in the series

Zelda Twilight Princess,
the whole world is detailed and beautiful

Kirby games,
they can be the coolest games withought looking manly lol.

Any Final Fantasy game,
They Have brilliant stories, music, are captivating
and have characters and moments you don`t forget.

 

[Cease Tick]

I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into Okami. I didn't get drawn into it like everyone else, and I just found the gameplay to be boring. It's probably because I just don't like the genre, for example I only beat like two temples in Twilight Princess <_<.

I totally agree with everyone about the Metroid series though.

 

[OutlawStar]

I guess people have different tastes, but as long as you respect Kirby I don`t hate you lol.

 

[Scott!]

Oh, and while I know next to nothing about this game, seeing this box art did something that no box art has ever done for me; it made me want to play the game. I've never judged a game by the box art; it's generally not too exciting, and that isn't remotely a factor in whether I'd play it. But this one worked.

Also, that's the foreign art. The US art is far less inspiring.

 

[Man of Popsicle]

Paper Mario: TTYD

 

[Cease Tick]

Oh, and while I know next to nothing about this game, seeing this box art did something that no box art has ever done for me; it made me want to play the game. I've never judged a game by the box art; it's generally not too exciting, and that isn't remotely a factor in whether I'd play it. But this one worked.

Also, that's the foreign art. The US art is far less inspiring.

Funny that you mention Ico in this thread; I've heard that Shadow of the Colossus was actually its prequel.

 

[1UPChris]

Mario Paint. =3

Most of the Kirby games were artistic with the creativity HAL put into them.

@MoP: TTYD was especially artistic. All the different badge equipping combos, whether you spec in HP, FP, or BP, the story line, the game mechanics...That game will always be one of my favorites.

Super Mario Sunshine was also artistic. It had teh paintbrush in thar.

 

[Red Arremer]

Funny that you mention Ico in this thread; I've heard that Shadow of the Colossus was actually its prequel.

Ico has been released before SotC. lol. So it's Ico's spiritual sequel.

 

[finalark]

Also, that's the foreign art.

Ico... I only played a little bit of that game and I was blown away. It's a shame that the US boxart sucked. The Japanese box art though... that really gives you the sense of desperate isolation that the game is built on.

 

[Scott!]

Yeah, I just read the Wikipedia article on Ico, and it sounds awesome. They literally describe the game repeatedly in the article as a work of art rather than a game. So that's awesome. The architecture just in the picture is really beautiful. It's very evocative of something, not quite fantasy, but I don't really know a better word off the top of my head.

 

[finalark]

The architecture just in the picture is really beautiful. It's very evocative of something, not quite fantasy, but I don't really know a better word off the top of my head.

I've seen a few paintings in a museum that are similar to the box art. I wish I remembered the artist's name. I wouldn't be surprised if the art is based of his/her work.

 

[Red Arremer]

I've seen a few paintings in a museum that are similar to the box art. I wish I remembered the artist's name. I wouldn't be surprised if the art is based of his/her work.

Perhaps you mean artists like Salvador Dali?
http://www.arts-wallpapers.com/mode...li_wallpapers/04/salvador_dali_wallart800.jpg

Or M. C. Escher?
http://www.globalgallery.com/prod_images/esc-e6.jpg

Ico, as far as I know, plays a lot into surrealism, too.

 

[finalark]

Perhaps you mean artists like Salvador Dali?
http://www.arts-wallpapers.com/mode...li_wallpapers/04/salvador_dali_wallart800.jpg

Or M. C. Escher?
http://www.globalgallery.com/prod_images/esc-e6.jpg

Ico, as far as I know, plays a lot into surrealism, too.

No, no. Not Dali or Escher. What I mean to say is that that the Japanese Ico box art looks like something he would paint. Same style, color choice, everything. I just can't remember his name...

 

[Scott!]

Perhaps you mean artists like Salvador Dali?
http://www.arts-wallpapers.com/mode...li_wallpapers/04/salvador_dali_wallart800.jpg

Or M. C. Escher?
http://www.globalgallery.com/prod_images/esc-e6.jpg

Ico, as far as I know, plays a lot into surrealism, too.

Funnily enough, the only artists whose work can be found on the walls of my dorm room are Escher, who I love with most of the part of my heart dedicated to art, and Dali, who gets a big chunk of the rest. Whatever's left behind goes to Impressionists.

 

[Red Arremer]

Then we have a similar taste in art. Although I have no pictures of them on my walls, both Escher and Dali are my most favourite artists (at least as far as well known art goes, lol)

 

[Scott!]

Nice. My Escher art consists entirely of cheap prints bought t the beginning of the semester and pages from a couple 12-month Escher-themed calendars that I cut out and laminated. Cheap art for the win. The Dali is just Persistence of Memory, but what dorm room is complete without it?

 

[Jimnymebob]

The painting you are thinking of is this one:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/69/TheNostalgiaoftheInfinite.jpg

The Nostalgia of the Infinite by Giorgio de Chirico.

Ico is a truly beautiful game, even if we don't get along so well .

Another artistic game is Psychonauts; the writing and characters are great, as is it's sense of humour, but the uniqueness of each "world" is incredible. The worlds that truly stand out are Milkman Conspiracy (probably the most famous thing about the game), and Black Velvetopia.

 

[Skrah]

Never heard of Ico. Sounds pretty interesting. Man, I wish I had a PS2.

Also, what Outlaw said about loading times is true. Loading times kill it for me. The sense of immersion is gone when a loading time appears. Sometimes I forgive it, but most of the time I don't. That's why I didn't like TP that much artistically speaking.

 

[Jam Stunna]

I should infract everyone in this thread for not mentioning Beyond Good and Evil. The story, voice acting, music and game design come together in a way that can only be described as a work of art.

 

[Teran]

I should infract everyone in this thread for not mentioning Beyond Good and Evil. The story, voice acting, music and game design come together in a way that can only be described as a work of art.

I never even got round to playing that. :o

You should give me a 8950398502598645645 point infraction for that, I know I deserve it.

 

[OutlawStar]

Sorry, never heard about it.

 

[Scott!]

I should infract everyone in this thread for not mentioning Beyond Good and Evil. The story, voice acting, music and game design come together in a way that can only be described as a work of art.

Infract away; I've never heard anything about that game until I clicked the link. I think I'd heard the name, and Jade looked familiar, like I'd seen the game on a Top # Games of something or other, but that's it. Now I want that game too. SotC, Ico, BG&E, finishing Okami... This thread is giving me so much to look forward to once I have the time to play games again. Good thing I got that PS2 a while back. :D

 

[finalark]

I've never heard anything about that game until I clicked the link.

I don't blame you, it's a really obscure game. It makes me sad that I, a lover of the obscure, haven't played it yet (because I can't find it). I really want to though, it looks awesome.