Is this the first Smash to have impressive graphics?

[RedFly]

Smash 64 looked like every other Nintendo 64 game.
Melee looked just sort of, "Alright". Luigi's Mansion looked better really. And that was a Launch Title!
Brawl looked "Alright" too. Sure it was a bit more detailed but it was still just nothing too special.
This game's graphics seem to always be brought up as it blew everyone away with focusing on Primary Colors more.

 

[Cap'nChreest]

Smash bros has always had the best graphics on the console imo.

 

[LoboRundas]

Not at all, since Melee they have looked great and have pushed the machines' boundaries to its limits with all that can appear in screen. Though it's true Brawl seems really dull now, due to the focus in realistic vs the more colorful approach of Smash 4.

 

[Yosher]

In all honesty, I really, really wonder why you think the previous games only looked ''alright''. They all looked very good to me. Different graphical art styles does not mean one is impressive and the other isn't. SSB64 looked alright for its time and with it being a relatively low-budget title back then, Melee looked great, Brawl looked great, and now SSB4 on both 3DS and Wii U look great.

 

[Farrac]

First of all, this topic heavily focuses on impressions and that is truly difficult to recall and compare.

But in my opinion, I would say Brawl looked really impressive for a Wii game

 

[RascalTheCharizard]

In regards to character models at least, the first was either this, or Brawl. Smash 64's fighters looked even more polygonal than most N64 games (DK in particular is an absolute eyesore). Melee's characters look like garbage and are highly glossy too (compare Yoshi and Mario to how they look in Sunshine). Brawl was a step in the right direcrion and everything from the characters to the stages to even the menus finally looked "good". Still, the Wii was capable of more. I don't think graphics have always been a priority for Sakurai in the past, but Smash 4 looks like a new precedent.

 

[Deleted member 245254]

I honestly found Brawl's color scheme to be a bit dull. Smash 4 looks great and I definitely appreciate the use of more vibrant colors...but graphics and color vibrancy are two different areas.

You can't say the graphics look good because of the colors...

 

[Superyoshiom]

There are a lot of blurry textures and jaggies in this game. Fortunately, this game still looks good because it runs at 60fps.

 

[Khao]

The 64 Smash was kind of on the bad side, even for N64 standards. Compare the models of characters like Mario and Link, to how they looked in their respective games (Super Mario 64 and OoT in this case) and they're miles behind, they're a lot less detailed and more polygonal, and that's pretty weird, as fighting games, being more simple than 3D adventures with relatively open worlds, usually can go all the way when it comes to graphics.

Then came Melee. As an early Gamecube title, Melee's graphics were almost mindblowing, it held up pretty well even late into it's lifetime, sure you might not think the same now that you've seen today's graphics, but back then? Characters looked like they were perfectly rounded, with all the detail they'd ever need to have. It was hard to imagine how graphics could get any better than that.

Brawl pushed it further, lots of people now say it doesn't look better, and I don't know if it's superior from a technical perspective, but it certainly looked far more impressive than Melee did on what was then though to be hardware with the exact same limits as the Gamecube, just look at the reveal trailer when they show the characters changing, the jump was huge. Looking at games on other consoles and the PC, it's graphics were basically nothing, but as a Wii game, it looked pretty darn good.

You can't say the graphics look good because of the colors...

Yes, you can.

I honestly always disagreed with the whole deal about graphics refering only to the technical standpoint. (because that's actually not what it means, the word has existed long before video games were a thing.)

If a game looks good, it has good graphics.

If game A looks better than game B, then game A has better graphics than game B.

 

[NoiseHERO]

The 64 Smash was kind of on the bad side, even for N64 standards. Compare the models of characters like Mario and Link, to how they looked in their respective games (Super Mario 64 and OoT in this case) and they're miles behind, they're a lot less detailed and more polygonal, and that's pretty weird, as fighting games, being more simple than 3D adventures with relatively open worlds, usually can go all the way when it comes to graphics.

Then came Melee. As an early Gamecube title, Melee's graphics were almost mindblowing, it held up pretty well even late into it's lifetime, sure you might not think the same now that you've seen today's graphics, but back then? Characters looked like they were perfectly rounded, it was hard to imagine how graphics could get any better than that.

Brawl pushed it further, it looked far more impressive than Melee did on what was then though to be hardware with the exact same limits as the Gamecube. Looking at games on other consoles and the PC, it's graphics were basically nothing, but as a Wii game, it looked pretty darn good.

Pretty much what I'm thinking AT LEAST in terms of Nintendo consoles.

64 it makes sense that it was visually weak since the series didn't go into Justin Bieber famous mode until melee, thanks to 64's reception I guess.

But after getting up there with the major Nintendo series (Major Mario games, Major Zelda games, Mario Kart, Metroid, etc) It got that treatment Nintendo gives their games that shows they definitely know how to develop and polish on their own console pushing it even early into the consoles life better than anyone else.

 

[The Drilling Juggernaut]

Melee as just "alright?"

 

[Ryuutakeshi]

Melee was impressive when I first saw it. Brawl was impressive when I first saw it. And Smash 4 is impressive. Technology just keeps moving on.

 

[AncientArk]

Go back in time the the launch of the gamecube and Smash bros Melee.

Melee looks amazing for its time and made use of what the Gamecube offered.
Those character models in particular are so amazing.

 

[RedFly]

I don't mean in the console's standers, I mean in that generation's standers. About 80% of all my PS2 games look better than Melee, All of my 360 games look better than Brawl. But like i said, It's still not bad. It's just, Alright.

 

[Ryan.]

I was impressed with Brawl's graphics, but Smash Bros. for Wii U clearly has the best.

 

[NoiseHERO]

I don't mean in the console's standers, I mean in that generation's standers. About 80% of all my PS2 games look better than Melee, All of my 360 games look better than Brawl. But like i said, It's still not bad. It's just, Alright.

which ps2 games? casue cubes graphics are around same level of ps2 @_@

xbox 360 compared to wii U is another story of course.

and then going on comparison to rival consoles, and not compared to predecessors then I think it's both was Wii AND WiiU smash that just looks "okay" and melee looking best compared to rival console game's graphics.

 

[RedFly]

which ps2 games? casue cubes graphics are around same level of ps2 @_@

Let's compare an early game in that generation when it released for all 3 consoles.
Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of Cortex
PS2
Xbox 360
Gamecube

But we are getting off-topic.

 

[NoiseHERO]

Let's compare an early game in that generation when it released for all 3 consoles.
Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of Cortex
PS2
Xbox 360
Gamecube

But we are getting off-topic.

I thought you meant melee compared to "most" other games on other consoles. <_>

 

[Halfhead]

64 looked like an average 64 game, I agree. Brawl was very nice looking, but at the time the two other main consoles were already HD, so I agree that Brawl wasn't very impressive.

Melee, on the other hand really pushed the boundaries of what was possible in 2001. I mean, that opening cinematic still looks amazing.

 

[Chocobo Link]

I think Smash 64 didn't look as good as, say, Ocarina of Time, and looked polygonal like others before me said.

Melee is a different story. For it's time, it was pretty good and my child mind was blown away when I saw the opening cinematic.

Brawl seemed more "gritty" (I don't know why) compared to the other titles, but I still enjoyed it, come at me.

And like others before me said, Smash 4 looks a lot more colorful and I'm ready to welcome this with open arms.

 

[alex6309]

Brawl still looks good when you don't count some of the fugly looking faces for the more realistic humans.

Melee looks good but good god do a few of the characters look like complete garbage. Anyone else agree that Bowser and Yoshi were bad looking in Melee? I think I was elated to find out that Brawl had fixed Bowser and Yoshi's design to look more like their normal designs.

 

[Andrex]

Melee is dated but Brawl still holds up. Mario's overalls still look better to me in Brawl than Sm4sh.

Bridge of Eldin in Dolphin... whooo, lord.

 

[HeavyLobster]

Smash 64's graphics were subpar, Melee's were really good for an early Gamecube game, and Brawl was one of the better looking Wii games. Melee might not look as good as some late PS2 games, and any Wii game will look worse than a decent 360 game, but both Melee and Brawl looked good for their respective consoles at the time of their release, mainly because they were treated as AAA titles while Smash 64 was treated as a smaller experimental game.

 

[ChibiIceClimberz]

I don't think so. SSB4's graphics are very inconsistent. At times, some still look like they're using Wii assets, while others look like they've been designed from the ground up on the Wii U. In other words, you look at Peach and Skyloft, and they still look like they came from the Wii. But you look at Final Destination and Greninja's Substitute, and they look really impressive. I'd say Melee has the most impressive graphics for a 2001 game, and it runs at a solid 60 FPS.

Yes, you can.

I honestly always disagreed with the whole deal about graphics refering only to the technical standpoint. (because that's actually not what it means, the word has existed long before video games were a thing.)

If a game looks good, it has good graphics.

If game A looks better than game B, then game A has better graphics than game B.

That's not true.

If we're talking about video games, the term "graphics" or "computer graphics" are only to be discussed at a technical standpoint, and there's a big misconception in the gaming industry that graphics can be judged on how a game looks, which is not true. The term we generally use for that is now called "visuals." I think that Super Mario Sunshine looks visually pretty, but it isn't graphically great at all considering the platform it's on.

Let's compare an early game in that generation when it released for all 3 consoles.
Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of Cortex
PS2
Xbox 360
Gamecube

But we are getting off-topic.

You cannot compare most multiplatform games as an indicator of how powerful a console is. For example, the PS3 is a more powerful machine than the Xbox 360, but games like Skyrim and Bayonetta run better on the Xbox 360 since it's easier to program on said machine. Oh, and the power of the sixth generation consoles goes like this: Xbox > GameCube > PS2. It seems that there are some people out there that still think that PS2 is the most powerful system of that generation.

 

[Khao]

That's not true.

If we're talking about video games, the term "graphics" or "computer graphics" are only to be discussed at a technical standpoint, and there's a big misconception in the gaming industry that graphics can be judged on how a game looks, which is not true. The term we generally use for that is now called "visuals." I think that Super Mario Sunshine looks visually pretty, but it isn't graphically great at all considering the platform it's on.

What exactly are good graphics, then? What makes a game have better graphics than others? Using more fancy technices? Being closer to what they want to represent? Asking more horsepower from the machine that's rendering them? Using the available resources in a way that thanks to a good sense of design leads to a game having better overall visuals?

Or hey, which game has better graphics? The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, or Chrono Trigger? They're both 2D images placed on 2D backgrounds in a specific order so that a sense of depth is created, does that mean they have the "same" graphics? It really seems like an absolutely worthless word if that's the case, as they both look completely different.

 

[yahooda]

In regards to character models at least, the first was either this, or Brawl. Smash 64's fighters looked even more polygonal than most N64 games (DK in particular is an absolute eyesore). Melee's characters look like garbage and are highly glossy too (compare Yoshi and Mario to how they look in Sunshine). Brawl was a step in the right direcrion and everything from the characters to the stages to even the menus finally looked "good". Still, the Wii was capable of more. I don't think graphics have always been a priority for Sakurai in the past, but Smash 4 looks like a new precedent.

The Wii was capable of higher resolution textures and higher polygon-counts than what were in Brawl, but it probably wouldn't have ran at 60 fps if they had used those capabilities.

 

[Xigger]

There are a lot of blurry textures and jaggies in this game. Fortunately, this game still looks good because it runs at 60fps.

Let's hope Sakurai Namco Bandai learns how to use LevelOfDetail models so our screenshots can look better without impacting gameplay.

 

[GeNo-BreaKer]

That moment in Melee when you look at Mario's overalls.

 

[Celestis]

Melee had great graphics fr the generation. Im not sure why you would only think they are alright. They were awesome. And that opening cinematic...

Brawl had excellent Graphics for the Wii, but as a generations stand point, they were lack luster. But they still looked great.

The only smash game to have poor graphics was 64, and thats just cause it was such a low budget game at the time.

Just like the others, Smash 4 looks to be great visually.

 

[Hokori]

Just like with other games, my opinion changes as time goes on and as technology advances. Now, when I look back at older games (older Smash games included), it's natural for me to look down on the graphics a little simply because I'm comparing their graphics with the graphics of what I'm used to now.

But with each Smash game, I've liked their graphics and the change in art style. So Smash 4 wouldn't be the first to impress me.

 

[smashbro29]

64 looked kinda ****ty.

Melee looked amazing for the time.

Brawl looked like Melee with dirt.

4 looks really good.

 

[Pazzo.]

*Laughs*

I remember marveling at the N64's graphics, thinking it was the greatest thing ever.

 

[edde]

Smash bros has always had the best graphics on the console imo.

+1

 

[Niala]

Ehh, I remember when Brawl first came out and people were fawning over the graphics. Smash4 took a very different approach, with a more colourful, vibrant art style, but the more toned down approach they used in Brawl was considered the bee's knees at the time of it's release/development. I think this question is more a matter of graphics continually improving over time and previous installments appearing dull in comparison.

 

[kazrisk]

Watching Smash 4 1v1s on Clash Tournament's Youtube channel was amazing, it looked so good after watching so much Melee at MLG. Can't wait to watch tournaments of Smash 4 where its beautiful HD colorful fighting.

 

[ChikoLad]

Smash 64 looks terrible, if in a somewhat charming way. It was a low budget title though.

Melee was pretty awesome for the time, but as someone who didn't play it when it came out, it's definitely dated.

Brawl is still a beautiful looking game, and it's environments are gorgeous, even in the Subspace Emissary. However, the more realistic character models are showing their age, as are the Subspace Emissary cutscenes (which actually look terrible in places, even for their time - they never were that impressive. I suppose the CGI in Sonic games might have spoiled me, though. I honestly think the Melee opening looks better than the SSE cutscenes, sometimes).

Smash 4 looks amazing to me. It's not the most technically impressive game on the Wii U, but the art direction is bloody amazing, and the attention to detail in the animation and everything is amazing. Some characters look better than others though, and clearly have more effort than others (for example, Rosalina is by far the most impressively animated character in the game, since she's animated in a very particular and effective way, though I won't go into detail yet). But yeah, I just love how it looks.

 

[DakotaBonez]

Thee N64 models were so bad, at least when ya compared how they looked in smash to how they looked in their own games. The pointy buttons painted onto Mario's overalls still annoy me, especially because they are on this website's banner so I gotta look at them everyday. Maybe they couldn't make such detailed models because it would cause the game to run slower. Or maybe they didn't have enough time or the budget because it was the first game in the series. But my TV was small and blurry and I was 5 so I didn't give a sh$#.

Brawl's graphics were pretty impressive considering it was made with the same graphical limits as Melee. Melee could have looked as good as Brawl maybe if they didn't have such a short deadline to make the game, also it was developed before the console was even on the market so the tech was still new. I really like Brawl's gritty look, like twilight princess, it was held back by the wii's gamecube tech but the textures had lots of detail.

Smash 4's graphics seem impressive now, but seeing as how this game is being made early in the console's life, it's not even close to what the system can achieve. The graphics seem even with soul calibur 2, which goes to show that I don't know sh$# about graphics. But seeing as how the game is supposed to look cartoony and it doesn't use motion capture and the cameras zoomed out most the time and action is happening too fast to see, yeah its great.

Here's a comparison of Link in soul cal vs link in smash 4. I like how battkefields terrain pops out as opposed to being a flat surface. I tried to find similar poses...

 

[Downdraft]

Smash bros has always had the best graphics on the console imo.

I respectfully disagree. I think Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution series are a few titles that are on par with if not better than Brawl's graphics.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

I'd argue that Smash has never been a truly impressive game, graphics-wise. It's never been the prettiest game on its console.

Melee's graphics weren't all that great for its time. Compare it to near-contemporary games on the same console, such as Star Fox Adventures and Super Mario Sunshine, and it doesn't look nearly as impressive. This being said, Melee was intended as a way to demonstrate the GameCube's power, so naturally, it had a lot put into it to make it visually impressive. That opening cinematic is still great, and looked fantastic at the time.

It is pretty impressive how Brawl managed to distinguish itself so much from Melee, graphically, despite the Wii's small advancement past the GameCube's capabilities. Most of the game's graphical shortcomings were masked by painted-on textures, of course, but it still goes to show the ingenuity of the graphics team, making due with what they had. But for the generation, it was graphically unimpressive.

Even SSB4 looks to be pretty standard for its generation. It definitely doesn't look as good as Mario Kart 8, let alone most of the AAA titles on Xbox/PS4/PC. Still, the soft, colorful renders are extremely charming.

 

[R0Y]

Smash 64 looked like every other Nintendo 64 game.
Melee looked just sort of, "Alright". Luigi's Mansion looked better really. And that was a Launch Title!
Brawl looked "Alright" too. Sure it was a bit more detailed but it was still just nothing too special.
This game's graphics seem to always be brought up as it blew everyone away with focusing on Primary Colors more.

Melee only came out a couple months later (in Japan) and a couple weeks later in North America. Still looked better than Luigi's Mansion imo.