Is this the first Smash to have impressive graphics?

[kazrisk]

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.

SSB4 sometimes doesn't look too impressive in the Pics of the Day, but when we finally saw some consistent battles with E3, and when I got the chance to play it at Best Buy, it looks sooo good when it's moving and with a camera angle that isn't super zoomed in like we see with the PotD and some of the trailers. But yeah Mario Kart 8 is like a Pixar movie, insane.

 

[Violenceman]

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?

I think it helps to picture graphics as an artistic tool. Like paint! "Good" graphics would be akin to high-quality, expensive acrylic paints, while "bad' graphics would be like, say, Crayola watercolors. There is an obvious quality difference between the two, but giving someone the best paints to work with does not guarantee the best looking painting. How good something looks depends on how the paint (or graphics) is applied, not just who's got the best stuff.

For instance, let's compare the SNES title Super Mario World to PlayStation's Tobal No. 1

Spoiler

vs.

Which game has the better graphics? Easy. Tobal No 1.

Which game is actually more visually appealing? Well, that might be up to personal preference here, but I don't think you will find the answer as unanimous.

 

[Morbi]

I suppose if these graphics are "impressive" then it is the first to have "impressive" graphics. But I am not impressed; I actually thought that Melee looked great when it launched.

 

[Oracle_Summon]

All of the games looked impressive when they launched, and that was because each of the games had the best graphical capabilities that Nintendo had to offer at the time.

 

[FlynnCL]

Melee looked just "alright"? No way, I remember that game looking absolutely beautiful when it came out; Fountain of Dreams blew my mind! The characters models themselves hold up pretty nice even today, sometimes even better than Brawl.

Brawl hasn't aged well, but at the time of release it looked pretty impressive.

Smash 64 looked really simplistic for its time, but it was the best choice to maintain a steady 60fps.

 

[TeaTwoTime]

Melee, Brawl and SSB4 look wonderful in motion, which is what matters most by far. The "flaws" in the games' graphics are barely noticeable unless the game has been paused and zoomed in on.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

I don't think any of the past titles looked that great honestly. Brawl was too muddy and gritty which didn't look good without HD resolution, Melee was just downright poor on the graphical front (Melee Samus vs Prime Samus, Melee Fox vs Adventures Fox, 1 year difference between both, characters generally looked like dolls even back then), and 64 was just what you'd expect.

I think this is the most impressive looking of the Smash titles in comparison to its generation for sure, but it's still not really a graphical wonder, the main reason it looks as pretty as it does is because of its charming artstyle. I do prefer a good artstyle over high quality graphics though, and it does still look good.

 

[kazrisk]

Melee, Brawl and SSB4 look wonderful in motion, which is what matters most by far. The "flaws" in the games' graphics are barely noticeable unless the game has been paused and zoomed in on.

Yeah sometimes when the pic of the day was posted I thought "ehhh, its cutting my eyes," but then when E3 released consistent gameplay in motion I never thought it looked anything less than beautiful.

 

[Vital Tundra]

64 and Melee looked great, especially Melee for 2001. Brawl, while being on a weak console, still doesn't excuse the fact that the game was very gritty looking, which now, comparing it with 4, looks terrible. Lets not forget while this game doesn't have the poly count ramped up to 11, or dynamic lighting and tessellation and what not, its still beautiful. The colors are more vibrant than ever, the characters and environments are better than before, especially the stages, it runs in 1080p. And most importantly, it runs at 60fps, which makes a game look, and feel better. So while not the first impressive looking Smash, its still impressive.

 

[R0Y]

Some individuals here are downplaying Melee for 2001...Yeah it was no Halo but it had better graphics than Luigi's Mansion. Maybe you're remembering the great, highly detailed animations of Luigi opening doors or the great lighting. Go back to both and see for yourself. Isn't Luigi's Mansion also 30 FPS? Melee was a solid 60.

 

[Sucumbio]

I came into the smash scene kinda "late" but Melee was the first game I saw and my immediate impression was that the "human" characters looked especially cheesy and the "cartoon" characters looked really good. Brawl changed that, for me. Marth in Melee vs Marth in Brawl should be obvious, I think. Brawl Marth looks a lot more realistic... as does Ike, Snake, etc. But Smash for WiiU is obviously miles beyond Brawl.

That said, all smash games do have one thing in common, which is really GOOD graphics in terms of stages. Even 64. Temple I used to think was beautiful. FoD was little... bright and busy, kinda noisy in terms of color, but it still was really impressive. And in Brawl I have to say that Halberd is one of my favorite to look at... Delfino too. With the new game, they all look incredible.

 

[kazrisk]

That said, all smash games do have one thing in common, which is really GOOD graphics in terms of stages. Even 64. Temple I used to think was beautiful. FoD was little... bright and busy, kinda noisy in terms of color, but it still was really impressive. And in Brawl I have to say that Halberd is one of my favorite to look at... Delfino too. With the new game, they all look incredible.

Final Destination in Smash 4 looks insane. I was blown away when they first showed that. Looking forward to see what classic stages they bring back and make HD. Hoping for a new iteration of Yoshi's Story with something out of Woolly World, maybe even with something where the yarn can be grabbed and untangled, or where platforms are only there sometimes until yarn fills them up.