Darkstalkers 3/Vampire Savior has some amazing sprite work as well. I love the expressive, cartoony way all the characters are animated in that. I rarely hear any appreciation for the stage sprites though, outside of Fetus of God (For obvious reasons lol), but they're really impressive as well and very atmospheric.
Arabian Fight is a SEGA developed arcade game that never got a home port. If it had gotten one, it would have a much bigger fan base, because this game is absolutely gorgeous.
An example of a sprite scaler on the same hardware that managed to get a fandom despite no home port, however, was the incredible Jurassic Park. It’s like an amusement park ride gone wild!
Honestly man, what in tarnation happened to Square?! ever since they stopped being Squaresoft ALL OF THIS STOPPED, think about it, it's baffling how deep they have fallen.
I know it’s a total cliché, but Donkey Kong Country as a series is one of the best reasons to either play on a CRT or play with a great CRT shader.
It’s a pre render, yes, but it’s still a sprite based on the render. And the choices for what colors are used where do so much to make the characters readable. It’s plasticky, but also natural looking. There’s nothing else like it.
Squaresoft’s developers used to be the gods of sprite art. There’s a genuine art to knowing when to add detail and when to not.
Certain HD - 2D games, not all, but certain ones look very blocky in a bad way. Like I’m staring at an unfinished Picross board. Older Square sprites have immaculate color use to make the right parts of characters and backgrounds pop.
I know it’s a total cliché, but Donkey Kong Country as a series is one of the best reasons to either play on a CRT or play with a great CRT shader.
It’s a pre render, yes, but it’s still a sprite based on the render. And the choices for what colors are used where do so much to make the characters readable. It’s plasticky, but also natural looking. There’s nothing else like it.
It's a trend that stopped and I'm so very glad. I get that it was an impressive way to spoof 3D graphics at the time but I don't think I've ever seen a game that uses this where I thought it looked good? It always felt to me like little kids dressing up in their parents' clothes and pretending to go to work or whatever.
It's a trend that stopped and I'm so very glad. I get that it was an impressive way to spoof 3D graphics at the time but I don't think I've ever seen a game that uses this where I thought it looked good? It always felt to me like little kids dressing up in their parents' clothes and pretending to go to work or whatever.
I’m a simple man. I see Shinobi 3 and (what I believe to be) Robocop VS Terminator and I click the like.
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I said I’d post Vampire Savior stuff, and I will begin to do so with arguably the biggest slam dunk of a weirdo character ever made: B.B. Hood/Bulletta.
Cute girl on the surface, total psychopath huntsman beneath. It’s the most effective use of the “man is the real monster” trope, and it did it all without talking. Her spritework speaks for itself, with ridiculous moves that blend the comedic with genuinely terrifying.
I’m not even talking about the move where she remembers her dead grandmother… purely to drown you in a pool of her own tears.
Given the context that the Darkstalkers are exiled from society and most are just trying to live peacefully, plus B.B. is actively shown to be hunting them down with contracts to collect a paycheck, the message comes across instantly and effectively. Plus, all of this is coming from a literal child. Makes you wonder what kind of hell the adults of the DarkStalkers universe can conjure.
I’m a simple man. I see Shinobi 3 and (what I believe to be) Robocop VS Terminator and I click the like.
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I said I’d post Vampire Savior stuff, and I will begin to do so with arguably the biggest slam dunk of a weirdo character ever made: B.B. Hood/Bulletta. View attachment 110367
Cute girl on the surface, total psychopath huntsman beneath. It’s the most effective use of the “man is the real monster” trope, and it did it all without talking. Her spritework speaks for itself, with ridiculous moves that blend the comedic with genuinely terrifying. View attachment 110370
I’m not even talking about the move where she remembers her dead grandmother… purely to drown you in a pool of her own tears.View attachment 110368
Given the context that the Darkstalkers are exiled from society and most are just trying to live peacefully, plus B.B. is actively shown to be hunting them down with contracts to collect a paycheck, the message comes across instantly and effectively. Plus, all of this is coming from a literal child. Makes you wonder what kind of hell the adults of the DarkStalkers universe can conjure.
I'd like to follow this up with a shout-out to my favorite Darkstalker; Lord Raptor/Zabel Zarock
One of the most unique designs and concepts for a fighting game character ever created; an Australian zombie rocker who sacrificed himself and 100 of his fans at his final gig in a bid to gain power from Ozom, who instead brought him back to life as a zombie and tasked him with becoming his servant and hunting the other Darkstalkers.
As it turns out though, Raptor didn't want any of that and instead wanted to take Ozom's spot for himself.
I really like how despite being one of the most inhuman in appearance compared to the other characters, he's actually one of the only ones who's truly still in touch with his own humanity (Or former humanity), similar to Jon Talbain/Gallon and Hsien-Ko/Lei-Lei (Who he also has a massive crush on). Plus; my man can fucking ball too
RayForce is a true beauty among sprite scaling shmups. Starting around 4:00 into this video, the second level is an absolutely fantastic showcase of all that. The space battle above the corrupted Earth is one of the best examples of depth in a shooter EVER. Yes, even including ones made with 3D models. It’s gorgeous.
I love the use of color on so many sprites by Capcom. Bold color usage and strong light and shadow contrast make for some truly incredible looking animations.
Wow Neon Inferno looks gorgeous! Adding to my wishlist. Thanks @Turbo Kid!
I always felt The Misadventures of Flink from the legendary Psygnosis has some of the best sprite work for a Genesis/Megadrive game.
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RageBurner
