Older games that aged well. (strictly talking about graphics)

[Ando85]

I notice the 3 Resident Evil titles on Gamecube looked outstanding, and still do to this day. Better than a lot of PS2 titles. Zero, Re1 Remake, and RE4. I played the RE4 hd version that just came out recently and I didn't see much improvement. I attribute that to the fact that the game always looked great even before an HD overhaul. Hard to improve on near perfection.

 

[Tyrant T100]

Oddworld Abe's Oddysee (1997) and Exoddus (1998)
Stronghold (2001)
Mostly due to them having a very nice 2D art style.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

When I think of ageless graphics, my mind goes to sylized graphics. Graphics that strive to be photo-realistic are inevitably going to be eclipsed by newer, more powerful hardware and software.

But then there are games like Okami, Zelda: Windwaker, Viewtiful Joe, and even current gen cel-shaded games like Prince of Persia (2008), and Marvel vs. Capcom 3. These games will hold their visual appeal for much longer than games that try to look more photo-realistically detailed.

And going back to the 2D era, sprite-based games like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will hold their visual fidelity longer, though I can't say exactly why. All I know is the characters in Chrono Trigger and Symphony of the Night are much more appealing than the field models for Final Fantasy VII. And then there are games like Braid and Limbo that intentionally go back to 2D sprites with today's tech and those look amazing as well.

So...yeah. I think that in terms of ageless graphics, 2D sprite modeling or stylized 3D are the way to go. There are some games like Red Dead Redemption and Assassin's Creed that wouldn't work without photo-realistic graphics, but overall I think I prefer the stylized ones.

 

[Wayneguard]

The fucking resident evil remake (and resident evil 0) on the gamecube. Good God. Evidently photorealism is timeless.

 

[Treblaine]

I notice the 3 Resident Evil titles on Gamecube looked outstanding, and still do to this day. Better than a lot of PS2 titles. Zero, Re1 Remake, and RE4. I played the RE4 hd version that just came out recently and I didn't see much improvement. I attribute that to the fact that the game always looked great even before an HD overhaul. Hard to improve on near perfection.

RE4 when it was made for gamecube was coded to make special use of the unique Gamecube hardware that could not really be ported to any other device. So the PS2 port had to drop a lot of graphical elements, especially the lighting and shading system plus a lot of detail. Same with the PC release.

So the HD re-release on PSN/XBLA is effectively using the PS2 version just upscaled to 720p.

Overall, that is a step down in quality.

Gamecube (and Wii) version was 480p with high level of fidelity and plenty of anti-aliasing means it scales up VERY well to 720p and 1080p without much blur or edge-jagging.

The Wii version of RE4 remains the definitive version (dolphin emulator is still too buggy).

 

[Ando85]

I notice the 3 Resident Evil titles on Gamecube looked outstanding, and still do to this day. Better than a lot of PS2 titles. Zero, Re1 Remake, and RE4. I played the RE4 hd version that just came out recently and I didn't see much improvement. I attribute that to the fact that the game always looked great even before an HD overhaul. Hard to improve on near perfection.

RE4 when it was made for gamecube was coded to make special use of the unique Gamecube hardware that could not really be ported to any other device. So the PS2 port had to drop a lot of graphical elements, especially the lighting and shading system plus a lot of detail. Same with the PC release.

So the HD re-release on PSN/XBLA is effectively using the PS2 version just upscaled to 720p.

Overall, that is a step down in quality.

Gamecube (and Wii) version was 480p with high level of fidelity and plenty of anti-aliasing means it scales up VERY well to 720p and 1080p without much blur or edge-jagging.

The Wii version of RE4 remains the definitive version (dolphin emulator is still too buggy).

Thanks I never knew that about the Gamecube version. I probably should look at the GC or Wii version next to the new HD version. Having played them years apart it is hard to see the difference. I always wondered why the PS2 version took a dive (although I never played that version.) So, what you said makes perfect sense.

 

[kyogen]

Ico (2001)
Beyond Good & Evil (2003)
SotC (2005)
Okami (2006)
The Witcher (2007)

 

[Uzi-Bazooka]

While the actual Doom games themselves haven't aged very well in terms of graphics - more laughable than anything else, but in a fun sort of way - some of the mods made using the same technology look really good. I noticed this today while playing the Skulltag Invasion maps, specifically - with only a couple extra textures and some slight re-buffing, the 16-bit graphics are actually really nice.

 

[Ando85]

While the actual Doom games themselves haven't aged very well in terms of graphics - more laughable than anything else, but in a fun sort of way - some of the mods made using the same technology look really good. I noticed this today while playing the Skulltag Invasion maps, specifically - with only a couple extra textures and some slight re-buffing, the 16-bit graphics are actually really nice.

Aye I have a blast playing Doom to this day. I think Doom's pixelated graphics give it a bit of a nostalgic charm.

 

[Atmos Duality]

You mean styling/aesthetics, not graphics, right?
Because graphics are the technical tools/potential. Style/Aesthetics is how graphics are used/applied.

Pointless semantics aside...
I find games with 2D-scaling/vector graphics (cell-shading) and appropriate mood/ambiance to be those that last the longest. Killer 7 has a very cool and memorable style to it that I haven't really seen elsewhere. Viewtiful Joe thrives on this sort of 2.5D presentation. Wind Waker, despite being near the top in terms of absolute tedium, has a wonderful artistic design to it.

Hard-geometric (non-vector) 3D games that rely on high-tech texturing don't look all that good or memorable when compared to their more-modern versions (Halo: CE looks absolutely bland compared to anything today, but it looked incredible back in 2002).
The only notable exception that comes to mind is Metroid Prime 1, but that's almost entirely due to its incredible atmospheric presentation; you become so engrossed in what the whole picture looks like that you don't stop to examine how bad each piece looks by today's standards.

Or Chrono Cross. It looks obviously blocky compared to any modern 3D graphics, but it has incredible styling, coloring and atmosphere that makes up for it (in comparison, a game like Megaman Legends looks awkward despite its narrative/character charms). It also helps that, like Metroid Prime, its musical score is distinct, and expertly tailored to each section of the game.

Sprite-based games deserve their own section, and it's actually difficult to explain why I find certain styles appealing over others. Not all "pixel art" is created equal.

 

[Michael Hirst]

Silent Hill 3, I think the graphics in the game still look top, it has some great details in it.

Legend of Zelda; Wind Waker, it looks and feels better on my 32 inch screen than Twilight princess ever will, Wind Waker is smooth in movement and very bright/vibrant with little lost despite being standard definition while Twilight Princess looks faded and washed out.

 

[Warr5718]

Okami! woot woot!

 

[baddude1337]

In my opinion, Chaos Theory is on par with some 360 games.

 

[StorytellingIsAMust]

Well, someone already mentioned Wind Waker, so I've got nothing.

 

[michiehoward]

Baldurs Gate, Jade Empire, KOTOR. Thought these are aging well.
Always and will always love SMW for snes, so colorful.

 

[SeeIn2D]

I noticed for example, to this day I really love the style of the Fire Emblem titles on GBA. A lot of these 16 bit games still look great. I do enjoy Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, yet I think the 3D polygonal characters look horrible compared to those in Fire Emblem and Fire Emblem Sacred Stones.

I'll have to agree with this. Partially because Fire Emblem 7 was my favorite handheld game of all time so I can't possibly bad mouth it in any way. But yeah the art style in those games was fantastic. I always loved it. Call of Duty 2 I feel has also aged quite well. That game came out in 2005 and you could probably make it look like CoD4 with a simple texture pack. The gameboy advanced Pokemon games have also aged pretty well.

 

[skywolfblue]

World of Warcraft has aged pretty well in my opinion. The slightly cartoony design works really well even today, without limiting the ability to make "cool" or "epic" looking things.
Not sure if it's cheating though, since it has gotten a few graphics upgrade since release, I just don't know where and how much. I think it's just a few spell effects and water.

World of Warcraft is kinda the perfect poster-child of how stylized cartoony graphics last better then realistic stuff. That game still looks awesome, when virtually every other game from back then looks like complete poop.

Homeworld 2 is a wonderful example of graphics aging perfectly. The game is around 8 years old and still looks like it was released yesterday. . .

this video (in engine footage starting at 4:00)

Aye, Homeworld2++

I love the ship designs in that game sooooo much!

 

[dessertmonkeyjk]

Nobody has mention this yet? Shame on you.

[http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8009/soulreaverwidescreendre.jpg]

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver on the Dreamcast with improved textures. The widescreen was tweaked in there just for show really.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Half-Life 2 was made in 2004, and looks like it came out today.