There's an aesthetic for every occasion. Though it goes without saying that "artistic" ages better than "realistic".
Poll: Artistic vs Realistic graphic?
- Thread starter FakeSympathy
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As other people have said, you should have used "Stylized" instead of "Artistic" since artistic doesn't preclude Realism.
I prefer stylized graphics to realism, simply because I've yet to see a realistic game that ages well. Stylized graphics age much better (Wind Waker is a wonderful example, still good looking more than ten years after it was released). Also, Stylization can be used to enhance the personalities of the characters and the mood of the world around you in a way that realism doesn't. If I look at a picture of, say, Garrus from Mass Effect, I might get some aspects of his personality. If I look at a picture of Link, however, I can infer a lot more about his personality because stylization often requires that the characters wear their personality on their sleeves.
Still, realism has its place (I think the Retrofuturism-filtered-through-Realism works better in Mass Effect, for instance), I'm not bashing it and I definitely think there is (and should be) room for multiple art styles in gaming.
I prefer stylized graphics to realism, simply because I've yet to see a realistic game that ages well. Stylized graphics age much better (Wind Waker is a wonderful example, still good looking more than ten years after it was released). Also, Stylization can be used to enhance the personalities of the characters and the mood of the world around you in a way that realism doesn't. If I look at a picture of, say, Garrus from Mass Effect, I might get some aspects of his personality. If I look at a picture of Link, however, I can infer a lot more about his personality because stylization often requires that the characters wear their personality on their sleeves.
Still, realism has its place (I think the Retrofuturism-filtered-through-Realism works better in Mass Effect, for instance), I'm not bashing it and I definitely think there is (and should be) room for multiple art styles in gaming.
I'm one of the odd ones out as well. As much as I appreciate a strong art style over 32K textures, I prefer a more serious and realistic aesthetic over something that is more stylized.
Even the somewhat dated Metro 2033 just looks better than TF2 I think.
Even the somewhat dated Metro 2033 just looks better than TF2 I think.
I think it's possible to make realistic looking games that are both immersive and aesthetically pleasing on an artistic level. Crysis, for example, combines technical fidelity with color and beauty.
If I had to choose, I'd go with artistic. Realistic graphics tend to get outdated real fast. I remember being enthralled at PS2 graphics but now I can barely go back to them after playing on the PS3 for so long. For example, Rainbow Six 3 looks and plays terrible after playing Vegas. Games like Socom or Star Wars Battlefront are still fun to play for some reason.