So, Yasuhara...

[chriscaffee]

Yeah, I've hit targets before without leading as well, but across Blood Gulch or Sidewinder, it's necessary.

[Double-S-]

Action RPGs? Like what?

Wow, an oxymoron!!

No, a sub-genre.

[Neo Yi]

Wait, there's a time limit in Musashi?! Damn, and I was considering buying it...
~Neo

[Zeta]

There's no time limit perse in Musashi, but the game keeps track of a day/night cycle that moves really fast, and a couple of missions and quests are dependent on fulfilling the criteria within a certain amount of days.

Sort of like the Big Goron Sword quest in Ocarina of Time.

[Psxphile]

I liked the time system, day/night cycle. What bothered me was the way Musashi would get drowsy and sluggish every couple of in-game hours if you didn't force him into sleep mode. That can be a real pain in the longer dungeon areas. The Mint ability helped alleviate the problem, but that plant isn't always around when you need one.

[Baba O'Reily]

There's no time limit perse in Musashi, but the game keeps track of a day/night cycle that moves really fast, and a couple of missions and quests are dependent on fulfilling the criteria within a certain amount of days.

Sort of like the Big Goron Sword quest in Ocarina of Time.

Or like the volcano from Ninja Gaiden, but with less death and explicitives.

[Neo Yi]

There's no time limit perse in Musashi, but the game keeps track of a day/night cycle that moves really fast, and a couple of missions and quests are dependent on fulfilling the criteria within a certain amount of days.

Hesitation has reached my body now.
~Neo

[Double-S-]

Man, platform jumping in Ninja Gaiden was worse than all the enemies put together.

[Neo Yi]

Even with that said, I still am looking forward to Samurai Legend Musashi. I don't care what anyone said, I happen to like cel shading.
~Neo

[Light Speed]

So do I, except for in a lot of situations it's 'the easy way out'. That's when it pisses me off.

[Neo Yi]

I always thought cel shading in video games was much harder to do then 3D polygonals.

But you're right, if they do use it as an easy way out, it is kinda annoying. There are some cel shading that I'm not impressed by, but most have captivated me.
~Neo

[Light Speed]

Well for one, you should obviously be able to see how much easier texturing is. The games that I actually liked cel-shading in, that I played anyway, were Wind Waker, Viewtiful Joe, and XIII. Once Nintendo sorta made it 'unshunned' if you will, then people just started using it for the hell of it. It's kind of died down as of late though.

[Neo Yi]

I noticed the "died down" part. Easier to texture, eh? Forgive me, I know nothing about computer art developments or whatever. I'm still a rookie at Photoshop when I've had that thing for years!

I absolutely loved Wind Waker and VJ's cel shades, especially the former, truly unique.
~Neo

[Esrever]

I still think I was most impressed by Jet Set Radio Future, though Viewtiful Joe and Windwaker worked as well.

I think a lot of the time the problem with cell shading is that it really calls attention to how low the character poly counts are. Often, when the developers are actually trying to replicate the more rounded, hand drawn look of Saturday morning cartoons, it only makes everything look even more squared-off and angular.

So really, it's no surprise that the best looking cell shaded games are the ones that embrace a more geometric and hard-edged style, like Jet Set or Viewtiful. Meanwhile, the games that have the most convincing-looking rounded cartoony characters are titles like Jak 3, or cell-shaded games that ditch the outlines, like Wind Waker.

[CM August]

I was wowed by the cell-shading in Tales of Symphonia, myself; moreso than the other two cell-shaded games I have, Viewtiful Joe and Wind Waker. I guess it's just as well i've got good examples of the style.

[Green Gibbon!]

It isn't really cel-shading in Symphonia, though. There's a kind of dark outline around the characters, but they still have normal textures and gradation. It's the same style used in Dark Chronicle and I think Klonoa 2.

[CM August]

I stand corrected. Still, it sure gave the game a 2D cartoon effect. Different method from cel-shading, same objective. I dunno if it would work as well for other franchises, but it made ToS look beautiful.

[Baba O'Reily]

ZeLdA MoOrEe LiEk CeLdA!!!1!111!!
m i rite? m i rite?

[Dache]

u r rite

[Double-S-]

Jet Grind Radio was the best.

[Neo Yi]

So really, it's no surprise that the best looking cell shaded games are the ones that embrace a more geometric and hard-edged style, like Jet Set or Viewtiful. Meanwhile, the games that have the most convincing-looking rounded cartoony characters are titles like Jak 3, or cell-shaded games that ditch the outlines, like Wind Waker.

Which is one of those reasons why I was "wowed" by the Jak games and just how smooth it was. I think character designed helps. Bob Rafei quickly became one of my favorite artist. Now if only the main art director of Insomaic could draw as good...
~Neo

[Tsuyoshi-kun]

Yeah, Ratchet and Clank, as well as Spyro, have some really shitty character designs. It's like a cheap knockoff of Rare's.

[Neo Yi]

It's not so much as the character designs as it's the art style I can't stand in Insomanic artwork. Their character's face has retarded round large eyes and wide ass grins on their face like some muppet gone wrong. A good example would be Ratchet himself and that Hunter guy from the Spyro games (which also has a pretty bad character design and generally annoying).
~Neo

[Zeta]

Yeah, the Insomiac characters are ugly. They don't look like animals or creatures, they look like vauge geometic shapes like circles and squares glued together.

The only good characters they've ever had, in terms of looks? Spyro and Clank. Everything else is grotesque.

They've got some amazing background and level design art, though.

[Ngangbius]

Yeah, the Insomiac characters are ugly. They don't look like animals or creatures, they look like vauge geometic shapes like circles and squares glued together.

This seems to be a slight improvement, IMHO.