Visual games
Visual aesthetics in games is something that i have always found interesting. When i see a game with a unique look, i always want to play it. This has lead me to some really great experiences, but also some really bad ones. I feel the same about film. If the movie has an interesting look, say, Sin City, or A Scanner Darkly – i instantly know that i must watch the movie.
I’m not sure what it is that triggers this feeling in me. But i suspect that its not only because it makes the game/movie stand out compared to all the rest, but also the fact that it clearly shows that the designer/director has a distinct vision. I guess it is this vision that intrigues me. I love artists who dare to be different. Sometimes they miss and what they end up producing is not worth my time, but at least they managed to get me to notice whatever they where doing, and considering the vast amount of media bombardment these days that’s a feat in and off itself.
This last year provided me with one unique game experience which really triggered my aesthetic fancy. Mirrors Edge with its incredibly strong visual design, but also gameplay and audio design to match, is something that i look back at fondly. The game itself was….okay. The free roaming puzzles where awesome, however when everything was put on a time limit, and you had to beat your way through hordes of cops with a broken combat system, the game became very frustrating. But the haunting imagery of the white city, and the tremendous long jumps you had to make, still haunt me in my dreams.
I have recently gone back to the game, and even though i am suffering the same frustrations as last time around, i am still loving the visual style. It’s simple, and beautiful because of it.
If you haven’t played this game, i strongly suggest that you take a look at it, perhaps you will get as captured by its haunting beauty as i was. But please, try to ignore the broken combat system, because that truly sucks.
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[...] another on of the games nice features. The game lets you play it as is, or it lets you add your own visual style to it. So even though Hero Quest has its faults, i hope to be able to play it once more sometime. [...]
The visual flair does seem comparatively rare in games, too. There’s the swathe of generic ‘realistic’ or ‘gritty’ games, and then the odd anomaly. I think that Borderlands, though I haven’t played it, is another of these. Mirror’s Edge was visually different, but I’m sure I’d classify it as having been terrifically interesting… I thought the spare use of colour was nice, but the city itself felt quite bland, a bit like a SketchUp model rather than a real place…
I feel that Mirrors Edge really did well with its minimalistic visual design. The clean lines, and the blandness of the city. I admit that it is hard to remember one level from the next in the game – the city does look very similar. But i wonder if that wasn’t a point in itself? I mean, the game can be interpreted as a rebellion against capitalism and corporate thinking?
As for Borderlands i can only say that i didn’t want to make this post too long, and that’s the only reason why i didn’t add that to the post. I think that it has a very distinct visual style. The cell shading really provides a unique look to the game. However i do feel that in Mirrors Edge the visual style has an impact on the gameplay itself (follow the red, estimate distance by looking at building color etc.), where in Borderlands its more about adding a mood and a feeling to the entire setting. But i can only recommend that you get Borderlands. Its quite good.