Photo-realistic & Stylistic visual in the next generation

There's no doubt that both photo-realistic (e.g. Crysis) and stylistic (e.g. Okami) oriented visuals designs have their places in video game culture...but after reading this short "Anyone can do photorealism..." article detailing an interview with Half-Life 2 designer Viktor Antonov I started wondering...

What is your visual design preference for games in the future and why?

i like variety.

sometimes i like photo realistic graphics in a racing game like F1 2011 or GTR perhaps and sometimes i like the more stylised graphics in games like... well games that use stylistic graphics and sometimes i just like cheese

both are great in their own context.

Both. I can't wait to see what's next for photorealism and even crisper stylistic games.

I'm not pushed either way, but I feel like there's been enough photo-realism lately, so I tend to prefer stylistic right now.

I think saying that anyone can do photorealism is selling short the amount of time, money and skill that's put into creating new graphical engines if I'm honest.

It feels like the next step in graphical detail is to take open world games to a whole new level. It feels like they've already pretty much gotten down the boxing games, or linear mission structure games. Really, I'm not really sure I expect much out of the next generation of games. I'm hoping I get surprised though obviously. I don't know that the problems with ai have anything to do with the power of the machine.

Both. We shouldn't limit ourselves based on arrogant tastes. Tons of franchises have been ruined by literal alterations from their renowned, established art styles for the sake of audiences and limited technology. Look at Diablo, running away from a grim, realistic tone to a somber cartoony one. Look at F.E.A.R., replacing its post-realistic style for a needlessly colorful and dysfunctional one so it can work on console hardware.

Let developers do what the fuck they want in the next-generation.

@GS_Dan: I agree, but what I thing he means by that statement is that when most developer are handed next generation development tools, whether it be hardware or software (e.g. new game engines), they default to making a game look as realistic as possible. Personally, I can't think of many current gen games (off the top of my head) that are extremely stylised in the same way as say Team Fortress 2...Although I'm sure there are many I'm forgetting.

Anyone remember last gen's Odin Sphere on the PS2. That game looked amazing.

@trylyt said:

@GS_Dan: I agree, but what I thing he means by that statement is that when most developer are handed next generation development tools, whether it be hardware or software (e.g. new game engines), they default to making a game look as realistic as possible. Personally, I can't think of many current gen games (off the top of my head) that are extremely stylised in the same way as say Team Fortress 2...Although I'm sure there are many I'm forgetting.

Anyone remember last gen's Odin Sphere on the PS2. That game looked amazing.

There aren't a huge number but they still exist (Asura's Wrath & Minecraft being recent examples) and it's easy to forget that even photorealistic games should have a lot of artistic thought being put into them (Battlefield 3's art goes beyond lens filters and flare, for example).

I would like to see some games focus on actual photorealism, what they are doing right now isn't photorealism, but on some kind of hollywood-hyperrealism, where the colors are all wrong, the contrast blown up to eleven, everything is more blurred then it needs to and whenever to things touch each other, they explode. I'd like to see a game that doesn't look kind of realistic, but actually feels realistic and not like Michael Bay has taken a piss all over it.
 
Of course not every game has to look like that, stylistic is fine too, but lets keep in mind that just because it's stylized, doesn't mean it's any more original. All those Team Fortress 2 clones kind of look rather boring and all those indie games doing their nostalgia pixel-art thing also starts to get really boring, as it has simply been overdone. So when stylized, do what Raymen or Braid did, do a style and make it look good, don't try to do a lame imitation of somebody else's style.
 
The most important thing however isn't the graphics anyway, but the interaction, animation and physics. A lot of modern games look perfectly fine already when things are standing still, it's when the graphic start moving when it shows that everything is just another primitive video game.

I like technical proficiency.
I'll take 60fps and great animation over expensive visuals any day, knowing that effort was put into making something run well makes the game feel so much smoother to me.

Variety is the essence to me. I tend to prefer highly artistic styles because there is so much photorealism, but Mass Effect and Red Dead Redemption often still look pretty amazing.

Well that's a narrow minded view by that designer. Artistic talent and hard work is apparent even in the CoD games people like to pile on for looking so "vanilla". Let's have our cake and eat it too, eh?

@cikame said:

I like technical proficiency. I'll take 60fps and great animation over expensive visuals any day, knowing that effort was put into making something run well makes the game feel so much smoother to me.

I think this is my opinion as well. I personally wouldn't mind playing a game like Shadow of the Colossus with amazing animations and art style for the current and future generations. Because in my mind, that would mean developers would have more resources and money to put into developing bigger worlds and more detailed and in depth controls, UI's, and mechanics. For example, having all of Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls like in Arena. Along with all the skills you could have that they've had to ditch recently. Like climbing and throwing weapons.

What I would like is both stylized and photo realistic at the same time. I want the same feeling I got when I first fired up Riven (and Myst) but in real time and with greater detail.

Team Fortress 2.

I like variety..I hope we can still get games that look cartoon-ish like TF2 and also games that aim for realism like Heavy Rain.

I prefer more stylized graphics and world designs. I like to get the chance to see something imaginative and new.

the good news is that most games don't seem to be going for the 100% photoreal look. The only ones that come to mind immediately are the modern murder simulators and the two top console racing simulators.

but take a game like uncharted 2 - its grounded in a realistic art style but it isnt photorealistic. the textures are clearly hand-painted and the world has a very stylized look to it as a result, like a comic book. the 3d designs are all very artistic - not reproductions of existing places and some are quite surreal, even physically impossible constructions. maybe that was unintentional but it still turned out looking cool.

The art I like depends on the game and the artist. Hate to say it, but some artists are a lot less skilled then others. [SHOCKING] We're not talking the difference between Claude Monet and Eduard Manet, were talking about the difference between people with true skill and people who should be accountants not making art. Good photo real art is wonderful, good stylized art is wonderful. The problem is when people say, “Look at that photo real art it looks all the same…blah blah blah." Or, "Look at these Zinga Games, they all look the same...so boring."

Crysis 2 isn't photo-real in the slightest. It's extremely stylized and backed up with a good engine. So when the main proponent of photo-realism gives up, well, that's gotta mean somethin'!

I like both styles but I have to say I prefer photo-realism if I am looking for a game to immerse myself in. I would be sad of course if games like Rayman Origins and Okami stopped being made because those games are so uniquely beautiful. At the same time I would be greatly distressed if photo-realism was thrown out the door because I like the idea and feeling of playing in a true realistic virtual world. The real world and its people can be incredibly beautiful and it would be thrilling to do improbable things in believably realistic locations.

Crysis 2 isnt realistic, its super stylised. Stuff like ARMA and Gran turismo are realistic.

which is better completely depends on the game, there are no hard rules for anything.

Both, really. Any mixture of them. I like seeing a game that looks super fantasic and realistic like Forza 4, I like games that look fantastic but with a bit of a flair like Battlefield 3, I like games that look like Crysis, with lots of photorealism but also lots of crazy shit that clearly isn't real, and I like stuff like Ratchet and Clank, TF2, Half life 2, which have varying levels of stylized visuals.

I'd like to see more styles similar to Borderlands where rather than just adding a PP outline they actually have awesome texture work to make it look like a particular medium.

Keep in mind that photo-realism and stylization are not mutually exclusive. I could point you at some extremely stylized photographs.

In general, though, I value style over photo realism, if I have to choose one. I'm excited for the next generation simply because even more interesting things will be able to be done regardless of the stylistic decision. Particulate matter in the air, better/more effects, lighting, etc. Regardless of style, more powerful hardware will benefit these things. Hell, even Minecraft benefits from more powerful hardware, letting you turn up draw distance and such.

Someone brought up animations, which is interesting, because that's another area where realism and stylism can be at odds, even if it's not something that you adjust in the graphics menu or anything.

I have no set preference, as long as the game i play is good.