Art Direction

[NoiseHERO]

it was 2000. Games from that era never looked like their concept art. It didn't make them any less awesome.

I'd say this fit the art and style fine enough for n64.

Aside from PSO being a blocky dreamcast game 8 different art styles in the concept art, didn't exactly cling cling for me. D:

and the same with PSU, it's concept art aside from the ugly 3D art would be all anime style, but aside from the clothes they actually looked more realistic ingame.

But PSP2, the characters look just as anime in game as they did handdrawn.

[Niered]

PSU's aethetic is downright shamelessly cliche. It doesnt even attempt to differentiate itself from modern anime/future fantasy JRPG's. It could even be simply called a fantasy game at this point, nothing sci-fi about it really. Most fantasy JRPG's have just as much glowing sabers, spaceships, and magical girls as PSU.

PSO and its expansions, while being a decade old game with some clunky mechanics, had a genuinely interesting aesthetic to it. It was utilitarian and mysterious. It was detailed too, and had just enough unique areas to break up the monotony of slogging through half hour-hour long dungeons.

It's environments also felt like, for the most part, they could be real places. The mines and caves exemplified this best in the original game, with the seabeds and jungle being an even better example of this in PSO E1&2. If nothing else, they certainly had character.

The sad thing about PSU is that the lobbies have more character than the environments. The actual areas are so bland and uninspired (with a few decent exceptions) that despite the fact that the dungeons are shorter than PSO's, they aren't even half as memorable.

The only aesthetic decision made in PSU that I would like to see in PSO2 is the same one everybody else seems to like, the more expansive character customization. Just...try to make half the clothes look good this time devs. I don't want to be shoehorned into one of four our of a hundred possible outfits because the other 96 make me look like a drag queen that got lost and drunk in a party supply store.

[NoiseHERO]

The only aesthetic decision made in PSU that I would like to see in PSO2 is the same one everybody else seems to like, the more expansive character customization. Just...try to make half the clothes look good this time devs. I don't want to be shoehorned into one of four our of a hundred possible outfits because the other 96 make me look like a drag queen that got lost and drunk in a party supply store.

This I can agree with e_e

there may have been hundreds of clothes and outfits, the girls might be able to complain about looky "skimpy" but with the guys it was either wear ugly bulky coats, or wear semi normal looking things that are gay'd up by being too tight and showing your belly button.

I went with the belly button since you can't see it from the back anyway. :0

[blackmajik2021]

PSO and its expansions, while being a decade old game with some clunky mechanics, had a genuinely interesting aesthetic to it. It was utilitarian and mysterious. It was detailed too, and had just enough unique areas to break up the monotony of slogging through half hour-hour long dungeons.

It's environments also felt like, for the most part, they could be real places. The mines and caves exemplified this best in the original game, with the seabeds and jungle being an even better example of this in PSO E1&2. If nothing else, they certainly had character.

I agree 110% about the mysterious part. There were lots of little one off objects and textures in the levels that added a layer of mystery and character to the world that is simply missing in psu. (I think part of that mystery was also the rocks & lazer gates blocking paths that you could never quite figure out how to open in some levels[caves])

notice how in this screenshot, none of the buildings are the same model or color or use the same texture.



vs this

[Totori]

How about forget the damn old crap PSO's Art back then was just horrid. I think the team could aim for something new or more like Star Ocean 4 or Shining Force Cross Raid. Star Ocean did a better job at the future theme, then PS series could ever come close to.

[NoiseHERO]

I agree 110% about the mysterious part. There were lots of little one off objects and textures in the levels that added a layer of mystery and character to the world that is simply missing in psu. (I think part of that mystery was also the rocks & lazer gates blocking paths that you could never quite figure out how to open in some levels[caves])

notice how in this screenshot, none of the buildings are the same model or color or use the same texture.



vs this

I like both...

Just that one looks like futurama mixed with back to the future, and the other looks like the 5th element mixed with starwars. :\ (and also PSU has way more backgrounds, and better looking ones at that, don't try to be slick! e_e)

It WOULD be nice however, if instead an interesting looking background, we could actually explore these spacestation/continent sized cities.

But no...this is a dungeon crawler either way.

[Nitro Vordex]

How about forget the damn old crap PSO's Art back then was just horrid. I think the team could aim for something new or more like Star Ocean 4 or Shining Force Cross Raid. Star Ocean did a better job at the future theme, then PS series could ever come close to.

Yeah, let's make this game look like every other game.

No thank you.

[Zyrusticae]

Yeah, let's make this game look like every other game.

No thank you.

Outside of a really strong art direction, this game IS going to look like every other Japanese RPG released in the past 10 years. Only, y'know, sci-fi and with laz0rs everywhere.

Just my realistic interpretation of current trends.

[yoshiblue]

Off topic: All they need to do is make the main lobby a crash starship with some tents around it somewhere. Insta-originality! Make it repair over the course of the story. Have buildings start to pop up over time.

They could also take pioneer 2's city level and expand upon it. Or a underground lab or city and go through tunnels to get to places!


On topic: At least they could make it something new to look at instead of looking at a new age coruscant.

[blackmajik2021]

I like both...

Just that one looks like futurama mixed with back to the future, and the other looks like the 5th element mixed with starwars. :\ (and also PSU has way more backgrounds, and better looking ones at that, don't try to be slick! e_e)

your references for those screenshots

blade runner / star wars are much better comparisons for the original games

I guess you could say NEW star wars for the 2nd one, but we all know those movies were awful anyway. The 2nd screenshot looks like NOTHING in the 5th element. 5th looks way more like the 1st image.

as for what you said about psu: quantity =/= quality.