2D VS 3D, which will come out on top?

[tsr moderation staff]

if either 2d or 3d ends up 'coming out on top', whether graphically or gameplay-wise, it will be really dumb. its like saying "sci-fi vs romance, which will come out on top?" except the answer to that is obviously sci-fi

[2+D]

Me
that is all

[DioShiba]

Me
that is all

oh

that's nice.

stating an already obvious joke.

[aluseusGOD]

I personally think that this may possibly be simply because there are such a wealth of oldschool retro gamers who prefer 2d over 3d and it's doing so well because they are introducing it to their kids and buying it themselves, and anyone under the age of maybe ten still remembers playing mario as they were growing up, however i believe that maybe in a few more generations (i don't know how many) eventually 2d will die out since it won't catch on with the new generation and it is then when most of the retro gamers are pushed out that 3d will become dominant and 2d will become much more of a cult thing

[ThePortalGuru]

I always preferred 2-D games with original graphics.

I think that it's really hard to find a 3-D game with an original art style these days, as everyone's trying to go for a "super-realistic" look. That's part of the reason why I love Castle Crashers or Braid or the upcoming Limbo. They all have such noticeably different aesthetic styles to them, and that just makes them all more appealing to look at. Compare those three games with three shooters, and there's a massive difference in style separation.









I love Nintendo so much primarily because they bother to put effort into giving such unique artistic direction to their 3-D games.

[tsr moderation staff]

oh my god that whole image string went perfectly with your sig


but yeah i totally agree

[Cobalt Blue]

ehm, 2D games try to get appeal by how they look, just like 3D games trying to get appeal on how they look.

...?

[Alpha Six]

neither one will supercede the other, nor will either one die out. 3D has existed since the early 90s, and even though it gets more and more advanced every day, 2D is still going plenty strong. i don't see this changing any time soon.

[Cobalt Blue]

early/mid 80's if you count vector based games.

[Silverdabolt]

I've always been a bigger fan of video games with sprites, hence why I spent much of my middle school and high school years dabbling in spriting. That's a personal bias-ism I've kept for years, but I digress.

This 2D vs. 3D Argument is arguing the dimensions of how games are played (e.i. 2D meaning left to right, and 3D meaning forwards to backwards; how Super Mario World plays to Super Mario 64) and not the gimmick of how things are viewed (Movies gimmick of wearing glasses; Jaws 3D). I'll throw in my opinion on both.

Take a game like any of the first generation of Mario games where the object was to get to the end of the stage. There is some kind of poetic simplicity to getting to point a to point b in a left to right format. This is regardless of if its made up of sprites or computer images. It's something that everyone can pick up a controller and with complete confidence begin playing. That reason is why I believe games like Sonic the Hedgehog did so well, it was easy; all you had to do is hold the button left and occasionally hit jump and bam you won.

Now the article talked about how New Super Mario Bros. Wii did so well compared to Galaxy. The main reason for that was NSMBWii and NSMB was the game everyone had talked about for years. I've heard, "I would love to see Nintendo remake the first Mario games with 3D graphics" or variations of it for years, and from so many different types of people. People love how fun and easy Super Mario Bros. is, and just putting it on a simple to use console like the Wii was just a stroke of genius.

The other Nintendo 2D.5 games coming out are all the same thing. Donkey Kong Country Returns, is something people wanted because people loved the DK Country from the 90's. I think this is half because we all remember games like this, and half because for some reason everyone loves retro. It's the coolest thing ever, and stores such as Hot Topic, Target, Walmart, etc are all making profit from selling any crappy made forced faded shirt that has anything made from the 90's and further back. It's the trend, and Nintendo wasn't even the first to come to this conclusion, I think it was Capcom with Megaman 9.

You'll tend to notice the entertainment industry works in trends. For example, a little while back Pokemon was the big thing, so we got a blitzkrieg of other variations on the genre of collection creatures, such as Yu-Gi-Oh, Digimon (and yes, I know, Digimon came first), Bakugan (sp?), Monster Rancher, and etc. Some were focused on the cartoon shows, others were focused on the games; while all were at it for the merchandising.

Saying this, do I think Nintendo spring boarded a trend for 2D.5 games with the success of New Super Mario Bros. Wii? Yes, I am. Even if other developers don't start jumping at it right away, I'm sure Donkey Kong Country Returns, Metriod Other M, and Kirby: Epic Yarn will.

Going along with the notion of 2D games being easier to play. You only have to comprehend 2 dimensions, meaning it should be easier to understand, faster to pick up, and more effective for a bigger market. Have you ever played a game where it tells you to find something, and you can't find it because you overlooked it? This is a small theory of mine, but I think creators of games that are in 3D sometimes overlook that people won't see exactly what you want them too.

Now going on to the gimmick that the Industry is forcing it down our throats so hard. 3D Movies and Games, as in glasses (or more recently without with the 3DS). I've never seen it more than a gimmick and a trend. And, to be honest, I don't know why they are forcing it so hard in the home. 3D was a attempt to make you want to go to the theater again. Though I think 3D is more of an excuse to stop focusing on scripts and story, and make movies a little easier by making the effects look cooler. Example a, Avatar; a movie that wasn't really that good, but it did fantastic because it was the cutting age technology. Example b, previously was Tron; another decent movie, but because it was the cutting age of its time, it was loved.

I don't think games need the gimmick, but I think 3D would be better suited for games. (Though it would have to be done right.) If done poorly, it could easily be something that distracts you from the game, instead of emerging you into the game.

[PrettyNier]

why does one have to come out on top, specifically