GAMER LOUNGE 20XX (NO CASUALS!!)

[Koh]

Simplicity is fine and all, but when your world looks as flat as paper due to the lack of contrast, hue-shifting and/or minimal shading, I think it hurts it more than it helps it.

dude, they were trying to figure out the system and what it can do/handle. of course the games arent going to look like a masterpiece. of course it was gonna be simple. it was released alongside the console!!!

also, dont even bother comparing lufia: the legend returns to super mario world. that game was made in 2001, 3 years after the gbc's release. super mario world was released in japan late 1990, alongside the super famicom.

They aren't perfect, and could do with some hue-shifting.

you sure do like your hue shifting. please enlighten me on how hue shifting can make a simplistic, cartoony style, like mario, any better.

The launch title argument doesn't work you know.  The systems limitations don't magically change just by them making more games for it.  They knew they could use 16 color palettes when they made the game.  What they didn't do was get a competent sprite artist who knows how to get the most out of those colors.  And this is why the Lufia comparison DOES work, because it's on a system that has even more limitations than the SNES in terms of color, yet looks a lot better than the aforementioned game. Hell, even NES titles like Batman look a lot better, and that was also 8-bit. If you're gonna defend this bland, flat art style of SMW's, you're gonna have to do better than that my friend~