Cel Shading

[Darkness 4 Hire]

With all of these games coming out that are using cel shading now I thought it would be appropriate to have a thread for everyones opinion on cel shading. What do you think of it? I personally think that it can be cool if it is used the right way. For instance Despite what people think about the direction nintendo went with "Legend of Zelda", i really think they went that right way with this one, i htink it will be a major hit and will suprise all you non beilevers! What do you think?

[Frozen]

Well, what could I tell you... I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Indeed, cel shading is a nice technique and it can really give a different feel on the games and all, and looks good. But now, it also depends on the style they use and the direction they give it... now, I HATE the direction they gave it with Zelda.... IMO, Link looks horrid, it really has a mood that I hate with soul, I don't know why, but I just thing the desing sucks big time. I have nothing against the game being cel shaded, but the damn horrible desgin they gave it. Well, that's my opinion.

[Cannibal Clown]

I think i like cel shading. but i'm not really sure if i know what it is.

Gungrave is cell shading right. If it is, then i think it kicks ass. if it isn't, then will someone explain it to me.

[Sword 4 Hire]

I like how RPG's are beginning to be cel shaded like Wild Arms III and such, but Link just looks like an inflated lephrachaun!

Dont you all forget where all these graphics came from, oh yes JetGrind Radiooooooo...I think :laugh:

[Daedaelus]

It makes a game look more natural, IMO. Plus, there are some great examples of cel-shaded games, one like Sword 4 hire said, Jet Grind Radio or Jet Set Radio Future, and I think that Sly Cooper looks really good with the cel-shaded characters.

As for Zelda, well I saw some of the videos of the gameplay and I nearly fell of my chair when I caught a glimplse of the shadow\lighting effects. Terrific!

[Frozen]

Yes, that game has great effects and everything, no one can neglect that. But I just hate with soul that stupid "chibi" deformed appearance they give link... is just horrid. Even so, I'm almost sure I'll buy that game sooner or later. But I can not feel but angered to se that they could have done something much better looking than that.

I'm not sure myself of what is cel-chading's exact definition, but basically what I know is that is the usage of defined borders in some mosrt of sprites to give tham a look of 3D. Bt nowadays is not done just in sprites, but in polygonal graphics , of course. Basically, it's end is to give the game a feel of "3D cartoons" if you get my idea. I'm sure someone can expalin this much better.

[Gadzoox]

Personally I love cell shading art-wise, as for using it on games, It doesn't really bother me. As long as the game itself is good, then it's all good! Unless it's got wonky colours... and is a pixelated, then that's distracting...

Cell shading has a very defined and crisp look to it and is usually seen in anime art. Here's a prime example:
http://www.kina-ink.com/furryart/lue040.jpg

Hope I helped you! :D

[Daedaelus]

Cel-Shading is the "art" of rendering your objects to look like cartoons. Various cartoon effects can be achieved with very little modifications to the original source code. You can have anime effects, as seen in DragonballZ or Gundam, or "classic" cartoons such as Loony Toons. Cel-Shading is a very powerful form of rendering, and it's results can completely change the "feel" of a game. For instance, the cartoon-like graphics of Jet Set and Grind Radio on the Dreamcast add to the atmosphere and help create one hell of an awesome game. Sometimes though, don't expect this form of rendering to make your game amazing overnight - just play Loony Toons Space Race and you'll see that sometimes it doesn't really help at all.