EOFF Summer 2011 Census!

[Slothy]

Well then do it quickly man! Its not like I wasn't going to make the last announcements take awhile.

You all heard the man, let's get this tit finished!

Favorite Overall Art Direction

For once you fools managed a distinct top 3. No ties, no fifteen goddamn picks for third place, just three distinct games comprising the best of the best. So how far off the mark are you all?

Third place: VI (4 Votes)
Party_Artwork.jpg

Congratulations on picking the best by far for third. It's as close as you poor saps come to success most times so enjoy the feeling while it lasts. What can I really say about this game. Easily some of the most gorgeous sprite work that ever appeared on the SNES. A game with instantly recognizable characters, beautifully drawn monsters, and a world that you got to experience not once, but twice when you revisit familiar areas post-apocalypse and experience the slow decay of the world through the power of visualization, and in your cases, occasionally malfunctioning eyeballs.

Second Place: VII (5 votes)
Highwind.jpg

It's no FFVI, but it's hard to argue this game suffered from poor visual design. Each place was unique and carried with it it's own character. From the oppressive Midgar, to Cid's broken dreams perfectly embodied by a leaning rocket ever threatening to topple over and crush what little he has left. The fact that it was also done by Nomura in his pre-belt fetish days is also a point in it's favour.

FFVII. I feel like all of the places you go have a distinct feel to them, each with a diverse subculture. From Midgar to Cosmo Canyon to Wutai, each area has its own distinct quality and its own relevance and I liked that.

What this guy said.

Favourite overall art direction: VII (It's the most unique in the series to me. I've never really seen anything like Midgar, I've never really seen anything like Shinra HQ, none of the other airships nail the concept quite the way the Highwind did, and the reactor interiors are just as creepy in portraying an industrial dystopia as the accompanying music is. It also took a lot of archetypes and made them interesting, like the eastern/asian village of Wutai, the mining town of Corel, the vacation spot of Costa Del Sol, and the reservation/ecologist's refuge of the Cosmo Canyon. Like other FFs, VII has you fighting dragons one minute and driving cars the next, but it balances the two with the rest of the art in a way that you don't forget the futuristic aspects like FFI or V, but you don't forget the sword/sorcery tone either like in FFVIII or X. All of this variety and depth makes it my favorite overall art direction.)

Haven't seen anything like Midgar? Didn't play Deus Ex: Human Revolution I take it? Sure it came out recently, but it'd be hard to miss the reference if you did.

And finally in first place we have: IX (8 votes)
Bahamut-Alexandre.jpg

Can't really complain here. In fact, many of the reasons I like the art direction in FFVI apply to FFIX as well.

Favourite overall art direction
IX - I think the oldschool theme really worked for this and I don't want to say XIII.

That's good, because if you said XIII I would spend the next year making fun of you every chance I got. Speaking of...

Favourite overall art direction ~FFXIII The characters didn't look overly-ridiculous and when it comes to visuals graphics help.

Someone needs a lesson in the meaning of the term art direction. And not just because you said the characters in a game featuring a Frocobo didn't look overly ridiculous, or even because you voted for FFXIII. Simply because in a discussion of what game has the best art direction, graphical quality isn't really a factor.

Not to mention that in terms of graphical fidelity FFXIII looked more like a launch title than something that is essentially contemporary with the likes of Uncharted 2, or Mass Effect 2.

Favourite overall art direction
FFXIII. In pretty much every area ever I found myself stopping and moving the camera around just so I could admire the architecture or the landscape. The lighting was especially nice.

You know, I found myself stopping a lot in every area too. It was mostly to get a fresh kleenex to sop up the blood that was spewing from my eyes if I spent too much time trying to look at the terrible monster designs, or if I fell asleep while traversing such bland locales as Gran Pulse.

Full results:
Favorite Overall Art Direction
IX (8 votes)
VII (5 votes)
VI (4 Votes)
XIII (3 votes)
VIII ( 2 votes)
XII (2 votes)
I
XIV
Tactics

There, that's it. I'm done with you knobs until next time. Bring it all to a close WK.

PS: I actually have that picture from FFIX on a bass drum head of mine. Sadly I no longer have a bass drum in the right size to use the damn thing.