I'm not saying it looks bad. FFX definitely looks far from bad and the character models and FMVs are certainly superior to the PSX era. However, when it comes to the in gameplay backgrounds, they look a bit bland and uninspired compared to what's on display in FFVII - FFIX. FFXII probably holds up a little better visually, but I'm reluctant to revisit that game for other reasons.

I tend to think FFVIII looks better than CC, but it probably comes down to style preference. The somewhat more cartoonissh character models of CC probably hold up a bit better than the dated "realistic" models of FFVIII. However, when it comes to things like the backgrounds and monster designs, they look far more impressive to me in FFVIII. A lot of CC monster designs just kind of look silly to me. Which is fine, but if I'm comparing that to something like a Behemoth in FFVIII, I don't really see anything that would hold up in CC. Even the dragons look kind of silly.