Aesthetics You'd Like

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XoPachi
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Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by XoPachi »

So we all daydream about an STG at some point. While there's a ton of great timeless styles I hope persist forever, I'm sure like me we've all thought "what if there was a game that looked/sounded like this?"
Sometimes I think about it because there's these really nifty outliers like Dangun Feveron and Radirgy that will always be special to me for being bold in their different styles. Even if they're not my favorite look, I love what they offer.

I know I always wanted to see a totally hand drawn game. Like Darius, but it's animated as a 90's anime. Or a game that has typical futuristic spaceship designs but as monochromatic drawings where bosses are like...sketched in when the fight starts.

Share your ideas!
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kid aphex
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by kid aphex »

For me, it was Ikaruga.

But I've also always dreamt of something that's aesthetically in-line with a Lebbeus Woods flavor of design.
Or Michael Graves aesthetics but a sinister tone.

Instead I get anime girls.
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Stevens
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by Stevens »

Outrun theme with synthwave ost could be interesting.
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OmegaFlareX
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by OmegaFlareX »

High-fantasy or military themed shmups usually catch my eye. There don't seem to be a lot of those anymore compared to sci-fi.
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m.sniffles.esq
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by m.sniffles.esq »

Ever since cel-shading became a 'thing' I've REALLY wanted a (and frankly, am surprised there isn't) a shooter in the ridiculously intricate style of Geof Darrow (Hard Boiled with Frank Miller)
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It seems at the very least, big ass bosses just scream for that kind of treatment.
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WelshMegalodon
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by WelshMegalodon »

XoPachi wrote:Or a game that has typical futuristic spaceship designs but as monochromatic drawings where bosses are like...sketched in when the fight starts.
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AZA
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by AZA »

My all time favorite shmups are Video System and Psikyo games. They just look perfect to my eyes. I’d love to see some of those original people come together and make a new Sonic Wings-esque title.
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Verticen
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by Verticen »

I'm surprised that we haven't seen more shmups with a heavy Desielpunk style, like Garegga. I really like Garegga's style.

Also, Squadron 51 looks great stylistically, too bad it's probably just going to be a forgettable Euroshmup.
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XoPachi
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by XoPachi »

DieselPunk is underrated in general. I barely see it done thoroughly even beyond shooters. Only two I can think of are Fallout and Sine Mora. But Fallout is ugly and Sine Mora sucks.
kid aphex wrote: Instead I get anime girls.
This puts me off to a ton of shooters that I'd otherwise would probably like. I just...won't play them in most cases.
Gamer707b
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by Gamer707b »

I would love the look of either Ikaruga or battle Garegga to be used again.. Ikaruga still looks beautifull till this day. And Garegga has that awesome steampunk look.
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copy-paster
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by copy-paster »

Daioujou is usage of anime girls done right, love the aesthetic too.

Ketsui, DDP, and Garegga are best example of shump for real men.
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by Lord British »

Early 90's Toaplan color pallete (purples, greens, pinks) with skulls or H.R. Geiger-esque demonic imagery.

So:

Dogyuun
Tatsujin 1&2
OutZone
Kingdom Grand Prix

And maybe Gaiares a bit

Deathsmiles gives me a little of that I suppose but I cant think of other ones that are too recent
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WarpedByTheNHK
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by WarpedByTheNHK »

I drastically prefer hand drawn art or even pixel art over 3d models but choosing an actual favorite art style is pretty hard. I guess I would say Daioujou is probably my favorite overall aesthetic, but I do really enjoy the two contrasting colors that ZeroRanger decided to use almost exclusively. Also, I am one of the few people on this forum that actually enjoys the fact that it is often anime girls that pilot the ships lol.
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Lethe
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by Lethe »

Seconding the Geof Darrow sentiment. Top-end western comic artists (i.e the ones who are actual artists) are criminally underrepresented in games, but that's probably due to it being hard to translate to game graphics in a sane or affordable way, plus such people going out of style in general. I guess Garegga isn't so far away from what I'm thinking of anyway.
WarpedByTheNHK wrote:Also, I am one of the few people on this forum that actually enjoys the fact that it is often anime girls that pilot the ships lol.
I don't understand the problem with it in itself, but there's definitely a correlation between shitty lazy character design and slapping anime girls on everything. Compare DOJ's dolls which seem like a genuine part of the setting to SDOJ's generic color-coded waifubait.
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by ChurchOfSolipsism »

If it stays in the background (it helps if the designs are well done as in DOJ) and I can switch off their mindless chatter during stages, I can live with it, though I generally prefer designs or themes that aren't as cookie cutter and don't attempt to appeal to my lower drives as much. Mushihimesama has a big-titted anime chick as a player character, but the fact she's riding a giant beetle flying through Ghibli-esque environments (and the wonderful OST) in the game creates this great otherworldly atmosphere and makes it special. So I guess I'd love another Mushihimesama game...

When I was working my way into Gamemaker and had the delusion that I'd someday make my own top down shooter, I came up with an IMHO pretty cool backstory for it: Hank, divorced alcoholic and member of a carnaptious alien race, is pissed off: another alien spacecraft has crashlanded on his house. WHen he finds a golden disc inside it, he boards his flying saucer, flies straight to Earth and fucks up as many humans as he can. Every stage takes place in a different nation: stage 1 is the USA, the endboss is the Statue of Liberty, which transforms into a giant robot piloted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Midboss is Mecha King Kong climbing the Empire State Building. Tentative title was Tremble, Earthlings!!
Last edited by ChurchOfSolipsism on Sun Jun 28, 2020 9:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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XoPachi
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by XoPachi »

copy-paster wrote:Daioujou is usage of anime girls done right, love the aesthetic too.
Yeah, agreed. They're not annoying and there's this surreal touch to them when you see them in the stage clear art. They're actually treated as machines and it's really gritty cyberpunk. Then they put that creepy loli in that one PS2 port, but whatever. The base 3 are ok.

I didn't mind them in DFK as bosses either (minus Ray'n and Perfect*'s obnoxious voices). I thought Nexy was outright cool as shit.

Then they ruined it with SDOJ...except when you're scoring properly and you just hear "HY-HYP-HY-HY-HYHYHYHYHYHYPAH SYSTEM STANDBY!"
Lethe wrote: I don't understand the problem with it in itself, but there's definitely a correlation between shitty lazy character design and slapping anime girls on everything. Compare DOJ's dolls which seem like a genuine part of the setting to SDOJ's generic color-coded waifubait.
Exactly this for me honestly. I don't complain about the Gley Lancer or Pulstar/Blazing Star pilots. But SDOJ and Otomedius is just terrible about it.
Personally, I don't like shit like Touhou either, but that's a different reason than the tastelessness of the aforementioned two.
DCell
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by DCell »

I've always loved the way games look on the C64... Perhaps something in Delta 2's art style, but with the higher contrast of a NES pallette?
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by SuperDeadite »

Undeadline. Especially the MSX original. X68000 is great too. MD is the weakest, but still great.
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PAPER/ARTILLERY
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by PAPER/ARTILLERY »

ChurchOfSolipsism wrote:stage 1 is the USA, the endboss is the Statue of Liberty, which transforms into a giant robot piloted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Midboss is Mecha King Kong climbing the Empire State Building.
This sounds rad, did you ever finish it?

Edit: Just re-read your post so I'm guessing no. Sounds great either way.
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ChurchOfSolipsism
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by ChurchOfSolipsism »

PAPER/ARTILLERY wrote:
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote:stage 1 is the USA, the endboss is the Statue of Liberty, which transforms into a giant robot piloted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Midboss is Mecha King Kong climbing the Empire State Building.
This sounds rad, did you ever finish it?

Edit: Just re-read your post so I'm guessing no. Sounds great either way.
Cheers mate. I wish I'd had the tenacity, but alas, I gave up soon after completing that tutorial where you make your own Asteroids clone... I tried getting into pixel graphics, but I sucked at that as well.
n0rtygames wrote:[The wife] once asked me "whats a shoryuken?" so I gave her a real life demonstration. Except she was too close on the spin. So I actually SRK'd her. With full vocalisation too...
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strawpoll-legend
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by strawpoll-legend »

This is aural more than visual, but I really enjoyed the narrator in Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius. As far as visuals go, I enjoy visuals like Danmaku Unlimited 3 and Pawarumi, the sort of iridescent/glow-in-the-dark appearance.
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davyK
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Re: Aesthetics You'd Like

Post by davyK »

The hori shooter levels in Cuphead give a glimpse into what a modern take on Parodius could look like.

Absolutely stunning hand drawn graphics. Gorgeous.

One can dream.
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