XIII Vs Prince of Persia (Next Gen) – Cel-Shaded Comparison

November 12th, 2008

Since it’s popularization with Jet Grind Radio (2000), cel-shading has become an increasingly more popular tool of artistic visual expression within the medium of games. There have been many good examples of the technique but for this article I would like to contrast the works of one company from last generation to now; Ubisoft.

In 2003 Ubisoft released the apt XIII, a first person thriller based around the Belgium/French comic book of the same name. I highly recommend that you sought this title out if you haven’t tried it. Particularly the PC version which runs in a high resolution.

The other game is Prince of Persia, a new iteration of one of gaming’s classic favourites. This title is utilizing the technique to evoke a connection to the original PoP game. It can already be seen from the two main trailers released that Prince of Persia is adopting an extremely striking and intimate feel to its visual presentation.

I have collected several screens from both games which can be seen below. It has been difficult to find equivalents since the two games are set in opposite perspectives. Click on the images for high definition.

Beyond the model rendering and polygons, the main difference comes from the application of the technique. Prince of Persia lowers the alpha channel of the shading, allowing richer detail to shine through, giving the game a water colour look to it. This is then enhanced by the blurring and softening of the landscapes in the background. XIII on the other hand uses strict colour fills and some undynamic shadowing effects. The greater rendering power allows Prince of Persia to display much clearer lines around the characters, particularly around the face. Clothing, hair and fabric are also displayed with much better fidelity.

Posted in Visual Connection | Comments (2)
Tags: prince of persia, xiii

Link Out (7/7/08)

July 7th, 2008

oddworld post card

The slighter longer time window between this and the previous Link Out has provided me with the opportunity to build up a slightly more varied and grounded set of links this month (or perhaps last month). In this time I have also embarked on another quest to seek out other like minded blogs (which takes a considerable amount of time, mind you). I would have gone through about 50-60 unfamiliar blogs in order to add the best ones to my feed list (with the rest on bookmarks). So I hope to share some articles from those blogs as well.

Of course, if you have any of your own suggestions for the next segment or just want to drop by a question then hit me up via this page.

MGS4, EGM, NDAs and YOU

Jeremy Parish from 1Up and host of Retronauts explains the issues surrounding EGM’s review of Metal Gear Solid 4 and the conflicts with Konami’s non-disclosure agreements. Supposively there is even a flash game set around this incident as well, ‘Escape from Konami’ or something like that.

Rock Band Best for Motley Crue

In a win for video games, rock band Motley Crue’s latest single “Saints of Los Angeles” which was released for download on Rock Band (the game that is) has sold 5x more as a downloadable song on RockBand compared to other digital distribution services (iTunes and Amazon).

OddWorld 5 in Development

As someone who casually delves in design (ie. the site design of this rather important site) I often pull apart media and critically assess how it was created. You know, to make me feel competent in design. OddWorld among other media is something that I have never understood in this regard. The OddWorld games just ooze an unsurmountable amount of creative diversity and pure talent. Simply put; you could never dream up such a world (universe rather) like OddWorld.

Not a lot of details to be said here other than don’t expect it too soon.

Prince of Persia Wallpaper Blowout

This new Prince of Persia looks phenomenally reminiscent of the majesty and craftsmenship of the original PoP games. I cannot wait to return to Arabia and familiarize myself with this naturally illustrated world. In the meantime though these wallpapers work a treat.

The Shootout Over Hidden Meanings in a Video Game

Several of us bloggers always laud mass media outlets when they put out articles which critically assess important happenings within our industry. This for us is so, so very important because it represents a success in the slow evolution for gaming journalism. Games writing needs to improve and the more articles like this we see, the better for us all. BTW it’s about MGS4, no surprise, har har har!

Articles Relating to Video Game Blogging and Bloggers

On the topic of games journalism there have been two very pleasing articles put up on GameSetWatch regarding blogging and games journalism. ‘Why We Write About Games’ by Chris Plante talks about his experience with game blogging and why it is important. In another article, Michael Walbridge interviews several of the most significant gaming bloggers (yeah I know, I was dissapointed not to have been contacted [/bad, self indulgent joke]). His results conclude the general yearning of change among bloggers. Both articles are essential reads.

iPhone as a Reputable Handheld console

My brother (who studies software engineering) attended a workshop which ran through the iPhone’s feature set and programming capabilities, now While the iPhone is yet to see an Australian release, this undoubtedly piqued my attention. Infact there is a lot of good stuff to be said about the console , particularly from developers like Sega and Maxis (it’s Maxis right?) who have been delivering high praise on the system ease of development.

There seems to be a complete disregard for mobile phone games including the iPhone within the gaming community. I’m not sure why this is though as there is definitely profits to be made in the mobile phone gaming market. The articles linked to discuss the potential of the iPhone.

Link Out (22/5/08)

May 23rd, 2008

shanghai city skyline

It’s another month and I have another handful of recommended readings to share with you. I figured that I’d also take this opportunity to make a brief apology. I must confess that I have been driving myself into the ground lately with this juggling act called life and as such I have been a little late responding to your comments and emails as well as putting out new content every 2 days. By the time this goes live though I should be well and truly back on the saddle. Thanks for bearing with me.

Also while I am talking off topic I would just like to say that I have been accepted into studying in ShangHai, China this September through to January. I will be living and studying in ?? district which is popular for its electronics. I’m very excited and I hope that this experience will allow me to talk about some interesting issues regarding video games in one of Asia’s most gorgeous cities.

As always, I have been storing some of these links since the end of the last Link Out which was over a month ago. So be aware that some may not be on the bleeding edge of gaming news.

We’ve won: get over it – The Guardian

With the release of Grand Theft Auto 4, us bloggers have naturally increased our receptiveness to the media’s portrayal of video games just to observe how out of touch they are with the average player. I’m pleased to say though that admist the RockStar bashing and parent protests a handful of major media outlets have actually got it right. One of my favorite such articles is this one written by Richard Bartle of The Guardian.

China’s Forgotten Gamers - ESkyCity

As I just mentioned I will be heading off to ShangHai this August (leaving in August, study in September) and if possible I would like to keep this blog alive during that time. If this is possible then I will probably write a few articles shedding light on the state of play in China. As a prelude though I found this article to be perfect for warming you all into the idea.

Abdullah’s Blogging: A Generation 1.5 Student Enters the Blogosphere

This journal is one that I selected for one of my University classes. The journal is a case study of a Somalian student study ESL (English second language) in an American high school and how blogging had allowed him and his peers to make the transition from a strong spoken language into a better form of academic writing.

This article as well as many others can be found in the Language Learning and Technology archives where there is a fantastic selection of journals. A lot of good reads in there.

Resident Evil Series Time Line

In my recent critique of Resident Evil Remake I mentioned that the journal entries littered around the mansion were so very compelling because it provided context to the haunting environments. This got me thinking about the series’ complete story, I had a solid idea of what had happened over the course of the series but I wanted to fully understand everything. So after a little searching I found a time line of the series which includes all backstory and journals featured within all of the Resident Evil games. Yes sure, I am spoiling the game’s storyline but considering that I kinda already knew what happened and was just after the finer details I don’t see a problem with it.

In anycase what I found was extremely comprehensive, I would guess that there is enough history here to fill an 80 paged book. So take a look if you need some more context. With this I have decided to play through the rest of the series.

David Hayter Interview

The man behind the voice of Solid Snake shares his thoughts on the Metal Gear series and his current work load. There’s a couple of nuggets of insight into the voice work behind Metal Gear inside which makes this worth the read. Hayter did also seemed quite immature in some of his remarks.

Wii Fit Reviewed by Everyday New Yorkers and Tourists – MTV Multiplayer

Being someone who previously sold electronics I always love the idea of having customers return to the store to tell me what they thought of the product that I had recommended for them. This article is similar to that sort of customer feedback. We should all be paying more attention to the critique of new players to games.

Prince of Persia Speed Art

I must say that I am impressed with the number of new, refreshing games being announced left, right and centre. It appears as though some developers may not be willing to wait until E3 this year to put all of their eggs in the one basket. This is probably a good idea too because it allows for better exposure. In anycase Ubisoft have recently announced a new, cel shaded Prince of Persia game which looks absolutely gorgeous. The following link shows how some of the conceptual artwork was made.