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2D Or Not 2D

Once upon a time, side-scrollers and hand-drawn graphics ruled the land. Are these days over? Or is there hope for 2-D renaissance?

A matter of Perspective

Long before the days of polygons and bump-mapping, video games originated in two dimensions.Primitive sprites that were supposed to represent invading aliens or malicious centipedes required a bit of help from the player's imagination, but they were enough to ensnare the world in a compelling new form of enter-tainment.As the technology advanced, 2-D graphics evolved from basic shapes and Indistinct blobs to characters with real style and personality.More importantly, the advances allowed for more varied types of gameplay.By the time the 8-bit home consoles rolled around (led by the Nintendo Entertainment System), devel-opers could create entire worlds for the player to explore.Instead of gobbling dots in a static maze, you were traveling fantastic lands on your quest to save the princess.As new genres were introduced, video games became more engrossing.You no longer felt like you were merely maneuvering avatar in a simple par-lor game; you were absorbed in Hyrule, battling the forces of evil.

With the Super NES and other 16-bit systems came greater detail and more-colorful art.Though developers were still work-ing with genres established during the 8-bit era, the added horse-power opened new possibilities within those genres.Platformers got faster (Sonic the Hedgehog), adventures more immersive (Super metroid) and RPGs more epic (Final FantasyIII). The changes weren't revolutionary, but they were significant enough to make things feel new and exciting.Characters were better-ani-mated, bosses grew massive proportions and multiscrolling backgrounds gave the environments a real sense of depth.The improved visual fidelity also allowed for more-cinematic expres-sion, giving developers the means to tell better stories.The craft of 2-D gaming was invented in the 8-bit days, but it was honed during the 16-bit era.

In the hardware generation that followed, we got only a brief glimpse of the new machines' 2-D capabilities. Titles like castlevania: symphony of the boasted such intricate detail that each scene was like a painting. The technology had finally reached a point where the artist's vision could be realized on the television screen without compromise. But more publishers and developers turned their sights to the emerging popularity of 3-D. The fatal blow for 2-D games on home consoles came during the holiday seasonof 1996.That year, the marquee title from each of the major hardware manufacturers-Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64, crash bandicoot for the Sony PlayStation and NiGHTS into Dreams for the Sega Saturn-was intended to prove the 3-D superiority of their respective machines. The console wars had been couched in terms of 3-D, and that soon became the only type of game companies were interested in pub-lishing. There was a stigma attached to 2-D games; they were largely viewed as antiquated and demonstrative of system's weakness. (Sony even when so far as to prohibit many 2-D titles from appearing on its console.)

Dimensional Rift

Many gamers, however (especially those weaned on the likes of Super Mario World and Golden Axe), feel that 2-D games still have alot to offer. And so do some developers. "2-D gam-ing can provide such great game design-games with definite and solid gameplay," opines castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, one of 2-D's most vocal proponents. "From a presen-tation standpoint, it may lack what 3-D can do, but let me yell once again, what games need are fun and exciting elements! 2-D games offer these things!"

"Let me yell once again, what games need are fun and exciting elements! 2-D games offer these things!"
-Koji Igarashi

It's doubtful that even the staunchest 2-D advocate would ever swear off 3-D games entirely; The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is every bit as magical as its 2-D counterparts. But there are certain things that 2-D does better. "The big difference between movies and games is that you are constantly interacting with a game and having successes and failures," says the father of Sonic the Hedgehog, Yuji Naka. That sense of success and failure is what makes a game exciting, and it's more vague in 3-D. I think the distinction is clearer in a 2-D environment." Masato Maegawa, President of Treasure (Gunstar Heros, Astro Boy: Omega Factor), offers a more concrete example: " For action and shooting titles, it is easier to establish solid gameplay in 2-D than in 3-D. As 2-D collision detections are more precise, you can build games that have easy-to-under-stand action. You can also take advantage of a wide variety of visual styles, such as anime and exaggerat-ed expressions." Though 3-D graphics have come a long way in portraying character and emotion, hand-drawn graphics still offer a certain beauty and intrica-cy that's just not possible with polygons. it's the same reason classical paintings continue to inspire people in the age of advanced computer graphics.

So why are 2-D games still MIA on home consoles now that the "Newness" of 3-D has worn off? The widely accepted answer seems to be that 2-D doesn't sell; that the majority of consumers view it as inher-ently inferior to 3-D.But is there any proof to support those theories? 2-D games continue to thrive on the GBA, though some might attribute that to inherent differences in the portable market (i.e., 3-D usually look like poo on the handheld). Yet most of the quality 2-D releases on consoles over the past decade have also fared relatively well. Sales for the hand-drawn castlevania: Symphony of the Night exceeded those for the the latest 3-D installment of the series by more than 100,000 units. And more recently, side-scroller Viewtiful Joe sold well enough to spawn numerous sequels. Clearly there's still an audience for well-executed 2-D games.

Nevertheless, developers feel constant pressure to take advantage of the latest advancements in technology. As Sonic Rush director Akinori Nishiyama puts

"In the age of evolving technology, and with new systems on the horizon, it's becoming more difficult to create new and fresh 2-D games."
-Atsushi Inaba

it: "Essentially, creators should have a wide range of expressions available to them regardless of hardware considerations. And gamers should also have the freedom to choose the type of game they want to play on any piece of hardware. However, i belive there are currently many voices demanding realism and cinematic expressions that are preventing the return of side-scroolers. personally, it makes me sad at times to think that the popularity of side-scroolers has declined, and it seems that the pure entertainment aspect of games has become less important."

Igarashi offers another, somewhat counterintuitive explanation for the dearth of to games on consoles. "I'm always thinking about making a hand-drawn game for home systems," admits the Castlevania producer. "But because they depict very minute details, it would require really advanced grahics.From a cost- proformance standpoint, it doesn't make sense. It would require a lot of time and money to create all that art. When development costs get too high, then it doesn't make for good business. Personally, I would love to do hand-drawn games on consoles, but it has to balance out."

Whatever the reasons, many belive 2-D will remain relatively scarce on home consoles for the time being. "Occasionally, developers may express fresh and innovative ideas in 2-D, or they may create 2-D games using different approaches," predicts Inaba. "However, from here on, I belive that only a small percentage of games will be created in 2-D."

The Next Level

Fortunately, 2-D still has a home on the GBA with such upcoming releases as Gunstars Super Heros and Donkey Kong Country 3. And the future looks ever brighter on the DS. With Graphical Capabilities on par with the 32- and 64-bit consoles, the dual-screened portable is poised to finally deliver the evolution of 2-D games that was denied us in 1996. Titles like Sonic Rush and New Super Mario Bros. (see the sidebars) go above and beyond what we've seen before, proving there's still plenty of life left in gaming's oldest artform.

Indeed, Game Arts president Takeshi Miyaji sees this as a unique opportunity to promote innovation throughout all areas of game development. "You can focus on gameplay wit 2-D," explains the head of the company behind hand-drawn Lunar series. However, that isn't possible with

"There's a chance that we'll see more 2-D games as their positive traits are rediscovered with the increase in classic remakes."

3-D because you have to spend so much time on graphics rather then gameplay. I think a good approach would be to try new game systems or gameplay ideas in 2-D with the DS, then if those new ideas succeed, work on a big-budget 3-D game based on the results from the 2-D version."(could Miyaji hinting at the company's plans for the future of the Lunar franchise?)

And perhaps not all hope is lost for a 2-D resurgence on home consoles. As Maegawa points out, "There's a chance that we'll see more 2-D games as their positive traits are rediscovered with the increase in classic remakes." Those chances could be bolstered by the Revolution's "virtual console" capabilities as a new audience plays titles like Chrono Trigger, Yoshi's Island and A Link to the Past for the first time. A gamer can dream, anyway.

The End