The 21st century began on January 1, 2001, meaning that the entirety of the first chunk of the gaming industry took place in the 20th century. This included big consoles like the NES, Game Boy, PS1, Dreamcast, and many others. With each new console, graphics took quite the leap in quality that was noticeable, but it is harder to tell console generations apart now, since the graphical levels of quality are so minimal.
Best Games That Prove "Graphics Are Not Everything"
These games may not look as visually stunning as others, but they more than make up for it in the gameplay department.
So, of the games released in the 20th century, which ones are still considered to be technical marvels that still look good in some regard? Even if they don’t know, they are still important to history and stand out as true achievements in game development. These games will use the original release dates, which, in many cases, means they launched in Japan first. These games will be ranked by how impactful they were visually.
Final Fantasy 9
Square’s Love Letter
Final Fantasy 9 is one of the best-looking RPGs on the PS1, and even though the characters are a bit deformed, they have more detail than any other entry on the PS1, from the Black Waltzes to Zidane. The world itself feels more lived in, too, with cities and kingdoms built to perfection, and the world map giving off a mysterious and haunting vibe.
This is the type of game that invites players in for an adventure from minute one, and it’s clear that the Final Fantasy team gave it their all to make Final Fantasy 9 a swan song to the PS1 as a great gaming achievement.
Paper Mario
Playing A Cartoon
Paper Mario is a spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the SNES, which was Mario’s first RPG adventure. Instead of going for a realistic look on the N64, Intelligent Systems, the developer, decided to go for a more cartoony look, as if Mario and the rest of the characters exist in a coloring book world.
Thanks to the 2D animation, this is an N64 game that has stood the test of time, looking unlike anything else on the N64 in 2000, and it’s still miraculous to this day, even though there have admittedly been better-looking sequels.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes
Pixel Perfect Pummeling
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
- Released
- June 29, 2000
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes may not have had cutting-edge graphics for the late 90s fighting arcade market, but Capcom made good use of their sprite artists to make one of the most iconic fighting games of all time. The sprite models are intricately detailed and animated so well that it’s almost like watching a cartoon.
The way Venom explodes into tentacles or the way Mega Man fires his arm canon all look immaculate on screen, making it easy to pick up and play, or just look at in amazement at what these artists were able to achieve.
Metal Gear Solid
Sneaking Into Cinema
Metal Gear Solid
- Released
- October 20, 1998
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Metal Gear Solid is a cinematic tour de force that had Hideo Kojima and his team firing on all cyclones. No aspect of the PS1’s inner capabilities was ignored as this game pushed the boundaries.
Superhero Games With The Best Graphics
From space travel to travel by web, these superhero games all look cutting-edge thanks to their top-of-the-line graphics and stellar art direction.
At first glance, it may not look impressive now as the game is primarily played from a top-down perspective. That said, the actual models are well rendered, which players can see in the cutscenes, which is where the visual flair really came into play. With great voice acting and even better directing, it was impressive that a PS1 game could have in-game graphics look this good in a cutscene without high levels of CG, at the time.
Soulcalibur
A More Open Fighter
Soulcalibur was a 3D fighting game, and while it doesn’t look as good today as Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes does, it was the killer app on the Dreamcast in 1999. Instead of fighting with their fists, characters used weapons, including Mitsurugi, who used a katana.
Each fighter’s combat style was unique, well animated, and with more open arenas, players got a better sense of their palace, making it easier to strategize than most fighting games. Plus, Soulcalibur was a game anyone could learn passively.
Super Mario 64
Mustache Stretching
Super Mario 64 enticed players when they walked around stores with their parents, with Mario’s voice luring them in to try a demo. It was one of the first fully realized 3D platformers, and leave it to Nintendo to make a game that launched with a console holdup decades later.
What was amazing about the game’s visuals is that Nintendo transferred many Mario characters and enemies over to 3D without anyone looking weird. The openness and size of the levels were impressive for 1996, too.
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Pure Magic
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time also transitioned a well-established 2D franchise, Zelda, into 3D, which remains a fan favorite to this day. While not quite an open-world game by today’s standards, the way Hyrule Field connected to the other locations was brilliant. The visual scope of this game looked massive thanks to the design, and while characters still had a bit of a cartoony look, their realism was portrayed well through charismatic reaction animations.
Also, the transformation from young to adult Link is still impressive, along with how Nintendo reused assets to change everything about Hyrule, thanks to a time jump.
Phantasy Star Online
AN MMO For All
Phantasy Star Online checked all the boxes for Dreamcast players. It was an MMO-like experience that did not tax players with an intrusive fee. The characters were large, impressively detailed between armor and weapon sets, and the monsters were also quite intimidating for their size.
Anime Video Games With The Best Graphics
These games put in maximum effort to adapt the visuals of the anime series they are based on, resulting in some gorgeous anime-style graphics.
There was repetition in the dungeon design, but the action combat was so good that players did not care, plus lush jungles and dank caves still gave players an immersive feeling. Players just wanted to level up high enough to reach the next quest and see what large and imposing boss awaited them next.
Gran Turismo 2
Speed Reality Racer
The Gran Turismo series prides itself on pushing console hardware to make its cars look as realistic as possible, with Gran Turismo 2 being the grand finale for the PS1. Car technology has obviously gotten much better, but on the PS1, there was no way anyone could match the realism of these cars.
They handled well, made the right sounds, and ultimately, the game gave players a peek inside the car industry with some customization options to live out their racing dreams.
Shenmue
The Dreamcast’s Standout
Shenmue is a game that was ahead of its time, too good for the Dreamcast. The intricacy of the main city and the other areas was expertly crafted to encourage exploration and immersion, along with having the character models appear more realistic. It felt like a good detective story with a little martial arts thrown in to switch up the more adventure game-like design.
The dialogue exchanges are laughable now, and of course, the game’s spiritual successor, Yakuza, lived on to push boundaries even further. For games of the 90s and 2000s, though, Shenmue was like a peek at what the industry could do if a little heart and soul were patched in.
10 Pixel-Art Games That Look Better Than Most AAA Titles In 4K
Thanks to dedicated craftsmen, you can see the passion behind the art in these pixel art gaming projects.