2006-09-15 23:17:10 360 Idolmaster screens

Yes these are actual 3d models

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Burn em' at the stake!!!

2006-09-15 23:21:53

If those are indeed 3d models, we've reached cartoon graphics :D

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2006-09-15 23:28:16

They are..I'm not as blown away as everyone else seems to be, perhaps it's just because I think we've already seen this level of cell shading in Trusty Bell--but it does look nice. Too bad this one is bound to stay in Japan :P Region free demo please :)

2006-09-15 23:30:07

I'm really impressed by the cel shading done in real-time. I remember when cel-shading wasn't even this good in 3D Animators.

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Soon to have video reviews!

2006-09-15 23:33:30 In reply to GriftGFX (2006-09-15 23:28:16)

Except trusty bell doesn't really look like a cartoon. I am not really blown away by this either though.

What really interests me is Cry On. If one particular shot that I am vidualising turns out to be real time then... well lets just say we are in for a treat.

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"It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it." ~ Kreia in Kotor2

2006-09-16 00:15:42

this looks awesome. i kind of agree with GriftGFX. but they're VERY impressive nonetheless!!!

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If you can kneel before GOD, you can stand before anyone.
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t(-_-t)

2006-09-16 00:21:13

Im with Grift on this one too, Trusty Bell's art is much superior to this.

This doesn't even look 3D, so whats the point, it may aswell be 2D.

I look forward to Cry On i think that will have a more adult anime style to it.

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I want Blue Dragon more than Optimus .... mwah ha ha ha ha ha..

2006-09-16 01:50:04 In reply to Jollipop (2006-09-16 00:21:13)

The point of cel shading is to make the 3d image look like a 2d drawing, you totally missed the point.

They did a really good job.

2006-09-16 01:52:24 In reply to bloodforge (2006-09-16 01:50:04)

I would like to just say that I agree with you Bloodforge--but I think it's done rather well in Trusty Bell as well. Other notable moments in cell shading include Appleseed (not perfectly done, but it's nice looking, mostly) the CG scenes from Rogue Galaxy.

I do understand the purpose of cell shading in a title like this, and I think it looks very nice--not a huge fan of the character designs though.

2006-09-16 01:56:55

I actually think for the most part that cel shaded CGI looks like crap(as does the appleseed movie), but I do like the look of this and it actually looks better to me then Appleseed. Trusty Bell does look good, but Idolmaster blows it away in my opinion.

2006-09-16 02:00:16

Oh, I agree that MOST real time cell shading looks better than Appleseed..I didn't love it..I guess I appreciated the attempt, more then anything (also doesn't hurt that I generally like Masamune Shirow's stories). I don't however think that Rogue Galaxy looks like crap (CG). This is very well done, and very well adjusted--but there's no particular reason that you couldn't pull off the same thing in CG.

I think part of the problem..or rather one of the things that make it difficult to do this in a way that is truely convincing is that 3D does not animate in the same manner as 2D--the lack of motion in 3D space looks horrible--it's a technique in traditional animation..and we're not really used to seeing "2D" images animate so fluidly/mechanically. The principals of traditional animation are not lost entirely in 3D, but some things do certainly change.

Perhaps it's just because Trusty Bell has superior art direction in general--the effect is great here--but I'm just not digging it much due to the actual content I'm looking at.

2006-09-16 02:09:12

Thats a matter of opinion and personal preference and they are using two different styles, TB is going for a painted look while Idol is going for a more modern anime look(which I like better).

2006-09-16 12:11:17 In reply to bloodforge (2006-09-16 01:50:04)

No i didn't, cell shading is supposed to make a 3D object have 2D likeness and flat textures but still retain it's 3 dimensionality.

From these pics the characters just look flat, where as in a game like Trusty Bell they still look 3D.

Personally i think this a crap example of Cell shading, art style is way too simplistic aswell.

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I want Blue Dragon more than Optimus .... mwah ha ha ha ha ha..

2006-09-16 21:02:35

:-/. Cel-shading was original designed to replace 2D animation methods with 3D animators. Now, I see how close they've gotten in REAL TIME, that's impressive. If it looks flat, then its good. When its 3D is when it's not. But seeing how this is a game, its really up to the developers.

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2006-09-16 21:06:49 In reply to Jollipop (2006-09-16 12:11:17)

No, the point of cel shading is to make a 3d image look like a hand drawn 2d image so you can't tell its 3d. Cel shading is a way to make a 3d image look like a hand drawn animation cel frame(hence the name CEL shading, not CELL shading). The reason no cel shaded games have looked flat and still looked 3d is because of the limited technology, this is the first game where cel shading is actually doing what it is supposed to be doing(making the image actually look like it was hand drawn and the artsyle is mimicing modern anime artstyles). SO yes, you did miss the point.

2006-09-16 23:12:07

OH i do apologise..Well maybe i did, the art style is still crap .. :)

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I want Blue Dragon more than Optimus .... mwah ha ha ha ha ha..

2006-09-16 23:47:52

I think this is stunning. I get what Jolli is saying and I agree it's not particularly exciting from a design standpoint. Tech wise it's absolutely mind numbingly nice. Just wait until real artists hone this. When a game employs this kind of tech with the same artistic sense as Smilebit did with Jet Set Radio back on the Dreamcast, it could be absolutely awesome.

I'm not too bothered with the token RPG that uses it per default though.

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2006-09-16 23:53:12

I wonder if we'll get a cell shaded Simon Cowell in the west?

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