Is WoW graphic style too... "cartoonish"?

[lopk]

Nope, it's wonderful. The word timeless is a truly brilliant word to describe the graphics. Yes, they are ten years old, and it does start to show, but they still look really good. Realistic-graphic games that are a couple years old? They look bleh compared to what is out now.

[MrSerious]

Cartoony is WoW's look, BUT its an old engine so because of the limits things do look dated and 'ugly' IF they built a new engine like the one Wildstar is using then WoW would look so much better and retain the cartoony look.

But I do agree that realistic does look better, hence GW2 with its stunning graphics pulled me in, and when I returned to WoW I was quickly put off by the way it looked and quit/delete this time around.

[iinverse]

Do not touch wow graphic style!

[Deleted]

Haha I was going to write exact same thing as lopk just posted above me :P
Yea, the cartoony graphics age much slower than realistic ones. Also, they are easily recognizable. All those Korean MMOS with shiny new graphical engines - they all look the same, I can't tell them apart on videos or screenshots.
But when you see a character from WoW, you recognize it instantly.

[Deleted]

Nah, I like it more than the Rift graphics or GW graphics for example....I don't want it realistic

[Deleted]

Wow looks better now than ever before, it has aged very well. Cartoonish style is fine, I wouldn't change that, it's been this way from early 90s. I'm waitng eagerly for those promised Orc (and other) skin / model upgades. I just hope they won't f*cuk up Orc male melee animations.

[Lovestar]

Models need more detail, but not more realism.

[Arbs]

Only 2 realistic MMOs actually look good. TERA & Final Fantays 14.

GW2 I wouldn't call realistic, but it has aspects of it & a very nice updated GW1 (Which is good), SWTOR was sort of a animated MMO, Rift not even gunna speak about it (2 Year Old game, Looks like its older than EQ2), Wildstar looks even more cartoony, but it looks good.

I honestly prefer Cartoony MMOs they seem to last alot longer than said realistic MMOs, But gotta admit TERA & Final Fantays look beautiful.

[Lizbot]

Honestly, I think the fact the art is so highly stylized is part of the reason why it's survived this long. In my experience, the "realistic" set doesn't age as well.

[Urti]

WoW's visual style has always reminded me of Don Bluth, and as an animation nut that makes me happy. In fact I'd MUCH rather see a Don Bluth style animated WoW feature than the live-action one they're "working" on.

[hrugner]

WoW's visual style has always reminded me of Don Bluth, and as an animation nut that makes me happy. In fact I'd MUCH rather see a Don Bluth style animated WoW feature than the live-action one they're "working" on.

I love Don Bluth, and agree that a Warcraft feature done in his style would be amazing; but the idea that WoW looks anywhere near as resolved as anything Don Bluth has done just doesn't seem right to me. Bluth's focus on integrating foreshortening in character placement wouldn't even work in WoW. His fully body emotive style appears in no model I can remember in WoW. His diverse selection of body types within unified groups, while still remaining reasonably subtle never appears; though this could primarily be the fault of resource restrictions.

The concept for WoW art also just doesn't hold with any of the more complicated design decisions that make Bluth a master. I'd compare it more the the '96 Super Man Animated Series than to anything Bluth has done.

[Gorthezar]

Nope. It would look awful currently if it didn't go for a cartoon style.

[Deleted]

its perfect

[mordale]

"realistic" aesthetic styles age horribly.
i can still play many SNES games because they had strong style and didn't try for a "realistic" look.

[Deleted]

I like the style. Yes it is cartoonish by todays , but i like it, it is part of the charm I do actually like the grafic

[Lynneiah]

on a side note:

darker and grittier ≠ 'more real'

darker and gritter ≠ less childish

in fact extreme darkness and grittiness is a hallmark of immaturity; just as over-sexualization or any other 'attempt at seriousness'

'Darker and grittier' always reminded me of a teenager desperately trying to convince people he really is an adult.

[Waezlur]

I love it, it's more or less perfect. The one thing I don't like is model clipping. I hate the way weapons carried on the back tend to slice through my cloak.

No, I don't want to hide the cloak, I like having it displayed. The workaround is carrying the weapon in you hands 24/7 but if they could fix clipping at some point that would actually be a big improvement.

[Deleted]

the graphics are fken lovely as they are now
to me when sumthing looks too realistic it takes away the magic

[Krommm]

The style is fine. Yet, some items/models are far too pixelated to not facepalm at.

[l33t]

No, thank you. I've ever seen MMO that has realistic graphics and it is good to play in the same time.