
Best Art Direction of 2012 - Article
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 25 December 2012 / 4,896 ViewsAre games art? Yes. If you think they aren't... how does it feel to be so completely wrong about something?
We are so far removed from the technical limitations from just a few decades ago in videogames. We have stopped discussing aesthetics based on pixels and polygons, we now judge them as one would critique a painting. A moving, interactive painting with dynamic lighting... but still.
These are the games that impressed us the most with their creative and impressive use of visual art in the medium of electronic interactive entertainment in 2012.
Here are the Nominees:
Sir Benfro's Brilliant Balloon
And the Winner is ...
At first you might think Journey would be a bore to look at. A guy without a face in a cloak in the desert. As you get further into it, Journey will reveal its world to you, showcasing its amazing visual design along the way. It is able to explain its story without much in the way of words or narration, and for a couple hours you will explore this brilliant living artwork, sometimes with an anonymous friend.
Other games may try their best to Duke of Hazard themselves over the uncanny valley, or play on your 8-bit nostalgia. Journey forged its own path and then let you forge yours. That's what art is all about.