Blame Spielberg and Saving Private Ryan.
Fact is it was the coolest looking movie ever, and people want their games to look awesome too.
But now muted palettes have saturated (lololol) the market.

bloog

I've never understood this "next gen games are drab/all the colours are brown/etc" complaint. I can think of a few games that I've found overly dark and I've had to adjust my monitor or in the in game brightness, perhaps, but I've never sat there and thought "You know, this colour scheme is unbelievably drab". I think Gears gets picked out for this pretty often, but, you know, it's a post-apocalytpic city for most of the game. Where are the bright colours going to be? In some ways it only serves to highlight the blue armour of several of the protagonists, or serve as an ever greater contrast to the white glow of the immulsion (Which, on a complete tangent, was ridiculously named and always makes me think of painting my house).

I don't see this as a problem with developers "going realistic" or whatever. Most modern shooters, where the complaint is typically applied, are set in realistic environments or have tended towards the grittier side of things. It just naturally follows that the environments in such games won't be bright and colourful. It's pretty easy to pick out contrasts - I seem to remember Devil May Cry 4 being pretty damn colourful, which suited its style; Portal's clinical white environments; the neon signage of R6: Vegas; Halo 3's bright palette has already been discussed before I got here. I just don't see it as a general trend to be deliberately muted or drab, or even as something that's common enough to complain about. It just seems to be a popular gripe whenever it's a slow news day, or another knock on a new release without much basis.

Korlis

@bobtheduck: @Coquiton: Oops, read you wrong, sorry.

bobtheduck

@Arnold Rimmer's Garden Strimmer: Yeah, seriously... The pallet for the game changed at least 3 times a chapter... It ran the gamut.

@Coquiton: From what you've seen. Like I said, the palette changes numerous times through the game to fit the mood of the scene.

bobtheduck

I think the real problem is just the gamer's diet. If you enjoy FPS and survival horror, you kind of depend on these "colors" to set the mood. If you want something colorful, go play a puzzle game, Viva Pinata, Kameo, SMG, etc... There are many games out there with colors, just probably not in the genres one's used to playing in.

okenny :)

@InsidiousTuna:
But, The penny arcade wasn't going for a realistic approach, which is what kills 'drab games'.

A developer going for realism usually makes the mistake of muting the colors alongside it, which is what kills it, imo.

@EnigmaNemesis:
Hmm, I dunno about that.
The two games you mentioned aren't artificially drab!

MGS4, from what I've seen, looks as drab as the enviroment requires (I.E, desert city gets a brown pallette, etc)

CoD4...I don't see it as drab. The colors reflected the environment.

Coquiton

This is one of the reasons why im so fond of Speed Racer on the Wii. Complete synaesthesia! We need color back!

Shiryu

1) I thought the limited palette thing was a holdover from PC games, i.e. Quake.
2) The games usually mentioned ARE targeted at teenage boys.
3) Nintendo's games, targeted at kids of all ages, are much brighter and colorful.

Totorototoro

There are plenty of games that are colorful than the new gen of post apocalyptic coloration. Simply put it, the satire coloration is a "new" style. Still, color makes games look better, depending on the game.

mikes_stalker

@Strangelove: I was about to say that too. Halo always had a very colorful design and it was one of the knocks on the game because it made it less "mature" and more cartoony. Personally i could care less just as long as it looks and plays good, you shouldnt try to force color into a game.

snakepliskin

I wouldn't blame teenage boys, I would blame Hollywood. As video games seek to more "realism", the realism they try to emulate is the that which we see in film. Thus, COD4 has the pallet of Black Hawk Down. Mass Effect even has a "film grain" setting. We'll see even more of this as game makers take more inspiration from film makers.

AtomicPlayboy

Blah, Blah, Blah.

Vivid color or a muted palette, it doesn't matter to me as long as the gameplay is good.

Yes, Halo 3 is one of my favorite games. Gears of War is also one of my favorite games.

Totally different kinds of color!

Personally, I don't really care. However, I would like to see some games take on a different approach, uisng a very simplistic or monochrome palette ala Echochrome. Where is my black and white next-gen game people?!?

Okami got color right, they way they did the art and the land coming to "life" from a drab grey/ black and white to vivid color.

Anyway, that's it for now.

CarbonFalcon

@Strangelove: Agreed i thought the color palette was fairly colorful, and it definitely made the game feel more inviting than something like gears

smuckersisgood

I like the term "Sewer-centric".

I see reality every day, and it's never as bland color-wise the "Reality" in games.

I guess maybe the designers do think their audience is just emo/metal losers.

MartinX

Muted without being drab = Vagrant Story.

Pombar

@InsidiousTuna:

And MGS4 and CoD4, etc.

EnigmaNemesis

Metal Gear Solid 4 was remarkably colourful in parts. :) Was a refreshing change. :)

Arnold Rimmer's Garden Strimmer

Wasn't Crysis quite bright and colorful? Maybe it's just the settings that are getting booring, Doomcastle 53 is just getting boring. Sure the passageway's, booby traps, and enemies change places, but you're just headed down the same dark, dank, bloody corridor game after game.

It's part of the reason I like WoW, in the end you can't take things too seriously. Pink haired Troll Shaman crits you for 3k! but, he's got pink hair so it's all good.

Chewbenator

You can also have a game that's gorgeous with a drab color palette, like the Penny Arcade game.

InsidiousTuna

This is the biggest problem with creating "realistic" games.
I don't know why, but developers must be color blind. I'm looking out the window, and I see color! Bright greens! Vivid Blues! Vibrant reds!

And yet, developers insist on making everything brown and muted.

To this day, I think Halo 3 is one of the best looking games out there. It has a large, bright color palette, and looks that much more realistic and nicer as a result.

Even GTA4, which came out very recently, looks drab and murky compared to H3. Everything is blurred and watered down.
Devs need to take a leap out from their "safety" zone.
Not only will brighter colors be warmly received by gamers, but the industry will move forward as a whole.

Coquiton

I find the first fable to be a good example of a game that has a medieval setting, but is brilliantly and diversely coloured.

underthechestnuttree

Yes, i too want color back. So many of the game landscapes are bleak and depressing. A big part of the appeal for games like katamari damacy, mario, and the lego series is that they are alive with color.

dArk_stAr

I kindly point you to the Gothic 4 issue.

They will be issuing TWO color paletts for the game. A grim, darkyish, like the usual Gothic game-like one for Europe, and a birghtly colored, Fable-like palette for the US. Why? Simply becouse of marketing. USA loves pretty colors and eyecandy. Europe is formed of a more "hardcore", less easily impressed crowd.

Cosmitz

I wish you could turn off the "drab effect" in GTA IV. =(

HfAsianInvasion

@hahnchen: I got to hand it to you, you've probably already played killzone 2 huh?

PogiJet

Part of it could be the current tendency of games to emulate Hollywood movies (which I don't like at all). Movies are often color-corrected, and some of the trendier action/war movies mute all the color down to gray, brown or even green (The Matrix). So it's possible that, in an attempt to be "cinematic" (ugh), developers are sucking the color out of their games.

burpingcat

I had at least 7 seizures playing Space Giraffe.

Len Bias Cocaine Surplus

@Strangelove: I'm not sure if alot of people are complaining over Halo's color but you can count me as one of them if there are.

PogiJet

@Strangelove: Psst... we try not to give the "H" word too much credit because it's owned by you-know-who...

Just look'in man.

okenny :)

Part of the reason I can't stand Gears of War is because everything is just a different shade of gray.

GusherKid

See also:
The Blue Sky in Games Campaign
[www.ukresistance.co.uk]

In my opinion, the worst offender so far is Assassin's Creed. That game was unnaturally colorless.

DaveKap

I don't quite think that's true. For every technicolor game, there's one that has every shade of brown represented. This has always been true for games

Gaz

I am beginning to hate realism in games, everything just looks the same, and we still lack the technology to make it "real." Team Fortress 2 outright proves that until you can really nail realism, stylish graphics are truly the way to go.

nihility

The worst example of monochrome has to be Killzone 2. It's disgusting, not because of the atmosphere it wants to portray, but that the artists can't get there without the cheap trick of making everything grey.

hahnchen

Playing TF2 after playing GOW is like jumping into a pool after a long sauna session. It's just refreshing.

suntorytime

So we need more Kirby games right? =D

I totally agree if that's the case!

(俗・ ) Grey Gecko

I like how realism tends to me greyness, which sucks pretty hard IMO.

Hdfisise

I find that more games neat a more "natural" color palette. In games, I think should have more balance, like a game that has saturation AND muted colors. Too many games either have too much or too little color. A little variety would be nice.

flashadams

Windwaker WooHoo!

NaryaMithrandir

Sad, yet true.

Shocky

I guess I see where they're coming from. Games like Ar Tonelico, Okami, and the Atelier Iris series aren't exactly mainstream. In fact, when Atelier Iris 1 came out, I considered it the most colorful game I've played.

It's more akin to fantasy, but I'd prefer to see more of it myself.

Aiwokote

I've always welcomed the art style of the Ratchet and Clank series because the colours are so vibrant and welcoming. I'd like to see that kind of art style make a comeback.

KirkDouglas

I still say Uncharted did color right. You were in a jungle, it was bright, you were in a crypt it was dark, etcetera etcetera.

Maldron

Guess someone never played a Katamari game.

Keanu

I would again point to Halo 3 as an example of a brighter/warmer color palette (that people largely complained about).

Strangelove

There's no right answer to art-style questions. It's a matter of preference. Talking about "why" is a complete waste of time.

The answer is: that's what the artists preferred.

You might as well ask why people like or don't like classical music. It sounds good to people who like it and bad to people who don't. That's why.

Kohath

I think its just an extension of the whole "pretty graphics are essential" mindset the game industry has right now. I remember reading an article either here on Kotaku or somewhere else that asked "where is my next-gen gameplay?" I agree with this, and I hope developers will stop focusing on making trees sway perfectly with the wind and make more innovative gameplay and games. Then maybe they can finally stick some colour in there that doesnt make me feel like I just survived a nuclear holocaust.

ByteMovies

developers never know what people want anyway, that's just how it goes. for every stellar game released on a console, we get 30 'iron man/haze' games in return. first we lost originality in our video games. followed quickly by gameplay, then story lines and now we're losing our color. drab age indeed...

CancerMan

I'm a teenage boy and I like colorful games a lot more than dull brown ones, so I think his logic is a little flawed.

timb18011234

I tend to like games with lots of color, but I will never forget seeing the black and white Twilight Realm in the orignal trailer for Zelda TP. Then I saw the later trailer, HECK YES, ZELDA! NEW LINK LOOKS KICK ASS!! MAN THIS GAME'S GONNA BE EPIC. WAIT UP, WHAT'S ALL THIS COLOR DOING IN THE TWILIGHT REALM? AW, CRAP. I was totally mortified.

Green-clad Gamer Dude

It might be easier to work with those drab colors and pretend to be realism than it is to work with a full spectrum of colors?

That's my guess at why it's becoming more and more popular to do, it takes less time and effort to put out, and if one area is off, one can't really tell, it's already to dark and brown.

Whyspir

I think that what most are missing from this article is that the publishers think the teenage are controlling the market. This is what makes some of this games your average genere games: FPS must be brown/grey and about alien invasions or post apocalyptic world (generalizations abound, I know there are other types here but its not the point), JRPGs must be about the same teenage crap that start as nothing and become gods on their own with bright colors, etc. you catch my drift.

What we need is to make publishers aware that gaming ages this times are not restricted to child/teenage population.

WDYC

One of my favorite guilty pleasures of this generation is Just Cause. And that game, while not graphically sophisticated-- it wears the heaviest coat of bloom lighting I've ever seen outside of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down-- is absolutely beautiful in terms of color. I think sometimes I just put it on to feel happy. I feel the same way about Oblivion.

wild homes 5: no disassemble!

Talk about a lame argument. Blaming "teenage boys" because developers used tone-mapping in their games. Also, how can you not like Blade Runner / Mad Max (two of the best movies of all time)? Not to mention all the colorful stuff that comes out of Japan. Dude clearly doesn't know jack.

cybereality

Doesn't adding more colors require more RAM from the system? I thought this was a factor back in the 16 bit days, but is this still true today? Given PS3 only has 256 dedicated video (I know its 512 total) is this a factor?

Maximus9

@Korlis: @Korlis: Going realistic? Hmmm, WWI and II footage is mostly B+W but I assure you it was in color for the people who served(and died).
Korea, Viet Nam, Afganistan, Iraq....color.
Grey or brown dominating my screen does not add realism, it detracts from it.
Is it too hard for people (devs) to understand that death or murder actually occurs in color or colorfull places?
THAT is "realistic"

I don't understand this shitty trend.

Acute Gamer

One of the advantages of being a dedicated JRPG player is that I never have to worry about underused colors. Subtlety has never been a hallmark of this genre.

cheez

i don't understand much but i think they should invent a new color.... (it doesn't make sense, does it ? :( i knew it)

wststreet

It all has to do with a downward looking world view which is ever growing in our society, everyone thinks we're definitely on a wrong track and things only get worse and never get better, no redemption, no hope. The future always must has a sickly colored sky which we tainted with our pollution, all of our progress and technology will inevitably be abandoned, forgotten, and rusted.

Firebert

@Strangelove: My issue with Halo 3 was the bright colors mixed with the bloom and motion blur made me nauseous for any bright, sunny level.

ggodo

@bobtheduck: Well...Act 1 was drab..Act 2 had a sunrise...As did Act 5, blue skys open seas...It was quite astounding.

Arnold Rimmer's Garden Strimmer

Uncharted is an awesome example of things done right. The characters, while realistic, had a stylised and slightly unreal quality about them and the environments were lush with colour. It was such a refreshing experience.

Mind you, I'm a complete and utter Uncharted fangirl, so I have complete bias here. :D

Wuffles

You won't get any argument from me about the need for more colourful games. I was just replaying Jet Set Radio this weekend and what struck me most was how lovely it still looked thanks to its brilliant colour palette. In fact the only level that looks a bit dull is one of the extra ones added for the Euro/US release...

photoboy

All these games that sport nothing more than 500 shades of grey, it's coming out in my hair.
Maybe I'm just getting old....nah, it's the games I tell you!

Acute Gamer

@threeve: I cannot stress enough about these brown skys. If its immersive to have a brown sky because thats photorealistic, please invite me to the earth YOU live in.

As CoD4 proved, the world is filled with COLORS. that makes it look more realistic without being the most technologically advance game ever.

As Gears of War proved, making everything 3 colors can make for a cool looking effect, but isn't very realistic, added in with steroid addicted protagonist and chain-saws on guns...but you get the picture.

D Mitsuki

@D Mitsuki: I'll try my best, but first i need you to tell me what game(s) you are referring to? As i have not come across the game(s) you mention.

Ariance

@dsmx: I will say this one more time, that does not make the sky brown.

D Mitsuki

have you people ever heard of immersion? just sayin...

threeve

Super Mario Galaxy
Okami
Banjo Kazooie: "That new one"
Katamari
No More Heroes
Mad World

Color is coming/is here.

Also, on a side note, I remember seeing a shitload of Uncharted commercials... they were ok I guess.

Clemenceau

At least Nintendo remembers that there are more colors than Brown and Grey. Red, Blue, and Green FTW!!!!!!

hk458

Isn't the lack of colour because mainly shooters based in war zones tend to get released at the moment and most of the war zones take place in towns which are made of concrete. It's kind of hard to make colourful environments when concrete tends to come only in grey and all the vegetation has been killed due to bombs leaving brown.

dsmx

I'm inclined to agree with Maggie on this one. I have no problem with games sporting a drab color palette if it compliments the mood of the actual game. However, I really DO have a problem with games being drab, grey, and dreary if it's only to seem more dark, and mature. The one thing I remember liking about Metroid Prime the first time I played it, was the fact that environments were detailed, varied, and had a wide range of color. Sure, it had its dreary environments, but there were plenty of brightly colored areas to break up the monotony.

ThisCharmingMan

Haven't anyone of you looked outside? The world is brown and gray, I tells ya!

dslsd64

@Wuffles:

I totally agree. Uncharted is a classic and I feel it's a system seller.

PS3 owners were complaining about not having any cool exclusives and here comes this kick ass game and it doesn't sell for shit.

I blame it on bad marketing. I don't recall seeing one TV commercial advertising the game at the time of the release.

Pay_Me_Or_Pay_Me_No_Attention

I don't know where the color went, but De Blob is out to get it back!

DarkLinkinfinite

@Ariance: Explain to me please, when just because your in a war does the sky become brown? Possibly smoke can make it gray, but wars do not change the colors of the world. Even in wars there are tons of colors, saying that its a war so everything has to be brown is stupid. Just think of Vietnam, do you think the tree's were brown with gray leaves?

D Mitsuki

Well as a teenage boy I would like to say anybody who won't play a game because its colorful is moronic. I like all sorts of color, even in some of the crazy dark music I listen to like Malice Mizer they were always colorful, and besides when if I want realism I want realism not freakn browns and greys, thats not realistic its just ugly. Bring me back my colorful games like Sonic the Hedgehog 2!

D Mitsuki

Glad to see that many do not see this as a problem.

No need to talk about?!
There really is no need to be talking about this as it all depends on the environment the game takes place.

Personally i believe that most people are making their observations on games that are realistic and mainly of the Shoot'em up genre.

I mean if you're in a warzone you're not going to have a Sonic style palette unless you're dosing yourself with nectar (Haze reference...had potential)

A list of recent games that have come out..."Now in Color"

Ratchet & Clank = colorful
Eternal Sonata = Colourful
Folklore = Colourful
Uncharted = Colourful (good example of use as mentiond by Maldron)
Super Mario Galaxy = Colourful
No More Heroes = Colourful
Lost Oddysey = Colorful
Haze = Colorful
Devil May Cry 4 = colourful

Also i remember seeing plenty of non-monochrome games available on XBLA and PSN only

I would really like to know how many games need to be released to satisfy my fellow monochrome vision gamers?

Ariance

Soul Calibur took it all.

KrsJin

My theory is that developers are putting those heavy brown/gray filters to cover up bland textures and poor lighting.

Resistance 1 had horrible low res textures, but when you weren't standing next to them the brown filter made them look decent.

I hear MGS4 has some issues with low res textures throughout the game also. Coincidence?

I think the browness and grayness is a way to make games look better than they really are..when things are colorful, jaggies, poor lighting and low res textures are easier to spot.

fenderfuel08

I tend to hate realism in games, as it does take away from the fun of playing them. I play them to be happy and I expect happy colors.

Angryrider

Mirrors Edge.

Whos with me?

Faradin

It seems like more powerful hardware is being used to create effects that subtract light from scenes. Think about it: Normal maps? Stencil shadows? Ambient lighting isn't photorealistic, but it gives you a bright scene.

Torgen got his apology faceplate but not his fixed GH3 disc

i remeber when i first got my playstation (always had some regret bout not getting an n64) but i rember thinking it was nintendo that was bright and cheery, playstation being grim and darker, i guess each of those trends have carried on

mr_bigglesworth

Bioshock was pretty colorful, and dystopian. Don't blame English lit!

criminallyinane

Colours, or rather the connotations of them, convey a mood, and I think most people forget this. Most first person shooters have dull (brown) colour palettes to back the idea of 'war is hell' or the raw emotions the character is supposed to be experiencing. Likewise, platformers will have brighter colours to emphasize the 'fun-factor.'

Fallible

@Ariance: There are countless numbers of games where the sky is brown, but I'll just use the ever so popular Gears of War.

Now Gears of War has blue enough skys (I guess) but in EGM I was looking at side by side comparisons of 1 and 2. There was no real graphical difference to me, except in 2 all the skys were brown, and everything was MORE dark then it was before. That can be a problem for a game that essentially only knows 3 colors in the first place...

D Mitsuki

@KrsJin: No, they wanted to know where COLOR went. Not all the breasts.

wild homes 5: no disassemble!

Who, exactly, is having this problem? So far this year: Wii has gotten Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart, which use the normal Nintendo colourfulness; Boom Blox and Blast Works which both have interesting artwork involving building blocks (in a sense, at least) and are again colourful; as well as a port of Okami which is more vibrant than the PS2 original (not everyone likes this, but I personally prefer it, and it's definitely less 'drab'.).

GTA4, while not the most colourful game ever (or even in it's series. Hellooooo Vice City) can be very bright. It doesn't have quite enough color on its streets, but it is far from drab most of the time.

Halo 3 was very vibrant and bright, if not the strongest in terms of art direction, it was rarely drab.

Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga (and I'd assume the Jones one as well) has plenty of great lego style color.

"Non-traditional" games like Rock Band and Wii Fit also tend to have brighter, more colourful graphics; although those tend to take a very far backseat to gameplay being fun.

I mean, I might just be biased (read: blessed) because I have a Wii and have had many colourful titles released lately, or because I consider "Gaming" to be more than "Big name FPS", but this seems like it's very much a non-issue.

Feba

i miss color too. Every game coming out has more grey than it should. that kirby game for the wii better not be cancelled. that would be bright with alot of color.

squigglychicken

FPS games are moving toward muted colors because people want camo to act realistically.

So, if you make the grass practically neon green, you'd have to make the camo practically neon green as well. And well, a guy with a gun walking around in a neon green suit is just ridiculous.

lordargent

Unnatural colour of blue? I think you'll find that the sky is often a pretty brilliant blue, and it would look awesome.

valleyshrew

I could care less about the colors in the game if it's fun as hell to play. Could have one color or one billion, just keep it fun.

mfwahwah

If there were more colors people would accuse developers of being racist. It's safer for everything to be the same color.

/end sarcasm

kwonster

@Strangelove:

But remember how colourful Halo was before it was released? Then they made all the covenant armour darker and less bright.

@Cosmitz:

I don't think it's because EU gamers are more 'hardcore'. It's more to do with the EU gamers who tend to play that game like the grittyness of the art style. The Gothic series never sold well in the US and i guess they must have focus tested it and decided it was too dark and gritty. Plus there's the whole name change now too....

I'd like there to be a balance in games. You look at films like saving Private Ryan and other WWII spectacles and you see the washed brown and grey of the scenes... but you also see colour as well.

Duoae

@Angryrider: You're not alone! I love the crazy colors of stuff like Ratchet/Viva Pinata/Mario. Real life is boring!

Wolfers

I'm suprised that no one has mentioned Guild Wars as an example of color palettes done right! Throughout all three campaigns and the expansion, Arena.net has continued to pump out in-game artwork that is vivid, consistent, and representative of many different types of locales both life-like and fantasy.

Though tech wise Guild Wars is starting to show its age, especially in the original campaign, its art has always seemed to be top notch.

MantisDragon

@D Mitsuki & @D Mitsuki: I have two explanations that come to mind. One, if you are referring to the sky in Gear of War 2. I have seen the gameplay footage that was presented by Cliff.

1. The sun was setting and can cause the sky to look brown.

2. This everyone should be aware of is pollution.

Both of these happen in the earth we currently live in.

To be on the safe said to avoid pointless squabble by all gamers here are facts presented in game footage form

Blue Sky's found in GoW

+ Watch video

Blue Sky's found in GoW 2

+ Watch video

Sun setting giving sky brownish color at 1:52

+ Watch video

I would also like to ask that someone please present video clips of games with brown skies as i remember seeing them but not the way people are making them out to be.

Ariance

@DaveKap: Acre was pretty bad. Damascus and Jerusalem were decent as far as color goes. It could have been better though, yes.

Petezah

@D Mitsuki: what game has a brown sky? i've seen gray skies in games, since, you know, clouds are kind of a real-life thing and all...

threeve

So I suppose games like Mario Kart Wii, Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Galaxy, and the Katamari series are just outliers then? Oh wait, those aren't "real" games for "hardcore" gamers, right?

LovelyPeach

Neutral color palettes are an artistic choice that has nothing to do with "realism" or demographics. Saturated colors attract your eye and seem more intense when they are set against neutral backgrounds. This can be very helpful in level design and HUD design. Certain environmental elements can also be emphasized this way. Remember how vibrant the emulsion seemed in Gears of War? Would it seem as vibrant if you were seeing bright colors all the time? Absolutely not.

Using bright, saturated color everywhere is like TYPING IN CAPS ALL THE TIME. NOTHING IS EMPHASIZED BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS EMPHASIZED. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT? I DON'T!!!11ONE

Granted, you don't have to use neutrals to emphasize things. You can achieve a similar effect by using complimentary color schemes, but that can be just as ugly if the colors are too intense. Still, I don't see a lot of complimentary schemes (or much color theory at all) in most of the colorful games hat were mentioned above.

If you look more closely at screenshots of GoW, MGS4 and COD4 you'll see that there is a lot more color than you think. Try desaturating them in Photoshop and you'll see what I mean.

Then look at some of the greatest works of art that have stood the test of time. You'll have a hard time finding many famous works that look like Mario Galaxy.

When top games use a lot of neutral colors, it's an artistic choice. It's not a gimmick to seduce teenagers into buying the game. The other games that look like that are just copying the leaders. You might not like the style, but get used to seeing it in more games. As the industry has evolved, more and more teams are realizing you don't need to use every crayon in the box to make a pretty picture.

Hori

That drab colour palette that people seem to think of as "more realistic" is total bullshit. I'm looking out the window right now. There are bright green trees, a beautiful blue sky, and white fluffy clouds. The siding on one building is a bright blue. The radio tower is painted white and bright red. I look at my bed and I have a bright turquoise pillow. The quilt my mother gave me is a warm, if rustic brown mixed with a dark blue.

There's SO much colour here in the real world. I think a lot of the artists and designers are just fucking lazy.

GET OUT OF YOUR DARK, SHITTY CUBICLES AND LOOK AT THE WORLD AROUND YOU!

Quilt

I don't know though, color-grading is of utmost importance to me. Every movie you watch, be it a blockbuster, comedy or documentary, had careful color-grading. I wouldn't take Killzone as serious without art-direction in its colors, it is the first key in setting a mood.

I read a couple of comment above me that said something about these choices to be for realism, but no game has 'realistic' color-choice. All games with muted palettes choose so for artistic purposes and to enhance certain moods or situations. I would call it cinematic color-choices.

But the art-direction DOES come from the demand of consumers, thus gamers themselves. Gamers wanted a cinematic experience, that's why games of the current generation have a heavy emphasis on the cinematic element, which includes color choices. It does fit a game better when the colors are adjusted correctly. A Katamari game or sports game will still have all the colors that you would want, because there is that demand.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against games with plenty of color but as someone who appreciates color-graded video and film I also appreciate correct art-direction and thus applaud developers choosing tones.

hezz05

If you need your color fix, just play Tetris.

Honestly...

You have your Marios, Zeldas, Banjo Kazooies, Final Fantasies, Crysiseseses/Far Cries...etc

You can't oversimplify the popularity of titles based on their color palettes, cuz you're robbing the developers of all the time spent on the gameplay, level design, AI, and music score (Shadow of the Colossus comes to mind - God I love that game)

isoo

That blogger is an idiot. Blaming part of the consumer demographic instead of the industry is ridiculous. Plus most games seem to use the color palette that makes the most sense. Games like Gears of War would just look weird all bright and cheery.

Nedge

@Cosmitz: I submitted that story to the site a long time ago, but I guess it wasn't as interesting as I thought it was. I'm pretty sure it's the first time this has happened for any game, and also the first time a publisher has openly made a statement about what gamers supposedly like in terms of colour.

frostcircus

Personally, I blame Zark.

[www.eurogamer.net]

tossrStu

I know a lot of people are saying that games aren't that drab. That there really is color out there.

Can anyone imagine an update of Fantasy Zone? That's the only game that could trigger a photoinduced seizure from a still screenshot.

I have a feeling that if it was updated, you wouldn't see those same shades of pink-blue and purple-orange. You may say, "Those aren't real colors." I'll say, "Have you played it?"

Eltigro

@Strangelove: First thing on my mind, I love Halo's visuals for their colorful distinction

pikachumariachi

Man I blame Cold Case, I watched one episode of that show and thought? Man is this camera filter Gears or something.

It makes the show look quite impressive camera quality wize.

But has anyone used the "Gears" Gloomy filter in Halo 3?

It changes the colours, but overall the graphics look better. Its just a trick to make the game look better without really effecting hardware usage.

Colours with the hi res textures we have now take alot of work to show.

I think just a game that went all out crazy with colours be it Team Fortress or Katamari actually looks really good with great art direction behind it. But damn does it take alot of work, I wish developers would try it though, but theres those non gamers out there that play about one game.

Calling colourful games horrible looking etc.

flukielukie

I don't mind dull colors if it fits the mood of the game or scene from a game, but to make everything brown in the name of "maturity" shows lack of imagination and weakness of design.

Take Lair as an example: Sure, the cliffs should be brown and the castles gray, but why mute the colors on the trees and water? And why not give the dragon's some varity of colors? Dark blues, flame orasnge, dark red, hell throw in a classic green.

EmeraldDragon

Also: Reality is not brown. IE, my garden.

Unless you live in Eastern Europe.

MaiAriSquee

@Coquiton:

That was my point ... the game reflects the environment ... Halo 3 looked great, it doesnt matter to me like someone else mentioned, as long as the game looks great (which most of them complained about do) and plays great ... again which most of them complained about do!

EnigmaNemesis

@Hori: Perhaps, but you're also forgetting that those things may just be faded because they're INCREDIBLY OLD. Paints, paper, and preservation may change that. There's also the fact that things that looked that way probably would not have been created very often even if it were technically possible, just because it wasn't stylish to them.

Look at animation, for instance. Most of the 'classic' works of art are very colorful (Disney movies and old animes, mainly), even in black and white.

Oh, and re: brown skies, google images for "Smog". It's surprisingly real in some places.

Feba

Anyone considered that colour palettes are chosen as a way to heighten the mood of games? I'm fairly sure that's the only reason a game based on a gritty, violent war would use dark, subdued colours and that a game based on some bloody plumber that turns into a bee and collects coins would use bright, vibrant colours is to aid in the conveyance of the mood of the game.

Spiraltribesman

There's still many colourful games out there,especially games made by Japanese studios.
Sonic Unleashed springs to mind as a very colourful game without being kitch.Can't wait for that one.

badmoogle

Good thing De Blob for Wii is coming. They should release a De Blob into the VG industry to help recolor all those grey-scale games. Games are about fantasies, so color them as such. On the subject of the demographic, as long as there is a high level of visual violence, they don't care what the color is.

Ryodestined

I'm a teenage boy, and this is actually true. A moment ago I was on Youtube looking at Spore, watching some of the videos from years ago. They had a much more realistic feel than the colourful and googly eyed feel today, not to say its for the better/worse.

I read a comment on youtube for a spore vid "this looks so gay now the realistic look was much better"

As you can see, this even came across in my mind, but I'm still glad that the game is awesome with what you can do and I didn't care if it was 2d to be honest. Other generic games? Maybe I would.

Jagzthebest

Trends come and go.

artofwar420

@Cosmitz:

How do you take something factual (Gothic 4 has 2 palettes), and then use it as the basis for an idiotic non-sequitor (Americans love eye candy and are easily impressed?). Are you saying that dull palettes are more impressive, somehow?

It's the same game, with the same engine. It just has two palettes.

Any further conclusion you draw from that is pure ignorance.

Snokie

So the majority of gamers would want Call of Duty 4, a game set in a "realistic environment" to have fuscia pink and neon green in its palette? Wake up gamers, there's a realistic trend going through the industry with all this "HD" mess and games/shooters set in a dystopic future/modern battlefield ain't gonna be bright and cheery. You ever seen a canary yellow tank or a Ferrari Red M4? Didn't think so. If you want bright and cheery, bust out the old generation consoles. Pop in Bionic Commando or Contra.

Or better yet, just paint your TV/Monitor with some neon glow paint. That'll fix all those color problems you're having.

I for one welcome realism and revel in it. Yay for it. Soon enough, games will be just as blah as the real world and then maybe I'll be able to kick my gaming habit.

tlozwarlock

It's about time someone mentioned this. I've never been able to figure out why "destroyed beauty" means 3 colors.

KypFox

Lost Odyssey managed to get a bright palette (albeit in certain areas, but it wouldn't be realistic if everywhere was bright and pretty) despite using UE3 (which, after seeing Last Remnant trailers and screens, somehow automatically makes things grittier I swear!)

Still, color's not all it's cracked up to be...

I'd point out the ending LO was pretty much a civil war of clashing colors. You know what I mean! Flamingo pink!

Byakko

I really liked the colors in Half life 2. I thought they had a good mix of bleak grey (ravenholm, Nova Prospect) and bright and colorfull (Outside levels). I think having a mix is important to most games

TheGreySpectre

@Faradin:
My sentiments exactly. When I saw the Mirror's Edge video they posted here I was in love. It was so bright and beautiful and I hope for the best with that game.

NeoSamurai

I think the real problem here is that game producers are constantly wearing sunglasses, look at the douche itagaki, he's always wearing some form of eye shades.

Tizlor

I think the main problem isn't drab palettes, but bloom, that thing is everywhere

CSanjuro

BLUE SKY IN GAMES!

Josh*

I have been thinking about the colors in games too, I miss all those colors from ocarina of time and majora's mask, I remember how those games have lots of colors that make the game look so cool, Im even playing majora's mask right now and if I compare it with Twilight Princess I'd say Twilight Princess fell in a black and white pot and then tried to paint itself again but still looked way darker.

HELLSRIDER

@Maldron: yup. that game was bright green.

fadecy

It really turns me off...right away when I start up a game, it begins in a dark cave and I have to find my way out. I immediately delete that demo from my drive and never look back. I don't mean that everything should be a marioland, but they need to mix it up well. And forget about this dark game where I can't even see what the hell is going on.

karateka

Maybe that's because... Artistic Directors want to "create", just like impressionists painters wanted to represent the world a way photography wouldn't...
Yes real life is sporting more colors, no doubts... but when you're a DA, and are asked to make a game set in a realistic environment, your job is on one hand to make it look realistic, the other, to make it original.

We've reached the point where re-creating reality is feasible, but, if you're an artist with an ego, you don't want to "reproduce" you want to express yourself.

Can't go the "caricature" way of a TF2... then, use the color palette to make it feel "personal and creative".q

If all games looked like your back alley, even if there is a saturated red "stop" sign, you would be bored to death...

Question is: If you have to create a realistic setting, how can you make it an artistic expression or a differenciator (so that your screenshot do not like your competitors) strong enough to feel artsy and commercialy interesting :D

Cheers

Orph3O

personally i think a more colorful and cartoony look renders was better. the photorealism thing is not gonna work for maybe 10 more years, i think its best left alone.

ulimate spider man, battalion wars 2, strangers wrath, and windwaker both stand up as fine examples of design when the realism is toned down

hell look at the incredibles movie, thats exactly what i'm talking about

gentlejones

And let's not forget that in real life, things aren't always bright and cheery either. Trees aren't #0000FF.

Beirut

Note how dark the green trees are. Note how the red is muted.

Bosnia, where is your bright cheery green grass?

Bosnia again, hey wasn't this a Call of Duty 2 level? Note that there's some red on that building, but it's muted. Not #FF0000

And to compare/contrast. St Thomas, USVI (my hometown/island) on a sunny day.

lordargent

Quilt: That drab colour palette that people seem to think of as "more realistic" is total bullshit. I'm looking out the window right now. There are bright green trees, a beautiful blue sky, and white fluffy clouds.

I'm assuming you're also not living in a run down warzone.

The colors used in a game help set the mood, like someone said, would we take gears of war as seriously if everything was bright and cheery?

OTOH, look at something like dead rising. Colors everywhere.

Or, look at, rainbow 6 vegas/vegas 2. Plenty of bright colors.

Then turn around and look at a game that got awards for it's artistic direction and talk to me about drab colors.

/Shadow of the Colossus

But, the coloring totally fit the theme of the game, so it was A-OK.

lordargent

[www.miracleworld.net]

Shabon

There's def a stigma regarding colors and style in gaming. It's bullshit. Photorealism is boring and plastic-y

GhaleonUnlimited

This theory is thin. Teenagers are not videogames' biggest demo.

B-Minus

When I was a teenage boy my favorite games were Sonic the Hedgehog, Gunstar Heroes, and NiGHTS.

gsilverfish

I HATE how all of these next-game games play like they've got the contrast color and saturation turned all the way down. GTA4 (with a few ares as an exception), Hulk, COD4, and most others, are all drab, bland and feels lifeless. Looking at last-gen games I see games like FFX, Viewtiful Joe, Okami, and they're all so vibrant and full of life and color, and new we've got drab brown.

Talleh

I actually turned the color off on my TV this weekend to finish Bioshock. Holy crap, did it add to the atmosphere. Looked just like a movie out of the 50s.

Not sure if it's possible to do with a video card, but on an HDTV, just turn the Color/Saturation to 0.

You can't tell if security cameras, turrets, drones, or Big Daddies are pissed at you, but you'll find out soon enough.

Bonus_Eruptus

banjo kookzie, de blob, spyborgs and spore should ale the colorless game world, along with, I"M sure, countless other games!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

freespeech