Gameology: Commentary and Resources for the Game Studies Community

Nice review.

I tend to view graphics in older games as the equivalent of abstract art limited by the technical innovation at the time. While most games now either go for a realistic look (which sometimes looks creepy and plastic-looking) or a cell-shaded look (looking like an anime, which works decent in some cases), you do find some games doing a deliberate retro look.

Look at Katamari Damacy, for instance. The graphics are pretty much at the level of a PS-1 game, but the gameplay is so unique, mindless, simple, and involving (much like the games from the Atari era) that it trascends its visual limitations.