PATRONE: www.patreon.com/user?u=2285408 RAIN IN GAMES: twitter.com/Rainingames im working on a game lol: bit.ly/3FeQBvX i figure some folks are prolly gonna ask me to share all of these, but like, just go to the internet archive, and search squaresoft. you'll find exactly everything that i found. plus the files that i do have are stuffed with stuff i had to do to em for videos, so id have to clean everything up, its easier (for me) if u just search for them urself lol.
Ay, I don't need to sell out my organs to you anymore for them Chocobo Racing renders Sucker, ha- Jk, thanks for sharing, lol, really dig your channel and content 👍
Your channel is a treasure trove of nostalgia and well edited clips of things I love and I thank you for it. Keep keeping the late 90s / early 2000s alive Thor!
@@starless267 Exactly. Personally I think they still put out some real bangers pretty consistently but people tend to get hung up on the mediocre experimental stuff that comes out fairly frequently. Shit like Left Alive definitely has passion behind it but ends up missing some key component on how the genre is supposed to work.
So glad there's people who appreciate these old stylistically disjointed wonders. There's something so genuine about them. People trying so hard with this new medium with every experimental angle. The uncanny stark shadows. Busy and unmatched fonts. Rudimentary shaders and soft bump maps. Stock textures from sources you'd never expect. And all still managing some fantastic designs through raw artistic talent shining through. It's a comfort a bit deeper than base nostalgia, I feel. But that could just be nostalgia talking. Either way, I like it
One thing this channel has taught me over the years is how to appreciate the games I play even if they suck a little there's bound to be one aspect that's pretty damn good.
For real. I'm always looking for the positives in games I'm meh on now while I'm always looking for the quaint or uncanny in the blockbusters. It's a challenge in both cases.
Yeah I get incredibly tired of online discussions going on about how some title or port is shit because it has frame drops or a frustrating mechanic. I look at games as an art form and not every titles is going to appeal to everyone, we all have stuff we appreciate on different levels. As I"m playing something no matter how subjectively bad it might be I'm looking at what I love about it, about the emotions it invokes and not just how fast it brings the dopamine rushes.
That but 1000x to me. I start appreciating or loving the games he shows here, but the game suck for me. They're either turn-based rpg's which I consider a form of torture, or the gameplay is too outdated for my liking. So often I'll stick to appreciating the aesthetics.
I think about this exact same thing. Even though to the average person they're really simple looking and unimpressive, they radiate SOUL. Love that 90s Japanese aesthetic of that era. Especially Sega Dreamcast era
I think half of that is that 3D in gaming was very experimental at the time. What works and doesn't was still being figured out so each work needed that extra bit of artistic soul as you put it. I also loved the pre rendered backgrounds of this time period.
PS2 era cover renders are the best. They looked so futuristic (and so different from the game) they actually made you buy the game only because of that single image on the box. A full zoom on the face of the protagonist, with marked shadows and beautiful eyes.. i know i remembered you something, It was so in vogue at that time.
There really is something about those old Final Fantasy renders. They had a unique style that I don't think I've ever seen anywhere else and probably won't ever see the like again. FF9's were oddly cozy, FF8's were often sleek and alien, FF7 was industrial and unsettling in the best way possible. Such a vibe
If you ever want to scan in a book, google around your local colleges/schools! Some libraries will have specific book scanners for that. Even if we can't read japanese, it would still be cool to have books like this scanned in :D
That Ragnarok render was my background for a loooong time. FF7 CGI backgrounds didn't impress me much tbh, it wasn't until FF8 that my jaw dropped, specially when there were almost seamless transitions into FMVs
I've always dreamed about making a game in the graphical style of a PS1 / Dreamcast 3D rendered cutscene. There's just something so charming and surreal about these shiny playdough skinned characters and toy-like models of real life architecture and vehicles. Back then it was these late 90s / early 2000s graphics that our minds could only fathom what the next Final Fantasy game would look like because it was all our imaginations knew at the time. I don't know if younger gen z's can appreciate these old graphics, but for me it brings me back to a time when all I had to worry about was how to catch 'em all, what cartoons were on TV, and what game I was going to rent next from Blockbuster.
I, as a Zoomer, can certainly appreciate these crusty-ass graphics. My art preference in general even outside of games leans towards grittier stuff so this kinda thing is super cool to me. I adore the clay heads from Fallout 1 and 2 especially, it’s frankly a little baffling to me that the facial expressions those characters had have never been matched by the modern Fallout games, though I suppose 4 got a little closer.
Yeah, these days things look so much more true to life than they've ever been, and graphical improvements are a lot more gradual from console generation to generation now. But I remember watching the pre-rendered cutscenes in Final Fantasy X-2 on the PS2 and saying "wow, I bet when the PS3 comes out we won't need pre-rendered cutscenes, it'll all just be rendered in-game", and I think it got pretty close back then (XIII still had some!), but I can't remember the last time I saw an out-of-engine cutscene in the modern era!
I remember thinking that Kingdom Hearts 3 would have in game graphics like the pre-rendered cutscenes at the beginning and end of KH 1 and 2... sigh...
I seem to recall, when I messed about with the FF7 debug rooms back in the day, that Aeris was referred to as "Earith" when I selected to start from certain locations. It even forced that to be her custom name whenever I did that. So your idea that Aeris could originally have been called Earth makes a lot of sense. It's certainly something I considered!
Even though it's an interesting thought, the intent behind Aerith's name was always set in stone to be a play on the word rather than flat out "Earth," as in the Kaitai Shinsho, they said they wanted to still make it sound a bit more Japanese, thus making it "Aerith" rather than just "Earth." Then the translation mislocalized it as "Aeris" due to the translator being stuck working under poor conditions in the US branch of Square, lacking much assistance or communication with the dev stuff, unable to find out from translating the katakana if the "su" in "Earisu" was meant to be a substitute of an "s" or a "th" sound, ultimately going with the former. It is possible that, at one point in time, they would've just spelled it as "Earith," though, given the debug room's use of it.
This is hands down one of my favorite features you've done! I always felt the same way about these renders, in some ways they were more magical than the game. I remember cutting out renders from magazines as each game came out to make a collage on my wall.
To this day, I'm always sad they haven't used the bouncer character in another game, can you imagine if one of the final fantasy games had a quest line around them ? That would be fantastic
Did that game not sell well enough for square to make a sequel? I guess the story didn't leave alot of room for a sequel. What are they gonna do? Make the robot chick get kidnapped again? I can kinda see sion as a guest fighting game character in tekken or Smash bros or something. But it's too late now, i mean the bouncer came out nearly 20 yrs ago.
I feel like after FF7, Nomura was granted god status in japan. Due to the designs of the character on FF7 the Japanese thought Nomura wouldn't miss in the west but he did. Sadly we are a bit behind in the west and most of us disregarded shit like The Bouncer due to how odd it was. Then he got another chance and made TWEWY and that didn't sell as good as expected even though it became a cult classic and spawned a sequel and even that under sold. I for one love Nomura, I own most of his games, and his crazy ass ideas, dude thinks like a rockstar and I fuck with that. You can see it in his designs and style. He'll always stand out to me as one of the most expressive Japanese men to exist. Dude is 50 now and I'm still waiting on what he'll drop next lol.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that enjoys the renders/3D models from 90's-early 2000's games. It's just something about them.. maybe it's just my love for retro things in general.
Not only does this video translate exactly how I feel about these old renders, you are absolutely one of my biggest inspirations in my editing style, everything you do is so interesting and stylish in a way I always think about and this video is no exception!
Man, wouldn't it be crazy, if you made a full game out of this idea? Imagine wandering trough wacky Renders, just to ponder some wacky Renders, while some skungy, but oddly mesmerizing Midi pops play in the background. A gal can dream...
I freaking love how you express the love for the video games, I really love your presentation and how you analyze and express things about THE the VG's... I am grateful for your channel and more.
I don't know why, but I love your style and voice. I have to smile durning all your videos, because you just sound like you have so much fun, and it's infectious. Also: Your choice of topics feel so niche and are always interesting. Again, please never stop or let anyone or anything get you down!
I was just thinking about the older renders in general the other day. Even in Square/Square Enix’s in-game cg. Despite trying to reach the highest level of fidelity, the back end tech like shaders now give off such a specific vibe. I know there is some great 3D indie games now, but I do wonder if that specific vibe can be created like Dusk did for 90s horror shooters? Also, I’ve never seen a team quite as good as Gay420gay and Coolranch. Long may they reign.
Shit like this reminds me how back in the mid 90s to the early 00s SquareSoft was a fucking dream factory. I was living and breathing the PSOne stuff like my life depended on it, being able to tell you far more about the various renders and key art used during the era than I could about my own middle/high school career that was taking place simultaneously. While many of the classics were covered here I'm a little let down at the lack of Chrono Cross, some of those renders are burned into my brain in such a way it might trump basic language skills.
Oooh, my childhood right here~ ❤️ I just LOVE the looks of these renders, they just feel... Magical~ I miss the times of pre-rendered graphics mixed with low-poly 3d models, they just had so much charm that I feel it's really lacking from games nowadays, at least when it comes to non-indie games. Also, I'll give you a lung and a liver to have those Chocobo Racing renders and sprites and such, I NEED THEM!!
Ahh these Renders are just beautiful and have some distinct vibe going on I wish more games would do nowadays, these funky 90ties vibes...it was another good video from you!
I loved going through some old sites and collecting high quality renders back over a decade ago. I should get back to it. Just right-click'em to stick to the NFT-bros.
This came out at the perfect time for me, as I've been playing FFIX for the first time, despite having owned it for years. (Rather, it's the first time I've moved past Dali Village.) It's been a great time to reexamine my love of the dusty visuals I grew up with, and the game's art direction just bleeds through the system's limits. Some of the monsters are beautifully grotesque in a way that could have only been so perfectly captured in this era.
The Bouncer is my all-time favorite video game and I’m hopelessly in love with its aesthetic design! Everything from the characters to the world setting exudes such a charming style that it’s difficult to turn your attention away from it. The Bouncer is the definition of a hidden gem and it deserves so much more. I own several Bouncer books, such as the Maximum book shown in the video! I also own the Visual Arts Collection and Beginner’s First Guidebook. All three are Japan exclusives.
Hello there. I'm a random guy who randomly watches your videos, but you're a unique guy on here who sticks in the mind regardless if i fully understand or grasp what you say. You're clearly passionate and put a lot of thought on what you want to bring over and like i said, i don't always understand waht you mean or agree with you. But hearing that passionate talk is something fun all its own and worth hearing-- or (and i apologize if this comes across as insulting) a pleasant kind of background noise when doing other things. So, just a comment written early before even watching the video: I want to wish you a lot of fun and good luck for the new year, be it for projects on UA-cam or ones outside of that. Have a good one, and take care. As well as someone's cookies when they're not looking.
8:14 is a shop at Shin-ra building. There is a couple near the entrance that run away when you talk to the shopkeeper in the yellow circle thing when you first visit. It's been years since I last played the original, but I'm pretty sure there is also a chest here that you can only open when you return to Midgar near end of the game.
Thor, I just wanna say that you make some of my favorite content on the site. Your love of weird, eccentric, scungy art has made me much much more comfortable with embracing my own amateurish stuff and motivated me to just make stuff for fun more than anything else. I really appreciate your vids whenever they come out. Just became a patron. :>
A while ago, I got a CG anime from a friend that PERFECTLY embodies that 90s CG aesthetic. Malice@Doll, it was called. I wonder if there were other films/TV shows with that skung look.
Oh yeah, I was gonna comment about that. It’s even got a janky framerate! It’s definitely a weird one, but then again it was written by the main writer of Serial Experiments Lain.
The Render Museum is such a perfect thing for this channel! Such a shame you barely get to see any of these renders in-game. The Bouncer renders and concept art especially looks so good.
The Aerith thing is actually one hundred percent true, but essentially… japanafied? They don’t have a strong th sound, essentially, so it was turned into Aerisu, which was translated by the localization as Aeris. The manual in Japan, which had their “English names” had it written as Aerith.
Yeah, for them, it's very much understood to be "Aerith." It's just that, phonetically, in Japanese, it'd be said as "Earisu," with the "su" serving as a substitute for "th" sounds. Sephiroth similarly would be said as "Sefirosu."
I’ll die on this hill: earth is a pretty bad name. Aerith is a half localized half literally translated “earth” as phonetically in Japanese “aerisu” is just earth. What you guys want is her name to be Earth with the whole “sephiroth would be sefirosu” argument. This eliminates any perceived “objectivity” and then it’s down to personal preference. The localization team (guy?) made a choice, even in the original ps1 code her name was translated to “Aerith” but they went back on that because (imo) that’s a bad name to pronounce in English. Aeris is her true name and every other version is an otherworld alternate reality version, fight me. I’m mostly kidding, if you prefer Aerith that’s totally valid (and official), I’m just saying I disagree with the argument that there’s any actual linguistic logic there.
@@maninblack3410 Not sure what your argument is here. No one said it should just be "Earth." It's very much intended to be a play on the word rather than just flat out "Earth," hence "Aerith." They wanted "Aerith" because, as stated in the 97 Kaitai Shinsho/Dismantled guide, they wanted to make it sound partially Japanese, so you have the first half being phonetically similar to her katakana, but ending it with the more English half.
@@Sawngawkuh my point (or at least one of them) is that according to people who prefer Aeris you say “Sephiroth similarly would be said as ‘Sefirosu.’” However, whatever other argument you may have, I fundamentally disagree with this one because if you went the full route in the other direction, if you say “linguistically the ‘su’ should be ‘th’” then you should also agree that “Ae” should be “Ea.” That’s the logical conclusion there. I think that’s a bad argument. Aerith is a localization decision just as valid as Aeris. If either of them is “wrong” then they both are. From there it’s a personal judgement call, I think Aerith is a poor decision because it is a bad sounding English name while Aeris is not. The intent of the original Japanese speaking devs doesn’t really matter, because as you said in the other comment, Barret’s name has a bit of fluidity to it. If his name could easily have been one or the other, there’s no reason to say Aeris couldn’t have been as well. My main point is “Aerith” fans don’t have an objective argument (besides what’s official) and I fundamentally disagree with the argument from a linguistic and localization standpoint. It’s not really a big deal, I’ll just always pull this out when I see someone say “ackshually Japanese is like this…” and completely ignore the first half of her name when considering her entire name would be “Earth” when literally phonetically translated and not “Aerith”
@@maninblack3410 Um, I think you're conflating arguments you've had with other people and projecting them onto my own. I never said Sephiroth should be said as "Sefirosu" to those who prefer "Aeris," never did I even put down anyone for wanting to use that name in favor over "Aerith". All I did was explain what "Aeris" was erroneously derived from. Phonetically, Aerith's name is said as "Earisu," in Japanese, with the "su" being a substitute for th. I used "Sefirosu" as another example of the same case than asserting anyone should be using that. Another example would be Elizabeth being said as "Erizabesu." The translator mistakenly thought "su" was actually serving as a substitute for an "s" and went with that instead. Lastly, no one is ignoring her first half of her name. I already discussed how her name isn't actually meant to be just "Earth" when translated. The katakana for Earth is "アース," (phonetically said as "Ahsu"). Aerith is "エアリス." They wanted her name to have both Japanese and English qualities, as well as having it be a combination of Air and Earth. The first half retains the "Aeri" sound from "Earisu" and ends in the more English "th."
Man i love your videos, the way you describe stuff and how you appreciate this kind of things when almost anyone else does, looking forward for more saturn games
It's more than awesome being able to see this stuff, games were magic back then. Just missed some of Reiko Nagase renders that Namco did for Ridge Racer, back then when they did their own Model-mascot 3d girl.
You are the only human I know that understands the value and apreciate this type of 90's games things like renders, it is weird to explain with words but I know you feel that too.
I think what happened with the Earis/Bullet/Claud thing is that whoever made it was only going off the katakana. Aeris: エアリス, Earisu Barret: バレット, Baretto Cloud: クラウド, Kuraudo
16:15 i have a SINGLE sephiroth that was from that coca cola time, i bought it in my *very first* anime convention and when i got back home i googled it and got mad that i didn't had bought the whole set they were selling (it was over 10) since them i had never found those guys again nor anyone else selling the coke little ones, some of that guy was selling *was jello red transparent* which wasn't painted on. my sephiroth is painted on and it basically looks like a little higher poly of the 7 in game model its cute af. it's the one with the cloud?? pose for some reason holding the katana on his back.
Nice material bro! I didn't realize renders could have a such esthetic potential, well now I'm aware. Heh, but seriously, such museum would be a really cool idea.
Hello guys I am here to spread the good word. The translation of yakuza black pather 2 has been completed. It's a psp that was mentionned on this channel. It's fucking awesome.
I loved all these along with any FMV cutscenes in game. They really brought the worlds to life considering they usual accompanied a game with clunky ingame sprites.
yo I gotta say, I Enjoy(tm) your videos and hope you continue making them. oh I want you to know that I hold an imaginary gun and shoot it during your outros.
I hope someone with either a lot of spare time or money makes a jrpg with prerendered backgrounds like back in the day. I see a lot of hype for the 2d/3d style and the lofi PS1 style, so hopefully it's a matter of time before we get a game with rendered backgrounds. It takes a lot of effort and creativity and I can't see it being made by and indie studio, but one can dream. I would want it to look like the early 2000"s era and that would make it easier on the artists then trying to make it look more modern. A man can dream right?
Yooo that's....a pretty legit parallel. Also like, the way that Jenova is a mashup of Jehovah and Nova, maybe Aerith is like...Earth + Heiress?? 'Your new God' vs 'the heir of the planet's will' type of literary foil thing
@@Densoro Nah, it simply stemmed from a case of the translator, Michael Baskett, misinterpreting what the "su" in the katakana of her name "Earisu" was meant to be a substitute to. Due to lacking communication with the dev staff, he wasn't aware of the Earth pun and wound up choosing to go with "s" because it probably sounded more natural to him.
@@Sawngawkuh because it sounds more natural period. Did he explicitly say it was a mistake or is this just an assumption because of all the other mistakes? Even if it was a mistake, what about “Bullet?” Do people consider that a mistake? It might have been, but imo Barret is a far better name than Bullet and Aeris is a far better name than Earth.
@@maninblack3410 It's a mistake. In an interview with Richard Honeywood, he noted how it was just another product of Barkett's lack of communication to get reassurance for what was intended there. People tend to believe it was an intentional choice due to the game's code containing "AERITH" in anglicized form and that he changed it afterwards, assuming he was the one who put that there in the first place and then changed it afterwards. However, the reality is that it was probably carried over with those anglicized forms of character names and other words within the code in the first place rather than Baskett being responsible for them. Also, the original intent wasn't to have it just be "Earth" flat out, but just a play on the word, hence "Aerith." That's how it is in the Japanese manual, guides, and merchandise that write it out in English over there since 97. And even though the meaning of his name can be "Bullet," it's very much also meant to be "Barret" when written out in English form over there too (sometimes spelled "Barett," but overall same intention), not just in the west.
Brilliant appreciation video of Square's aesthetic legacy of the 90's that makes you smile throughout it's entire duration... Until you realize You gave them so many Ideas for NFTs to last a life-time....
When I was young I thought that those renders where what the future of video game graphics would be, I am kind of disappointed that they are not but at least we have the Mario 64 render96 project which looks beautiful
PATRONE: www.patreon.com/user?u=2285408
RAIN IN GAMES: twitter.com/Rainingames
im working on a game lol: bit.ly/3FeQBvX
i figure some folks are prolly gonna ask me to share all of these, but like, just go to the internet archive, and search squaresoft. you'll find exactly everything that i found. plus the files that i do have are stuffed with stuff i had to do to em for videos, so id have to clean everything up, its easier (for me) if u just search for them urself lol.
The thumb really adds depth to the flavour.
👎
🍜
Ay, I don't need to sell out my organs to you anymore for them Chocobo Racing renders
Sucker, ha-
Jk, thanks for sharing, lol, really dig your channel and content 👍
If you want to scan that Bouncer art book use a hand scanner.
Your channel is a treasure trove of nostalgia and well edited clips of things I love and I thank you for it. Keep keeping the late 90s / early 2000s alive Thor!
Cheers mate great vid
Squaresoft back then just hit different. The 90’s were full of really cool aesthetics, it was an artistically and creatively ambitious time
Heyo dude nice to see you here!
Its not Squaresoft anymore its Enix with Square attached
@@starless267 Exactly. Personally I think they still put out some real bangers pretty consistently but people tend to get hung up on the mediocre experimental stuff that comes out fairly frequently. Shit like Left Alive definitely has passion behind it but ends up missing some key component on how the genre is supposed to work.
Now it’s the time for money..
@@theGVirtue What’s up dude, youtubers making content about Squaresoft is a pretty small world lol. Thor makes some really good stuff
So glad there's people who appreciate these old stylistically disjointed wonders. There's something so genuine about them. People trying so hard with this new medium with every experimental angle. The uncanny stark shadows. Busy and unmatched fonts. Rudimentary shaders and soft bump maps. Stock textures from sources you'd never expect. And all still managing some fantastic designs through raw artistic talent shining through. It's a comfort a bit deeper than base nostalgia, I feel. But that could just be nostalgia talking. Either way, I like it
One thing this channel has taught me over the years is how to appreciate the games I play even if they suck a little there's bound to be one aspect that's pretty damn good.
For real. I'm always looking for the positives in games I'm meh on now while I'm always looking for the quaint or uncanny in the blockbusters.
It's a challenge in both cases.
@@rainbowkrampus damn you worded it better than me.
based comment based reply
Yeah I get incredibly tired of online discussions going on about how some title or port is shit because it has frame drops or a frustrating mechanic. I look at games as an art form and not every titles is going to appeal to everyone, we all have stuff we appreciate on different levels. As I"m playing something no matter how subjectively bad it might be I'm looking at what I love about it, about the emotions it invokes and not just how fast it brings the dopamine rushes.
That but 1000x to me.
I start appreciating or loving the games he shows here, but the game suck for me. They're either turn-based rpg's which I consider a form of torture, or the gameplay is too outdated for my liking.
So often I'll stick to appreciating the aesthetics.
I think about this exact same thing. Even though to the average person they're really simple looking and unimpressive, they radiate SOUL. Love that 90s Japanese aesthetic of that era. Especially Sega Dreamcast era
Do you know any places where you can find more work like this? I'm trying to find them, but having trouble.
I think half of that is that 3D in gaming was very experimental at the time. What works and doesn't was still being figured out so each work needed that extra bit of artistic soul as you put it. I also loved the pre rendered backgrounds of this time period.
You've made a whole video around a FEELING.
It's... incredible.
It's something that most people on UA-cam who talk about video games sadly ommits.
dis is why THH truly be the best ytuber
there's just something in old 90s 3D renders that cant be replicated in today's realistic graphics i cant explain but its awesome.
The old renders use NURBS, not polygons.
PS2 era cover renders are the best. They looked so futuristic (and so different from the game) they actually made you buy the game only because of that single image on the box. A full zoom on the face of the protagonist, with marked shadows and beautiful eyes.. i know i remembered you something, It was so in vogue at that time.
Devil May Cry 2
Yes, even though many people aren't a big fan of it i think renders in MGS2 are so good
There really is something about those old Final Fantasy renders. They had a unique style that I don't think I've ever seen anywhere else and probably won't ever see the like again.
FF9's were oddly cozy, FF8's were often sleek and alien, FF7 was industrial and unsettling in the best way possible. Such a vibe
If you ever want to scan in a book, google around your local colleges/schools! Some libraries will have specific book scanners for that. Even if we can't read japanese, it would still be cool to have books like this scanned in :D
Yes pleeeease we need the books, so much style!!!
That Ragnarok render was my background for a loooong time. FF7 CGI backgrounds didn't impress me much tbh, it wasn't until FF8 that my jaw dropped, specially when there were almost seamless transitions into FMVs
I've always dreamed about making a game in the graphical style of a PS1 / Dreamcast 3D rendered cutscene. There's just something so charming and surreal about these shiny playdough skinned characters and toy-like models of real life architecture and vehicles. Back then it was these late 90s / early 2000s graphics that our minds could only fathom what the next Final Fantasy game would look like because it was all our imaginations knew at the time. I don't know if younger gen z's can appreciate these old graphics, but for me it brings me back to a time when all I had to worry about was how to catch 'em all, what cartoons were on TV, and what game I was going to rent next from Blockbuster.
I, as a Zoomer, can certainly appreciate these crusty-ass graphics. My art preference in general even outside of games leans towards grittier stuff so this kinda thing is super cool to me.
I adore the clay heads from Fallout 1 and 2 especially, it’s frankly a little baffling to me that the facial expressions those characters had have never been matched by the modern Fallout games, though I suppose 4 got a little closer.
Yeah, these days things look so much more true to life than they've ever been, and graphical improvements are a lot more gradual from console generation to generation now. But I remember watching the pre-rendered cutscenes in Final Fantasy X-2 on the PS2 and saying "wow, I bet when the PS3 comes out we won't need pre-rendered cutscenes, it'll all just be rendered in-game", and I think it got pretty close back then (XIII still had some!), but I can't remember the last time I saw an out-of-engine cutscene in the modern era!
I remember thinking that Kingdom Hearts 3 would have in game graphics like the pre-rendered cutscenes at the beginning and end of KH 1 and 2... sigh...
I'm a zoomer and I prefer old graphics to new graphics
I seem to recall, when I messed about with the FF7 debug rooms back in the day, that Aeris was referred to as "Earith" when I selected to start from certain locations. It even forced that to be her custom name whenever I did that. So your idea that Aeris could originally have been called Earth makes a lot of sense. It's certainly something I considered!
I kinda think they were meant to be related names rather than complimentary.
'Air'-ith and Cloud vs. Earith and Claud (as in, clod of dirt).
Even though it's an interesting thought, the intent behind Aerith's name was always set in stone to be a play on the word rather than flat out "Earth," as in the Kaitai Shinsho, they said they wanted to still make it sound a bit more Japanese, thus making it "Aerith" rather than just "Earth."
Then the translation mislocalized it as "Aeris" due to the translator being stuck working under poor conditions in the US branch of Square, lacking much assistance or communication with the dev stuff, unable to find out from translating the katakana if the "su" in "Earisu" was meant to be a substitute of an "s" or a "th" sound, ultimately going with the former.
It is possible that, at one point in time, they would've just spelled it as "Earith," though, given the debug room's use of it.
Same, I found some file for her on one of the disks that was named that and have been assuming her name was based on the word Earth ever since.
This is hands down one of my favorite features you've done! I always felt the same way about these renders, in some ways they were more magical than the game. I remember cutting out renders from magazines as each game came out to make a collage on my wall.
To this day, I'm always sad they haven't used the bouncer character in another game, can you imagine if one of the final fantasy games had a quest line around them ? That would be fantastic
I loved that game...I never knew until youtube people didn't like the game.i think it was my 2nd ps2 game
Sion Barzahd became Sora. Dog Street was referenced in KH also.
@@benjicamarena119 I mean ... That's something
Did that game not sell well enough for square to make a sequel? I guess the story didn't leave alot of room for a sequel. What are they gonna do? Make the robot chick get kidnapped again? I can kinda see sion as a guest fighting game character in tekken or
Smash bros or something. But it's too late now, i mean the bouncer came out nearly 20 yrs ago.
I feel like after FF7, Nomura was granted god status in japan. Due to the designs of the character on FF7 the Japanese thought Nomura wouldn't miss in the west but he did. Sadly we are a bit behind in the west and most of us disregarded shit like The Bouncer due to how odd it was. Then he got another chance and made TWEWY and that didn't sell as good as expected even though it became a cult classic and spawned a sequel and even that under sold. I for one love Nomura, I own most of his games, and his crazy ass ideas, dude thinks like a rockstar and I fuck with that. You can see it in his designs and style. He'll always stand out to me as one of the most expressive Japanese men to exist. Dude is 50 now and I'm still waiting on what he'll drop next lol.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that enjoys the renders/3D models from 90's-early 2000's games. It's just something about them.. maybe it's just my love for retro things in general.
Not only does this video translate exactly how I feel about these old renders, you are absolutely one of my biggest inspirations in my editing style, everything you do is so interesting and stylish in a way I always think about and this video is no exception!
90s Square was just on another creative level ❤🛐
Man, wouldn't it be crazy, if you made a full game out of this idea? Imagine wandering trough wacky Renders, just to ponder some wacky Renders, while some skungy, but oddly mesmerizing Midi pops play in the background. A gal can dream...
I freaking love how you express the love for the video games, I really love your presentation and how you analyze and express things about THE the VG's... I am grateful for your channel and more.
ThorHighHeels can talk about peanut butter and jam sandwich and it’ll somehow go back to Japanese aesthetics
aaaah it's always a good day when our boy thor uploads
I don't know why, but I love your style and voice.
I have to smile durning all your videos, because you just sound like you have so much fun, and it's infectious.
Also: Your choice of topics feel so niche and are always interesting.
Again, please never stop or let anyone or anything get you down!
I was just thinking about the older renders in general the other day. Even in Square/Square Enix’s in-game cg. Despite trying to reach the highest level of fidelity, the back end tech like shaders now give off such a specific vibe. I know there is some great 3D indie games now, but I do wonder if that specific vibe can be created like Dusk did for 90s horror shooters?
Also, I’ve never seen a team quite as good as Gay420gay and Coolranch. Long may they reign.
SaGa Frontier might not have had a lot of promo renders, but the backgrounds are my favorite of the 5th Gen.
This has become the most profound channel in terms of "Aesthetic in videogames" and such i have to say.
Shit like this reminds me how back in the mid 90s to the early 00s SquareSoft was a fucking dream factory. I was living and breathing the PSOne stuff like my life depended on it, being able to tell you far more about the various renders and key art used during the era than I could about my own middle/high school career that was taking place simultaneously. While many of the classics were covered here I'm a little let down at the lack of Chrono Cross, some of those renders are burned into my brain in such a way it might trump basic language skills.
Oooh, my childhood right here~ ❤️
I just LOVE the looks of these renders, they just feel... Magical~
I miss the times of pre-rendered graphics mixed with low-poly 3d models, they just had so much charm that I feel it's really lacking from games nowadays, at least when it comes to non-indie games.
Also, I'll give you a lung and a liver to have those Chocobo Racing renders and sprites and such, I NEED THEM!!
I always forget that Square-Enix merger happened in 2003 not in the 90s
This video in 5 words or less
“It looks very aesthetically good”
Old image good.
@@kabardino1337
Yo
Ahh these Renders are just beautiful and have some distinct vibe going on I wish more games would do nowadays, these funky 90ties vibes...it was another good video from you!
I loved going through some old sites and collecting high quality renders back over a decade ago. I should get back to it. Just right-click'em to stick to the NFT-bros.
This came out at the perfect time for me, as I've been playing FFIX for the first time, despite having owned it for years. (Rather, it's the first time I've moved past Dali Village.)
It's been a great time to reexamine my love of the dusty visuals I grew up with, and the game's art direction just bleeds through the system's limits. Some of the monsters are beautifully grotesque in a way that could have only been so perfectly captured in this era.
The Bouncer is my all-time favorite video game and I’m hopelessly in love with its aesthetic design! Everything from the characters to the world setting exudes such a charming style that it’s difficult to turn your attention away from it. The Bouncer is the definition of a hidden gem and it deserves so much more.
I own several Bouncer books, such as the Maximum book shown in the video! I also own the Visual Arts Collection and Beginner’s First Guidebook. All three are Japan exclusives.
I was kinda hoping this would just be a reel of sick renders with some chill music.
Hello there. I'm a random guy who randomly watches your videos, but you're a unique guy on here who sticks in the mind regardless if i fully understand or grasp what you say. You're clearly passionate and put a lot of thought on what you want to bring over and like i said, i don't always understand waht you mean or agree with you. But hearing that passionate talk is something fun all its own and worth hearing-- or (and i apologize if this comes across as insulting) a pleasant kind of background noise when doing other things.
So, just a comment written early before even watching the video: I want to wish you a lot of fun and good luck for the new year, be it for projects on UA-cam or ones outside of that.
Have a good one, and take care. As well as someone's cookies when they're not looking.
8:14 is a shop at Shin-ra building. There is a couple near the entrance that run away when you talk to the shopkeeper in the yellow circle thing when you first visit. It's been years since I last played the original, but I'm pretty sure there is also a chest here that you can only open when you return to Midgar near end of the game.
Always exciting to get sum esoteric contents from the guy who does it best, kudos:)
As well I'm happy to see anyone appreciating squaresoft concept art as much as I do! It's absolutely amazing.
This was cool! I am glad I had it come up on my feed as I was struggling to find anything good to watch and chill, lol. Great work!
This was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Thank you so much for making this! :D
Thor, I just wanna say that you make some of my favorite content on the site. Your love of weird, eccentric, scungy art has made me much much more comfortable with embracing my own amateurish stuff and motivated me to just make stuff for fun more than anything else. I really appreciate your vids whenever they come out. Just became a patron. :>
This is my comfort channel. Another great video!
This video gave me so much more appreciation for those renders. Thank You.
A while ago, I got a CG anime from a friend that PERFECTLY embodies that 90s CG aesthetic. Malice@Doll, it was called. I wonder if there were other films/TV shows with that skung look.
Oh yeah, I was gonna comment about that. It’s even got a janky framerate! It’s definitely a weird one, but then again it was written by the main writer of Serial Experiments Lain.
@@oneinathousand2156 Yeah, the early 00s were like the wild west for experimental anime. And the last hurrah of that CG aesthetic.
@@kieranking7173 I loved Last Exile and I think the obvious 2000s CG fits in a strange way.
The Render Museum is such a perfect thing for this channel! Such a shame you barely get to see any of these renders in-game. The Bouncer renders and concept art especially looks so good.
This.
I need so much more of this kind of stuff.
The Aerith thing is actually one hundred percent true, but essentially… japanafied? They don’t have a strong th sound, essentially, so it was turned into Aerisu, which was translated by the localization as Aeris. The manual in Japan, which had their “English names” had it written as Aerith.
Yeah, for them, it's very much understood to be "Aerith." It's just that, phonetically, in Japanese, it'd be said as "Earisu," with the "su" serving as a substitute for "th" sounds. Sephiroth similarly would be said as "Sefirosu."
I’ll die on this hill: earth is a pretty bad name. Aerith is a half localized half literally translated “earth” as phonetically in Japanese “aerisu” is just earth. What you guys want is her name to be Earth with the whole “sephiroth would be sefirosu” argument. This eliminates any perceived “objectivity” and then it’s down to personal preference.
The localization team (guy?) made a choice, even in the original ps1 code her name was translated to “Aerith” but they went back on that because (imo) that’s a bad name to pronounce in English. Aeris is her true name and every other version is an otherworld alternate reality version, fight me.
I’m mostly kidding, if you prefer Aerith that’s totally valid (and official), I’m just saying I disagree with the argument that there’s any actual linguistic logic there.
@@maninblack3410 Not sure what your argument is here. No one said it should just be "Earth." It's very much intended to be a play on the word rather than just flat out "Earth," hence "Aerith."
They wanted "Aerith" because, as stated in the 97 Kaitai Shinsho/Dismantled guide, they wanted to make it sound partially Japanese, so you have the first half being phonetically similar to her katakana, but ending it with the more English half.
@@Sawngawkuh my point (or at least one of them) is that according to people who prefer Aeris you say “Sephiroth similarly would be said as ‘Sefirosu.’” However, whatever other argument you may have, I fundamentally disagree with this one because if you went the full route in the other direction, if you say “linguistically the ‘su’ should be ‘th’” then you should also agree that “Ae” should be “Ea.” That’s the logical conclusion there.
I think that’s a bad argument. Aerith is a localization decision just as valid as Aeris. If either of them is “wrong” then they both are. From there it’s a personal judgement call, I think Aerith is a poor decision because it is a bad sounding English name while Aeris is not.
The intent of the original Japanese speaking devs doesn’t really matter, because as you said in the other comment, Barret’s name has a bit of fluidity to it. If his name could easily have been one or the other, there’s no reason to say Aeris couldn’t have been as well.
My main point is “Aerith” fans don’t have an objective argument (besides what’s official) and I fundamentally disagree with the argument from a linguistic and localization standpoint.
It’s not really a big deal, I’ll just always pull this out when I see someone say “ackshually Japanese is like this…” and completely ignore the first half of her name when considering her entire name would be “Earth” when literally phonetically translated and not “Aerith”
@@maninblack3410 Um, I think you're conflating arguments you've had with other people and projecting them onto my own. I never said Sephiroth should be said as "Sefirosu" to those who prefer "Aeris," never did I even put down anyone for wanting to use that name in favor over "Aerith".
All I did was explain what "Aeris" was erroneously derived from. Phonetically, Aerith's name is said as "Earisu," in Japanese, with the "su" being a substitute for th. I used "Sefirosu" as another example of the same case than asserting anyone should be using that. Another example would be Elizabeth being said as "Erizabesu." The translator mistakenly thought "su" was actually serving as a substitute for an "s" and went with that instead.
Lastly, no one is ignoring her first half of her name. I already discussed how her name isn't actually meant to be just "Earth" when translated. The katakana for Earth is "アース," (phonetically said as "Ahsu"). Aerith is "エアリス." They wanted her name to have both Japanese and English qualities, as well as having it be a combination of Air and Earth. The first half retains the "Aeri" sound from "Earisu" and ends in the more English "th."
Man i love your videos, the way you describe stuff and how you appreciate this kind of things when almost anyone else does, looking forward for more saturn games
Given the recent tweet from Square's CEO about their thirst for NFT shitfuckery, this feels like a send-off to Square's golden age
Someone needs to do a real interactive virtual museum of these renders.
Someone who ain't depressed like me :).
I send your way internet optimism, with the belief that you can conquer, comrade!
i forgot how much i like tetsuya nomura's designs pre "endless-straps-and-zippers-and-chainz-edgy-13-year-old-hot-topic-kid" era.
It's more than awesome being able to see this stuff, games were magic back then. Just missed some of Reiko Nagase renders that Namco did for Ridge Racer, back then when they did their own Model-mascot 3d girl.
Watching your videos really does feel like being in a physically different place
Just realized The Bouncer’s Dog Street brand was referenced in Kingdom Heart’s Pence.
Bouncer changed my taste for life
You are the only human I know that understands the value and apreciate this type of 90's games things like renders, it is weird to explain with words but I know you feel that too.
If I enjoy any of this art now, it's 100% thanks to your influence. I used to hate those FFVI renders back in the day.
Bro, just want to say that please never change, love your content and i am looking forward for a great 2022 with your awesome videos and narrative 💕💕💕
God I love your channel. Who else is making stuff like this!? No one. You are master of 90s Japanese CG vibes.
I think what happened with the Earis/Bullet/Claud thing is that whoever made it was only going off the katakana.
Aeris: エアリス, Earisu
Barret: バレット, Baretto
Cloud: クラウド, Kuraudo
I just hear Kurado in my head when people talk to him because I watched JP VOs advent children so many times.
The combined elements of the thumbnail are so pleasant to look at.
2:50 - first thing i've noticed about ehrgeiz ramen was "Why the Chief keeps his thumb inside my ramen broth?"
16:15 i have a SINGLE sephiroth that was from that coca cola time, i bought it in my *very first* anime convention and when i got back home i googled it and got mad that i didn't had bought the whole set they were selling (it was over 10) since them i had never found those guys again nor anyone else selling the coke little ones, some of that guy was selling *was jello red transparent* which wasn't painted on.
my sephiroth is painted on and it basically looks like a little higher poly of the 7 in game model its cute af.
it's the one with the cloud?? pose for some reason holding the katana on his back.
Nice material bro! I didn't realize renders could have a such esthetic potential, well now I'm aware. Heh, but seriously, such museum would be a really cool idea.
FF8's Ragnarok is still my favorite. Space capable airship? Check. Dragon bits? Check. Grappler ship? Check. Masterpiece.
your channel has the best aesthetic ive ever seen on UA-cam, its like i was meant for this kind of content
Oh shit someone else who owns the bouncer artbook, fuck yea
Hello guys I am here to spread the good word. The translation of yakuza black pather 2 has been completed. It's a psp that was mentionned on this channel. It's fucking awesome.
Oh thanks!
Fun fact: the hardy daytona is based off the Yamaha V-Max which pretty much is the hardy daytona in real life. They sadly don’t make them anymore
New Thor Baby Let's Gooooooo
Man I miss the 90s
Send me back to them ps1-2 days, eh...
Jesus me this video’s outstanding
God the intro reminds me how much I wish Wild Woody got a Saturn release with even more vile, cursed CG cutscenes
Each video of yours is just.. an experience
You're so talented and I love all of them. :3
I wont get in to why my day was awful shite, but seeing a new upload from you has really helped brighten my mood
I feel you on the Stranger Of Paradise renders good sir.
dude just gotta say, i love your videos so much.
Imagine appreciating art this hard. Love it
I loved all these along with any FMV cutscenes in game. They really brought the worlds to life considering they usual accompanied a game with clunky ingame sprites.
yo I gotta say, I Enjoy(tm) your videos and hope you continue making them. oh I want you to know that I hold an imaginary gun and shoot it during your outros.
The entirety of "The Bouncer" was a mood that hasn't really been replicated since.
Nights had some cool renders aswell
I hope someone with either a lot of spare time or money makes a jrpg with prerendered backgrounds like back in the day. I see a lot of hype for the 2d/3d style and the lofi PS1 style, so hopefully it's a matter of time before we get a game with rendered backgrounds. It takes a lot of effort and creativity and I can't see it being made by and indie studio, but one can dream. I would want it to look like the early 2000"s era and that would make it easier on the artists then trying to make it look more modern. A man can dream right?
Volt pelvic thrusting Echidna into a T-pose might be the most Bouncer thing I have ever seen
Ah man, you always know when to publish a viddy. Just as my depression hits the hardest in a while you come to the rescue.
Thanks Thor
The CG for FF9 still look pretty good today. Held up quite well
Awesome video!
Also great work on this cracking thumbnail
UA-cam didn't notify me of this and it got me wondering how many videos I've missed since your last upload. Thankfully none.
It feels like you're the only one who shares my love of old computer graphics and the nostalgia they contain.
Wait wait wait, if Aerith could be "Earth", that would tie her with Terra, which kinda makes sense??? Maybe you're up to something
Yooo that's....a pretty legit parallel.
Also like, the way that Jenova is a mashup of Jehovah and Nova, maybe Aerith is like...Earth + Heiress?? 'Your new God' vs 'the heir of the planet's will' type of literary foil thing
@@Densoro Nah, it simply stemmed from a case of the translator, Michael Baskett, misinterpreting what the "su" in the katakana of her name "Earisu" was meant to be a substitute to. Due to lacking communication with the dev staff, he wasn't aware of the Earth pun and wound up choosing to go with "s" because it probably sounded more natural to him.
@@Sawngawkuh because it sounds more natural period. Did he explicitly say it was a mistake or is this just an assumption because of all the other mistakes?
Even if it was a mistake, what about “Bullet?” Do people consider that a mistake? It might have been, but imo Barret is a far better name than Bullet and Aeris is a far better name than Earth.
@@maninblack3410 It's a mistake. In an interview with Richard Honeywood, he noted how it was just another product of Barkett's lack of communication to get reassurance for what was intended there.
People tend to believe it was an intentional choice due to the game's code containing "AERITH" in anglicized form and that he changed it afterwards, assuming he was the one who put that there in the first place and then changed it afterwards. However, the reality is that it was probably carried over with those anglicized forms of character names and other words within the code in the first place rather than Baskett being responsible for them.
Also, the original intent wasn't to have it just be "Earth" flat out, but just a play on the word, hence "Aerith." That's how it is in the Japanese manual, guides, and merchandise that write it out in English over there since 97. And even though the meaning of his name can be "Bullet," it's very much also meant to be "Barret" when written out in English form over there too (sometimes spelled "Barett," but overall same intention), not just in the west.
Brilliant appreciation video of Square's aesthetic legacy of the 90's that makes you smile throughout it's entire duration... Until you realize You gave them so many Ideas for NFTs to last a life-time....
I’m a big fan of square games and your videos. I’m also working on my own pre-rendered adventure. So basically, this is fucking perfect lol thank you.
I could rewatch 90s square FMV all day
God I have so much nostalgia for this style, used to read my FF7 strategy guide on the ride home from school every day.
This has to be one of your best videos dude.
When I was young I thought that those renders where what the future of video game graphics would be, I am kind of disappointed that they are not but at least we have the Mario 64 render96 project which looks beautiful
Thank you for making videos exclusively for interests of mine. God, keep going with your stuff!! :D
Awesome, chill, perfect vibes. Thanks!
wild woodeez nuts