3D Graphics or 2D Graphics?

[colours]

As much as I think 2D Pokemon is super cool, I massively prefer 3D by a longshot.

See, I grew up playing things like Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Colosseum, XD, and Battle Revolution, so 3D Pokemon is something that I've been very familiar with for a while. 2D sprites are nice, but the big advantage that 3D models have over 2D sprites is that everything feels a lot more... life-like, which is what I really wanted all along. I've always wanted to see my Pokemon beyond just moving a few frames in my handheld device; I want to see them actually move around and be more animated and actually execute attacks, things like that!

Maybe it's just the little details that really matter to me when it comes to 3D animation and models but that's why 3D has always been important to me.

 

[IncineROAR]

I have mixed feelings about 3D. The overworld looks amazing, but the character models blow as well as the Pokemon models. Cities also look lazily put together as well. I feel like more effort was put into the design of Unova than was put into Kalos and Alola.

 

[CynthiaLover]

I'm in the same boat as @IncineROAR regarding the 3D. The overworld looks good (though there are some hiccups here and there), but most of the character models are kinda lame. While a number of Mon models are very spot-on in terms of design, they feel so bleached and borderline lifeless compared to the 2D sprites. It's times like this I really admire just how far the boundaries of the DS were pushed during Gen V and yet it resulted in incredible effects across the board. As I'm currently replaying Gen V, it gave me a chance to compare the 2D to the 3D more deeply, and I have to say the 2D is much more colorful and lively than the very flat and bland 3D. Sure, the sprites are a bit on the aged side, but at the same time they're just full of life and personality. The 3D models just kinda... stand there, cycling through their "animations" with blank expressions throughout. I hate to say it, but Colosseum and Battle Revolution actually look superior in terms of 3D animations than Kalos and Alola, giving both the Mons and characters a lot of life and personality (though there are some 3D models on the 3DS that ooze with personality, like Incineroar, who is one of the most expressive Mons out there). But I have to say the 2D sprites are superior to the 3D, which says a lot about the "quality" of the 3D effects. So while the 3D has some impressive detail in the overworld (like using Dive in ORAS), everything else falls kinda flat, while the 2D is pretty consistent in terms of quality, especially considering the hardware limitations of the DS compared to the 3DS. So my vote goes to 2D.