XY's 3D Models: The Good and the Bad

[Zeb]

With the move from sprites to 3D models a lot of the Pokemon were really brought to life, faring well in the transition to 3D... and others, well, let's just say they didn't look quite as good as they could.

Which Pokemon's 3D models do you think look great and/or have good animations? Or which do you think don't look so hot and could have been much better in their model or animation (or potentially both)?

 

[Master Mew]

Exploud continues his tradition of looking progressively more hideous with each generation.

Gastly didn't fare too well, either, but I've never seen a 3D rendering of Gastly that I liked looking all the way back to Stadium 1.

 

[The Outrage]

Every single flying model--with sprites, they used to get action shots, now its just flapping wings. The worst part? They force flying models on a lot of Pokemon that would look better grounded (like Dragonite) simply because that's their exclusion criteria for Sky Battles (yet another reason to dislike that utterly useless format) even though these Pokemon have grounded models for Amie.

 

[Karamazov]

No matter what anyone says, I think Togekiss looks the worst because of its model. Frankly, it looks like an ugly boomerang. It looks slightly better in Amie, since its wings are more closed, but it's really discouraging.

 

[The Outrage]

Actually, in terms of flying animation, Archeops is pretty cool. They got that whole "first bird" thing down. Now I'd love if they gave Hawlucha a flying sprite and it was as awkward as Archeops.

 

[BigBadBatter]

My only qualm is the fact that in its flying animation, Talonflame's wing feathers clip through its body. SERIOUSLY GF ARE YOU THAT LAZY

 

[Stratelier]

I agree that a number of Flying Pokemon (Archeops, Scyther, Xatu) should have been given standing battle animations because their hovering/flying animations just look weird.

Gastly's model actually looks pretty neat, I think they nailed the gas effect in terms of rendering.

I find Braviary's 3D model to be a little awkward.

And while this one never existed in a sprite form, I love how well Braixen's special animation matches the use of Ember.

 

[Team Gaara]

Xatu off the top of my head looks very awkward in its "flying" animation.

I would have liked for Blastoise to use its cannons to attack since I don't really see why it doesn't...

I also noticed Slurpuff, in Amie...its tongue seems to...slightly become detached when it opens its mouth...which sounds painful...

As of now, I can't think of anything else; the models look great to me~

 

[CalamityRobin]

I never really used to like Infernape until I saw it in 3D. It actually looks pretty great now.

 

[MizuTaipu]

Mr. Mime's XY model is really disturbing. :scared:

 

[Peachy]

I like the model for Elektross. It looks way cooler. And I have to agree that many of the flying pokemon look awkward. I do think that the move to 3D made some of the pokemon lose their charm. Some of the colors are a little washed out. And some pokemon should not have been made in 3D.

 

[Winterdaze]

Hawlucha's model is the best, it looks great and the animations are just stunning. In the camp of "most improved by the switch to 3D", Sawk, Throh and Sigilyph look so much better as 3D models than they ever did as sprites.

Swellow looks awful, the proportions are completely off and it's one of those perpetually gliding Pokemon that look like they're suspended on puppet strings.

 

[Beth Pavell]

What bothers me about the flapping animations is the way they thrash at the air. You see this a lot in Zelda games too. I don't know why this bothers me so - Pokémon is built on absurd anatomy - but the flail-up-flail-down flying animations just wind me up. Would it be too much to ask for Talonflame to tuck its legs up and at least have a slightly more accurate flapping animation?

[/biological pedantry]

 

[Norzan]

Alot of Gen 5 mons look freaking awesome in 3D, Reuniclus, Cofagrigus, Emboar (dat 3D fire beard), Krookodile, Chandelure and many others.

 

[ange]

What bothers me about the flapping animations is the way they thrash at the air. You see this a lot in Zelda games too. I don't know why this bothers me so - Pokémon is built on absurd anatomy - but the flail-up-flail-down flying animations just wind me up. Would it be too much to ask for Talonflame to tuck its legs up and at least have a slightly more accurate flapping animation?

[/biological pedantry]

You're definitely not alone on this one. A lot of wing flapping animations in XY look very unnatural to me as well, and some look way too stale (Moltres, for example). I think there needs to be more natural joints and bones in their rigs (as well as for the animations to animate them properly of course) to produce that natural wing flapping animation, cause right now a lot of them move like sine waves (especially when it comes to regular bird Pokemon like Pidgeot, Fearow etc.).

 

[Joshawott]

Personally, I think Metagross and Origin Giratina look amazing in 3D (especially when shiny). However, I think it's about time that we see what the bottom of Diglett and Dugtrio looks like.

I would have liked for Blastoise to use its cannons to attack since I don't really see why it doesn't...

Mega Blastoise gains a giant cannon on its back and uses water attacks...from its mouth. Yeeeeeaaaah.

 

[G50]

The static flying Pokemon's models definitely look very strange to me, I sure do wish all Flying types flapped their wings in the models.

Most of the other models I really like. Emboar and Samurott I felt look a whole lot better in X/Y models than in the Gen. 5 models. Most of the Poke Transporter Pokemon look great imo.

 

[Peaceful Giraffe]

Xatu should be standing. Xatu HAS ALWAYS been standing. It looks cool and sorta, idk, shaman-like when it's standing. It just looks so weird to me when it hovers...

Mr. Mime is disturbing. I had one in a Nuzlocke. I had a habit of maxing affection on my Nuzlocke mons for more crits... Do you know how hard and creepy it is to pet and feed a Pokemon that never STOPS MOVING!?!?

Mr. Mime and Xatu are my main gripes. Tbh I love most of the 3D models.

 

[lugia61617]

Xatu must fall and remain standing forevermore. Flying it looks silly.

Same for most pokemon stuck in perpetual flight. I would like Skarmory more if it were standing on the ground, maybe occasionally cleaning its wing.
The only pokemon that should be perpetually flying are Pidgeotto, Pidgeot, Fearow and pokemon that make sense to always fly.

Other than that I don't have problems with the models themselves. It's more that I want them to find a way to stop some models causing slowdown (for example: Trevennant and Diggersby seem to cause slowdown every time they are in a split-screen, and a horde of 5 Trevennant ALWAYS causes slowdown)

 

[Twinkles the Marvel Horse]

My only real problems are with Swellow and Eelektross. Swellow just doesn't look right and the constant gliding is annoying (I like Salamence and Tropius, but they also bother me for that reason), and Eelektross doesn't necessarily have a bad model, its just more disappointing in transition than anything. In black and white it has this big, nightmarish quality, especially with its stance, but in this game it's tiny and looks more like a blue noodle (that is not 7 feet long).

My only qualm is the fact that in its flying animation, Talonflame's wing feathers clip through its body. SERIOUSLY GF ARE YOU THAT LAZY

Thank Arceus, I thought I was the only one that noticed this.