Wonderful design in games

When people think of design as a creative field, chances are they immediately think of mainstream design fields such as graphic designers, interior designers or fashion designers for example. There is one area however, which I feel is often overlooked by most: game design.

Now, by game design I am talking about the aesthetics within games and not the design of the overall game structure which deals more with aspects such as the rules of the game for example.

I have put together 3 examples of games which, for me, showcase brilliant aesthetics.

Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is set in a post-apocalyptic Washington DC now known as: The Capital Wasteland. The whole style of the game is as you would expect from a post-apocalyptic world: crumbled buildings, irradiated water, remnants of a world which once was.

Amidst the destroyed landscape of the capital wasteland there is a heavy throwback to the 1950's - the time at which nuclear war was predicted and the mass of fallout shelters were built. The 1950's design is present even before you set foot in the game - the opening menu and loading screens consist of dated, bedraggled & sometimes missing slides from an old survival guide.

An example of the 1950's style seen throughout Fallout 3:

The Capital Wasteland with some 1950's design elements present.

The original teaser trailer for Fallout 3:

BioShock

When it comes to style, BioShock has it covered 10 times over. The game is set in an underwater city known as: Rapture - a failed utopia now filled with unsightly characters most of which have been driven mad by the substance known as ADAM, a substance which allows a persons genetic code to be re-written & offers abilities such as telekinesis or the ability to shoot ice from your hand!

In amongst the terror and gruesomeness of the game is the landscape of Rapture: an absolutely stunning collection of art deco styling and architecture which actually adds a sinister feeling to some scenes; walking down a pitch black hallway with flickering lights and the sound of Patti Page singing "how much is that doggy in the window" all adds to the tension and unease you get whilst playing the game.

Everything within the game has been styled with an art deco feel, the weapons, landscapes and menu screens all adding to the sense you have gone back in time.

An example of the art deco style of Bioshock landscapes:

The style of the big daddy is just brilliant, variations on the old diving suits:

A small taste of life outside the walls of rapture.

Prince Of Persia

The Prince Of Persia franchise is possibly my favourite game franchise of all time. The prince has gone through numerous changes over the years and in the 2008 game: Prince of Persia - the prince got a whole new look.

The concept art for prince of persia games has always been a wonderful aspect, so much so that for the 2008 'revamp' the game became a piece of artwork in itself. The game style is generated through cel-shading, basically this technique applies a cartoon-esque style to the characters and objects within a scene. The results are simply astonishing, when playing the game you cannot help but be impressed by the shear beauty of the mythical landscapes.

The new prince admiring the view:

In this case DO look down to admire the view!

Take a look at the game trailer, here you can see the transitions between the darkness & light.

Have you played any games which you think have amazing aesthetics & design? Let me know in the comments below!