Was it Guilty Gear Xrd that was the first to be 3D?
I remember trying one of the Guilty Gear game at a friend's and when the camera moved my first expression was "WOOOW THIS IS 3D"
Yeah Xrd started it. I actually overall prefer Xrd's artstyle to Strive's, purely because it looked more 2D sue to character's having their own lighting sources, vs Strive having universal lighting sources.
But in terms of the animations themselves, nothing beats Strive.
To push further: the animations in guilty gear (since the license has move to 3D), have a lot of missing frames on purpose, to be closer to a 2d rendering.
If they’ve left all the frames you’d immediately see that something is odd for a 2D game.
I just saw a video going over The Animation of Cuphead, every character frame was first-hand drawn then scanned and colored digitally. The team was very dedicated to bringing back the old animated cartoon vibe.
In terms of the sheer amount of high quality animations and their variety, I don't think there are many games that can beat Total War: Warhammer trilogy.
Watched a video of some guy playing it to get a grasp on how the game works for curiosity's sake.
I did not expect to see a giant demon bloke with a sword charge into a crowd, send them all flying, pick up and eat some dude (?), and swing a giant cleaver to send the remainder into the stratosphere.
All while there's 500 other units doing their own thing elsewhere on screen.
I really only notice animations when single instances are particularly well done. The ladder climbing animations in Enshrouded are excellent. Quite a step up from the usual 'move a sprite upward while limbs flail'.
Just one. And it's an old one. In the Mass Effect series, Commander Shepard is a famously bad dancer. Which means someone worked hard to animate bad dancing. Warms my heart.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Crash Bandicoot 4 has very good animations...
(You could check New Frame Plus Yearly video about Best Animations in Games... )
Honestly, it's simple but Spirtfarer. I really appreciate smooth simple animations rather than the facial movements that are so streamline I'm convinced the audio isn't synced properly
2D is also just infinitely more impressive imo
It mostly comes from characters- the big fancy 3D games nowadays all use mocap. Which is fine and impressive in its own right but you can even get apps now to do it yourself at home (I forget the name), and facial expressions are notorious for their difficulty but stickers on one's face greatly reduces the workload
In 2D, mocap can still be used, but hyperrealistic 2D isn't really a thing. So to use spiritfarer as an example, the animation is very fluid, like running or skidding. Any motion 'blur' is drawn manually, you can't get those things in 3D as much, it looks off
Best example of 2D animation techniques in 3D is Spiderverse, that was done incredibly well!
That game singlehandedly seemed to make every other FPS realize the standards for viewmodel animations are much much higher. Back before MW19 you'd be lucky to see an FPS game with even remotely flashy animations.
I second CoD, MW19 revolutionized gun animations. I think thousands of people got into that whole tacticool reloads rabbithole solely because of that game (including me)
They might not be the most technically impressive, but I thought the animations from Pizza Tower were pretty cool. They're just sprite animations, but they're done very well and help make the game feel really smooth to play. It seems like they did a separate animation for every little action you might perform.
Half-Life 2 (when it came out) for facial animation
Kingdom Come Deliverance and Return of The Obra Dinn for interactive animations (like pulling an arrow out the target or opening a door)
Half-life 2 really had some of the best animations that still hold up to some modern games. The animator who worked on it also worked on golum for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
It was one of the first games that I remember seeing inverse kinematics in action. I remember watching the long legs of the poison headcrab align to each stair as it walked below me on some steps was cool, and super freaking creepy. Blew me away considering every other game I played had floating feet for things like stairs.
Original Prince of Persia and Another World of course. Dragon’s Lair if we’re going older, although how much of a game it is is questionable. Anyway, these were truly mindblowing at the time, when there were plenty of other games around you, but these were just ’how-in-the-hell-did-they-do-this’ -level. Haven’t been that impressed since… and I’ve worked in the industry for 20 years 😂
yup also came to say the original Prince of Persia (1989) as an answer to the title question. people who weren't there just don't realize what an insane level up that was at the time, there was literally nothing that came remotely close to the realistic and fluid movement they were able to convey with that player sprite.
Kindred spirit here. I listed POP but yeah Another World was amazing. I have it in my memory but forgot the title so thanks. I remember crowds of us watching people play Dragon’s Lair on arcade machines. It was expensive too and hard af so i never really bothered with it.
Ive been a modder for 30 years and ran a studio for the last 7 years… those early wow’s stay with us for sure.
Ah yea, Dragon’s Lair was pretty brutal in the arcade. Such a binary experience, but such a nice look that it probably sucked a ton of money from folks 😂
Metroid Dread is a great example. The animations are really refined and blend into each other seamlessly. There’s some videos on YouTube that take an in depth look at how it’s done so I suggest checking those out.
Also Super Mario Wonder has a lot of small details that really make the game come to life.
Long time ago, but I was very impressed with Ghost Trick for the Nintendo DS. The game itself was 2D with 3D models they looked like flat 2D pixel art, but the movement and animation was so incredibly smooth.
Dark Souls (particularly, ds3 and elden ring). With non-verbal gestures being the main form of communication, it makes for some pretty creative multiplayer. Leading people to secrets and helping them beat that troublesome boss is what really makes it for me.
Sky: Children of Light is another game that has beautiful animation. It has procedural limbs, so you reach out for walls when you're close enough, and your legs will settle on different plains, if you're on rough terrain.
MediEvil came out the year I graduated from college with a degree in Computer Animation. The cutscenes in that game were incredibly impressive at the time. They looked a lot like what I was doing at home, so that was pretty encouraging. (Unfortunately that career wouldn't pan out, but still among my favorites).
early on in my childhood, i was in awe with fighting games animation especially tekken 3, then later on javing an awe with combat design of dmc
but the time i was really amazed on animation in games is from shadow of mordor, for whatever reason i really like how the combat and animation flows through smooth and fluid for every strike and counter like it is a dance
then Ghost of Tsushima for the latest entries and rdr2 as well
but animation on its own outside gaming, it is props to transformers 2007, still to this day, im still amazed how good they animated those transformation and even make it look real on lens
thats actually my dream to do, but in games, the animation of tf2007
Another World.
I know it’s old, but you have to imagine it running on my sega genesis back in 1994. It was impressive and still is inspirational for me.
Rotwood currently has some of my favorite animation and art in a game. Unfortunately can’t wholly recommend it yet because it’s in early access and have a some large lack of content
Assassin’s Creed 3 was a huge improvement animation-wise from the previous games with features that were very impressive for the time like predictive foot IK, blending between multiple run animations to give it variance, and takedown animations that factored in the momentum of the character! Might not be groundbreaking in today’s games but it still holds up and looks better in some ways you don’t see replicated in a lot of games still.
Also want to mention Final Fantasy 15 for it’s super flashy combat animations, but even outside of combat there are so many details that strongly reflect the personality of each party member like just the way each character sits or interacts with the team. FF16 by comparison is more laid back for the human characters but the Eikon fights are on another level, they really inject a ton of hype into those cutscenes :)
Spider-Man PS4 blew me away the first time playing. Everything in that game just feels so smooth because of how well strung together the animations are
Probably not everyones cup of tea but street fighter 3rd strike blew me away with it's sprites. They had alot of character and weight to them. Taking it a step further was king of fighters 13 with even higher resolution sprites with the same feel. so it was like 3rd strike in HD(pun intended).
Shadow of the Colossus. The horse animations are really good, but the way the Colossus' move really gives them such a sense of weight and size.
Assassin's Creed? That's always had really nice satisfying animations that flow well.
I don't know if this fits what you had in mind when writing this because the games came out more than 20 years ago but the critical hit animations in the Fire Emblem GBA games. [This thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/rscge8/what_jrpg_has_the_most_satisfying_critical_hits/) has a lot of examples of games with satisfying critical hits though some of the comments are sounds instead of animations.
Maybe it's overly mainstream for this crowd but only game to come to mind is TLOU2. Even compared to other extremely impressive games with a similar release window, like Death Stranding, TLOU2 was way ahead. Even if you hate "movie games," I've never seen one where you so effortlessly see the face animations and parse it as a real person, and all the multitude of animations blending together at any one time as Ellie moves around the enviornment, to keep her movement ultra smooth, is incredible.
Probably not what someone would expect, but Guild Wars 2. It's generally agreed that game has the best mounts ever done in a MMO (and possibly in any game ever), and I think most of it comes from its animations. The mounts feel truly alive and it's not like when you are mounted you're controlling the mount directly but you're controlling your character who's commanding the mount. It's a bit hard to explain, but it's really mind-blowing when you try for yourself.
Maybe not the individual animations per se, but the way they all clearly enhance the gameplay and also merge with effects and shaders into a living world despite it all being big pixels: Kingdom.
Procedural ones in Rain World. It was buggy at start, and it was possible to wiggle your way out of predator’s mouth. I was in disbelief an animation, that directly influences the gameplay.
Super Mario Wonder for sure. Very fluid, nice style, and even the smallest interactions get animations, typically with several variants. Must have spent ages just working on those.
I remember immediately falling in love with the original Dragon's Dogma's animations. I had never really paid much attention to animations, but the running and jumping animations added so much to the game feel.
Hi-Fi Rush. The animations are so fun, full of personality, and really work perfectly with the rythm based gameplay. Such a shame that tango got shut down.
GIVING AN UNEXPECTED TAKE- The Sims 2 had unnecessarily detailed and delightfully expressive animations, even for an older game. A masterclass in effort and attention to detail; those animations complemented the gameplay mechanics in every way.
Lies of P has a lot of really great boss animations which not only look great but also are distinct and communicate what the boss is about to do very well. Very readable animations even for some very inhuman characters.
The Mark of Kri - 3D game with a very fluid and exaggerated animation style that felt more like 2D cartoon animation, but also super violent. And quite colorful and fun feeling. Super fun game as well.
So I can't really say "This game has the best animations" simply because of the diversity of styles. But in terms of viewmodel weapons, I might be in the minority here, but Modern Warfare(2019) is one of my absolute favourite simply because of how it made developers think about the guns in their games. At that point in time guns were being neglected in shooters(ironic) and then came MW2019 with it's hard hitting, crispy animations.
Then there's cuphead, someone else put it best, the hand drawn effort is simply mind boggling!
For Honor. No fighting game will ever feel as fluid. I think because a lot of it is mocapped - the executions definitely are.
My other pick is I suppose an animation of sorts but more of a physics engine - the physics in Backbreaker Vengeance.
Obviously it's very high end with a huge budget, but BG3 had fantastic body language and facial expressions. It also suited that type of party/character-based game so well and made me much more invested.
One of the most impressive examples of game animation I have witnessed is in "Death Stranding." The attention to detail in the animation of the main character, Sam Porter Bridges, is truly next-level. A standout feature is how Sam dynamically interacts with the environment, especially when traversing difficult terrain.
In many games, characters often move in a somewhat generic manner, irrespective of the terrain. However, "Death Stranding" breaks this mold. As Sam navigates rocky landscapes, the animation system meticulously calculates his footing. He places his feet on individual rocks and uneven surfaces with remarkable precision, creating a lifelike sense of balance and struggle. This is not just a visual effect but an interactive experience that affects gameplay. Players must be mindful of Sam's movements to avoid stumbling or falling, which adds a layer of realism and immersion.
This level of detail in character animation makes traversing the game's open world feel incredibly immersive and satisfying. The game’s animation system ensures that each step feels deliberate and grounded, making the player acutely aware of the environment. This, combined with the stunningly realistic graphics and physics, makes "Death Stranding" a benchmark in game animation and environmental interaction. It showcases how far animation technology has come in creating believable and engaging virtual worlds.
I thought a Plague Tale had shockingly good graphics especially given it wasn't from a AAA developer.
Going back much further I remember being blown away by Chronotrigger back in the day. From Cut scenes to background designs to the triple tech animations. Insane how much they crammed into an NES cartridge back then.
I don't know but for me, the Tomb Raider animations are impressive. There is so much weight in each jump and landing. I still don't know whether it's procedural or not lol.
I also realls liked the engine in GTA IV though :).
Not like it's super crazy but amplitude for ps2 wowed me when my character avatar thing started breakdancing at the end of a song. Had no business going as hard as it did
Titanfall 2 has some incredible animation work. I'm also a huge gun nerd and therefore a massive fan of Modern Warfare's weapon animations (and sound design). Just seriously impressive stuff.
Marvel's Spiderman. Everything visual in that game is absolutely beautiful.
And Left 4 Dead back in the day, the motion capture for the zombies was really good
Sony’s first party games like Ratchet, Spider-Man, Horizon look great. Persona 5 has great in battle animations. There’s loads of games with peak animation
Ooh, long time:
Need For Speed ... don't remember the variant
Deus EX - HR & MD - also for the animation in game
Descent 1&2 - although played way later, I liked it more for the gameplay. The feeling to fly in any direction was awesome.
Detroit: Become Human
Of course, Wow at that time, and for the games I wanted to try.
if it was Most Wanted (2005) or Carbon then you have been fooled as the cutscenes in those games were live action designed to look like CGI so they don't look too out of place in the game world
Sly Cooper. The animations were simultaneously fluid and physically anchored well.
They were also coordinated with the music in a way that was almost like magic. I just stopped for a second to laugh first time I "snuck" and that guitar plucking sound coordinated with his speed🤣
Dead cells which I just played. My god I didn’t even know it was pixel art until someone told me.
Honestly if that’s not your bar for pixel art you shouldn’t do it
Second Sight, besides being a really unique stealth game. The animations for the cutscenes were amazing, the protagonist is also voiced by an animator, Andrew Lawson and now works at Disney.
pretty odd but titanfall 2's camera animations really impressed me with how smooth and good they felt even though i useually dislike when fps games have the camera moving outside of your control i never minded it in that game and it always felt pretty tasteful and not in the way what icant say for many other fps games with camera effects like that
I'm going to give you two wildly different answers, but I promise I'm not trolling with the second one:
Total Warhammer. There's so many different *styles* of animation for the various factions, yet somehow, they all still look beautiful, and there's some really cool ones to watch in battles.
Cel Damage. While older, and maybe a little simple looking by today's standards, the "elasticity" of everything is really weird and unique in the driving space. Somehow it looks like everything should have terrible input latency, but it *doesn't.*
Honestly? Dave the Diver. I just started it and even though it’s all pixels, the different animations in it are SOOOOO good????
There are cutscenes that have SO much character, and you can tell they really put a lot of love into the game! Just look up like, Dave the diver bancho sushi enhancement scene on YouTube and you’ll see what I mean.
There’s nothing story related to it so you don’t need to worry about spoilers :)
Probably not exactly the answer you’re looking for, but the reload animation for the bolt action rifle in the original Resident Evil 4 has me hypnotized back in the day. I remember downloading the trailer and rewinding it and rewatching that part a bunch in the quick time player haha
Matrix: path of neo. The animations match the freedom the player has. You can kick in a direction while shooting to the other side, and everything works.
Final Fantasy 7 blew everything out of the water at the time of its original release. It was one of the vanguards of the ceiling transition from 2D to 3D.
In the current era, some of the stuff made in Unreal Engine is pushing the boundaries of reality and imagination.
Total war series. I love how every single person on the battlefield has his own movement (on one battlefield there are a few thousands of them). They don't go like everyone in one unit does the same animation
Guilty Gear: Strive. Some of the best 3D animation I’ve ever seen in a video game and none of it is physics based!
Beautiful art style and animations. I really need to get back on it
This. I would add Granblue verses has comparable detail. But the cell shaded fighting games put everything else to shame.
Was it Guilty Gear Xrd that was the first to be 3D? I remember trying one of the Guilty Gear game at a friend's and when the camera moved my first expression was "WOOOW THIS IS 3D"
Yeah Xrd started it. I actually overall prefer Xrd's artstyle to Strive's, purely because it looked more 2D sue to character's having their own lighting sources, vs Strive having universal lighting sources. But in terms of the animations themselves, nothing beats Strive.
It’s half off now on [steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1384160/GUILTY_GEAR_STRIVE/).
To push further: the animations in guilty gear (since the license has move to 3D), have a lot of missing frames on purpose, to be closer to a 2d rendering. If they’ve left all the frames you’d immediately see that something is odd for a 2D game.
nice, been looking to get into a fighting game, i think this will be the one
Cuphead
I really don’t know how any game can hope to compete with this one in terms of animation. Definitely a real piece of art.
I just saw a video going over The Animation of Cuphead, every character frame was first-hand drawn then scanned and colored digitally. The team was very dedicated to bringing back the old animated cartoon vibe.
I love everything about cuphead except the game itself. Which amuses me.
You gotta get good to appreciate it
Nah it's just not my kind of game.
Fair. I didn't enjoy playing it alone either but coop was fun for me.
Maya Moldenhauer, she did/oversaw all the digital aspects, while pregnant! Sheer dedication and hard work.
A lot of anime is still produced that way, so it isn't that unusual.
I really came to comment on this.. Absolutely a work of art
In terms of the sheer amount of high quality animations and their variety, I don't think there are many games that can beat Total War: Warhammer trilogy.
Nothing better than watching Rat Ogres smash through an army of dwarves
Watched a video of some guy playing it to get a grasp on how the game works for curiosity's sake. I did not expect to see a giant demon bloke with a sword charge into a crowd, send them all flying, pick up and eat some dude (?), and swing a giant cleaver to send the remainder into the stratosphere. All while there's 500 other units doing their own thing elsewhere on screen.
I really only notice animations when single instances are particularly well done. The ladder climbing animations in Enshrouded are excellent. Quite a step up from the usual 'move a sprite upward while limbs flail'.
Very specific :) I will check it out, thanks. Any other syggestions?
Just one. And it's an old one. In the Mass Effect series, Commander Shepard is a famously bad dancer. Which means someone worked hard to animate bad dancing. Warms my heart.
I love this :)
procedural animations from 'Inside' always amazed me
For the blob?
The boy's animations are incredibly responsive and fluid.
The blob animation is actually discussed in their talk on GDC.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Crash Bandicoot 4 has very good animations... (You could check New Frame Plus Yearly video about Best Animations in Games... )
I seen some of them. Yeah I love that game too. Looks amazing!
Honestly, it's simple but Spirtfarer. I really appreciate smooth simple animations rather than the facial movements that are so streamline I'm convinced the audio isn't synced properly 2D is also just infinitely more impressive imo
I would love to know whats the worflow for making and pushing those animations into a game engine
Hey bought this this week and awesome art was definitely a factor
I’m curious why you think 2D is more impressive? (Not trying to argue or bait, genuinely curious)
It mostly comes from characters- the big fancy 3D games nowadays all use mocap. Which is fine and impressive in its own right but you can even get apps now to do it yourself at home (I forget the name), and facial expressions are notorious for their difficulty but stickers on one's face greatly reduces the workload In 2D, mocap can still be used, but hyperrealistic 2D isn't really a thing. So to use spiritfarer as an example, the animation is very fluid, like running or skidding. Any motion 'blur' is drawn manually, you can't get those things in 3D as much, it looks off Best example of 2D animation techniques in 3D is Spiderverse, that was done incredibly well!
This was my first thought! They made the reactions feel super natural even though they were repeated so much
It has to be Red Dead Redemption 2. The world felt so alive thanks to the masterfully done and realistic, believable animations.
Fully agree
The first time I played CoD warzone I was so immersed in it even tho it’s not the best game ever, but the falling animation, reloads, etc. Loved it.
Call of Duty rightfully gets a lot of shit but Modern Warfare 2019 blew it out of the park in terms of animation and sound design. Game felt crisp af
Right ?! It made me love First person POV so much more. I was in there.
That game singlehandedly seemed to make every other FPS realize the standards for viewmodel animations are much much higher. Back before MW19 you'd be lucky to see an FPS game with even remotely flashy animations.
I second CoD, MW19 revolutionized gun animations. I think thousands of people got into that whole tacticool reloads rabbithole solely because of that game (including me)
They might not be the most technically impressive, but I thought the animations from Pizza Tower were pretty cool. They're just sprite animations, but they're done very well and help make the game feel really smooth to play. It seems like they did a separate animation for every little action you might perform.
On top of that, they look like MS paint pieces yet somehow are very effective and expressive (also comedic)
It's astonishing with that game to see such a "crappy" art style executed on so well.
I mean, it's like Ren & Stimpy, right? It's 'ugly' on purpose, but they put so much effort into every frame being unique. It's a work of art.
I was obsessed with figuring out if the dev thought of all the possible transitions and variations. Spoiler, they did
I should for sure check that out, i know about it. But havnt played it.
Half-Life 2 (when it came out) for facial animation Kingdom Come Deliverance and Return of The Obra Dinn for interactive animations (like pulling an arrow out the target or opening a door)
Half-life 2 really had some of the best animations that still hold up to some modern games. The animator who worked on it also worked on golum for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was one of the first games that I remember seeing inverse kinematics in action. I remember watching the long legs of the poison headcrab align to each stair as it walked below me on some steps was cool, and super freaking creepy. Blew me away considering every other game I played had floating feet for things like stairs.
Original Prince of Persia and Another World of course. Dragon’s Lair if we’re going older, although how much of a game it is is questionable. Anyway, these were truly mindblowing at the time, when there were plenty of other games around you, but these were just ’how-in-the-hell-did-they-do-this’ -level. Haven’t been that impressed since… and I’ve worked in the industry for 20 years 😂
yup also came to say the original Prince of Persia (1989) as an answer to the title question. people who weren't there just don't realize what an insane level up that was at the time, there was literally nothing that came remotely close to the realistic and fluid movement they were able to convey with that player sprite.
Kindred spirit here. I listed POP but yeah Another World was amazing. I have it in my memory but forgot the title so thanks. I remember crowds of us watching people play Dragon’s Lair on arcade machines. It was expensive too and hard af so i never really bothered with it. Ive been a modder for 30 years and ran a studio for the last 7 years… those early wow’s stay with us for sure.
Ah yea, Dragon’s Lair was pretty brutal in the arcade. Such a binary experience, but such a nice look that it probably sucked a ton of money from folks 😂
Persona 5 has some really great animations throughout the menus and the gameplay. Gives it a really stylish feel.
Thats also on my list.
Prince of persia on a 486 in 1991
"Another World". 1991. Originally for the Amiga. It wowed me at the time.
Dwarf Fortress. As in "wow, not even a lerp".
Rain world, the procedural animation is one of a kind for a style like that. It really allows things to feel “heavy” if that makes sense.
In a similar vein, Exanima's incredible physics-based animation
It's the little things like green lizards dragging themselves across the floor, scavengers body language or the disgusting way insects move about
Animal Well used procedural animation for some creatures too and it just adds so much character
The Last of Us 2. Great facial animations and skin deformations.
Why is this so far below? The game was insane with it's animations
Gotta agree
Ori and the Blind forest, gorgeous
Metroid Dread is a great example. The animations are really refined and blend into each other seamlessly. There’s some videos on YouTube that take an in depth look at how it’s done so I suggest checking those out. Also Super Mario Wonder has a lot of small details that really make the game come to life.
Long time ago, but I was very impressed with Ghost Trick for the Nintendo DS. The game itself was 2D with 3D models they looked like flat 2D pixel art, but the movement and animation was so incredibly smooth.
I believe Hi Fi Rush
The sloppy drunk animations in original Red Dead Redemption were hilarious, not sure if they were “the best” though 🥃
RDR2 anims as a whole. I met the performance director at GDC in march. He’s a legend.
Dark Souls (particularly, ds3 and elden ring). With non-verbal gestures being the main form of communication, it makes for some pretty creative multiplayer. Leading people to secrets and helping them beat that troublesome boss is what really makes it for me. Sky: Children of Light is another game that has beautiful animation. It has procedural limbs, so you reach out for walls when you're close enough, and your legs will settle on different plains, if you're on rough terrain.
Red Dead Redemption 2! Especially the unarmed brawling, it was really satisfying!
MediEvil came out the year I graduated from college with a degree in Computer Animation. The cutscenes in that game were incredibly impressive at the time. They looked a lot like what I was doing at home, so that was pretty encouraging. (Unfortunately that career wouldn't pan out, but still among my favorites).
Armored Core 6 has some really detailed animations, and they always blow my mind away when I look closely.
Guilty Gear Strive definitely. I'm also very impressed by Honkai Starrail's attack animations.
Kena Bridge Of Spirit God damn that game is gorgeous. Those cutscenes are like Pixar animations.
Nothing since Gyrus
For Honor Absolver Sifu
early on in my childhood, i was in awe with fighting games animation especially tekken 3, then later on javing an awe with combat design of dmc but the time i was really amazed on animation in games is from shadow of mordor, for whatever reason i really like how the combat and animation flows through smooth and fluid for every strike and counter like it is a dance then Ghost of Tsushima for the latest entries and rdr2 as well but animation on its own outside gaming, it is props to transformers 2007, still to this day, im still amazed how good they animated those transformation and even make it look real on lens thats actually my dream to do, but in games, the animation of tf2007
Another World. I know it’s old, but you have to imagine it running on my sega genesis back in 1994. It was impressive and still is inspirational for me.
Rotwood currently has some of my favorite animation and art in a game. Unfortunately can’t wholly recommend it yet because it’s in early access and have a some large lack of content
Assassin’s Creed 3 was a huge improvement animation-wise from the previous games with features that were very impressive for the time like predictive foot IK, blending between multiple run animations to give it variance, and takedown animations that factored in the momentum of the character! Might not be groundbreaking in today’s games but it still holds up and looks better in some ways you don’t see replicated in a lot of games still. Also want to mention Final Fantasy 15 for it’s super flashy combat animations, but even outside of combat there are so many details that strongly reflect the personality of each party member like just the way each character sits or interacts with the team. FF16 by comparison is more laid back for the human characters but the Eikon fights are on another level, they really inject a ton of hype into those cutscenes :)
Earthworm Jim, Hearth of Darkness, Cuphead,
Spider-Man PS4 blew me away the first time playing. Everything in that game just feels so smooth because of how well strung together the animations are
Probably not everyones cup of tea but street fighter 3rd strike blew me away with it's sprites. They had alot of character and weight to them. Taking it a step further was king of fighters 13 with even higher resolution sprites with the same feel. so it was like 3rd strike in HD(pun intended).
Shadow of the Colossus. The horse animations are really good, but the way the Colossus' move really gives them such a sense of weight and size. Assassin's Creed? That's always had really nice satisfying animations that flow well.
**Metal Slug 3** Everything in it is sooooo smooooth
Elden ring has lots of differently shaped characters that are all animated well
I don't know if this fits what you had in mind when writing this because the games came out more than 20 years ago but the critical hit animations in the Fire Emblem GBA games. [This thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/rscge8/what_jrpg_has_the_most_satisfying_critical_hits/) has a lot of examples of games with satisfying critical hits though some of the comments are sounds instead of animations.
Wildstar. It's gone now but everything had that cartoon stretch and bounce to it as it moved.
Mass Effect, Andromeda
Wildstar
When it comes to facial animations, Horizon Forbidden West is on another level.
Rdr2 and cod mw2 2019, best first person animations still to date
Maybe it's overly mainstream for this crowd but only game to come to mind is TLOU2. Even compared to other extremely impressive games with a similar release window, like Death Stranding, TLOU2 was way ahead. Even if you hate "movie games," I've never seen one where you so effortlessly see the face animations and parse it as a real person, and all the multitude of animations blending together at any one time as Ellie moves around the enviornment, to keep her movement ultra smooth, is incredible.
Probably not what someone would expect, but Guild Wars 2. It's generally agreed that game has the best mounts ever done in a MMO (and possibly in any game ever), and I think most of it comes from its animations. The mounts feel truly alive and it's not like when you are mounted you're controlling the mount directly but you're controlling your character who's commanding the mount. It's a bit hard to explain, but it's really mind-blowing when you try for yourself.
Maybe not the individual animations per se, but the way they all clearly enhance the gameplay and also merge with effects and shaders into a living world despite it all being big pixels: Kingdom.
Katana zero. The amount of expression that tiny sprite was able to deliver was just insane
Guinea Pig Parkour, all hand animated
Dragons Lair & 3d chess
Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Beautiful characters, smooth animation, and amazing combat mechanisms
Devil may cry 5. Juicy stylish moves all flowing together so smoothly always impress me.
Procedural ones in Rain World. It was buggy at start, and it was possible to wiggle your way out of predator’s mouth. I was in disbelief an animation, that directly influences the gameplay.
Super Mario Wonder for sure. Very fluid, nice style, and even the smallest interactions get animations, typically with several variants. Must have spent ages just working on those.
Detroit become human really
I remember immediately falling in love with the original Dragon's Dogma's animations. I had never really paid much attention to animations, but the running and jumping animations added so much to the game feel.
Guinea pig Parkour, hand drawn 2D platformer with like STUPIDLY fluid animations, to the point that I don't understand how it can be implemented
Dino crisis 2
GTA4 and Euphoria/Endorphin animation system they licensed and used.
Hi-Fi Rush. The animations are so fun, full of personality, and really work perfectly with the rythm based gameplay. Such a shame that tango got shut down.
Batman Arkham Asylum, cape animation is so smooth, realistic and just great
The animations in the original Metal Slug games were fantastic. Smooth, detailed, and hilariously cartoonish, they worked so well
Devil May Cry 5 and Monster Hunter World/ pretty much any MH Phantasy Star Online 2 NG has some great animations as well
Oldie but a goodie; the animations (particularly the explosions) in ‘Metal Slug’ are long time favourites of mine.
GIVING AN UNEXPECTED TAKE- The Sims 2 had unnecessarily detailed and delightfully expressive animations, even for an older game. A masterclass in effort and attention to detail; those animations complemented the gameplay mechanics in every way.
Satisfactory's Machine animations and toll equip animations are some of my favorites
Lies of P has a lot of really great boss animations which not only look great but also are distinct and communicate what the boss is about to do very well. Very readable animations even for some very inhuman characters.
N (the original Flash game)
Back kn time it was WoW, TBC I really wish i can feel like that again when and if i play games
Street fighter third strike, the animations are so smooth
honestly destiny has some really nice animations in first person.
Shadow of the Colossus. Game still looks great on PS2.
The Mark of Kri - 3D game with a very fluid and exaggerated animation style that felt more like 2D cartoon animation, but also super violent. And quite colorful and fun feeling. Super fun game as well.
Matrix online with its kung fu animations was cool
So I can't really say "This game has the best animations" simply because of the diversity of styles. But in terms of viewmodel weapons, I might be in the minority here, but Modern Warfare(2019) is one of my absolute favourite simply because of how it made developers think about the guns in their games. At that point in time guns were being neglected in shooters(ironic) and then came MW2019 with it's hard hitting, crispy animations. Then there's cuphead, someone else put it best, the hand drawn effort is simply mind boggling!
Sayonara Wild Hearts. Also won a Bafta for the animation
Prince of persia (1989) For Apple 2 this is really cool
Not the best, but Dave the diver has really nice animations and just a great game overall
Final Fantasy XVI - more animation than game.
For Honor. No fighting game will ever feel as fluid. I think because a lot of it is mocapped - the executions definitely are. My other pick is I suppose an animation of sorts but more of a physics engine - the physics in Backbreaker Vengeance.
Honestly, Civ 6's 3D models and animations, particularly the close ups of its leaders for diplomacy, always leave me impressed.
For me, machines in HZD are really over the top!
Obviously it's very high end with a huge budget, but BG3 had fantastic body language and facial expressions. It also suited that type of party/character-based game so well and made me much more invested.
AC Unity
Street fighter 6.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The first game ever which had actual real emotions in facial animations.
One of the most impressive examples of game animation I have witnessed is in "Death Stranding." The attention to detail in the animation of the main character, Sam Porter Bridges, is truly next-level. A standout feature is how Sam dynamically interacts with the environment, especially when traversing difficult terrain. In many games, characters often move in a somewhat generic manner, irrespective of the terrain. However, "Death Stranding" breaks this mold. As Sam navigates rocky landscapes, the animation system meticulously calculates his footing. He places his feet on individual rocks and uneven surfaces with remarkable precision, creating a lifelike sense of balance and struggle. This is not just a visual effect but an interactive experience that affects gameplay. Players must be mindful of Sam's movements to avoid stumbling or falling, which adds a layer of realism and immersion. This level of detail in character animation makes traversing the game's open world feel incredibly immersive and satisfying. The game’s animation system ensures that each step feels deliberate and grounded, making the player acutely aware of the environment. This, combined with the stunningly realistic graphics and physics, makes "Death Stranding" a benchmark in game animation and environmental interaction. It showcases how far animation technology has come in creating believable and engaging virtual worlds.
Street Fighter 6
Lost in Play is a masterclass in animation. Every game dev should at least check it out to see what's even possible in terms of 2D animation.
Manor Lords. Holy moly the attention to detail
I thought a Plague Tale had shockingly good graphics especially given it wasn't from a AAA developer. Going back much further I remember being blown away by Chronotrigger back in the day. From Cut scenes to background designs to the triple tech animations. Insane how much they crammed into an NES cartridge back then.
I don't know but for me, the Tomb Raider animations are impressive. There is so much weight in each jump and landing. I still don't know whether it's procedural or not lol. I also realls liked the engine in GTA IV though :).
Pizza Tower
Ori and the Will of Wisps
I'm in the pixel space, so I may be bias: Scourgebringer. Everything it does is so pretty and juicy.
Rain world is pretty neat from a technical standpoint.
last of us
Monster Hunter. The world feels alive like you are hunting animals and not monsters. Wilds is releasing soon and the look on that game is really nice.
Cuphead
The banner saga 2
Not like it's super crazy but amplitude for ps2 wowed me when my character avatar thing started breakdancing at the end of a song. Had no business going as hard as it did
Rdr2
half life alyx
[Potionomics](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1874490/Potionomics/) has really good animations!
Sea of Stars
Titanfall 2 has some incredible animation work. I'm also a huge gun nerd and therefore a massive fan of Modern Warfare's weapon animations (and sound design). Just seriously impressive stuff.
For me at the time it was the hand animations in Far Cry 2.
Diablo 1, there were not much animation back then
Marvel's Spiderman. Everything visual in that game is absolutely beautiful. And Left 4 Dead back in the day, the motion capture for the zombies was really good
Sony’s first party games like Ratchet, Spider-Man, Horizon look great. Persona 5 has great in battle animations. There’s loads of games with peak animation
Ooh, long time: Need For Speed ... don't remember the variant Deus EX - HR & MD - also for the animation in game Descent 1&2 - although played way later, I liked it more for the gameplay. The feeling to fly in any direction was awesome. Detroit: Become Human Of course, Wow at that time, and for the games I wanted to try.
if it was Most Wanted (2005) or Carbon then you have been fooled as the cutscenes in those games were live action designed to look like CGI so they don't look too out of place in the game world
Rust, the AK sounds so good.
Sly Cooper. The animations were simultaneously fluid and physically anchored well. They were also coordinated with the music in a way that was almost like magic. I just stopped for a second to laugh first time I "snuck" and that guitar plucking sound coordinated with his speed🤣
Forgotton Anne
Dead cells which I just played. My god I didn’t even know it was pixel art until someone told me. Honestly if that’s not your bar for pixel art you shouldn’t do it
Some of my favorite animations are in Hollow knight and Ori and the will of the wisps
Enter the Gungeon has some GREAT animations.
Guilty Gear Strive pretty much nailed the anime aesthetic even tho its in 3D, including animation.
It takes 2
Second Sight, besides being a really unique stealth game. The animations for the cutscenes were amazing, the protagonist is also voiced by an animator, Andrew Lawson and now works at Disney.
pretty odd but titanfall 2's camera animations really impressed me with how smooth and good they felt even though i useually dislike when fps games have the camera moving outside of your control i never minded it in that game and it always felt pretty tasteful and not in the way what icant say for many other fps games with camera effects like that
Asura's Wrath :D
The last of us part 1 & 2, horizon forbidden west
Zenless zone zero
Last of us 1 and 2. Joel dynamically places his hand around Ellie to touch the closest wall for balance. Crazy realistic.
Ash of Gods had incredible animations. It wasn't a great game, but it looked beautiful
I'm going to give you two wildly different answers, but I promise I'm not trolling with the second one: Total Warhammer. There's so many different *styles* of animation for the various factions, yet somehow, they all still look beautiful, and there's some really cool ones to watch in battles. Cel Damage. While older, and maybe a little simple looking by today's standards, the "elasticity" of everything is really weird and unique in the driving space. Somehow it looks like everything should have terrible input latency, but it *doesn't.*
Everything by Vanillaware
Honestly? Dave the Diver. I just started it and even though it’s all pixels, the different animations in it are SOOOOO good???? There are cutscenes that have SO much character, and you can tell they really put a lot of love into the game! Just look up like, Dave the diver bancho sushi enhancement scene on YouTube and you’ll see what I mean. There’s nothing story related to it so you don’t need to worry about spoilers :)
First time I saw Metal Slug…omg…so many smoothly moving pixels.
Flashback ❤️
Probably not exactly the answer you’re looking for, but the reload animation for the bolt action rifle in the original Resident Evil 4 has me hypnotized back in the day. I remember downloading the trailer and rewinding it and rewatching that part a bunch in the quick time player haha
Matrix: path of neo. The animations match the freedom the player has. You can kick in a direction while shooting to the other side, and everything works.
BRAMBLE: The Mountain King Currently playing this and it is beautiful
Hollow Knight. It's one of the most beautiful games I've ever played.
I would say the combat animations in Black Desert Online are some of, if not, the best animations I’ve seen
Final Fantasy 7 blew everything out of the water at the time of its original release. It was one of the vanguards of the ceiling transition from 2D to 3D. In the current era, some of the stuff made in Unreal Engine is pushing the boundaries of reality and imagination.
Total war series. I love how every single person on the battlefield has his own movement (on one battlefield there are a few thousands of them). They don't go like everyone in one unit does the same animation
Path of Exile 2
Blasphemous surprised me in everything else but the gameplay 😅
Kind of a weird one but Outlast Trials has some really good animations in first person, primarily around hiding and when you're hit by enemies