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This was supposed to come[br]out in December! Oops.

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Well, whatever.[br]Let’s do it anyway.

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Hi! These are some of my favorite[br]bits of game animation I saw in 2019!

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Let’s begin with one of last year’s[br]early animation highlights...

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ANTHEM

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I think it’s fair to say that this is some of the[br]best-looking animation in a BioWare game yet.

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Characters are generally the highlight[br]of any great BioWare experience,

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and I don’t think I was prepared for how much[br]performance capture was going to add to that.

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Like, Owen as he’s voiced by T.J.[br]Ramini is already really charming.

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But Owen voiced AND physically performed[br]by Ramini brings a new level of charisma

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to that character that I don’t think[br]would have come across otherwise.

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Owen: " Hey, considering that[br]the Monitor is both lancer and cypher,

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we could probably use a VERY fabulous [br]cypher/javelin pilot combo of our own."

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Player Character: "Owen, be patient."

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Of course, most of your NPC interactions use[br]this game’s conversation animation system,

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and there are some[br]gains on that front too,

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but seeing characters like these brought to[br]life with more natural performance detail

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in cinematics really makes me[br]excited for future BioWare projects.

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Also: running, jumping and especially flying[br]around in a javelin just feels cool as heck,

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in large part because the animation[br]sells their power so well.

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I will never get tired of sprinting toward a[br]ledge and launching into the air in this game.

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It just feels so cool.

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Next I want to[br]talk about Sekiro!

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The animation in FromSoft games has rarely been[br]the most polished-looking in the AAA space,

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but it almost always succeeds where[br]it matters: functional clarity.

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And that clarity is crucial[br]in a game like Sekiro,

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where players are expected to watch enemies[br]carefully and react to their attacks

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with so much more speed[br]and precision than before.

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The devs have talked in interviews[br]about how they spent a lot of time

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tuning each enemy’s attack animations[br]frame by frame, and it shows.

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Because, this game’s combat would not work[br]without those quickly-recognizable tells.

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And for their cinematics,[br]I love that From has maintained

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their trademark slooooow[br]timing and scene pacing.

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That willingness to let[br]characters move unnaturally slowly

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is a big reason why FromSoft[br]cutscenes feel so distinct,

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and it allows the sudden sharp movements[br]to feel even more surprising by contrast.

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From’s soft animation team really[br]is just getting better and better.

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Elden Ring cannot[br]come soon enough.

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Next up:[br]Luigi’s Mansion 3

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Next Level Games has one of my favorite[br]animation teams in this industry.

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This is the same studio behind the[br]previous Luigi’s Mansion game for the 3DS

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AND - one of my favorite game[br]animation showcases of all time -

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the absolutely stellar[br]Punch-Out for the Wii.

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I already made an entire video singing[br]the praises of that game’s animation

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because this team is so good at delivering both[br]function and appeal simultaneously at 100%.

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And by gosh they are[br]good at animating Luigi.

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Next Level consistently brings[br]the best out of this character,

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from the moments when[br]he’s feeling scared,

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to the moments when he starts to feel[br]some of his confidence coming back

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to the moment that NOPE[br]NEVER-MIND, HE’S TERRIFIED AGAIN.

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Whatever Next Level is working on[br]now, I cannot wait to see it.

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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

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We’ve seen a lot of Star Wars games[br]with lightsaber combat at this point,

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and a lot of different[br]approaches to animating it.

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Some of them have aimed to[br]replicate the fighting styles

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of existing characters as[br]we’ve seen them in the movies,

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and others try to create an[br]entirely new style all their own.

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And one thing that I really[br]enjoy in Fallen Order

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is the way Cal’s fighting animation feels like[br]it stylistically succeeds on both fronts.

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The way he handles a[br]lightsaber feels distinctly him

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and a little different from the stances or movements[br]that I’m used to seeing in Star Wars games,

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and yet I could totally see some Jedi moving[br]like this in a proper Star Wars movie

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which is something I’m not sure I[br]could say about the Force Unleashed.

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Combine that aesthetic balance with[br]some sharp controls and some stylish

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finishing animations and no wonder[br]the combat in this game feels so cool.

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Also, this? One of my[br]favorite Star Wars droids now.

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Look at ‘em. What a good little buddy.

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But next.[br]Pokemon Sword & Shield

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I’ve said before in a previous video[br]that the animation in the Pokemon series

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is a triumph of scope management rather than[br]visual flair, and that’s still true here.

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But in addition to the fact that they keep[br]managing to maintain a consistent level

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of charming animation quality across[br]these 400 creatures and human characters

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(which is still a feat[br]in its own right),

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I’m really digging the additional focus they’re[br]starting to put on animated personality.

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Like, the way the game instantly familiarizes you[br]with the personalities of all three starters

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just by showing you how they interact with[br]each other in one tiny cinematic is SO GOOD.

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And I think this cutscene[br]highlights a shift in focus that,

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really, has been happening[br]over the last few generations:

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Game Freak appears to be focusing[br]more and more of their resources

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on presenting Pokemon outside of[br]battle, which I think is a great call.

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Because one of the core elements of[br]the Pokemon fantasy is just living

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and traveling with[br]your team of creatures.

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And the earliest Pokemon games[br]just couldn’t provide that,

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so I really love the idea of the franchise[br]making that a higher priority now,

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because that’s where your Pokemon’s ability[br]to express themselves really shines.

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I think it’s telling that almost every time[br]I’ve seen people showing off their team online,

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or sharing clips[br]from their own game.

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Those clips tends to be video of their[br]Pokemon being goofballs in the Camp.

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So yeah! Real excited to see where[br]Game Freak takes things from here.

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Now high-quality traditional hand-drawn animation[br]is something of a rare treat in games,

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so I’m always grateful to see[br]the Banner Sagas and the Cupheads

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and the Hollow Knights out[br]there keeping that torch lit.

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And this year’s hand-drawn[br]champion was Indivisible.

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It is real fun seeing the[br]Skullgirls crew try on a new genre!

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I love these characters,[br]I love their designs,

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and their combat animations are just[br]loaded with tons of great little details…

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the team even brought in Studio[br]Trigger to animate the game’s opening!

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If you are enjoying the look of this[br]right now, I recommend picking it up,

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because not only is this[br]game loaded with charm,

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but you just don’t see games that[br]look like this coming out every day,

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and frankly I want to see studios like[br]Lab Zero, MDHR, Stoic and Team Cherry

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able to keep doing[br]what they’re doing.

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But, moving on.

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There were a LOT of extremely[br]AAA games raising the bar on

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photo-realistic human game[br]character animation this year.

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Devil May Cry 5, Modern Warfare,[br]Resident Evil 2, Death Stranding…

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lots of extremely[br]impressive work.

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I can’t imagine the hundreds of hours it[br]took hundreds of people to make all this.

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But the one team I’d like[br]to call out in particular is

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Remedy Entertainment for[br]their work on Control.

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I am legit impressed by[br]the degree of subtlety

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in character face performances[br]during some of these story scenes.

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Granted, certain moments and scenes can[br]dip into the uncanny from time to time,

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but this game’s setting already[br]exist so deep in the uncanny that,

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somehow, those moments kinda[br]just help contribute to the vibe.

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But the thing that push[br]this over the edge for me,

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and I’m sure that this effect is impart due[br]to the fact that your player character's

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based on real[br]actor Courtney Hope

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and they occasionally use some live[br]footage of her in specific scenes,

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but I've got to confess: once or twice[br]while watching these story scene,

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there would be just a moment[br]that had me questioning:

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“...wait, is this the real[br]actor or the digital character?”

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And I can't remember a time where a game[br]succeed in making me unsure of that before.

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So kudos, Remedy![br]And good job making a darned cool game.

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But, leaving the realm of[br]the photo-real for a bit,

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let us all give thanks[br]to the indie scene

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for blessing us with so much[br]incredible pixel animation this year.

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Wargroove, Blasphemous, Cadence of Hyrule...[br]Katana Zero, for heck sake.

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Y’all spoil us.

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I do want to give special mention[br]to one in particular, though,

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and that is River City Girls.

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The Kunio-kun franchise has NEVER[br]had animation this gorgeous.

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Every character’s moveset is[br]just so fun to frame through.

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I highly recommend doing[br]so yourself sometime.

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Misako’s rage-y headbutt.[br]Kyoko’s selfie parry. The bookbag swing.

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The spinning power dab. How can you not[br]love a brawler with movesets like this.

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I’m so happy that games[br]with pixel animation

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are not only surviving in the year[br]2019, but THRIVING.

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And now for a couple[br]of honorable mentions!

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The first goes to Kingdom Hearts III, which[br]would almost definitely be on this list,

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except for the fact that I[br]intentionally have not played it yet.

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I’ve really been wanting to do[br]an unspoiled playthrough of it

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over on PlayFrame once[br]the ReMind DLC drops.

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But I’m just going to[br]take a shot in the dark

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and guess that the[br]animation was pretty darned good?

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Because it’s Kingdom Hearts

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and the animation in Kingdom Hearts[br]games tends to be pretty stellar,

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combat especially.

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And what I’ve seen of the Disney and Pixar[br]characters in trailers looks pretty incredible,

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so I am really excited to finally see[br]all this for myself pretty soon.

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And the other honorable mention goes[br]to Monster Hunter World: Iceborne,

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which I would talk[br]about at length here,

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but I already said all the exact same nice[br]things about Monster Hunter World last year.

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So just take everything[br]I said back in the 2018

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Favorites videos and[br]add some snow I guess,

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because the animation in this[br]expansion is every bit as fantastic.

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And finally, before we wrap up,[br]let’s talk about Untitled Goose Game.

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Because having incredible game animation[br]isn’t always about realistic fidelity,

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or massive scope or[br]flashy movesets.

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Sometimes it’s about getting[br]one crucial thing exactly right.

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And for this game,[br]that thing is the goose.

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The perfection of that waddle[br]completes the comedy of this game.

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It’s amazing; it puts you in the right frame of mind[br]to be a dorky little nuisance almost instantly.

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And so many of your available moves[br]double as a tool for player expression!

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Like, I’m sure this wing-extension[br]move does something practical,

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but most of the time I’m just[br]using it to go MYEHHHHHHHH.

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Seriously, though,[br]if this waddle didn’t feel just right,

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I’ll bet this entire game would[br]feel noticeably less entertaining.

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And that makes this one[br]incredible piece of animation.

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But I think that should do it![br]Did I miss anything?

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I mean, I will admit I[br]haven’t quite finished

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playing every single game[br]that came out in 2019,

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so… yes,[br]probably I did miss something.

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But, if you happen to know of[br]any games with stellar animation

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that I didn’t mention,

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please do call them[br]out in the comments,

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because I’m always eager[br]to see something cool!

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And here’s to all the great[br]game animation coming in 2020!

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I’ve got a lot planned for[br]New Frame Plus this year,

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so be sure to subscribe so[br]you don’t want to miss out.

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And consider supporting the show[br]like all these wonderful people.

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Thanks for watching,[br]and I will see you next time!

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[music]