Visual Design of Games: Cheese or Font? and Red Dead Redemption 2

Cheese or Font

1. Elements of Cheese or Font
   1. Play Quiz Button: Core
   2. “Cheese or font?” label: Supportive
   3. Score: Core
   4. Timer: Core
   5. C or F input: Core
   6. Everything in the sidebar and header: extraneous
2. 

Below is a screenshot (not my own; unfortunately, I am not currently equipped to run this game) of Red Dead Redemption 2. The graphical fidelity of this game is among the best even today. In my play-through, two things stood out to me the most: the depiction of natural and huge landscapes, and facial expressions. The theme of the game lends itself well to the vast sceneries it depicted, but it was not the first of its kind. What made this game particularly unique was the fact that its landscapes were traversable and open, which created a deep sense of immersion. In regards to the faces: accurate facial portrayals are typically extremely difficult to pull off, as there’s a certain “uncanny valley” effect that is associated with character models that attempt to resemble realism but are shy of it. Red Dead Redemption 2 (and The Last of Us: Part 1 PC) have far and away the best face models I have ever seen, with some of the most realistic animations as well. Aside from the pure accuracy of the textures and models, the nature and backcountry aesthetic capture a sense of wonder (especially as these landscapes are difficult to come by in the modern day).