Cute vs Cool

[Protoman]

I have this friend who likes retro games like I do. But we diverge in the way that he doesn't enjoy games that are too cute and "for children", so games like Kirby for instance he doesn't want to try.
He prefers games like Batman, Kabuki Quantum Fighter, Werewolf the Last whatever and Ninja Gaiden.

Personally I like both equally, which a slight leaning towards cute if I had to choose.

Where do you fall on the cute vs cool spectrum?

[UglyJoe]

I would have preferred cool when I was younger, but I prefer cute now.  Often "cool" tries way too hard to be cool.  As far as NES/FC games go, though, it doesn't matter too much to me.  The cool games of that era are still fairly cute by today's standards

Werewolf the Last whatever

The intro for Warwolf is pretty awesome, with the palette swapping lightning and whatnot.  If only the game's controls weren't so horrible...

[chowder]

That's a pretty immature attitude to have, does he still think girls are gross too?*

I find the "cute" style of graphics more appealing on a lot of Famicom titles, the palette/graphic restrictions lend themselves more to cartoony sprites/backgrounds than realistic.

*Or boys, I don't judge.

[P]

Can't say which I prefer, they are two opposite styles that are both very appealing in their own way.

Growing up it was of course important to distance oneself from too girly or kiddy stuff as a part of growing up to be a man, but I've always loved cute things as well. It's in the human nature.
Things that are especially aimed towards girls has never appealed to me though, like shoujo manga and the like, I think there's quite a clear distinction there.

But it must be hard for people that are into Japanese pop-culture and not like things that are too cute!

[M-Tee]

When it comes to "cool" NES games as you've described them, I love their very specific aesthetic. But, their enjoyment comes from their camp, like watching The A-Team full seasons at a time.

[That Guy from Faxanadu]

Many people shy away from playing anything with 8-bit graphics, I think it´s rather touching that he plays games as long as they look "mature". When it comes to modern games I tend to enjoy the "cute" look rather than cool (some modern "cool" games look too bland).

Older games can have a lot of charm in their futile attempts to look mature, and I can find both styles appealing.

[synt4x]

He'll miss out on a lot of great games by boycotting cute games. Gimmick, Kyattu Ninden Teyandee, Kid Dracula. Hell even Super Mario Bros 1-3 has a cute style, although I'm guessing he makes an exception for those.

[fcgamer]

I was just thinking about this tonight, while listening to some Japanese music, and thinking about Japanese cute culture.

When the question was first posted, I wasn't sure where I would stand, but I've decided that I prefer cute.  In a society where we see so much violence and garbage, no matter where we turn, "cool" stuff suddenly becomes a bit "uncool" or even common, in some situations.  But for a Westerner, cuteness is somewhat of an unexplored frontier.

[Yukima]

When it comes to video games, I think I appreciate cute games more (especially if the gameplay is good) because I don't see many of them nowadays. I like cute games and anime-style games, and not so much the darker stuff unless it's movies or TV.  It's the reason I play retro games and modern JRPGs when everyone else around me plays the "mature" looking games.

[L___E___T]

 


Depends on the system for me - I definitely like cute more on the Super Famicom, but I prefer cool on the Famicom.

[zmaster18]

When talking about modern games, give me cute over cool. It's like creative vs realistic/bland/grey.

[M-Tee]

That's a blanket statement if I've ever heard one. There's definitely (always) been enough mediocrity and lack of originality to go around regardless of cute or cool.

[FamicomFreak]

Everyone has different taste I guess but your friend shouldn't be too close minded. I love everything as everything has some appeal! 

[Retrospectives]

Cute or cool might be a very subjective thing and what might be considered cute is for me totally different than it might be for anyone else. I mean, for me, Parodius for the MSX is one of the cutest games, but at the same time, I think that Candy Crush Saga is really just generic and bland.

Altered beast, Rastan Saga, those type of oldschool barbarian type of games are "Cool", but for me, Call of Duty or whatever it is called, those are certainly not "cool" but rather annoying and does not really give me a feeling of anything.

On the other hand, it might as well be cultural. I am Japanese so I might be culturally geared towards cuteness rather than "cool"...but also, cute can for me be cool, at the same time as I do not consider certain manga style very cute even though many would say so, it is just a matter of subjective preferences I suppose.

[L___E___T]

 



Gotta read the first post in the thread for context


MegaDrive I would say does cool better, while Super Famicom does cute better.  OG Famicom does both equally well however.