Rayman Origins: These tiny character “sprites” are making me thirsty!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9rcIK_t4IY[/youtube]

Rayman Origins is wonderfully artistic. That I cannot deny.

But something bothers me about its graphics: Playable characters are frustratingly small. That is to say, the camera is too wide to really appreciate the playable character. Instead of enjoying the entire screen, you’re eyes are focused on such a tiny spot of TV real estate.

Watch the above video to see what I mean. Yes, there’s zooming from time to time. And I know our televisions are huge these days. But good shots always put the action and characters front and center, even if that means sacrificing surroundings. In other words, it’s no fun looking at Origins surroundings. The fun part is seeing how Rayman interacts with said surroundings, preferably up close and personal.

I realize this isn’t the first platformer to use tiny character sprites; the trend largely started with the dawn of HD gaming six years ago. And of course, I’m willing to overlook the poor framing if the gameplay is as good as the art. But I wish designers would embrace big sprites again, like they did before.

Just because you have more screen to fill, doesn’t mean you should.

Rayman Origins arrives Nov. 15 on Wii and 3DS among others.