So i thinking this week aloot about idle animations, also ones that are might be pretty rare to get.
My personal favorites are the classic sleepy Mario from Mario 64
and from Earthworm Jim the rope one:
Im really curios to know what are your favorites.
Breath of Fire III stands out in my mind because it had idle animations that were sometimes tied to story beats. For example, after the main character goes through some ~ traumatic events ~ he’ll have an idle animation of wiping away some tears. I’ve described the game as feeling very “alive” and it’s little polish details like this that really help sell the world
[upl-image-preview url=//i.imgur.com/fcUjUKN.gif]
Always had a soft spot for Capcom‘s Wolverine idle animation. Really sells the ’I‘m a short twitchy stabby guy’ vibe 90s Wolverine had going on. Bonus points for the swaying of each individual claw.
I don’t really know how to post gifs, but maybe someone could help me out and post the sentinel sprite from MvC.
I honestly don’t even want to Google it because it’s tied to a pretty embarrassing memory…
I thought this particular sprite idle animation was _so cool_ in fact, that for no particular reason I decided to look it up on our lab PC when I was working in a virology lab in college. This was by all accounts a completely innocuous thing to do, but I happened to time this brief moment of pixelated escapism _right_ when the PI of the lab was walking behind me (he wasn’t a bad guy, but kinda frazzled and also kinda a hardass…and with a not-unfounded skepticism toward the level of commitment a typical undergraduate would bring to his lab). He made some remark along the lines of “playing video games, huh?”
He probably thought nothing of it after that moment, but needless to say, I was mortified and still think of it to this day, even unprompted by the sight of that lovely jumble of purple mechanized pixels.
@kory this guy?!
@kory The Sentinel sprite is definitely one of the best from Capcom’s 2-D Marvel fighting games era. I love how all the parts move independently of each other. The Sentinel design itself is sick – it looks like a collectible model kit and something you might see in a mecha anime while being faithful to the comic design.
Banjo-Kazooie had some good ones, like when Kazooie comes out of the backpack to bonk Banjo on the head. I also like idle animations where the character breaks the fourth wall to tell the player “hey, let’s get going.” There’s tons of examples of those.
@kingnothing These are really great!
Also I didnt know that 2D Fighter sprite idle animations were so much full of detail. I really love this
@TracyDMcGrath wow. this is seriously incredible. So mesmerizing.
Idk how to upload a gif that plays/loops, so I’ll just describe something I think we all know: sonic waiting.
@rearnakedwindow when you look at this for a while, you realize that any of these arm movements on their own would be totally ridiculous as a fighting stance. When combined, they’re quite intimidating, but particularly if i was lined up against someone who was doing what she is doing with her left arm (the one connected to her shoulder) i would feel pretty confident.
Not to steer the thread too far afield, but this deity was also depicted in the absolutely righteous logo engraved atop Japan’s first 35mm camera (before the company adopted the way more boring Canon name and logo…)
@rearnakedwindow came here to post this one or Elena so I guess I’m out of a job
Hopefully not too different from everyone else’s is this enemy idle animation from FFXII; I just love the cute floaty jiggle to them.
Hmm I think the first I ever noticed was Sonic getting bored if you waited too long. I feel like every game back in the Genesis/SNES days had em but I can't remember!
Same, this felt groundbreaking.
My personal favorite has to be the dinner sequences in the Grandia games. It’s one of the best parts of reaching a new inn, getting to see the cast member animations and talk for a good few minutes.
@Tradegood The impatient Sonic idle animation always weirded me out the more I thought about it…
Like, on the surface it’s a cute bit of fourth wall breaking as he scowls at you, tapping his foot. But then you stop to consider, what exactly is he waiting for? Is your input the only animating force available to him? Has he entrusted the reigns of his own motor function completely? Willingly? Is his eventual leap off the screen in Sonic CD done out of boredom, ending just your game, or is he channeling the only agency left for him into a suicidal act of desperation?
Gotta be Link adjusting his outfit in Ocarina of Time. Maybe his tunic is riding up a bit, or his boots are scooted too close to his toes. . . . .it's fun.
