Are Retro Sprites Irreplaceable?

[SuperNova]

Barkley said:

No they don't need to be retro pixel-art sprites, but games need to stop taking the easy way out and using 3d models instead of 2d art.

Rayman Origins and Legends show the effort that should be put into the graphics of 2d games. 2.5d is a mistake in almost all instances and is just done because it's quicker/cheaper.

Rayman Legends IS a 2,5d game though. The charactermodels themselves and the path are 3D and everything else is 2D.

And it looks absolutely gorgeous. The Ubi Art engine was created with the mission statement of: 'every frame should look like a handdrawn picture' and it really shows. Simultaneously they still have all the benefits of 3D, like dynamic lighting and easy terrain building for the level designers.