What's your favorite graphical style?

[Trumgottist]

I think both are somewhat boring, and the second one more so. Too many straight vertical and horizontal lines. If you want to look at old low resolution 256 colour graphics done right, look at Discworld. Those backgrounds still look impressive despite the 320x200 resolution and the 256 colour limitation.

[Monsieur OUXX]

If you want to look at old low resolution 256 colour graphics done right, look at Discworld.

Yes, yes, there are some much better graphics out there in the world. That's not the point. :-)

Someone commented the black outlines, and, indeed, I remember perfectly finding the backgrounds unhomogeneous. Some of them rely heavily on black outlines, while some don't have any (see below).
They probably had a production pipeline that involved several artists. Or maybe they lacked time to polish all the backgrounds.

[Trumgottist]

That one looks better.

[Wonkyth]

Yeeees, much better, except now the character fits like crap.

[Monsieur OUXX]

Yeeees, much better, except now the character fits like crap.

The character was vector-drawn. So it looked crap but the animation was smooth. Think "Flashback opening sequence" (same technology).

[Gord10]

3D renders in Commodore 64 palette. (Yes, it is "Reverie", not "Riverie". A typo to be fixed). Crimm's Son is an actual game I am working on.

[MrColossal]

Only looking at these 2 images and none others from Cruise for a Corpse or Holmes I would say that the second image is much more intimate while the first is very detached and flat. The lowered camera angle provides the most towards this effect. It is like I am in the room and watching this happen.

While they are both in a doll house perspective I think the second image engages me more as an observer. Also the perspective is not perfectly flat like in the first image and the "camera" is zoomed in more which makes everything larger.

A quick search on google gives me this:

http://www.places-to-go.org.uk/Photos/sherlock_holmes_study.jpg

Which I feel would make a wonderful background properly lit and arted up for a game and does some similar [though more advanced] things with composition like Cruise for a Corpse.

[evenwolf]

I agree.  The first image does not feel cozy.  It's not engaging.   I do prefer its color palette and its lighting effects, but that is all.

The second image has much better composition, although dull in color.