Line #30 Main/VideoGame3DLeap


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4	[[quoteright:271:[[VideoGame/MetalGear https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mg3d.png]]]]
5	[-[[caption-width-right:271:Oh, so ''that's'' why it's called "''Metal Gear '''Solid'''''".]]-]
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10
11	->''"People are bored of 2D worlds... this is the age of 3D!"''
12	-->-- '''King Tezro of Dotnia''', ''VideoGame/ThreeDDotGameHeroes''
13
14	This is when a VideoGame series makes the leap from [[MediaNotes/BitmapsSpritesAndTextures sprite graphics]] to MediaNotes/PolygonalGraphics. The largest portion of video game franchises made the leap during MediaNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames, when the Platform/PlayStation, Platform/SegaSaturn, and Platform/Nintendo64 released in the mid-90s. In that era 3D graphics were feasible on home consoles,[[note]]While there are certainly earlier 3D games on home consoles such as ''VideoGame/Starfox1'', 3D didn't take off until the horsepower of mid-90s consoles allowed for stronger presentation[[/note]] and as a dream for many developers, it was the hot new thing. In fact, this trope was so desireable that it would take fifteen years for new games being in 2D to be acceptable, in large part thanks to the rise of indie games since 2D graphics, up to a point, are less intensive to make.
15
16	The leap usually comes in two forms: Total Upgrade, and Presentation Upgrade. Total Upgrades completely change the gameplay to accommodate the third dimension, while Presentation Upgrades change just the graphics while leaving the gameplay the same, usually because the gameplay works in both (although even then changes can and often must be made to accommodate the old gameplay in the new presentation).
17
18	A franchise does not necessarily have to have had prior 2D entries in order for it to count: if it was breaching new territory in 3D's formative years, it can still count for this trope because the style was still very new back then. Sometimes the upgrade involves a SpritePolygonMix.
19
20	Compare TwoAndAHalfD, which is where a Side-Scroller with 2D gameplay is presented with 3D graphics. When a series has made the leap but then intentionally goes back to the original 2D art style, it's likely {{Retraux}}.
21	----
22	!!Examples:
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Total Upgrade]]
26	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
27	** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' is widely regarded as the first PlatformGame to successfully make the transition, establishing a number of the general rules and ideas that continue to form the foundation of 3D game design., and the first to really show what 3D games could accomplish. However, in the process, it also diverged from some of the staples of the prior 2D games; years later, ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DLand'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' would attempt to marry the two styles of ''Mario'' gameplay to positive reception.
28	** To throw fan games into the mix, ''VideoGame/KaizoMarioGalaxy2'' brings the intense difficulty of the 2D Kaizo Mario games to a 3D realm.
29	* ''VideoGame/XWing'' was perhaps the UrExample, using a 3D engine with great success. In 1993!
30	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' maintained much of the core gameplay as the 2D ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' games (apart from ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink''); just adding its lock-on system was a great way to get around the camera issues in so many of these games and allow for more focused combat gameplay.
31	** And the same game got the honor again, with a second upgrade to stereoscopic 3D (what most people think of when they think of, for example, 3D movies) on the 3DS.
32	* ''[[VideoGame/GoldenEye1997 GoldenEye 007]]'', being far from the first ''007'' video game, but it was the first and most notable one, the first to make the 3D leap, and the first major example of the FirstPersonShooter genre finding success on consoles. With its [[ShownTheirWork movie-accurate]] setpieces, split-screen multiplayer, focus on realistic environments and level design, and [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames subversion of the usual problems with licensed games]], ''[=GoldenEye=] 007'' is still regarded as one of the most influential video games of all time across the board, and was a bonafide [[KillerApp system-seller]] for the Platform/Nintendo64 against the Platform/PlayStation.
33	* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' received a great amount of acclaim for not only transitioning the non-linear adventure format of the series to 3D, but for doing so while also becoming a FirstPersonShooter (er, [[InsistentTerminology First-Person Adventure]]). The ''Prime'' series would come to form its own branch of the franchise, with the 2D games continuing alongside them.
34	* The ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series is something of an odd case, as the original ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' was mostly a presentation update with gameplay virtually identical to ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' (the second [=MSX2=] game), but successive games in the series would add new features to take advantage of the 3D presentation (''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2\|SonsOfLiberty}}'' letting you aim and fire weapons in first-person view) or to overcome limitations in the old gameplay style (''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 3\|SnakeEater}}: [[UpdatedRerelease Subsistence]]'' adding a proper third-person camera) that gradually turned it into a total upgrade, with the series by ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 4\|GunsOfThePatriots}}'' playing as more of a ThirdPersonShooter with stealth elements.
35	* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' is one of the most famous examples. While the first games were million sellers, this boosted the series to the top tier of game series by simply taking the top-down [[WideOpenSandbox open world]] of the first two, making it 3D, and then filling it with lots of details and non-essential gameplay mechanics like earning cash as an ambulance driver or winning street races that had nothing to do with the main story itself. In a time where games were still doing linear segmented levels with nothing else to do, this was a major innovation
36	* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' was an EnforcedTrope for this, since Capcom was told by Sony they needed to make a 3D ''Franchise/MegaMan'' before they could make 2D games for the Platform/PlayStation. As a consequence, it's more of an ActionAdventure[=/=]RPG than a run-n-gun platformer like [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic the main series]]. As you would expect, it turned out to be a very polarizing game -- some consider it an excellent game in its own right, while others view it a prime example of a poorly done jump to [=3D=], with the UnexpectedGameplayChange and clunky camera controls. They later ''would'' release a main-line [=3D=] installment of a ''Mega Man'' game in the form of ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'', but opinions are more unanimous on it having poorly executed its [=3D=] leap, with the random jumps between camera angles and poor level design.
37	* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' leaped, with [[NintendoHard the difficulty preserved]].
38	* ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' likewise leaped, and was doubly hard as a result (the ScarfOfAsskicking was a nice bonus too).
39	* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStar'' is one of the few RPG series to make a full upgrade, since the gameplay was changed from turn-based JRPG to online action RPG.
40	* ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' brought ''Franchise/{{Sonic\|TheHedgehog}}'' into 3D and had a huge overworld complete with full voiceovers and multiple characters. Depending on who you ask, it also first had problems with jumping to [=3D=] here. Sonic was supposed to make the jump with ''VideoGame/SonicXTreme'' on the Platform/SegaSaturn, but that game was cancelled, with the only 3D ''Sonic'' games on the Saturn being the racing spin-off ''VideoGame/SonicR'' and ''VideoGame/SonicJam'''s Sonic World.
41	* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' for the Platform/PlayStation2 was the only game in the [[Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei mainline series]] to conduct battles in full 3D until ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'' in 2021. All further mainline games returned to 2D battles (with the [[SpritePolygonMix occasional 3D models for some of the bosses]]). This can be correlated to a ChannelHop of the mainline series to the [[Platform/NintendoDS Nintendo DS]] and later the [[Platform/Nintendo3DS 3DS]].
42	* ''VideoGame/AeroFighters Assault'' was a 3D flight simulation instead of a wacky arcade 2D ShootEmUp like the older games.
43	* Creator/{{Bethesda}}:
44	** ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' made the leap to fully polygonal 3D graphics with its third installment, ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', which was a very natural as the previous installments (''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'') already used sprite-based 3D. This also meant a major shift if design philosophy for the series from [[SlidingScaleOfContentDensityVsWidth the "Width" side of the scale to the "Density" side]]. ''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'' have absolutely massive game worlds, on the scale of real life countries. However, to fill out these worlds, any areas not related to the main quests (or a few prominent side quests, in the case of ''Daggerfall'') are [[RandomlyGeneratedLevels Randomly Generated]], with ProceduralGeneration used for dungeons. This allows for huge game worlds with nigh-infinite content...but at the cost of that content getting very repetitive, very quickly. Starting after the 3D leap, Bethesda significantly scaled down the game world (to a "mere" nine square miles compared to thousands) but was entirely hand-built. It helps that, through the use of SpaceCompression, it is nowhere near the size of it's predecessors, but is still far larger than most game worlds. Another reason for this philosophical change was ''Morrowind''[='s=] MultiPlatform availability on console (specifically, {{Platform/Xbox}}) as well as PC, a first for the series (and first for a prominent WesternRPG in many, many years at the time). This changed helped ''Morrowind'' to get into the hands of a wider audience, being the BreakthroughHit for both the series and the development company. Follow-up games (''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'') swung the series back toward the middle of the scale. Both increased the size of the game world compared to ''Morrowind'', but also brought back elements of random and procedural generation to fill out those larger game worlds. Coupled with [[LevelScaling enemy and loot]] spawns being spread sheet generated, much of the "density" uniqueness seen in ''Morrowind'' was lost.
45	** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
46	*** Follow the series' acquisitionn by Creator/{{Bethesda}}, it made the leap and the gameplay changed significantly. What was an isometric turn-based tactical role-playing game became a WideOpenSandbox FirstPersonShooter with {{RPG}} elements and many similarities to its ''The Elder Scrolls'' sister series. The new version has been generally well-received, though [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks grouchy old-school fans might point out]] that it took so long for the 3D ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' to come out that most people who play it have never played the 2D originals - and despite being set in the same universe, there's little story connection between ''3'' and the 2D games, though its sequel ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', developed by the developers of the original games at Creator/ObsidianEntertainment, contain multiple {{Continuity Nod}}s to earlier games.
47	*** An earlier version of ''Fallout 3'' from the series' original developers, codenamed ''[[VideoGame/FalloutVanBuren Van Buren]]'', [[WhatCouldHaveBeen would've fit into the latter category]], keeping gameplay nearly the same, but switching graphics entirely to polygonal 3D with a rotatable overhead camera.
48	*** Ambitious plans were announced for ''VideoGame/FalloutTacticsBrotherhoodOfSteel'' (an {{interquel}} released shortly after ''Fallout 2''). The game was going to get the 3rd dimension and the characters were to be full 3D models. Among other things changing armour was going to be done by swapping textures. In the end the game did get the 3rd dimension--which is used in two missions (watchtowers in the raiders' base and tunnels in the beastlords' base)--and extremely inconvenient interface--the use of ladders and staircases is strictly automatic and there's no interface command to rise the view point. The former means that once the character touches a ladder or a staircase, he/she will ascent/descent automatically and cannot stop unless the turns run out; the latter means no way to manually aim at an enemy directly above you (autofire can be used and it was implemented surprisingly well). As for 3D models, all characters in the release were still done as sprites.
49	*** The console-exclusive ''VideoGame/FalloutBrotherhoodOfSteel'' was a top-down ActionRPG and the first ''Fallout'' game to use 3D models, but it was universally derided by fans and declared CanonDiscontinuity by Bethesda.
50	* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' was the first game in the VideoGame/TalesSeries to use 3D battles, although free-range 3D running didn't come until later with ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss''.
51	* ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}} [=3D=]'' is pretty similar to the original, but has to add the “turner” skill to compensate for the extra dimension, and also adds devices like teleporters and springboards that weren't in the original (but were in ''Lemmings 2''.) However, it still has issues with its jump to [=3D=], and much of the split-second timing crucial to the original gameplay is lost as a result (lemmings can only perform skills in the middle or edge of a tile).
52	* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia'' changed tremendously, accompanied by a total ContinuityReboot. Of course, [[Videogame/PrinceOfPersia3D the first try]] was an abject failure, ultimately requiring [[Videogame/PrinceofPersiaTheSandsOfTime another reboot]] to correctly execute a [=3D=] leap.
53	* ''VideoGame/{{Worms}} 3D'' did a pretty decent job at the previous games' weapon systems and deformable landscape. To some it still was unsuccessful in [=3D=] and wasn't as fun.
54	* ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' was outrageously more successful than its [[VideoGame/DukeNukemI two]] [[VideoGame/DukeNukemII predecessors]], becoming massively more violent and with the main character's attitude significantly changing at the same time. Despite its name, ''Duke Nukem 3D'' wasn't a true 3D game, but a 2.5D game that used clever level design tricks like room-over-room and sloped surfaces to create an illusion of verticality and 3D space. It wasn't until ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'' and spin-off games such as ''Duke Nukem: Time to Kill'' that Duke went truly 3D.
55	* The ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'' series switched to a 3D perspective in 1992 under the name ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'', which is frequently pointed to as one of the games that established the first-person shooter genre. (''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' would be the other common one). Despite the name, ''Wolfenstein 3D'' is an aversion as it uses 2D sprites, the leap would be done by ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' in 2001.
56	* ''[[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Solar Assault Gradius]]''.
57	* ''VideoGame/Pitfall3DBeyondTheJungle''
58	* ''VideoGame/ProjectSylpheed'' is a ''VideoGame/FreeSpace''-style SimulationGame, unlike its InNameOnly predecessors which were vertical {{shoot em up}}s.
59	* After testing the polygonal waters with ''VideoGame/WarGods'', Midway brought ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' into the third dimension with its fourth installment. It remained a 3D fighter until ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' reverted to a TwoAndAHalfD style with polygonal graphics but two dimensional gameplay.
60	* ''VideoGame/GrimFandango'' was the first post SCUMM Creator/LucasArts AdventureGame. The transition was traumatic to the genre. The 3D graphics were still crude next to crafted and detailed sprites in the late 90s. ''Grim Fandango'' suffers from the loss of [[PointAndClick mouse control]] and just moving across the map becomes tedious. All-in-all [[AcclaimedFlop it was Gamespot game of the year, but it sold so poorly]] it became a GenreKiller in the minds of videogame producers. (the game's engine being used with the company's flagship adventure series in ''Videogame/EscapeFromMonkeyIsland'' got an equally uninspiring response)
61	* The ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series is a [[ZigZaggedTrope very strange]] case. The initial entry in the series was a 2D platformer that underwent a 3D upgrade for the [[VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape second]] and [[VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc third]] entries, while ''[[VideoGame/RaymanOrigins Origins]]'' switched back to 2D animation and gameplay.
62	* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear 2: Overture'' was a 3D BeatEmUp[=/=]RTS hybrid, a departure from the usual 2D Fighter fare the series is known for. Reactions were mixed, and even then many who didn't dislike this game wanted a 2D fighter.
63	* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' still retains VisualNovel in the jump to 3D for the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series, but also features 3D investigation scenes that can be viewed at multiple angles, from different vantage points, and actually show a few characters at the scene as opposed to only appearing when you want to talk to them. Especially notable in Case 3 where you have to find pieces of rubble littering the scene; in order to do so you have to use multiple camera angles either from simply rotating the scene to examining objects that could be used as vantage points for further examination and two characters actually being present that can't be spoken to normally.
64	* Much like ''Mario 64'', ''VideoGame/PacMan'' got the ''VideoGame/PacManWorld'' series, which did fairly well. The series went from maze-based to a 3D platformer.
65	* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' tried making the leap [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}} on the Nintendo 64]], but it too was unsuccessful in [=3D=]. The series would keep trying, however, though the 3D titles would be nowhere near as popular as the 2D MetroidVania titles that would also be made alongside the series, at least until ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' was released.
66	* Subverted with the ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' series. The third game in the series was originally meant to be a Nintendo 64 title known internationally as ''Earthbound 64''. It was put on DevelopmentHell until it was ultimately revamped into a sprite based Game Boy Advance game, ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''. ''Mother 3'' is the last ''Mother'' game so the series never made the leap to 3D.
67	* ''[[VideoGame/TheSims1 The Sims]]'' was mostly 2D styled to look like 3D via IsometricProjection, with simplistic 3D characters who had a basic set of needs to take care of. Aside from having an upgrade to full 3D, ''VideoGame/TheSims2'' also expanded on gameplay by adding aging, familial relationships, genetics, and more; which caused it to dethrone ''The Sims'' as the best selling PC game of all time.
68	* ''VideoGame/{{Picross}} 3D'' introduces, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin three-dimensional Picross puzzles]], although it does make a number of changes to the gameplay mechanics in order to be human-friendly. In particular, rather than simply filling in cells, you break blocks until it's "carved" into the solution.
69	* The first ''VideoGame/RiskOfRain'' is a 2D roguelike/platformer with infamously tiny character sprites. In its jump to 3D, [[VideoGame/RiskOfRain2 the sequel]] modifies the gameplay to fit the new dimension, blending the platforming and randomized gameplay of the original with a control scheme not unlike a third-person shooter. (You can also see yourself -- and enemies -- in proper detail in it, thanks to the camera pulling in much closer than before). Alterations are obviously needed to make sure characters still fit their niches (now everyone can run and shoot, but the Huntress has been given autoaim and the ability to sprint while shooting to compensate), and it has made melee-only classes DifficultButAwesome.
70	* ''Blood Omen'', the first in the ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series, was a top-down 2D game, with focus on melee combat and spells. Its immediate sequel, ''Soul Reaver'', jumped into 3D with gusto and focused more on puzzle-solving, using Raziel's ability to shift between realms to progress. The rest of the series kept the third-person perspective.
71	* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' had two.
72	** Up to [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 the fourth game]], the series had consisted of 2D sprites and/or voxel models on an isometric sprite background. ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' brought the series to full 3D in models, maps and camera controls. However, ''Generals'' also changed significant chunks of the ''C&C'' formula in the process, leaning much more toward a ''Franchise/StarCraft'' style of RTS compared to prior ''C&C'' titles. The storyline also took place in a completely different continuity to its predecessors -- basically being a RippedFromTheHeadlines War on Terror setting rather than sci-fi AlternateHistory. Later ''C&C'' titles (''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars Tiberium Wars]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 Red Alert 3]]'') would move back toward the traditional ''C&C'' style of RTS and work within the previous non-''Generals'' story settings, while keeping the fully 3D environment and engine.
73	** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'' took the setting and story of [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianDawn the 1995 original]] and [[GenreShift transplanted it into a full-3D FPS]]. Multiplayer still plays as much like the RTS games as possible, with players on each side being able to spend credits to change into more advanced infantry classes and purchase vehicles, and full bases with unique buildings that take away abilities as they're destroyed (e.g. taking away the enemy's access to higher-tier infantry types by destroying their barracks).
74	* ''VideoGame/KirbysBlowoutBlast'' is an expanded version of ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'''s ''Kirby 3D Rumble'' mini-game, with traditional gameplay put into a 3D plane. ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' is the first ever mainline game with fully 3D gameplay.
75	* ''VideoGame/{{Technobabylon}}'' is a traditional 2D point-and-click adventure game. The sequel ''Technobabylon: Birthright'', which is currently in development, is transitioning to full 3D..
76	* Sega tried to do this to two of their most famous BeatEmUp games in ''VideoGame/AlteredBeast2005'' (changing the AncientGrome setting to a contemporary BioPunk one) ''Videogame/GoldenAxe: Beast Rider'' (tried to keep similar to the old games, aside from only featuring ActionGirl Tyris as a playable character). Neither was well received, with complaints that the gameplay was not well implemented in three dimensions.
77	* The first ''VideoGame/SparkTheElectricJester'' game is in 2D, featuring sprites. Its sequels feature both 3D graphics and gameplay.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Presentation Upgrade]]
81	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' doesn't have much that couldn't be done in 2D.
82	* For the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' games that used 3D graphics, the gameplay was kept the same as in the 2D games.
83	* The ''Fire Emblem'' series did add elevation bonuses to ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' but removed it in later games.
84	* The only handheld games in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series with polygonal graphics that don't fall under the "presentation upgrade" category are both enhanced versions of the Nintendo 64 games ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''. ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'' are both top-down games played with the touch screen, and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'' intentionally plays like ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' due to its status as a fairly direct sequel.
85	* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
86	** The series was even more careful in this regard. ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'' only just barely went above being a 2D game with polygons, while ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'' was a full presentation upgrade.
87	** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': The [=PS2=] version is the only 2D Original ''Dragon Quest'' to be completely remade in 3D.
88	** The 3DS remake of ''VII'' played this more straight, with the entire world and its characters presented in 3D after the DS rereleases of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'' through ''VideoGAme/DragonQuestVI'' remained in 2D after the graphics upgrade.
89	* ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' didn't need much of a change. It used Mode 7 (a hardware kludge to dynamically scale and rotate its 2D background layer, giving the illusion of 3D space) originally, so the visuals were already a convincing simulacrum of 3D. ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' added elevation to the flat stages (and thus true 3D gameplay, although the practical difference was very subtle).
90	** This also applies to the ''VideoGame/FZero'' series, though the ''VideoGame/FZeroX'' course design heavily exploits the new 3D perspective with steeply banked curves and loop-de-loops.
91	* The first ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'' game, ''[[VideoGame/KlonoaDoorToPhantomile Door to Phantomile]]'', was a SpritePolygonMix, but the [[VideoGame/Klonoa2LunateasVeil sequel]] was cel-shaded 3D.
92	* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'':
93	** ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'' had almost everything rendered in 3D, but was a TwoAndAHalfD platformer that kept the gameplay from the rest of the series intact, taking advantage of the new presentation by utilizing curving paths and dynamic camera angles. ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'', ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'', ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', and ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' would pare back on this dynamic design slightly, though continue to play with ideas such as Kirby traveling between the foreground and background.
94	** When ''Return to Dream Land'' was known as "Kirby GCN" and was a [=GameCube=] game, early screenshots show they had attempted at one point to make it into a full 3D game. They ended up changing it to a traditional sidescroller. However, ''Planet Robobot'' does feature an experimental score-based subgame called ''Kirby 3D Rumble'', which translates the gameplay into a 3D environment for the first time in the series. This was later expanded into the adventure-based ''VideoGame/KirbysBlowoutBlast'', and even more so for ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', the first fully 3D game in the series.
95	* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV''. Admittedly fighting games with 3D movement outside of dodging rarely work.
96	** ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' for VideoGame/CapcomVs games, getting later followed by ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''.
97	** Technically, even the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterEX'' games played primarily in 2D outside of the occasional sidestep maneuver.
98	* After over 20 years and thirteen 2D games, the 3D ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters King of Fighters XIV]]'' fell under this--As the first ''main'' series game to make the leap, still having 2D gameplay. As opposed to what was technically the first 3D title in the series as a whole, the Total-example ''King of Fighters: Maximum Impact'', released a year after the tenth game, ''2003''.[[note]]Commercials for the latter game featured a 2D Neo Geo-style Terry and Ryo discussing the move to 3D, and ended with Ryo non-graphically tearing an arm off while working out.[[/note]]
99	* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear Xrd'' is a 2.5D fighter that uses the Unreal Engine 3 and ditches the sprites in favor of models, but the models themselves are created to imitate the 2D visuals as much as possible, such as emulating the choppy animation and lots of model morphing.
100	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
101	** The purpose of the ''VideoGame/PokemonStadium'' series was directly stated to be this for the battle portions of the series, while the ''[[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Colosseum]]'' [[VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness duology]] also brought in the classic gameplay with an overhead view.
102	** Likewise, the [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} mainline series]] did this as well. [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Gen IV]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite V]] featured [[SpritePolygonMix 3D environments with character sprites]], and while there were small effects on the overworld gameplay, the battle system changes were minimal. [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Gen VI]] onward had the series make the full leap, with the only substantial change outside the usual battle system tweaks being that movement is no longer restricted to a grid.
103	** The Platform/WiiWare and Gen 5 and 6 ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' games are rendered entirely in 3D; alterations to gameplay appear to be minimal.
104	* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} IV'' is the same as the earlier ''Gradius'', only in 3D. It doesn't do much to fully utilize the third dimension.
105	* ''[[VideoGame/{{Darius}} G-Darius]]'' brought the series into 3D while keeping the action in a 2D plane. The extra dimension is used heavily to make bosses huge, dynamic spectacles that weren't as easily doable with sprites.
106	* Despite going into 3-D, ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' is still definitely a ''Warcraft'' game--though the jump did allow it to supplement its [[FullMotionVideo FMV]] cutscenes with cheaper and more numerous realtime ones.
107	* While in 3D, ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' has very similar gameplay to the original. As does ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' to its predecessors. Blizzard does a good job at this it seems.
108	* The transition to fully polygonal graphics was very natural for ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', since earlier games were already in sprite-based [=3D=].
109	* ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}} Revolutions'' is essentially a pseudo-3D version of the original, although does add extra objects like teleporters.
110	* The ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' series is an interesting example, as its first 3D installment was actually a VideogameRemake of the first installment, with only its MMO spinoff and the main series' final game originating as realtime 3D.
111	* ''VideoGame/UFOAfterBlank''[='s=] switch to 3D graphics from the tile-based (cube-based?) [[IsometricProjection isometric]] 2D graphics of the prior ''{{VideoGame/XCOM}}'' series actually resulted in most levels becoming ''less 3D'', geometrically speaking, due to engine limitations. This loss of verticality is exacerbated by the lack of flight or destructible terrain.
112	* Sid Meier's ''VideoGame/CivilizationIV'' gives 3D landscape and characters to the franchise, but still plays similarly to the third game.
113	* The original ''VideoGame/OutRun'', was a "3-D" driving game that used advanced scaling technology (as did other racing games from the mid-late 1980s), so Out Run 2 isn't much of a change, save for the graphics.
114	* ''VideoGame/SpaceInvadersInfinityGene'' was originally a 2D ShootEmUp released for the [=iPhone=] which takes the ''Space Invaders'' formula and gradually turns it into a modernised shmup. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VoUvIQiDIY The Platform/PlayStation Network/Xbox Live Arcade version]] takes the concept to its [[LogicalExtreme logical conclusion]] by implementing 3D levels in addition to the 2D levels. Your ship still moves in a horizontal axis in the 3D levels, but it definitely allows for more creative boss battles.
115	* ''[[VideoGame/{{Syndicate}} Syndicate Wars]]'' gained a 3D engine, but while the ability to rotate the camera and destroy buildings were neat, they didn't really improve the gameplay that much (building destruction was a little weird since they were prone to catastrophic collapse when a car nudged one corner). Also the sharp, hi-res graphics of the original were replaced by blocky polygons.
116	* ''Videogame/YsVITheArkOfNapishtim'' uses 3D graphics [[SpritePolygonMix with 2D character sprites]] (except in the Platform/PlayStation2 version, which renders characters in 3D as well), but still has the overhead view of previous games, aside from the original version of the third game (the remake, ''VideoGame/YsTheOathInFelghana'', of which is more similar to ''Ys VI''). ''VideoGame/YsSEVEN'' is fully 3D, even with character graphics, but still doesn't make any radical gameplay changes. Similar to ''The Oath in Felghana'' borrowing elements from ''VI'', ''SEVEN''[='=]s visual and gameplay styles also carried over when ''Ys IV'' was reimagined as ''VideoGame/YsMemoriesOfCelceta''.
117	* Although the first two ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' games on the Platform/GameBoyAdvance already used pre-rendered 3D sprites, ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' transitioned to actual polygonal graphics, though since the entire series uses more or less the same perspective, the gameplay is mostly the same aside from the option to control the game using the Platform/NintendoDS[='s=] touch screen.
118	* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' keeps both games' VisualNovel style, but now the characters are in 3D instead of using sprites, as part of the platform shift to the Platform/Nintendo3DS. For the main series, ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' already made the leap in ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheMiracleMask'', while ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' later did this for the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series proper.
119	* While the titular Sims of ''VideoGame/TheSims1'' game were 3D, the environment they lived in was not. ''VideoGame/TheSims2'' was completely in 3D, and ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' took said 3D further. The core gameplay remains the same, with some added features here and there.
120	* ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' is the first non-remake entry in the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' series to use 3D graphics, but apart from some minor quality-of-life tweaks, the series' famous platforming gameplay is intact.
121	* ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX8 Mega Man X8]]'' learned from [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 X7]]'s failures and turned the 3D conversion from Complete to Presentation, and the series was much better for it.
122	* ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxHitTheRoad'' was to have a 3D sequel called ''Sam & Max: Freelance Police'', then Creator/LucasArts cancelled it in 2004, leading to some employees leaving the company to form Creator/TelltaleGames. It took until 2006 for the episodic 3D point-and-click ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxSaveTheWorld'' to be released.
123	* Once the ''VideoGame/AtelierSeries'' games made the jump to the Platform/PlayStation3, they went from a mixture of "strictly 2D" and "[[TwoAndAHalfD 2D character sprites with some 3D environmental elements]]" to "full-on 3D presentation" starting with the release of ''VideoGame/AtelierRoronaTheAlchemistOfArland''.
124	* ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' and its sequel, ''[[VideoGame/RaymanLegends Legends]]'', share the same style of 2D platforming; however, ''Legends'' drops the ThickLineAnimation art style of its predecessor in favor of a TwoPointFiveD, painting-like look with 3D lighting.
125	* The ''Aliens'' franchise went from ''VideoGame/AlienTrilogy'' (2D-and-a-half world with sprite-based entities) to the full-3D ''VideoGame/AliensVsPredator'', with excellent results.
126	* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' makes most of its games in TwoPointFiveD (the last "fully 2D game" was ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsL'' for the DS), but even in full 3D (as [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha a]] [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsGC few]] [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsNeo games]] [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOE have]] used), the most they really do is make the attack animations involve 3D robots.
127	* ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon 3'' added a few things that couldn't be done before in 2D such as riding rides, but for the most part the core gameplay was unchanged. This caused some frustration with fans who were expecting a more sophisticated coaster editor that wasn't restricted by sprite limitations.
128	* This was the main complaint ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'' had with the ''Platform/VirtualBoy''. Despite the system's capacity for "true" 3D graphics, just about all of its games could have been perfectly done in a 2D setting.
129	* Inverted with ''VideoGame/TheMagicSchoolBus'' video games. The adaptations released from 1994 to 2000 use a mix of 2D gameplay and 3D cutscenes while the activity centers released from 2000 to 2003 only use 2D animation.
130	* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'':
131	** ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' plays much the same as the original ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' and keeps all the core elements. Future games rarely deviate too far from the standards.
132	** The handheld games were all sprite based until ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness''.
133	* ''VideoGame/{{ESCHATOS}}'' is one to its spiritual predecessor, ''VideoGame/JudgementSilversword'', by using full 3D graphics reminiscent of a Sega NAOMI arcade game, but its gameplay remains mostly 2D as it uses an overhead perspective during some segments such as the boss battles and shifts angles during stage transitions.
134	* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' games all have 3D dungeons and world maps, but the fourth game, ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIVLegendsOfTheTitan'', upgrades the battle interface to 3D backgrounds and enemies, which have been carried over to the series (even applied to the first two games' remakes) since.
135	* ''VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero'', unlike previous games in the series which were fully 2D, is a SpritePolygonMix with 2D hand-drawn sprites on 3D backgrounds.
136	* ''VideoGame/LethalLeague'''s playstyle remains the same between its sprite-based first iteration and ''Blaze''. The only real difference from the polygonal upgrade is the ability for the camera to shift in key moments, as it's still a TwoAndAHalfD fighter.
137	* ''VideoGame/ImmortalCitiesChildrenOfTheNile'' is the first ''VideoGame/CityBuildingSeries'' game to be rendered in 3D. Its tweaks to the series' gameplay conventions make it an OddballInTheSeries, but the core gameplay model -- plan and build a city that meets certain victory conditions, providing specific amenities to its residents and making use of natural resources -- is unchanged.
138	* Discounting ''DA!'', ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoChronicle Chronicle]]'' is the first ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' game to be presented fully in 3D. Gameplay is still the traditional rule sets, but the cut-ins are now 3D models, much like how ''39'' presented theirs. ''Chronicle'''s RPG mode also utilizes a 3D free-roaming overworld.
139	* ''VideoGame/Disgaea6DefianceOfDestiny'' is the first in the series to use 3D character models, where all the previous games used a SpritePolygonMix with 2D character sprites.
140	* ''VideoGame/CreeperWorld'' has mostly been a series where you're playing an RTS from a top-down 2D perspective where the enemy is essentially simulated GrimyWater. ''Creeper World 4'' brings the experience to full 3D, but the gameplay elements are largely same as the previous games. One subtle difference, however, is that the real-life formula used to simulate Creeper movement was changed from thermal flow to wave equation.
141	* The Platform/Nintendo64 port of ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianDawn'' upgraded the presentation, with everything except infantry - the maps, the buildings, and the vehicles - rendered in 3D, though compared to the later total upgrade in ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals Generals]]'' the gameplay is otherwise identical to the original.
142	* The ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}}'' series starting with ''Raiden III'' uses polygonal graphics as opposed to sprite-based, which allows for bosses and stage designs not possible in the sprite-based games. However, it's still a conventional VerticalScrollingShooter with two-dimensional player movement and automatically-scrolling levels.
143	[[/folder]]
144
145	[[folder:Discussed and Conversed]]
146	* Parodied as ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s #25 [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_388_27-science-lessons-as-taught-by-famous-video-games/ Science Lesson As Taught by Famous Video Games]] which teaches that the third spatial dimension was discovered in [[VideoGame/SuperMario64 1996]].
147	* Mentioned in the backstory of ''VideoGame/ThreeDDotGameHeroes'', as the kingdom of Dotnia used to be a simple 2D world, which the new king later up-converted from 2D pixels to 3D voxels to try to renew interest in his kingdom.
148	* ''VideoGame/{{Evoland}}'', being a journey through video game history, [[ArtShift transitions from 2D to 3D]] over the course of the game.
149	* ''Series/GamingInTheClintonYears'': George Wood complained that ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' only had a presentation upgrade rather a total upgrade.
150	* In 2010, ''WebVideo/JoueurDuGrenier'' had a special on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90V_yIBjH2M early 3D games]], mostly focusing on the ones that turned well-known 2d games into utter crap like ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' (at the time), ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', and the infamous ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}''.
151	* WebVideo/ScottTheWoz discusses this extensively in his video titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX5SPXE_ZV4 "2D to 3D"]]; Scott talks about the history of the 3D leap and the challenges that companies had to overcome when iterating their 2D game franchises into 3D, as well as listing and reviewing examples of franchises that succeeded or failed at the leap.
152	[[/folder]]

Context Main / VideoGame3DLeap