Is it possible to get high quality graphics in 2D?

Question

I'm considering between using 2D and 3D for a game am leaning towards 2D, but most of the 2D games that I see look like they're hand drawn and the graphics don't really look good. Is it possible to create slick-looking graphics in 2D at all?

I was thinking of animations such as:

• Rays coming out of the hands/eyes of a player that attack the opponent
• Fire coming out of dragon's mouth
• A glow coming from a player or an orb that glows
• Fireballs being produced during fights

Are these things possible in 2D without that 'amateur'/'hand drawn'/DOS game kind of look in them?

Answer 1

Look at World Of Goo for an example of how pretty 2D games can be. http://2dboy.com/games.php

Yes, you can make very nice, slick looking 2D graphics.