TF2

It's a game where character design & art direction has finally taken its role of importance in games. The nine classes are so distinct from each other. Not a single element was left the same. From hats to boots to faces to weapons to even postures and styles of running, the classes are designed to be recognizable at a distance. The simplified art direction helps this immeasurably. And the animation and textures are so good that it looks stylish instead of simple or cheesy.

it's so good.

In the developer commentaries they mention J.C. Leyendecker as an inspiration for the style of shaders. This is awesome. This is where i've been waiting for games to go. Because if you think about it, advertising and poster illustration has similar goals- to be read instantly, to convey information stylishly.

another developer would use an out-of-the-box cel-style shader for the characters, but Valve didn't. Notice there are no thick black lines around the models, like all cel-shaders have. They wrote their own shaders, ones that instead force a rim light on edges (the opposite of the ink outline in fact) to help visibility. And the transition from light to shadow has a little highlight to pick it out clearer.

All these go to make the character's silhouettes individual and distinctive. Silhouette is a basic feature of character design, especially in animation. It's one i've always tried to get into my character designs. you can see them at my 'please hire me' website:
thejeremycampbellexperience.com
you can also find my email there if you want to send mee feedback. please do, if it moves you.

i wish i could work at Valve. They seem to 'get it'. i want you to know that someone understands and appreciates your hard work. please hire me.