Topic: Best looking handheld games (From an aesthetic perspective)

Specs wise, Handhelds are always severely behind their console brethren, with even many mobile devices outdoing them. Nevertheless, they can still put out great looking games. What do you think are some of the best looking handheld games not necessarily from a technical aspect, but from a design aspect. Games that have fantastic art direction, polish, attention to detail, and great effects, can be sprite based or polygonal. I personaly think Loco Roco is still one of the PSP's best looking games, and it still looks good today, unlike a lot of realistic looking PSP games, which end up looking like sub-par PS2 games years later.

Alternatively, Many DS games have fantastic art direction (granted due to it not being very powerful) Such as The World Ends With You, Okamiden, Elite Beat Agents, and even the Zelda games which borrow Wind Waker's art style.

Okamiden for the DS was an astonishingly good mix of both artistic and technical graphics that had to have taken an INSANE amount of effort for a DS game.

Gosh, I was about to say that Okamiden looks magnificent for a DS game! Glad I'm not alone in that regard!

Solatorobo Red the Hunter DS looked awesome in my opinion and played well, besides you and some 3D models, everything looks like from a anime, the game had a few anime like cut scenes as well.

The Zelda DS games, Okamiden and some of the Lego games.

And of course, RE for the 3DS. That looks like an XBOX game.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep on PSP

3D games: Resident Evil Revelations, Fire Emblem Awakening, Okamiden and Zelda a Link Between Worlds
2D games: Megaman Battle Network 6, Pokémon TCG and Zelda Minish Cap
not that I'm using 2D and 3D as a reference to the graphics and not the gameplay

While it would be easy to post games from the Vita/3DS generation and to some extent the PSP, I'll limit myself to games from the DS and under. I will say this though, most of the 3D games don't look good on those handhelds with a few exceptions.

GameBoy/Color
Trip World

Shantae

Neo Geo Pocket Color
Metal Slug 1st Mission & 2nd Mission

Gal's Fighers

GameBoy Advance
Castlevania Aria of Sorrow

Metroid Zero Mission

VirtualBoy
Teleroboxer

DS
Castlevania Order of Ecclesia

Nanostray 2

Hotel Dusk Room 215

I always thought Mario vs. Donkey Kong looked impressive. It had very smooth animation and an inventive visual style for a GBA game.

I actually really like Mario & Luigi Dream Team on 3DS like I said in another thread. I really like the graphics. They're simple yet eye-catching.

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GameBoy Advance)

I can't find screenshots that do it justice, because they're blown up or downsized or break when I post them... One of the best-looking sprite games ever, in my opinion.
Here's the trailer for this underrated gem, though it's only in 240p-

Your question isn't necessarily restricted to handhelds! Windwaker obviously being the main example of the art style doing the heavy lifting instead of the graphical power.

I'd go with any games that have either handpainted or pre-rendered backgrounds. I think the PS1 final fantasies have held up incredibly well because of this design choice. They probably look better today than the PS2 final fantasies, especially if you play them on a handheld.

I agree!

The original Golden Sun on GBA really impressed me with its sprites in combat. They just looked so...detailed for a GBA game, and a game in general.

X-Scape

The 3rd Birthday still probably beats anything on PS3 and Vita in graphics despite being a PSP game

Gravity Rush has some incredible art direction. It looks like a painting in motion.

Resident Evil: Revelations looks AMAZING. Capcom did a stellar job of playing to the strengths of the 3DS to create what is still the best looking game on the 3DS.

WatForward's detailed sprites look awesome when combined with 3D. Mighty Switch Force is gorgeous to look at, and I'm sure the new 3DS Shantae game will be the same if it ever releases.

Finally, whatever my reservations with the gameplay, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a beautiful game full of vivid colors and clean character models.