I'd rather it be more 90s esque in battles and cutscenes anyway since sprites look so much better for that kind of stuff than models do
Not always. It depends on the developer.
You'd have a much easier time making a detailed sprite in comparison to making a detailed model, yes. But that's about it; good, detailed models would be harder to produce. Doesn't mean it's impossible.
Models can look amazing with time and patience.
that and the 3DS has limited strength/game size capacity compared to the PS2 so that could be a reason too.
No.
3DS is stronger than the PS2. It's also higher than GameCube, but slightly below Wii, with more advanced shaders and lighting capabilities. Revelations is proof of that. The textures and bump-mapping are fairly advanced too; Nano Assault, as well as Revelations (again) is proof of that.
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Currently, the highest known size capacity for the 3DS is 8GB. PS2's memory only holds 32MB.
Are you seriously saying graphics are something driving you away from the game
Not my point.
I'm fine with sprites, being an old-school gamer and all.
What I mean is the mix between the 3D overworld and 2D battles doesn't sit well with me. Either make the game completely 3D, or completely 2D. Looking at the dark, fiery 3D environments with sprites in middle looks silly to me.
Now, I just want to try a demo to see if it's as bad as I fear. Playing it enough times, I
may get used to it, and perhaps even like it.
But either way, incredibly lazy of them considering the 3DS' power.