Golden Age of Sprite Animation Part 1

 I like how the face changes...

 This animation was from a special in-game event where players, after defeating this special 'Event Baphomet', were rewarded with a special item.

 This dude has a slow walking pace but if he gets close enough he'll slash you at a super speed!

 A hammer and sickle on his helmet...

 Did you catch the tiny smile at the last second?

 Sooooo weird!

Click on the images to watch them move!

Ragnarok animated sprites can look a bit stiff when compared to some Capcom glory from the same period, but one can't deny how clever some of the character designs and animations are in some of these. I've posted my favorite attack and death animations. The Orc Lord attack animation is especially ingenious. Somehow his mid-air twist comes off looking natural, even when he shifts from facing forward to facing backwards in a single change of frames.

http://www.roempire.com/database/?page=monsters&act=search(I recommend searching for large sized monsters)

Also included here are two Metal Slug sprite animations - actually I think the big Metal Slug tank is from a non-Metal Slug SNK game. Something makes me wanna say it's from a fighting game...