Lately it seems like the term "8-bit" has become a catch-all for anything with pixel graphics. For those of us who grew up in 1980s, we know the limitations of 8-bit technology. We understand that the Nintendo Entertainment System couldn't handle complex 3D scaling and moving polygons. Unwilling to stand for this misinformation, we've decided to fight back. It's time to ask the important question: Are You 8-Bit?

Today we're taking a look at Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds, the action-packed 2D brawler developed by Division2 and published by Mages. Although it has been out for quite a while on Xbox Live Arcade, this retro-inspired beat-em-up was recently released on the PS Vita. To promote the game, Sony's blog decided to throw out the 8-bit term and hope for the best. Here's what they said ...

Phantom Breaker (PS Vita)

Phantom Breaker (PS Vita)

As you can see from the pictures above, Phantom Breaker offers incredible pixel graphics and an eye for detail. The backgrounds are littered with details, from colorful buildings to logos and advertising everywhere. We can not only make out our hero's eye color, but also the small details on her purple dress. Enemies speed by on bikes with elaborate helmets, but that doesn't seem to bother the man clutching a golf club. And is that a giant spike coming out of his eye? The fact that I'm even asking that question suggests these are not 8-bit graphics.

Mighty Final Fight (NES)

TMNT II: The Arcade Game (NES)

Here we see two real 8-bit brawlers -- Mighty Final Fight and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game. As you can tell, neither has much room for detailed buildings or walls advertisements. The best Mighty Final Fight can do are "Sale" signs and "Love You" scribbled on a purple garage. Sprites were also recycled in order to expand the city, not unlike how somebody might use a mirror to make their room appear larger. That tower in the background is repeated three times in this one shot, and many more times before the game is over.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles does a good job of showing detailed characters, but neither Raphael nor his samurai foe are as impressive as Phantom Breaker. You can tell only a few different colors are used to construct these fighters, which may have something to do with the Nintendo Entertainment System's ability to display only two dozen colors at once. It's hard to say how many colors Phantom Breaker has on screen at any given time, but it's certainly more than 25.

Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)

TMNT IV: Turtles in Time (S-NES)

And while we're at it, Phantom Breaker is also not 16-bit. While both Streets of Rage 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time still look great, neither were able to create the busy backgrounds found in the recently released Vita game. What's more, neither game allowed four players to duke it out against the scum on the streets, a big selling point in Phantom Breaker's marketing.

Three Dirty Dwarves (Saturn)

Guardian Heroes (Saturn)

If we're going to assign any retro era to Phantom Breaker, the most appropriate would be the 32-bit generation. This is a game that incorporates polygons in the backgrounds for even more impressive visuals, a staple on the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. That technology also allowed developers to paint the sides of walls with detailed texts and logos, something we see a lot of in Phantom Breaker.

Games like Three Dirty Dwarves and Guardian Heroes were able to create visuals very similar to what we see in this PS Vita game. They also allowed for more than two players at once without creating game-breaking slowdowns. I'm not sure if the Saturn could have handled every element of Phantom Breaker, but I do know that neither the Nintendo Entertainment System nor Sega Master System could even come close. Sorry Sony, but Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is most definitely not 8-bit.