I think Geralday is the master of getting amazing results with low poly figures. But... he always says up front that they're not intended for closeup renders.If you know that something's probably going to be more of a background figure then it's easier to get away with a smaller mesh and perhaps a better texture. Once you get closeup, it's hard to fake detail. Of course, in an ideal world, you'd provide a high and an alternative low resolution mesh. Give the low resolution one away for free and everyone's happy :-)

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken