Jason Moyer on 31/5/2010 at 16:53
I uninstalled the game at least twice during the first act, but I loved the second and third ones. Boats let you go almost anywhere on the second map with minimal fuss, and the rivers have atmosphere in droves. It also helps if you ignore the side missions (since you eventually unlock the weapons/buddy stuff regardless) and stick to the meat of the story.
Sathras on 31/5/2010 at 17:18
Mirror's Edge hands down. It's crystal clear and has a very distinct style. They didn't try to make it as realistic as possible but to make it a piece of art. I love it.
Sulphur on 31/5/2010 at 18:18
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Really, Crysis on ultra high running at 30-60 FPS is an impressive thing to behold. It was like I was there, man. The graphics were like...real.
Tell me about it. I wasn't running AA, but with everything bumped up to max on DirectX 10 it looked absolutely breathtaking. Warhead manages to be slightly prettier in places too.
Still, it's technically two years behind the curve (factoring in Warhead) and Metro 2033 does have better tech in some areas, but perhaps the art direction and stylistic decisions don't show it off much (dirt-encrusted subway tunnels and things buried in grime and muck aren't going to look too grand next to half-frozen tropical paradises).
I'm waiting for Rage and Crysis 2 - they look like they're capable of pushing what's possible on the graphics front by a level or two regardless of being designed with the current lowest common HD denominators in mind (the PS3 and X360). And, platform parity with consoles being what it is, they ought to play on my rig sans complaint unless the porting job is botched completely.
Renzatic on 31/5/2010 at 22:43
Quote Posted by Sulphur
I'm waiting for Rage and Crysis 2 - they look like they're capable of pushing what's possible on the graphics front by a level or two regardless of being designed with the current lowest common HD denominators in mind (the PS3 and X360). And, platform parity with consoles being what it is, they ought to play on my rig sans complaint unless the porting job is botched completely.
Rage will be impressive just for the seamless, nontiling variety megatextures are able to produce. But from a technical standpoint, it's almost a two steps forward, one step back engine. On one hand, you have the aforementioned megatextures. An awesome idea that all but does away with videocard memory restraints on texture detail. But on the other hand, Carmack decided to step away from the all realtime lighting setups that most engines are doing these days for the visual fidelity prebaked radiosity gives you. So on a few fronts, the Rage engine actually isn't as advanced as most engines out now.
Not that I care much. As admittedly cool as it'd be to see full featured day/night cycles being played out upon those (
http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/rage-20090813004131421.jpg) beautiful Rage landscapes, I think I can live without them considering how nice the game actually looks.
SubJeff on 31/5/2010 at 23:44
Maybe my setup isn't the best but FarCry2 doesn't look that amazing to me.
steo on 1/6/2010 at 00:22
I recall Carmack stated a while back that great graphics and an amazing engine weren't such a high priority when making rage, unlike id's earlier titles.
I'd say the best looking game I've played (and I haven't played Crysis), would have to be either Stalker or Farcry 2. Stalker probably has better art direction but slightly inferior tech, while FC2 is somewhat ruined by stupid overuse of certain effects like bloom and screen blur. Since when does being out of breath blur the edges of your vision?
catbarf on 1/6/2010 at 00:50
Far Cry 2 looks great in some respects, while so-so in others. I thought it very strange that the sun is so dim. Often you can look right at it with no significant glare.
ercles on 1/6/2010 at 02:16
Far Cry 2 does have the best day/night cycle I've seen in a game, because it does a lot more than just day/night sunrise/sunset. It really captures the atmosphere of various times of the day, whether it be the eerie few hours before dawn, or the bleaching heat of high noon. If only the game had a little less bastard to it I'd play it more, but it certainly has more atmosphere and a better sense of place than just about anything in recent memory.
Aja on 1/6/2010 at 07:23
You know what captures day and night and the transitions surprisingly well? Believe it or not, Viva Pinata (I can't find a screenshot, you'll just have to play it for yourself and see).
PigLick on 1/6/2010 at 14:14
oh aja
