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Digital Foundry -- Halo 4 Tech Analysis
- Thread starter adamsapple
- Start date
nelsonroyale
Member
Umm, there are quite a few games out there that I would put above ME3 in the visual department...even on consoles I think Uncharted 3 is much more impressive. Going to see what Halo 4 looks like tonight.
BigDaddyFatSack
Banned
Are you guys this naive???
It says "Xbox 720" in quotes. I really doubt that's real. They would not use "Xbox 720" in contracts because
1) If Microsoft decides their next-gen xbox to be something other than Xbox 720, Bungie wouldn't be legally obliged to make games for it.
2) It says "Xbox 720" right there as if it's the final name IN A LEGAL CONTRACT. It is not.
First of all, I simply provided the link you asked for. Secondly, the document mentions that "Xbox 720" is just a substitute label for "the next successor console platform released by Microsoft".
Maybe read the contract before you jump on us, and sorry for providing you with the link you asked for.
edit: ;-)
BigDaddyFatSack
Banned
Back to my point, next-gen is not coming out next year. Halo 5 will be out for 360.
I highly doubt Halo 5 is coming out next year.
staticneuron
Member
I actually found the 360 exclusive Splinter Cell Conviction to be better than Alan wake because despite it being below 720p it still looked very sharp and the play between light and dark areas seemed much more immersive and realistic. I think Alan Wake was good but it game me more of an impression of painted imagery at times instead of something real world.
Of course, using faulty logic, running around in circles, and some even stating some untrue things and being called out on it. Thing like size of the level, considering most of eahc chapter in Killzone the entire level was streamed into memory. Even though you could not walk to some spots immediately most of what you saw on screen was geometry including area's you were going to make it to later, minor details and other elements were streamed into memory as you moved through stages. And Killzone 3 had stages 3 times larger than Killzone 2. And the idea that KZ3 (which had everything tweaked and improved in the engine) is somehow less than a technical marvel KZ2 was, doesn't even deserve to be talked about. The siggraph presentations alone show the huge differences.
The problem with this thread is that Because of one little sentence it has turned into a pissing match. No one should be saying Halo 4 is one of the best looking games this gen. what people are debating is its relative position among the best.
halo 4 does look amazing but is NOT the best looking game on the 360, assassins creed 3 looks way better, gears 3 looks better and resident evil 6 looks like on par with it, im still amazed at assassins creed 3 tho, really a technical achievement but of course trying to convince a halo fanboy otherwise is considered criminal behavior on the internetz....
But assassin's creed 3 runs like shit on the 360 anywhere other than the frontier and when you're in combat with more than 5 enemies.
See, the thing you're missing is performance.halo 4 does look amazing but is NOT the best looking game on the 360, assassins creed 3 looks way better, gears 3 looks better and resident evil 6 looks like on par with it, im still amazed at assassins creed 3 tho, really a technical achievement but of course trying to convince a halo fanboy otherwise is considered criminal behavior on the internetz
Gears 3 looks great and runs well so I would actually place that on par with Halo 3, but those other games have very serious performance problems.
AC3 runs like dogshit with framerates well under 30 fps most of the time. It's also wildly inconsistent looking to boot! It really kills any sense of polish the game may otherwise have had.
RE6 runs better than AC3 but also suffers from a poor framerate. I would argue that it is on par with Gears 3 and Halo 4 visually in a lot of ways, but again, there are some consistency issues at points and the framerate is unstable (the 360 version runs worse than the PS3 version even, which is bizarre for an MT Framework game).
When talking about "best visuals" one needs to keep performance in mind. One of the things that make the Uncharted and Killzone games so impressive is that they deliver high-end visuals at a very consistent framerate. Halo 4 does just that.
OldAsUrSock
Banned
Next gen is already here with the Wii U. Unless you are talking about a next gen xbox.
I disagree on both counts. I suspect that the Nextbox will find its way to the shelves late next year*, and Halo 5, when it does release, will serve the same function as Halo 3 for the X360 -- a system-selling exclusive. As always, though, "time will tell".
* To be pedantic, the next generation kicks off later this month with the Wii U, but I assume by "next-gen" you meant the successor to the X360.
BigDaddyFatSack
Banned
Of course not, they're most likely going to come out with some sort of expansions like they did with ODST and Reach before we even get to 5 in 2014.
OldAsUrSock
Banned
Gears 3 in story mode has a lot of frame rate drops. Especially in the later raining levels.
Although I do not have AC3 if it looks anything like Revelations then it is one of the best on console.(I have the PS3 ver of Rev)
staticneuron
Member
Simple truth.
AC3 is a sandbox with alot of simulations running at the same time. I wouldn't be surprised if it is one of the most ambitious on the market now.
Of course not, they're most likely going to come out with some sort of expansions like they did with ODST and Reach before we even get to 5 in 2014.
If the next xbox hardware specs are being hammered out and early devkits shipped then it is without a doubt already in 343's hands. I wouldn't be surprised if either or both of the next gen consoles from MS and Sony are announced at E3 and released the same year.
I fully expect the next part of the trilogy to be out on a system that would only make too much logical sense, XBox 3 (720). It would ensure huge sales boost for that system and a new generation of graphical upgrades means newer fans as well. Given that it's unlikely that we'll see the game before 2014, it would not make sense to put it on 360.
BigDaddyFatSack
Banned
Or get this. Halo 6 will be out for Xbox 3. You want to finish the fight? Go buy our new system!
Seemed to have worked for MS with Halo 3.
Oh really...
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
It's hard to do on PC too. The better you want the shadows to look, the higher you have to go with the samples and it can bring a videocard to it's knees once you start to get up there.
It's hard for a dev to determine what kind of hit it will have at any given moment too.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Wut.
Next gen is next year. Even if you are somehow correct it wouldn't go past 2014, and there's no way Halo 5 is before 2014. I'd even put Halo 5 at 2015, 3 year dev cycle. They will most likely put out an in-between game of sorts next year for launch.
Skyrim is 10x more complicated and runs 10x better.
fixed.
Uhh, I'm not convinced that is the case.
The animation and AI systems in AC3 absolutely stomp anything in Skyrim. There is just so much more interaction present in AC3 with larger crowds on hand. They have very different loads.
WTF? I played Gears 3's campaign 4-5 times already and haven't noticed any serious drops, there was slight tearing in one or two spots in all the game but nothing serious..the game runs great (and actually better than both Gears 1/2) which is really impressive considering that it looks a lot better than the previous games.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
I'd agree, but I'd put it in my top 5 for sure with the likes of God of War 3, Uncharted 2/3, etc.
Halo 4 is really kind of ugly in places. The crosshatch pop in is awful, and the "amazing" lighting alternates between being overly bright and way too dark. I really don't see what all the hype is about. It's a nice looking game that runs pretty well. Hyperbole around the internets on this thing is beyond ridiculous. Not even to mention the fact that the overly linear campaign level and encounter design are total ass half of the time.
I said it looks nice. It's far from the best looking game on consoles though.
Welcome to being human. Beauty is and always will be in the eye of the beholder. It's about as subjective a stance could be.
higherARC05
Banned
Hyoerbole goes for people proclaiming ps3 games too.
Either way HALO 4 is a marvel. As shown.
No not really. People are ignoring the article in the OP what this thread is about, it's hilarious.
Pretty much constant 30fps.
Pretty much. Rich normally get called out as being a Microsoft fanboy by some dolts on here as well when talking about a 360 game that performs well or comes out doing better than in a multi-platform comparison.
Not sure if this has happened already in this thread, but at this point I don't even bother anymore with reading all the fanboy knee jerking from the various factions.
I know. I actually read the article.
That's why I wanted to point that out. Lots of misinformation being spread around for some reason.
infinityBCRT
Member
lol. Console side of games industry will crash if next-gen consoles don't come out next year.
I know. I actually read the article.
That's why I wanted to point that out. Lots of misinformation being spread around for some reason.
I wasn't knocking on you, sorry
The framerate is very rarely 30fps in splitscreen, in both sd and hd.
plagiarize
Banned
I think it's pretty clear from this thread that whether or not Halo 4 bests the PS3s exclusives, that it certainly shows the 360 is capable of outputting graphics in that ball park. Halo 4 (and Forza Horizons) has ended the notion that the 360 *can't* match a PS3 exclusive no matter the budget and coding talent.
It's been very refreshing to see two exclusive AAA titles published by Microsoft come out in such a short space of time that represent the very best of what the system is capable of. Finally they did what Sony have done so well with their exclusives and made sure they represent their hardware as well as can be.
Anyone saying Halo 4 is blatantly better than KZ 2 and 3 and UC2 and 3 or blatantly worse... you are wearing fanboy goggles or you are talking about things outside of technical prowess like art design. technically Halo 4 is up there, even if it falls short of the PS3s best, it only falls short by the smallest of margins.
I haven't played God of War 3 yet myself (I just picked up the collection last week with a bunch of others and have mostly been playing Jak 1), so I'm not going to talk about that, but this thread has been interesting in a few ways. First of all, KZ3 looks awful in direct grabs compared to how it looks in motion, whereas UC3 holds up really well in direct grabs. I haven't seen GOW3 in motion yet, but in screens it looks below UC3. Halo 4 in motion is probably the best looking thing I've seen on 360, with Forza Horizons a close contender.
as a PC gamer, I'm glad that console games can still impress me.
now, to pick on a junior:
the Xbox 360 launched November 16th 2005.
the PS3 launched November 11th 2006.
that is *less* that a year later. there is no way you can logically justify calling one nearly 8 years old and one barely 6. heck, if I want to get really picky, a console in it's 6th year, would have been on market less than 6 years. the PS3 is about to end it's sixth year and start it's seventh. the Xbox 360 will at that point, for five days at least, also still be in it's seventh.
three days before it ends it's sixth year on the market is 'barely in it's sixth year'. nearly seven years old is 'nearly eight years old' madness.
It's been very refreshing to see two exclusive AAA titles published by Microsoft come out in such a short space of time that represent the very best of what the system is capable of. Finally they did what Sony have done so well with their exclusives and made sure they represent their hardware as well as can be.
Anyone saying Halo 4 is blatantly better than KZ 2 and 3 and UC2 and 3 or blatantly worse... you are wearing fanboy goggles or you are talking about things outside of technical prowess like art design. technically Halo 4 is up there, even if it falls short of the PS3s best, it only falls short by the smallest of margins.
I haven't played God of War 3 yet myself (I just picked up the collection last week with a bunch of others and have mostly been playing Jak 1), so I'm not going to talk about that, but this thread has been interesting in a few ways. First of all, KZ3 looks awful in direct grabs compared to how it looks in motion, whereas UC3 holds up really well in direct grabs. I haven't seen GOW3 in motion yet, but in screens it looks below UC3. Halo 4 in motion is probably the best looking thing I've seen on 360, with Forza Horizons a close contender.
as a PC gamer, I'm glad that console games can still impress me.
now, to pick on a junior:
the mathematics in this post blow my mind. the Xbox 360 is 'nearly 8 years' old and the PS3 has 'barely reached it's 6th year'? I mean, if that isn't one of the clearest examples of cognitive dissonance I've seen on GAF, I'm not sure of what is.
the Xbox 360 launched November 16th 2005.
the PS3 launched November 11th 2006.
that is *less* that a year later. there is no way you can logically justify calling one nearly 8 years old and one barely 6. heck, if I want to get really picky, a console in it's 6th year, would have been on market less than 6 years. the PS3 is about to end it's sixth year and start it's seventh. the Xbox 360 will at that point, for five days at least, also still be in it's seventh.
three days before it ends it's sixth year on the market is 'barely in it's sixth year'. nearly seven years old is 'nearly eight years old' madness.
That's understandable, then. Have not seen your full post.
R_thanatos
Member
i have an honnest question here .. ( please don't put me into any war of any kind )
is this thread only for exclusive games ? 360 vs ps3 ?
Because i was under the assumption that far cry 3 had a very big ( open world ) gameplay , yet looked visually impressive ..am i mistaked ? did i see only pc videos ? or is the status of Halo 4 is the most graphical powerhouse only because we can't discuss potential contenders ?
i think everything in Halo 4 is good ..i'm honnestly glad the area of sub hd + low polygons is gone now ..but i'm not that impressed .. is it because the game is like that that they couldn't bring as much details on the environnements as they should ( even if they captured the ambiant setting properly ) but i'll be honnest with you all
While HALO 4 is great , and a clear evolution based on the previous games ..i'm not impressed .
Honest opinion.
is this thread only for exclusive games ? 360 vs ps3 ?
Because i was under the assumption that far cry 3 had a very big ( open world ) gameplay , yet looked visually impressive ..am i mistaked ? did i see only pc videos ? or is the status of Halo 4 is the most graphical powerhouse only because we can't discuss potential contenders ?
i think everything in Halo 4 is good ..i'm honnestly glad the area of sub hd + low polygons is gone now ..but i'm not that impressed .. is it because the game is like that that they couldn't bring as much details on the environnements as they should ( even if they captured the ambiant setting properly ) but i'll be honnest with you all
While HALO 4 is great , and a clear evolution based on the previous games ..i'm not impressed .
Honest opinion.
CitizenCope
Member
Halo 4 tops KZ3 imo. I was getting some next gen wood with H4.
Skyrim runs at 0fps on the PS3. AC3's framerate is not the best but it is certainly better than that!
Ok, so after a few more hours playtime. The mission starting at the crash site looks 100 times better than the previous bits. Theres colour for starters! The 2d image/backdrops really take another edge of the visuals for me also. I'm sorry but seeing KZ3 straight after playing this only confirms my own thoughts, taking everything into consideration. IMO Forza Horizion is a technically better game on the 360.
I dunno, I actually think KZ3 looks really slick in direct feed shots.
The image quality is very good.
Some KZ3 shots mixed with Halo 4 show how similar the AA methods in use really are. Both games good image quality with a touch of jaggies. Man, both games look so damn great.
BigDaddyFatSack
Banned
People said the same thing about 2011 and this year. As long as Microsoft keeps announcing new Halo and Gears every year, they won't have any problems.
REMEMBER CITADEL
Banned
Of course not, they're most likely going to come out with some sort of expansions like they did with ODST and Reach before we even get to 5 in 2014.
Reach was not an expansion, it was a proper sequel that was in development for almost three years. Halo 5 will definitely be on the next Xbox, although it may or may not also be released on the 360 (I'd say no, but we'll see).
BigDaddyFatSack
Banned
Halo 4 is the proper sequel with Master Chief. Not Halo Reach.
Poeple hoped, but not said the next consoles would come. Anyway, everything points to new consoles in 2013 - I don't doubt it.
But calling Reach an expansion is unfair, hell even ODST because it was great. one of my favourite Halo games.
That doesn't mean Reach wasn't a proper installment in the series. It was as full featured, if not more so, than Halo 4.
plagiarize
Banned
okay, yeah, it looks a lot better in those direct feed shots Dark. the ones previously posted in this thread made it look much worse than I remember it looking. those look more like my memories.