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Chittagong · Jun 30, 2008

This generation has a very distinct look. I'm not sure if technology or fashion driving is driving the whole generation to feel similar - is it because of shaders available, certain post-processing effects being cheap, or just because everyone feels that this is the right look now.

What will next generation look like? I have a hard time imagining. One thing is for certain - it's not dusty and desaturated.

Key graphics features this gen
- bloom
- HDR
- depth of field blur
- tons of stuff in the air
- overexposed
- desaturated
- yellow/brown

The look of the generation in screenshots

tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter-2-20061214015315485.jpg

Death_Born · Jun 30, 2008

The look of the next generation:

Yoshichan · Jun 30, 2008

Think Matrix if you wanna know how future games look like.

Beezy · Jun 30, 2008

Death_Born said:
or

:lol

zoukka · Jun 30, 2008

...at this shit.

Baron Doggystyle von Woof · Jun 30, 2008

I am interested as well. What are the next-gen graphics? Will we have photo-realism?

If i look at Gran Turismo 5, and think 3/4 years further...

Bearillusion · Jun 30, 2008

Uncharted breaks the mould.

Metalmurphy · Jun 30, 2008

To be fair some of those screenshots shouldn't be there.

Burnout can be quite colourful and MGS4 on other stages looks colourful as well.

Infact i think this was a trend that's starting to "slowly" go away. Finally.

zoukka · Jun 30, 2008

shaft said:
I am interested as well. What are the next-gen graphics? Will we have photo-realism?

If i look at Gran Turismo 5, and think 3/4 years further...

We will never have photorealism. Outside games that use photos.

Stench · Jun 30, 2008

Chittagong said:
What will next generation look like? I have a hard time imagining. One thing is for certain - it's not dusty and desaturated.

Uhh, why would that be?

If anything, this current generation has shown that game designers are gaining a better knack for aesthetics and art direction.

Despite what you guys may think, a rainbow-tinted colour palette is not appropriate for all games of all types.

Deepblue · Jun 30, 2008

Hopefully the look will be so diverse as to be undefinable.
Anyway, the OP is ignoring other prominent games with their own distinct look.

(You knew it was coming. Seriously though, just browse though this thread)
I'd say we're fine with games like Halo 3, Mass Effect, Viva Pinata, Ratchet and Clank, Crackdown, Warhawk, Folklore, Bioshock and many more.

legend166 · Jun 30, 2008

All those screenshots posted together like that are depressing as hell.

careful · Jun 30, 2008

Next gen will look like Crysis.

Threi · Jun 30, 2008

The OP is kinda depressing

Thankfully there are developers (on all 3 systems) that have the balls to make games with artstyles that diverge from the typical mold. Hopefully they don't disappear.

Davidion · Jun 30, 2008

legend166 said:
All those screenshots posted together like that are depressing as hell.

Threi said:
The OP is kinda depressing

Thankfully there are developers (on all 3 systems) that have the balls to make games with artstyles that diverge from the typical mold. Hopefully they don't disappear.

Yup

careful said:
Next gen will look like Crysis.

That too. :lol

nib95 · Jun 30, 2008

There are colourful games like Uncharted, Halo 3, Viva Pinata, Bioshock etc as well.

By the way OP, you left out Assassins Creed, which suits that argument well too.

camineet · Jun 30, 2008

careful said:
Next gen will look like Crysis.

That would suck, unless it was Nintendo Wii HD.

Crysis is between current-gen 360/PS3 and next-gen, and really, closer to current-gen
(just somewhat more advanced and in need of higher performance).

Crysis is DX9 / DX10, not even true DX10.

Next-gen consoles will be DX11+ or equivalent in Shader generation.

i.e. PS3 doesn't use DX9 but it uses the same Shader Model 3.0 that DX9 uses.

Also, current-gen, and Crysis, use MULTICORE CPUs.
Next-gen (except Nintendo) will be about 'MANYCORE' CPUs (10 or more cores, perhaps dozens).

Mindlog · Jun 30, 2008

Update Available

:\

androvsky · Jun 30, 2008

Well, that's certainly what part of this generation looks like for people who play gritty shooters.

Halo 3, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, Grand Turismo 5 Prologue, half of MGS4, Valkria Chronicles, (Mass Effect? I haven't played it), Blue Dragon, (Lost Odyssey?), the new Naruto game, and probably many more, would all beg to differ. And this is all ignoring Wii games.

EDIT: Just to brighten up the thread a little...

ratchet-clank-future-tools-of-destruction-20070717030328953.jpg

Baron Doggystyle von Woof · Jun 30, 2008

anyone got examples or screens of possible next-gen? I'm so curious about that.

RobertM · Jun 30, 2008

careful said:
Next gen will look like Crysis.

Far Cry 2?

Chittagong · Jun 30, 2008

Stench said:
Uhh, why would that be?

I think it's simple marketing - this look has been bolted into this generation. It's almost as if publishers and developers had used the dusty/desaturated look to say "hey, we are next generation". So, when the next generation comes around, they need a new visual vehicle to drive home the point of "hey, this is the new hotness" - which is why the "brown bloom look" will need to go.

What might replace it? Maybe Hollywood blockbusters can give a hint. This look is very much based on Blackhawk Down. Several profilic early this-gen reveals almost simultaneously adopted the dusty/desaturated/bloom combo - Motorstorm, Killzone, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Gears of War, Metal Gear Solid 4, which encouraged further titles appear with the same look.

RockmanWhore · Jun 30, 2008

Believe

Stench · Jun 30, 2008

Again, gamers continue to show their utter lack of knowledge when it comes to effective art direction.

I'm no cinematographer or illustrator, but I at least understand how colour is used to guide and manipulate emotion and atmosphere.

It's like telling Spielberg he should have made Saving Private Ryan more colourful and vibrant.

dallow_bg · Jun 30, 2008

Xyphie · Jun 30, 2008

If next generation = current generation bullshots I'm satisfied graphics wise.

Threi · Jun 30, 2008

RockmanWhore said:
http://i30.tinypic.com/34hevtf.jpg[IMG]

Believe[/QUOTE]

Yeah that is what is bugging me. The extra power should not be used to make unnecessary things more realistic.

OMIGAWD HER FACE HAS SHARPER TEXTURES NOW!

Unless the game is Mr. Mosquito 2 or something putting effort into a fucking face is a waste of resources. Put it into geometry for the environments, which games will actually benefit from.

Guybrush Threepwood · Jun 30, 2008

Hopefully:

Baron Doggystyle von Woof · Jun 30, 2008

oops, double post.

Chittagong · Jun 30, 2008

Deepblue said:
Hopefully the look will be so diverse as to be undefinable.
Anyway, the OP is ignoring other prominent games with their own distinctly non-dusty look.

(You knew it was coming)

I'd say we're fine with games like Halo 3, Mass Effect, Viva Pinata, Ratchet and Clank, Crackdown, Warhawk, Folklore, Bioshock and many more.

Yoshichan · Jun 30, 2008

next gen:

Chittagong · Jun 30, 2008

Seiken said:
next gen:

It could be actually something like this. Super sharp, strong levels, hyper detailed. Would be definitely a contrast to the current blurry look, one that would say that "this is something new".

I'm also thinking of FFX art style:

dallow_bg · Jun 30, 2008

I'm actually worried that games next gen will just be TOO expensive to make if we make another big leap like this.

Totz · Jun 30, 2008

I would kill for a game with graphics like these, these or these.

Not liking Impressionism means you are dead wrong.

Creamium · Jun 30, 2008

This is already shaping up to be one of those threads where everybody just posts screens of their favorite games

Oldschoolgamer · Jun 30, 2008

A lot of that stems from the time and setting of the environments in which those shots were taken.

Deepblue · Jun 30, 2008

Chittagong said:
*snip*

That game does not look like the other games.

TDG · Jun 30, 2008

How about this?

Maybe all future generations will look like this. At least, that's what some people in the NPD threads warned me.

Kepalapod · Jun 30, 2008

I hope we can start seeing games based around different kinds of art styles/epochs.

Guybrush Threepwood · Jun 30, 2008

Kepalapod said:
I hope we can start seeing games based around different kinds of art styles/epochs.

Ramenman · Jun 30, 2008

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/705/705954/eight-days-20060508112414075.jpg

What's "next next gen" about that ? It's all bland, except for the guy's shirt.

We've already got car models looking better than that.

dallow_bg · Jun 30, 2008

Totz said:
I would kill for a game with graphics like these, these or these.

Not liking Impressionism means you are dead wrong.

ICO came close.
I believe there a couple games that are even closer.

Lion Heart · Jun 30, 2008

W/e it is, we will be bored and complaining within a week

Visualante · Jun 30, 2008

Visually I don't think the home console industry will move forward much in the next ten years. Limitations being staff, and the tools and budgets.
Mobile will make much larger strides, PC will remain on course.

jet1911 · Jun 30, 2008

Totz said:
I would kill for a game with graphics like these, these or these.

Not liking Impressionism means you are dead wrong.

dallow_bg · Jun 30, 2008

I wish we could go back to 2D.

EDIT: Whoa, is that a real mod for Oblivion? Looks wonderful!

2 Minutes Turkish · Jun 30, 2008

I don't think the word 'SHINY' has been used enough to describe the current gen.

That's been the most disturbing trend. 'Shiny' games.

Chittagong · Jun 30, 2008

Oldschoolgamer said:
A lot of that stems from the time and setting of the environments in which those shots were taken.

True - and that's the environment that was on top of mind of the developers around 2002-2003 when the look of this generation was established in pre-production: 9/11 fresh in mind, Blackhawk Down available on DVD, CNN and Fox News pushing out updates from Afghanistan and Iraq day and night, that was literally the only topic in news many days.

What's happening today in news? The war is pretty much forgotten. The main theme of news is environmental catastropy. Al Gore. Oil prices hiking. North cap melting. What are the associations and source material it might fire up? Planet Earth, rainforests, arctic, earthquakes, tsunami... Something along those lines.

alistairw · Jun 30, 2008

I started playing Eternal Sonata last night, and one of my recurring thoughts was, 'Man...this is so fucking colourful'. I don't think my 360 has had to display that many colours at once before.

ZeoVGM · Jun 30, 2008

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