• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

God of War's graphics aren't great

rəddəM

Member
Even though in the end I disagree I feel you OP.
There are some PBM textures that just don't look that great sometimes.
But that's for every game out there.
But it probably gets better depending on what TV you're playing it with and if it's calibrated correctly. PS4 Pro resolution mode and HDR should do the trick.
 
I tried the game on a 4K display and a super sampled image on a 1080p 80" display, both times I was amazed by how good the game looked. Incredible visuals, the change of colors and particles when you use the bifrost to travel between realms is such a spellbinding thing to behold
 
Last edited:

Fluzer

Banned
And I'm allowed to comment on them. I see the mods have given you your posting privileges back, be a good boy now. :messenger_winking:
I haven't done anything wrong gifgaf. God of War's graphics are underwhelming and I felt the need to express it.
 

Enjay

Banned
27 Awards 20 nominations
Metacritic Score 94 user score 9.1
God of War wins the most NAVGTR awards in history
IS GOD OF WAR THE BEST-LOOKING GAME OF ALL TIME?
GOTY 2018: #1 God of War A staggering technical achievement in service of a story about love
God of War PS4 Pro vs PS4 Graphics Analysis: Arguably The Best Looking Game of All Time
God Of War' First Impressions: A Stunning Masterpiece On PS4
God of War takes Game of the Year
God of War Finally Passes The Legend Of Zelda: BotW For GOTY Awards

Not bad for a 5/10


tenor.gif
Because reviews are real trustworthy. Half those merits were given to god of war for removing the sex minigame alone.
 
I somewhat agree with the OP, somewhat....

There are certainly times when the game does look absolutely amazing and times where it looks only ok, I did notice a fairly low res texture here and there.

Overall it looks good but it doesn't look quite as good as I was expecting nor what I imagined a PS4 God if War would look like back in the days of 3/Ascension.

It's definitely not "the best looking game of all time", I would say The Order 1886 looks better.
 
Last edited:

LMJ

Member
Lol subjective opinions are crazy right, now see the thing here is I cant technically say you're wrong F Fluzer , if you don't like them (GOW graphics) then more power to you, this thread proves you're not completely alone after all ;)

That having been said, others are 100% in their right to disagree with your opinion without you freaking out, like you did at gifgaf gifgaf ...

Plenty loved the game and consider it a powerhouse in many categories, others consider it overrated...

I would ask you to name a few games with outstanding graphics (in your opinion) for comparison sakes please :)
 
Last edited:

Fluzer

Banned
I somewhat agree with the OP, somewhat....

There are certainly times when the game does look absolutely amazing and times where it looks only ok, I did notice a fairly low res texture here and there.

Overall it looks good but it doesn't look quite as good as I was expecting nor what I imagined a PS4 God if War would look like back in the days of 3/Ascension.

It's definitely not "the best looking game of all time", I would say The Order 1886 looks better.
That's where I'm at, God of War 3 looked absolutely amazing at the time and this game just looks merely good. The Order 1886 looks phenomenal and unlike God of War, its handling of PBR is amazing.
 
I think the game looks great. But in 4k mode it's a sluggish mess.

I was more impressed by Uncharted 4, but I'm biased toward the series, so.
 

xool

Member
I just started it and I really like the game but the graphics aren't living up to what I expected. Lighting isn't great, PBR implementation is very inaccurate and makes steel look like wood, in-game character models bar Kratos aren't the best, low res mountain backgrounds and low res textures throughout. Red Dead Redemption 2 looks a lot better as does Uncharted 4, Forza Horizon 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn.

I'd put God of War alongside ROTTR/SOTTR, Gears 4, Killzone Shadow Fall and Days Gone in games that look good but not GREAT.

I felt the graphics weren't the second coming some people make it to be.

Minuses
  • You're dead right about PBR (plenty mid tier games do PBR far better - eg check Surge 2)
  • Not all that sold on art direction - Aelfheim looks like anearly 360 era fantasy level - and the level design is meh too
  • Stuff like draw distance, size aren't great - HZD is the showcase for that
  • low res mountain backgrounds - 110% this - it really stands out like a sore thumb
  • Also the giant snake distance view - it looks like they ran out of texture memory and had to use a half-res version

Pluses
  • Particle effects are great
  • The fire (volcano) (forget name) level looks good imo - maybe because particle effects here too
  • Snow very nice
  • Some other stuff - didn't play for a long time

Good game, but I feel like people are on Sony-praise autopilot when they single it out for graphics


Also did nobody notice the game brought back tank controls - R stick to steer, L to forward back/strake - dumb as fuck decision when you want to play on buttons .. but hey - lets put attacks on the fucking triggers because Souls.
 
Last edited:

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Look at it this way. When rating how a game looks we generally judge it overall, so if its got great bits and other bits not so good, that gets factored into the overall takeaway.

God Of War has parts that are absolutely drop-dead stunning, many of which are later in the game, so I could buy the OP's comments as being fair based on a limited exposure to what the game has to offer. However, I'd also expect that view to change by the end of the experience if they get that far.

Days Gone is a good recent example of a game with visuals that vary dramatically in impact. Watching all the trailer and demo footage my expectations were pretty low, but in actuality my final impression has been much more positive thanks to things like the quality of the cinematics (where lighting is much more controlled and the hi-LOD character models are employed) and the dynamic weather system.
 
Last edited:

xviper

Member
the game never looked great like fans claimed, they were just hyping it up

to this day, more than 3 years later and Uncharted 4 is still the best looking game
 

HeresJohnny

Member
I have my complaints with the game (it's too meandering and unfocused in the first half imo) but the fucking graphics are not one of those complaints lol. Game is gorgeous.
 

Virex

Banned
Agree to disagree.

Detroit and God of War are the top tier graphics games on PS4, right followed by Spider-man.

Actually God of War was the first game where I prioritized "4K HDR 30 fps" over it's "1080p 60fps" mode.

Haven't tried RDR2 with the new HDR fix, so I can't speak for that one.
Don't waste your time with the HDR fix in RDR2. It's still super shit. HDR off is still the best looking on RDR2
 
Not sure how this is a good thread of discussion, are you expecting people to just scream: "NO! You're wrong!" I mean.. sure if this is how you feel , then alright. Each to his own.
Well, yeah, what other answer does could we give to this? He is objectively wrong on his subjective opinions!
It won't make the game play any better, just as painting your car red won't make it go any faster.
You'd be surprised, very surprised!
This is what I'm talking about when I say the materials don't look right in this game.
I squinted and couldn't see what the problem is, maybe you the materials aren't what you expect them to be? or you're one of those people who don't take into account lighting when making that kind of arguments? ... or worse, don't allow for any kind of artistic direction to take away some realism from your fantasy setting?

I would have a hard time picking "the best looking" game this gen, many Sony exclusives make it to the list, well to me it would be mostly them who are really pushing the envelope at this level.

RDR2 is something else also, but I find the western setting a lot less interesting than colorful fantasy, same goes for Uncharted 4, at some points it looked pretty amazing. But my preference always goes back to God of War, heck even God of War 3 on PS4 still looks better than most "current gen" games to me, this is not due to texture sizes, but to how they are handled.
 
Last edited:

mrqs

Member
Actually, i agree with the OP. Graphics aren't bad and for sure one of the most impressive characters models out there, but the overall quality isn't there.

I really don't like those rocks, lighting looks so inaccurate it hurts sometimes.
 

Bryank75

Banned





q9hDacn.jpg


BM47DwP.png


You must realize that God of War is a fantasy based story, I was in awe of the incredible imagery and art.


geccEKx.jpg


The problem with the other games you mention is that, yeah sure they look really amazing and are cutting edge but they reflect reality so closely that they have little to do except be realistic. If I want realism, I can simply go outside.

God of War creates a vivid, beautiful and deadly world and pushes the hardware to its limits. The giant Tortoise house, the Valkyrie and their ornate masks, the dragons, Sindri and Brok and their camel-like creature..... the flowers and little particles that fly around like pollen in the air.

There is a reason that it won so many awards and outperformed RDR2 y such a large margin, even at the Baftas which usually favors its native products.

It is fine to have a different opinion, I've heard some people say that they didn't like the gameplay but most people loved it and it was undoubtedly more tactical than the old games. But you must realize that your opinion is a minority of a minority, a minuscule amount of people would say GOW is anything but a masterpiece.
 

Fluzer

Banned
I wish I could time travel to my younger self and show him this example of a future game with "bad graphics".
I defintely think that pic would look amazing in 2004 no doubt.






q9hDacn.jpg


BM47DwP.png


You must realize that God of War is a fantasy based story, I was in awe of the incredible imagery and art.


geccEKx.jpg


The problem with the other games you mention is that, yeah sure they look really amazing and are cutting edge but they reflect reality so closely that they have little to do except be realistic. If I want realism, I can simply go outside.

God of War creates a vivid, beautiful and deadly world and pushes the hardware to its limits. The giant Tortoise house, the Valkyrie and their ornate masks, the dragons, Sindri and Brok and their camel-like creature..... the flowers and little particles that fly around like pollen in the air.

There is a reason that it won so many awards and outperformed RDR2 y such a large margin, even at the Baftas which usually favors its native products.

It is fine to have a different opinion, I've heard some people say that they didn't like the gameplay but most people loved it and it was undoubtedly more tactical than the old games. But you must realize that your opinion is a minority of a minority, a minuscule amount of people would say GOW is anything but a masterpiece.
The art and concept of GoW's visuals are fantastic but the tech doesn't do a good enough job of executing the vision.
 
Last edited:

Bl@de

Member
It's a very good looking game. But I agree, It's not as good as RDR2 or other examples. Didn't "Wow" me as much.
 
Last edited:
GoW's textures have always looked really grainy to me. It doesn't look horrible. The art direction was top notch and they really have a lot of details you don't see very often. But it's not the game I would praise for amazing graphics.
 

GermanZepp

Member
The art and concept of GoW's visuals are fantastic but the tech doesn't do a good enough job of executing the vision.

I disagree very hard. The elaborate and intricate designs are all over the place and very well executed. But, that is your opinion man. As far as graphics, Gow ps4 has moments that surpass Uncharted 4, Horizon and any of the game benchmarks you throw at it. Nevertheless, i think the scenarios, and level design suffered because the fixed camera was gone, and they can't hide some stuff anymore.
 
Last edited:

logicslayer

Member
My opinion differs from yours! There, I said it. My opinion matters more!

Edit: Am I doing this right?
 
Last edited:

SonGoku

Member
I wish I could time travel to my younger self and show him this example of a future game with "bad graphics".
tbh that's a terrible shot everything looks low poly and low rez textures, flat lightning. Even the axe looks like plastic/labo
Lod/streaming issue?
 
Last edited:

Whitecrow

Banned
There's definitely something going on with GoWs graphics.
There are many oposite opinions, so I dont think there's anything objective about its graphics quality.

I'm on the 'very good, but they didnt wow me at 'award' level' (overrated) team.
 

SonGoku

Member
There's definitely something going on with GoWs graphics.
There are many oposite opinions, so I dont think there's anything objective about its graphics quality.

I'm on the 'very good, but they didnt wow me at 'award' level' (overrated) team.
I think its the low AF? (textures look bad), short draw distance and everything is low poly aside from kratos and bosses
 
Last edited:

Terenty

Member
Theres nothing special about Gow graphics, i would even go as far as to say it looks downright ugly in many places, like the central hub with the serpent with its flat greenish colours and the place with dark elves. I never once though "wow that looks impressive".

Rdr 2 on the other hand is very impressive even on og ps4, like a game from the next gen. The lightning is the best i've ever seen, the art direction is top notch, just overall looks incredible, to deny that is to be blind or disingenuous. I dont care that the models have less polygins or have inferior textures compared to Gow, the overall image destroys Gow.
 
Last edited:

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
Not sure how this is a good thread of discussion, are you expecting people to just scream: "NO! You're wrong!" I mean.. sure if this is how you feel , then alright. Each to his own.

Actually thats what Im expecting.
 

Bryank75

Banned
Theres nothing special about Gow graphics, i would even go as far as to say it looks downright ugly in many places, like the central hub with the serpent with its flat greenish colours and the place with dark elves. I never once though "wow that looks impressive".

Rdr 2 on the other hand is very impressive even on og ps4, like a game from the next gen. The lightning is the best i've ever seen, the art direction is top notch, just overall looks incredible, to deny that is to be blind or disingenuous. I dont care that the models have less polygins or have inferior textures compared to Gow, the overall image destroys Gow.
Then surely it would have won more awards and not been absolutely trounced by GOW. Surely If you google ‘RDR2 graphics’ it should have lots of articles saying things like “a new benchmark”;and “best ever” but no, it doesn’t.... just a load of downgrade articles.

Sorry about reality though.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom