Urprobablyright
Banned
A few months ago i embarked on an ambitious program of game sale exploration. I hadn't really bought many recent games for a few years, but i spent a wee bit o' duckets to secure such titles as Hitman 2, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Red Dead Redemption 2, LOTR Shadow of War, TW Warhammer 2, Battlefield 1, Battlefront 2, Jedi Fallen Order, Divinity Original Sin 2, Hellblade and a few others.
The above is all opinion, doubtless I'm just blown away by the sudden rush of having access to these recent titles lag free, but the general point i want to discuss with you is this:
Are games today being boosted by developer experience and artifice, and ingenuous graphics engines, into a level of artistic and technical achievement that is out of step with regular game progression, or... Are they not?
After playing various of these titles to various extents, i have had the growing feeling that today's big games are, in some cases, pretty exceptional. Take Red Dead Redemption 2. Beyond its gameplay which everyone seems to agree is pretty flawless in its genre, it's a technical jaw dropper. I haven't even progressed much in it because all I've wanted to do thus far has basically been to hunt deer and watch their fur and my bloody shirt. Battlefield 1 isn't that new anymore but it's still gorgeous, the detail and effects, it's all a revelation to me.
Beyond these examples, there's the efficiency of the engines. My laptop is a bit expensive (Alienware 17) but it's getting on in years, but I'm still playing these games without much trouble at or near max settings. There are older games with worse engines that seem far tougher for my machine than the ones I've mentioned above. I am pretty certain that i would be able to enjoy DOOM Eternal at a level of fidelity that, while certainly not maximum, would still see me enjoying the best looking games I've played to date. And I've preordered Cyberpunk 2077 (though I'm sure I'll have to compromise a lot on that one or get a PS5 ) Unreal, ID tech, and more besides, these engines seem to be masterpieces of creative problem solving, smoke and mirrors, new ways of conveying detail and such, and optimisation.
Artistic games, Hellblade, Death Stranding, technology seems to be allowing gameplay and storytelling to expand in similar leaps.
Beyond these examples, there's the efficiency of the engines. My laptop is a bit expensive (Alienware 17) but it's getting on in years, but I'm still playing these games without much trouble at or near max settings. There are older games with worse engines that seem far tougher for my machine than the ones I've mentioned above. I am pretty certain that i would be able to enjoy DOOM Eternal at a level of fidelity that, while certainly not maximum, would still see me enjoying the best looking games I've played to date. And I've preordered Cyberpunk 2077 (though I'm sure I'll have to compromise a lot on that one or get a PS5 ) Unreal, ID tech, and more besides, these engines seem to be masterpieces of creative problem solving, smoke and mirrors, new ways of conveying detail and such, and optimisation.
Artistic games, Hellblade, Death Stranding, technology seems to be allowing gameplay and storytelling to expand in similar leaps.
The above is all opinion, doubtless I'm just blown away by the sudden rush of having access to these recent titles lag free, but the general point i want to discuss with you is this:
Are games today being boosted by developer experience and artifice, and ingenuous graphics engines, into a level of artistic and technical achievement that is out of step with regular game progression, or... Are they not?
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