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[MadFerIt]

Can people please shutup about how "56k" warnings are not applicable anymore? First off, there are plenty of people who live in dead zones where high-speed internet isn't available. It isn't a cost issue, it's because they have no access to cable or DSL internet. Their only option is satellite (or 3G, but if your area doesn't have cable/DSL, probably no 3G cell towers) which IS a cost issue, because it's bloody expensive!

Now I'm sure most gaffers are broadband enabled, but that doesn't mean everyone is. If someone wants to be considerate to the "minority" stop complaining about it.

 

[Caesar III]

CAN WE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP WITH THE 56K SHIT...

No one who uses the web regularly can possibly be still using it... even less so the type of people likely to be frequenting GAF.

WTF? What's so bad about this?

It helps me alot while surfin on gaf. We only have a 300 internet connection and a new one is nowhere near. Whe should move out here and pay like 400€/month for faster internet?
Just do not overreact like this. It's just a few letters

 

[quetz67]

 

[BloodySinner]

Not a single Crysis pic? I r sad.

 

[Zombie James]

I agree, time to move up to ISDN warnings. Here's some more unmodified Uncharted 2:

 

[Jefklak]

Not a single Crysis pic? I r sad.

did you read the 2th page

 

[Pitch Black Flint]

 

[GreenBikerDude]

Just Cause

It still has one of the best skies this gen.

 

[Kritz]

Can people please shutup about how "56k" warnings are not applicable anymore? First off, there are plenty of people who live in dead zones where high-speed internet isn't available. It isn't a cost issue, it's because they have no access to cable or DSL internet. Their only option is satellite (or 3G, but if your area doesn't have cable/DSL, probably no 3G cell towers) which IS a cost issue, because it's bloody expensive!

In addition, every single Australian likely appreciates the 56k warning, because when our bandwidth gets capped they jack our speeds down to 64kb/s.

Also, someone post some STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl pictures.

 

[imtehman]

No Chloe ass pics yet GAF? WTF

i think the ass pics already belong to the president's daughter in RE4 yearrs ago.

 

[Moobabe]

wow that looks amazing, never even heard of this game before now, downloading a demo off Steam now.

It's awesome. The only reason I've not picked it up yet is because torchlight is sucking up all my time.

 

[upandaway]

Man I can't find any good TP pics. I can only do it justice by mentioning City in the Sky.
No good Okami pics either. I don't get this.
And nothing on Sirena Beach from Mario Sunshine either. What the fuck is going on with google? That place has to have the most beautiful sunset of any video game.

 

[Doc Evils]

I just bumrapedurbandwith.

 

[Dennis]

Stalker

 

[Madman]

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift has some great vistas. I should really get around to exporting some screens from it. Does anyone have some readily available?

 

[theluma]

wow that looks amazing, never even heard of this game before now, downloading a demo off Steam now.

Really interesting and charming indie game, it can be quite confusing at first but when you figure a puzzle out it's really satisfying. Plus you can play a sidescrolling shooter to unlock a walkthrough of it!

 

[Snuggles]

The first time I saw the Citadel, it blew me away. It still looks amazing.

I couldn't find a fitting picture though.

Demon's Souls has some incredible enviroments, I could post any of them but The Tower of Latria is the one that stands out for me. It's so dark and dirty, the narrow corridors and bridges make me feel claustrophobic and it creeps me out everytime.

There aren't many good Demon's Souls pics on google, couldn't find much

 

[Bizzyb]

I'd venture to say just about every area had a stunning environment. The game is a true artistic masterpiece

 

[Moobabe]

Stalker still blows me away. Such an atmospheric game.

 

[Daeda]

Really, this thread can go on for three pages without anyone mentioning Okami?

 

[nodle]

Great thread! I kept waiting for some Stalker.

 

[Nex Superne]

Nothing will top this, no single game can come close to this particular section of a game. This section of the game is like when you see the best set of tits or ass you have ever seen, nothing will top it. Other tits or asses may be more technologically advanced, but they will never beat that one set of tits or that one ass that is timeless.

This is why gamers will never be taken seriously.

 

[shuyin_]

@OP: You make a thread about environments and post pics with a HUD that covers 1/3 of the environments that you want to show. Add to this the fact that the dominant colors in 90% of the pics you posted, are brown and yellow.
Not to mention those 'Bryyo Fire, Temple' pics are so dark i can barely see anything.

I believe this is one of the worst OPs i've seen on the gaming side, in quite some time.

 

[Spire]

Still the best looking MMO with the best art design out there. It has a sense of place that is almost unrivaled, screenshots don't do it justice.

 

[Alucrid]

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/e/ed/MassEffect_2008-08-12_11-12-14-85.png[IMG]

[IMG]http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/707/707364/mass-effect-20060510040227175_640w.jpg[IMG]

[IMG]http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/2/22506/931238-citadel_super.jpg[IMG]

That place was magical.[/QUOTE]

It would have been magical if you actually got to explore a lot of it. They just had to keep you confined to that mediocre space though. :\

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Damn Uncharted 2 would look so much better on PC. It's a crying shame to see such incredible textures with bilinear filtering.

 

[LAUGHTREY]

I'd go around and take some pics of Icecrown Glacier but my hilariously low resolution would not do it justice.

 

[Fatalah]

How did this game come out at launch? Rare needs to release more games!

 

[BrokenSymmetry]

Guild Wars:

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift has some great vistas. I should really get around to exporting some screens from it. Does anyone have some readily available?

MS always looks better in motion to me but you can get some lovely shots with the right angles.

It's a crying shame to see such incredible textures with bilinear filtering.

Pretty sure it uses aniso (2x). And you're probably noticing DOF in some of those pics, off screen at that.

 

[John]

@OP: You make a thread about environments and post pics with a HUD that covers 1/3 of the environments that you want to show. Add to this the fact that the dominant colors in 90% of the pics you posted, are brown and yellow.
Not to mention those 'Bryyo Fire, Temple' pics are so dark i can barely see anything.

I believe this is one of the worst OPs i've seen on the gaming side, in quite some time.

Good job contributing, etc.

 

[Ra\/en]

Some of the sections in Dead Space gave me that cool "Alien" vibe of being alone in a vast nothingness. Specifically the Vacuum sections.

I'm having a bit a of a time finding good screenshots though.

can't find good pics, but the bridge is a really cool looking portion of the game.

heck the whole isumura is awesome.

 

[ZephyrFate]

shuyin thinks Metroid Prime doesn't look fantastic and yet it forever will look fantastic

 

[Why For?]

so this thread has become a nice graphics thread as opposed to a STUNNING ENVIRONMENT thread?

awesome.

Yet to see too many actual stunning enviroments outside the OP and Uncharted 2. Killzone 2 :lol

 

[MysticX]

For the love of god people. Don´t forget to write which game you are showcasing, it feels embarrassing to ask what game THAT is!. Makes me feel less hardcore.

Btw, I am the true hardcore and I recognize all the pictures in this thread (not).

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

shuyin thinks Metroid Prime doesn't look fantastic and yet it forever will look fantastic

I might be reading into this wrong but when the thread title is "Stunning Environments" I take that to mean game that had areas where instead of progressing ever forward you had to stop and just marvel at the locations you were in. That the environments were so well done that you found yourself transported into them.
If that is indeed the case than the OP is right on with Metroid Prime.

so this thread has become a nice graphics thread as opposed to a STUNNING ENVIRONMENT thread?

Stunning Environments and nice graphics can be as you said completely separate. There are some stunning looking games for their times like RE4, Doom 3 and such that look amazing but didn't have environments where you just stood gaping.

 

[Davey Cakes]

so this thread has become a nice graphics thread as opposed to a STUNNING ENVIRONMENT thread?

Pretty much.

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

so this thread has become a nice graphics thread as opposed to a STUNNING ENVIRONMENT thread?

awesome.

Yet to see too many actual stunning enviroments outside the OP and Uncharted 2. Killzone 2

I see you've discovered subjectivity. I know, its a shocker.

 

[nelsonroyale]

so this thread has become a nice graphics thread as opposed to a STUNNING ENVIRONMENT thread?

awesome.

Yet to see too many actual stunning enviroments outside the OP and Uncharted 2. Killzone 2 :lol

Have you even played KZ2...? The desert level in particular looks incredible...never seen a better Dune type environment...

 

[nincompoop]

The opening level in Transformers Armada for the PS2 was pretty damn mindblowing at the time.

 

[brain_stew]

I didn't see a single picture from Risen on the first page. For shame GAF, for shame.

 

[Cindres]

Man, Wrath of the Lich king. When they turned on the Expansion and we boarded the first boat, i was immediately blown away by northrend (Howling Fjord, not Boring Tundra, i found that to be a letdown).
I definitely picked the right starting area in that sence.

I need to think of more games that had me stop in one place and just stare for like 5 minutes.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Pretty sure it uses aniso (2x). And you're probably noticing DOF in some of those pics, off screen at that.

It looks like bilinear or at best trilinear to be honest, but I'm just guess-timating from personal experience and the screenshots _leech_ posted. And I can tell the difference between DOF and blurriness caused by poor texture-filtering :lol

I'm sure that it does nothing to detract from the experience while playing though, I'm just a graphics hoower.

 

[Why For?]

Stunning Environments and nice graphics can be as you said completely separate. There are some stunning looking games for their times like RE4, Doom 3 and such that look amazing but didn't have environments where you just stood gaping.

That's what I mean. Just because graphicas have progressed, it doesn't automatically mean, artistic direction, ambition and effort have progressed with them.

There are some terrific environments in older games, and even 2D games. I'm not sure why we're seeing pictures of forests in here just because they look realistic. Boggles the mind how some people think.

So far, the OP is one of the only ones to nail it. Uncharted 2 straddles the border between stunning environements, and regular enviroments powered by a great graphics engine. But admittedly, it gets a pass mark because Naughty Dog have really gone to a lot of little details other games ignore.

But some of these enviroments being shown are just standard fare like forests. What's so amazing about a forest? Even if it looks almost realistic? It's a forest.

God of War and Metroid are examples of environments crafted from imagination as opposed to having real life as your inspiration.

 

[Speevy]

I haven't bought Uncharted 2 yet (I will), but I don't think you can top that on this generation of consoles.

Holy crap.

 

[Speevy]

Can people please shutup about how "56k" warnings are not applicable anymore? First off, there are plenty of people who live in dead zones where high-speed internet isn't available. It isn't a cost issue, it's because they have no access to cable or DSL internet. Their only option is satellite (or 3G, but if your area doesn't have cable/DSL, probably no 3G cell towers) which IS a cost issue, because it's bloody expensive!

Now I'm sure most gaffers are broadband enabled, but that doesn't mean everyone is. If someone wants to be considerate to the "minority" stop complaining about it.

Also, it's not like most broadband providers give you the service for $10. I pay $40 a month for my connection, and for some things it's still terribly slow.

I would hardly blame a cash-strapped individual if they used dialup.

 

[theluma]

I would like to see some Wind Waker shots in here.... I also wish there were more Galaxy pics available... of specific galaxies and stars.

 

[Lionheart1827]

Nothing beats Uncharted 2 in terms of detail and overall quality, but I really loved Prince of Persia's art style and environments.

Me too, I'm still amazed by how grand it looks. Very appealing to the eyes.

 

[Spire]

Man, Wrath of the Lich king. When they turned on the Expansion and we boarded the first boat, i was immediately blown away by northrend (Howling Fjord, not Boring Tundra, i found that to be a letdown).
I definitely picked the right starting area in that sence.

I need to think of more games that had me stop in one place and just stare for like 5 minutes.

Northrend has nothing on BC when it launched. Coming out of the gate for the first time at midnight with everyone else was something else. I was there for the WotLK launch too but it just wasn't nearly as impressive at the time. Outland still kicks the shit out of Northrend.

 

[brain_stew]

Damn Uncharted 2 would look so much better on PC. It's a crying shame to see such incredible textures with bilinear filtering.

Its trilinear, at least according to Digital Foundry and I think that's about right, and yeah it sucks, destroys all the beauty of those lovely intricate textures. 8xaf should have been standard this generation its a bigger issue than sub HD rendering and lack of decent aa in my book. Whenever I game on PC, no matter the framerate or settings, its 16xaf or bust, everything else is secondary.