Far Cry 3 and Skyrim. Having a gorgeous game where you are required to go along a linear path is one thing, to see a game that is gorgeous to look at AND gives you the freedom to go (basically) wherever you want blew me away.
So has any game made you feel "wow this is next gen stuff right here"
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The only time I caught myself thinking that was when I played Infamous: Second Son, The only game of this current gen I've actually played. The feel of the controls over the last two and the visuals of it all. I especially liked a certain second conduit Boss Fight. That was amazing. Makes me excited for more games with legitimate fantasy aesthetic to come out.
PC - Quake, Unreal Tournament, Morrowind, Doom 3, BioShock, Crysis
N64 - Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: OoT, Perfect Dark
Xbox - Halo: CE, Fable, Mercenaries, Ninja Gaiden Black, Timesplitters: Future Perfect
Xbox 360 - Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, Red Faction: Guerilla, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Far Cry 2
Xbox One - Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Yes I'm an Xbox fanboy. Deal with it.
N64 - Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: OoT, Perfect Dark
Xbox - Halo: CE, Fable, Mercenaries, Ninja Gaiden Black, Timesplitters: Future Perfect
Xbox 360 - Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, Red Faction: Guerilla, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Far Cry 2
Xbox One - Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Yes I'm an Xbox fanboy. Deal with it.
Prototype. It was incredible to not only have hundreds of people on screen, but the fact that they also had allegiances and could fight amongst themselves, as well as having so many physics interactions going on simultaneously. I still can't get over the fact that Activision was once capable of creating something like that.
Edit: I want to add Super Smash Bros Melee. As a console gamer at the time, I'd never seen a game run that smoothly before and I thought that games would only get more and more silky smooth. Of course, time was a great teacher in that respect (that'll show me to get excited for progress.)
Edit: I want to add Super Smash Bros Melee. As a console gamer at the time, I'd never seen a game run that smoothly before and I thought that games would only get more and more silky smooth. Of course, time was a great teacher in that respect (that'll show me to get excited for progress.)
In General:
Half Life 2
It felt like a distinct shift for gaming in terms of graphics, physics, animation and fidelity. While all of these aspects have improved in the last decade, I still feel like HL2 is still the most recent defining leap in terms of single player FPS experiences. The gun play, while good fun, was build on old gaming principles which feel a lot more archaic when compared to the other advancements the game had. The AI was also a notable improvement over contemporary AI, with enemies feeling very distinct in terms of behavior and path finding.
I remember owning a bonus DVD that I got with a Counter Strike game (the one with the single player campaign) that had the early footage of HL2, showcasing combat, enemies, physics and animations. One segment had a scene (not in the game sadly) showing a Strider attacking some rebels and blowing the shite out of a walkway. That was definitely a "this is the future!" moment. Here's the video for those curious, sorry for the shitty resolution:
For Consoles:
Going from the N64 to Dreamcast felt like such a massive leap for me. On the other side going from Megadrive to N64 didn't feel quite so significant as I had computer games that were better looking then what was available on N64.
Soul Caliber and Resident Evil: Code Veronica blew my fucking mind at the time.
When it came to the previous generation, Killzone 2 had some very good ocular stimulation in the opening sequences and was quite amazing to play at 1080i on a 50" TV. On top of that the game had some really satisfying and weighty gunplay that was exceptional for the time. I felt confident in my purchase of a PS3 from that game alone.
This generation hasn't had that same impact.
Half Life 2
It felt like a distinct shift for gaming in terms of graphics, physics, animation and fidelity. While all of these aspects have improved in the last decade, I still feel like HL2 is still the most recent defining leap in terms of single player FPS experiences. The gun play, while good fun, was build on old gaming principles which feel a lot more archaic when compared to the other advancements the game had. The AI was also a notable improvement over contemporary AI, with enemies feeling very distinct in terms of behavior and path finding.
I remember owning a bonus DVD that I got with a Counter Strike game (the one with the single player campaign) that had the early footage of HL2, showcasing combat, enemies, physics and animations. One segment had a scene (not in the game sadly) showing a Strider attacking some rebels and blowing the shite out of a walkway. That was definitely a "this is the future!" moment. Here's the video for those curious, sorry for the shitty resolution:
For Consoles:
Going from the N64 to Dreamcast felt like such a massive leap for me. On the other side going from Megadrive to N64 didn't feel quite so significant as I had computer games that were better looking then what was available on N64.
Soul Caliber and Resident Evil: Code Veronica blew my fucking mind at the time.
When it came to the previous generation, Killzone 2 had some very good ocular stimulation in the opening sequences and was quite amazing to play at 1080i on a 50" TV. On top of that the game had some really satisfying and weighty gunplay that was exceptional for the time. I felt confident in my purchase of a PS3 from that game alone.
This generation hasn't had that same impact.
One of my favorite SNES games was Star Fox. One of my first N64 games was Star Fox. I remember picking my jaw up off the floor when I got it as a kid and I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep that night. I didn't really care as much for Super Mario 64 but that's because I went from being amazed by Star Fox to being amazed by Ocarina of Time.
In this new generation? Not much. The closest thing is the Nemesis system in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. It's awesome. It's like a strategy game or something. I love how these Orc capitains pursue their own agenda. I like that you're not the most important thing in the world to them. They talk about you, sure. But it's not just you they're waiting around to fight. They want power in the Orc pecking order and have rivalries with other captains. They keep generating these guys, too, each with strengths and weaknesses. And they level up. And they remember things about you. It's actually quite an achievement. It just doesn't look impressive until after you've played a while. It's more subtle than flashy graphics. It's the kind of next-step I was looking for. Enemies that matter.
I still expect more. But this shows progress.
I still expect more. But this shows progress.
only two games have done that for me, the first was DOOM, and the second was operation flashpoint
actually getting to play a shooter that looked stunning for the time and wasnt cartoony and in 3D? WOW (yes im aware DOOM wasnt actually in 3D)
getting off the chopper in operation flashpoint seeing hills and forests stretching miles in the distance and knowing i could actully go anywhere i wanted, that was a flooring experience
actually getting to play a shooter that looked stunning for the time and wasnt cartoony and in 3D? WOW (yes im aware DOOM wasnt actually in 3D)
getting off the chopper in operation flashpoint seeing hills and forests stretching miles in the distance and knowing i could actully go anywhere i wanted, that was a flooring experience
Killzone 2, GoW3 and Uncharted 2 all made me say "WOW", but Im still waiting for that moment this gen. There have been pretty games but nothing that made me feel like it couldnt have been done in some form on a PS3 or 360. I think we might have hit the point with the last gen where devs could pretty much make whatever concept they came up with work in some form or another and Im a little afraid that this gen is just going to be the same ideas in higher fidelity.
Any other games you tried with VR? I'd imagine Fallout and Bioshock would work well with those.bumbledog said:
Ocarina of Time was actually my first big "next gen" game. So big. So pretty. Almost the exact same for Wind Waker as well.
Crysis for pure graphical power, I think TF2 felt like a move towards stylisation and aesthetics over realism, which was nice at the time..
Crysis for pure graphical power, I think TF2 felt like a move towards stylisation and aesthetics over realism, which was nice at the time..
I remember playing FEAR on my new PC and seeing a light fixture swing back and forth when I threw a grenade. The accompanying lighting effects were absolutely shocking in a "I never expected that to be possible" way.XaVierDK said:
Besides Half-Life and Half-Life 2, I remember playing God of War I and II right before III came out. The jump between the two was pretty incredible.
Halo 3 on the 360 was the first game to visually wow me, it was prettier than anything id seen before then. More recently though.. GTA 5, despite being released incredibly late into the 7th gen, absoloutely amazed me, theres just so much stuff in that game, I honestly couldnt believe I was playing it on a PS3
These days, my jaw only really drops if the game is actually good. Graphics are great too, but I'm just as impressed when a new mechanic is pulled off correctly, and I start picturing what it might mean for the rest of the game. I'm playing Legend of Grimrock II right now, and the ladders and water systems have made things quite interesting.
Right now, not really. Most of the games on these supposedly new gen systems are the same stuff we've been playing for the past decade. GFX-wise I'm not really impressed. The PS4 and Xbone seem more like refreshes of the last gen stuff.
This generation? No. But last generation Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Oblivion really made me go "woah" after I got a PS3. Until then I had never played anything like them.
Nothing, but I'm a PC/Wii U gamer. what defines next gen? if its shiny graphics, then PC's been doing it longer, and Nintendo is doing it withh more colours.
I'd say playing Styx was a big moment for me, old school stealth where you really couldn't risk being caught; in a world where AAA takes no risk and tries to appeal to the many, and indie is the only one deviating from mainstream formula, nice to see a mid range budget cater to a niche market. it made me happy i parted with my money
I'd say playing Styx was a big moment for me, old school stealth where you really couldn't risk being caught; in a world where AAA takes no risk and tries to appeal to the many, and indie is the only one deviating from mainstream formula, nice to see a mid range budget cater to a niche market. it made me happy i parted with my money
Call of Duty: Ghosts' fish AI. Groundbreaking stuff.
OT: When I first played Oblivion, it was the biggest game that I had ever played. It amazed me that a game could be so big and so beautiful. I think it might have even been the first open-world game that I had ever played.
Assassin's Creed 4. Sure, the only distinguishing thing that the game had going for it when compared to the other games was a more fleshed out naval combat system, but damn, those water effects bro. I could look at that all day. This generation of games is, and always will be, the generation of pretty water effects.
OT: When I first played Oblivion, it was the biggest game that I had ever played. It amazed me that a game could be so big and so beautiful. I think it might have even been the first open-world game that I had ever played.
Assassin's Creed 4. Sure, the only distinguishing thing that the game had going for it when compared to the other games was a more fleshed out naval combat system, but damn, those water effects bro. I could look at that all day. This generation of games is, and always will be, the generation of pretty water effects.