Pffffffffffffft next gen

**Fragony** · 12-02-2006, 15:09

Now look at this, new Halo 3 screens.

It looks like Halo2 but somewhat sharper. That's it. New Metal Gear screens were also mediocre at best, this next gen nonsense is getting annoying.

Looks like the Wii is the only thing to be excited about for now.

**doc_bean** · 12-02-2006, 15:13

Duh, suddenly they're going from 640x480 to 1920x1080 (well if they'll ever implement full HD in games this gen), the leap in resolution is enrmously taxing for the gpu, that doesn't leave much room for anything else.

Wild speculation:
This is a transit generation, come 2009-2010 Nintendo and Microsoft will release their new consoles.

**Fragony** · 12-02-2006, 15:21

That makes mucho sense. I think microsoft and sony have shot themselve in the foot here, and that Nintendo has gold in their hands.

(there will be no ps4 by the way)

**Big King Sanctaphrax** · 12-02-2006, 16:49

Why would you release screenshots for an important game with this without anti-aliasing?! No matter how pretty the game is-and this isn't especially pretty-it makes everything look ugly.

**lars573** · 12-02-2006, 17:39

Because M$ seems more willing to release beta shots that look like beta shots. Unlike Ubisoft who will Photoshop a beta shot into, well something else.

**Xiahou** · 12-02-2006, 18:27

Well, I suspect if you have a big-screen HD tv it's going to make quite a difference... Honestly though, graphics this generation are better than I need. After a certain point, it's gameplay that matters most and we've reached that imo.

I'm not going to try to say the Wii can produce graphics that are as good as the 360 or PS3- it can't. However, it does offer good graphics combined with a totally unique control scheme that makes for an impressive gaming experience when done right.

**Fragony** · 12-02-2006, 19:28

Originally Posted by Xiahou

WHonestly though, graphics this generation are better than I need. After a certain point, it's gameplay that matters most and we've reached that imo.

I agree. If you look at how cool the DS is compared to the graphically oh so superior psp it's hard to come to a different conclusion. The next gen consoles (and no I am no nintendo fanboy, just a happy fan) in the end do nothing to push gaming itselve forwards. We have seen the same thing in the IT business, everything that was new and shiny was embraced like the second comming of christ, and after a while it all just faded away. Nintendo has had a keen eye, they understood that this would happen and that most people play games just to have a good time.

**doc_bean** · 12-02-2006, 20:29

Still my favourite quote about 'next' gen:

Originally Posted by pointlesswasteoftime(might contain swearing, don't hold me resposible !)

Sony is asking us to pay $600 for the PS3, a machine that really needs a $2,000 television to work, on the promise that it will "...be able to simulate cloth and fluid" like never before.

Okay, fluid can look really nice

But how much time do you usually spend admiring the scenery ?

That said, playing PS2 games after getting used to PC games was a bit of a shock. I do think the evolution of graphics is necessary, if only to accommodate people with HDTVs, but gameplay has to move forward too.

I'm not sure the PS2 generation actually did much for gameplay innovation: MGS and FF7 existed ont he PS1, games like God of War and Devil May Cry seem pretty similar to Soul Reaver (and other games), Gran Turismo is a PS1 franchise, Mario Sunshine just follows Mario 64, the new Zelda games just follow OoT etc.

Creativity is, unfortunately, dying, it would seem.

**Husar** · 12-03-2006, 01:04

Well, I will stick to PCs, they offer gameplay and graphics and enjoying the scenery in Medieval 2 is not only possible but something I really enjoy.

**Mikeus Caesar** · 12-03-2006, 01:53

Within a month or so of a next-gen console being released PC's usually end up exceeding them in the graphics department.

The next-gens are marketed on the premise of graphics - if they're outdated within a month of release, and can't be upgraded unlike PC's, then what's the point? Especially when the gameplay hasn't changed much since the PS1.

I say the Wii is where it's at.

**Big King Sanctaphrax** · 12-03-2006, 02:12

I agree with what's being said about graphics. OoT is still my favourite game of all time, and that looks comparitively poor nowadays.

But I don't notice, because it's so awesome.

**doc_bean** · 12-03-2006, 10:57

Originally Posted by currywurry

Within a month or so of a next-gen console being released PC's usually end up exceeding them in the graphics department.

The next-gens are marketed on the premise of graphics - if they're outdated within a month of release, and can't be upgraded unlike PC's, then what's the point? Especially when the gameplay hasn't changed much since the PS1.

Well they still offer a bigger and more varied library of games (PS2 anyway), with a bunch of games and even genres you hardly find on the PC (action-adventure, with the exception of PoP, jRPGs, fighting games, party games, platformers, though those are simply going extinct, etc.)

But marketing them on graphics is indeed rather stupid, it's just that that's pretty much the only thing they can market on, since most games are made by third party developpers (recently Sony and now Microsoft seem to have realised the importance of in-house development teams).

I say the Wii is where it's at.

I don't know, it's still rather gimmicky, not too many interesting games announced either. Time will tell.

I still think that both Microsoft and Nintendo are working up towards the *next* generation, and dethroning Sony then.