The more I go back to last gen, the worse it seems (PS3 and 360)

[Scrustle]

I was actually thinking about mentioning freesync/gsync. That is a pretty interesting technology that could help fix the problems with tearing, refresh rates, etc. But I was under the impression that it was still not a widespread thing, and quite expensive. Also exclusive to PC monitors and not really seen on TVs. And even though it sounds like a good idea, just having a consistent, high frame rate would still be better. Like it would help make something like 40-50fps feel better and smoother, but still not as good as a consistent 60fps.

And yeah, I do use a controller. Again, using it like a console. I've heard how much of a difference aiming with a mouse can be though. I was just focusing on the console side of it since this the topic of this thread was mostly talking about that. It just happens I'm in this weird box where I use my PC in a way that makes these issues overlap in a certain way.

[duskvstweak]

Btw Simon, I just looked it up and Jurassic Park had a production budget of $63 million, whereas Indiana Jones 4's was $185 million. Even adjusted for inflation that's a huge difference and I believe it had a direct impact on each film's directorial style.

Completely agree with you on Jaws. If you’d said Jaws then Indy 4 I wouldn’t have picked up on it at all. JP had a huge budget for the time and film budgets don’t follow inflation so I’m not surprised he was given more cash for subsequent films.

Don't forget, that JP was creating new technology, or at least, using technology in ways that hadn't been done before. And, if memory serves, they finished it ahead of schedule by almost two weeks and under budget as well.

Can we just start a Jurassic Park thread in the forum now?

[Simonsloth]

I can remember going to the pictures with my dad to see that. I must have been at that formative age because all I can remember about it was Laura Derns legs. Everyone else was looking at the T-Rexes
I can remember at the time thinking about the cgi "this isn't ready yet, needs a bit more time in the oven" and not thinking the film was very good, it felt like they were relying on the effects too much and they weren't that great.

I like how you can go off topic here and nobody minds I was always getting told off on that other forum.
Threads are like conversation, innit? They go off on little tangents, it's all good.

Jurassic Park is one of my favourite films. When I first saw it is probably the most afraid I have ever been during a film. I even cried and asked my dad if we could leave. I led a pretty sheltered youth as my parents were incredibly strict so Disney and light peril were all I had been exposed to prior to seeing it aged 9. My dad was so excited he took my brother and I to the opening night in London’s Empire Leicester Square. All of which was a huge deal. My younger sister went with my mum to the arcade in the Trocadero (another piece of history). After that bizarrely I wasn’t afraid of anything Hollywood could throw at me and in adulthood most conventional horror films barely raise a whimper.

(Perhaps we should make a JP thread whoops)

[Jobobonobo]

I personally find this current generation far better than the last gen for the most part and I am not talking about the obvious graphical improvements (though I agree with others that 4K is not particularly interesting, far better things for developers to put resources into and my standard HD telly is more than adequate for visual stunners like Horizon ZD). I remember two trends in the last gen that are finally going away as they seemed to have had a vice-like grip over the industry for a brief period of time that made a huge portion of the gaming landscape so dreary to me.

First off, this was the era of not just the first person shooter but the military first person shooter. Even though I'm rubbish at them, the FPS is a diverse genre which has had a wide range of mechanics, visual styles and stories over the years so I by no means mean to slag off the genre entirely but I honestly hated this era of gaming where so many games were trying to be like Modern Warfare. Going into a games shop and the sheer sea of covers with angry army men shooting guns made me grateful that I stuck with the underpowered Wii. At least there was some of that freewheeling experimentation which to me defined the previous two generations of 3D gaming. Military FPS'es truly looked all the same to me; po-faced, gray and jingoistic, the gaming equivalent of gruel to me. The brown and gray visual style was of course not confined to this subgenre but it epitomised an aesthetic I grew to loathe over the last gen. Games were entering a era of high definition and most developers were content to create the most dull and drab worlds imaginable. Talk about wasted potential.

The other trend that was ubiquitous in that gen was bloody zombies. Now I like campy silliness like House of the Dead as much as anyone but again it seemed like if a developer did not want to do a army man game they decided to do a zombie game instead and what resulted was what seemed like an avalanche of zombie games. Admittedly, at the tail end of this era I was working at CEX and so I was constantly exposed to zombie media to such a degree that it has certainly worsened my opinion of the brain eating buggers. But I could honestly do without seeing or playing anything with them for a decade at least (when Days Gone was announced, I instantly turned apathetic when I seen it was zombies, just no).

This gen in contrast, while it does have its fair share of military FPS and zombie games they do not seem to hold such a hegemony over the industry the way they did last gen. This gen certainly has some awful stuff going on that are infecting far too many games such as transforming them into soulless, money grubbing "live services" but the gaming world has grown to such an extent that there are huge pockets that are completely free of this corporate nickel and diming. Storytelling is getting better, there is a huge variety of different types of game for everyone no matter the console, many indie darlings are getting physical releases and developers have finally realised that colour and HD go together quite beautifully. While there are lots of games from last gen that I truly do adore (Wii and Xbox live arcade were particularly vital oases for me), overall last gen was one of my least favourite times in gaming and I'm glad it is behind us.

I realise this thread is primarily about visuals but I needed an opportunity to rant a little bit about this era of gaming so I will get off my soapbox now.

[Chopper]

The other trend that was ubiquitous in that gen was bloody zombies. Now I like campy silliness like House of the Dead as much as anyone but again it seemed like if a developer did not want to do a army man game they decided to do a zombie game instead and what resulted was what seemed like an avalanche of zombie games. Admittedly, at the tail end of this era I was working at CEX and so I was constantly exposed to zombie media to such a degree that it has certainly worsened my opinion of the brain eating buggers. But I could honestly do without seeing or playing anything with them for a decade at least (when Days Gone was announced, I instantly turned apathetic when I seen it was zombies, just no).

Man, they were everywhere, weren't they? I remember one year GameCritics.com gave their game of the year to Dead Island. Those guys over there really love their zombies. In fairness, it probably was the best of the zombie games*, and reasonably good fun with a good, if buggy, co-op element. Every time there is a sale on the PS Store, I hover over the €5 remaster for a good 20 seconds.

*Left for Dead came out on 360 so I guess that was probably the best, depending on your preferences.

[JaySevenZero]

Chopin, Orwell and Kurosawa haven't become crucial parts of our mutual cultural heritage because they had the latest violins, typewriters and cameras at their disposal, respectively.

Actually at least one of those names did!

Kurasawa often utilised the latest techniques and technology especially when it came to his editing. He was also known for having multiple camera set-ups whilst filming. His 1990 film Dreams also made use of the latest FX techniques from Industrial, Light & Magic.

[KSubzero1000]

Kurasawa often utilised the latest techniques and technology especially when it came to his editing. He was also known for having multiple camera set-ups whilst filming. His 1990 film Dreams also made use of the latest FX techniques from Industrial, Light & Magic.

Interesting, it's been a while since I read up on this. I was thinking primarily of some of his earlier work like Yojimbo, which was made with a significantly lower budget than most Hollywood productions of the time. But my overarching point is that true masters of their craft use technology to serve their art form, instead of allowing themselves to become subservient to and/or constrained by it.

Dreams is a fascinating film. I was lucky enough to watch a restored copy of it at the House of Japanese Culture in Paris a few years ago. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it before or since.

[duskvstweak]

Can we start a Kurasawa thread now?

[ratsoalbion]

Can we start a Kurasawa thread now?

Yes, but only if you spell his name correctly.

[duskvstweak]

Can we start a Kurasawa thread now?

Yes, but only if you spell his name correctly.

Darn it, I was looking at Jay's post when spelling that! I was tricked!

[ratsoalbion]

His wife’s Japanese too. Tsk.

[Jobobonobo]

Man, they were everywhere, weren't they? I remember one year GameCritics.com gave their game of the year to Dead Island. Those guys over there really love their zombies. In fairness, it probably was the best of the zombie games*, and reasonably good fun with a good, if buggy, co-op element. Every time there is a sale on the PS Store, I hover over the €5 remaster for a good 20 seconds.

*Left for Dead came out on 360 so I guess that was probably the best, depending on your preferences.

Left 4 Dead was one of the zombie titles that did not bother me too much because (a) it was released before the industry went really gaga over zombies and (b) its focus on co-op did make it stand out from Valve's other titles. Valve in general were pretty good at producing FPS titles that did differentiate themselves from other titles and had their own identity.

Dead Island in contrast, came out right in the middle of the industry's love affair with the things so I gave it a wide berth. Admittedly narrow minded of me yes but seriously I was surrounded by zombie shit in that job so playing something without them also meant an escape from work as well

[chase210]

So, I've been playing a little more, and I've somewhat softened my opinion further. Let's go through

Sonic 06 - Nooope. This game was always a nope, but 12 years after release its just.... its shocking a game this unfinished even released. Whats even worse is the amount of affection I have for this game.
Ratchet & Clank Future Trilogy -This one was a little disappointing, cos they run kinda rough and look super janky. But they still play extremely well, specially a crack in time.
Max Payne 3 - Possibly the 360 version of this is better, but the PS3 version is virtually unplayable, very very rough.
Resistance Trilogy - The first two games are rough, not sure they hold up, but the third one is outstanding still. Damn shame it never got remastered.
Killzone 3 - It's rough but I still like it a lot.

Next up on the list is 3D Dot game Heroes (Which cost me an astonishing £37!) and Metal Gear Solid 4. I'm deliberately not playing games that are either remastered or got enhanced backwards compatibility on Xbox One X.