[Prophecy2k]

Lol, sounds very much like suryad has been the victim of another internet hype train that musters internal hype levels and expectation for a game to "out-of-this-world" levels.

It's always best to temper what you expect from a very hyped and universally lauded game before you play it. Not only will you be able to appreciate the game better, you'll most importantly be able to have more fun with it

I was very nearly a victim of the same with Skyrim "NEW ENGINZ" & "OMGWTFBBQ AWEZMZ GRAFIXXX!!!!111" hype pre-release on NeoGaf. After realising myself long beforehand that the game graphically was not even close to top tier as it was being made out to be, I was able to temper my expectations. Thus, i'm playing it now, think it looks excellent for an ES game, and i'm absolutely having a blast

[assurdum]

Originally Posted by Prophecy2k

Lol, sounds very much like suryad has been the victim of another internet hype train that musters internal hype levels and expectation for a game to "out-of-this-world" levels.

It's always best to temper what you expect from a very hyped and universally lauded game before you play it. Not only will you be able to appreciate the game better, you'll most importantly be able to have more fun with it

I was very nearly a victim of the same with Skyrim "NEW ENGINZ" & "OMGWTFBBQ AWEZMZ GRAFIXXX!!!!111" hype pre-release on NeoGaf. After realising myself long beforehand that the game was not even close to top tier as it was being made out to be, I was able to temper my expectations. Thus, i'm playing it now, think it looks excellent for an ES game, and i'm absolutely having a blast

OT exhaust the first hours of enthusiam, I have found skyrim the less appealing of the whole elder scrolls series... I can't explain why but I can't 'catch' the same poetry or esoteric feeling proved in the past.

[RenegadeRocks]

I usually delay playing the game for a month to dampen the crazy hype inside me. Seems to work for me ! I played U3 on launch though and I was going crazy in the house telling everyone to come and look at it !

[Billy Idol]

Just restartet the sp: hm, as I said in an other thread...IQ compared to U2 got a massive downgrade, comparable to KZ3 and KZ2.

I just played the first chapter, where you walk around the sun lit city: everywhere extreme shimmering, crawling edges and a very unsteady noisy image overall...puts the whole experience down (same for me when playong KZ3).

[Gitaroo]

I find it kind of odd whenever I heard ppl saying that, u3 looks cleaner on my tv almost at all case. Make sure tv has no overscan, or any edge enhancement turn on.

[Billy Idol]

Originally Posted by Gitaroo

I find it kind of odd whenever I heard ppl saying that, u3 looks cleaner on my tv almost at all case. Make sure tv has no overscan, or any edge enhancement turn on.

I will double check that...but I am really sceptic that this is my tvs fault. Is there a difference if my ps3 is set to 720 or 1080 p???

[Arwin]

There are definitely a few cases where he MLAA foesn't work out as well as the 4xMSAA of Uncharted 2would have done.

[nightshade]

UC2 had 2*MSAA which was borked by the HDR.

[tuna]

Originally Posted by Billy Idol

I will double check that...but I am really sceptic that this is my tvs fault. Is there a difference if my ps3 is set to 720 or 1080 p???

Yes.

[Billy Idol]

Originally Posted by tuna

Yes.

So, should I chose 720p...right?

[tuna]

Originally Posted by Billy Idol

So, should I chose 720p...right?

That depends on the scaler of your TV. Try for yourself, that is usually better than asking random people on the internet

[Gitaroo]

that too, I use a PC mon for PS3 for a long time, so I basically have 0 edge enhancement, noise filter, local dimming, dynamic contrast, true motion etc etc off at all time. I find those functions destroy the IQ more than they actually help, I prefer to look at the game as close to the way it is. Just recent I move a a 55" tv, but have to have find ways to disable all those features to make all my games looks as clean and sharp with minimal input lag. If you are going through a surround sound reciever, some of them also have edge enhancement function built in which cause input lag too. Keep in mind that U3 also have quite a bit of specular map in some areas, so there will be shimmering no matter what AA its using.

[Billy Idol]

Tested with 720p...no real difference for me! Image in U3 at daylight (playing as the boy) is noisy as hell, which I simply don't like. When you are in the francis drake exibition...graphics have a real low point...noisy, shimmering and jaggies.

But then, there are settings where IQ is good, hardly any visible aliasing and jaggies and shimmering (e.g. desert).

Same in Killzone3.

It seems to me afterall, that GOW3 is the only game that has good IQ with MLAA applied as post process consistently through the game.

I hope that next gen enables 4xMSAA as standard...

[Arwin]

Originally Posted by nightshade

UC2 had 2*MSAA which was borked by the HDR.

Sorry you are correct, 2xMSAA. But there are definitely plenty of cases where it wins over MLAA in Uncharted 3. The french forest is not great for MLAA for instance in Uncharted 3, whereas similar environments look near perfect in Uncharted 2 most of the time.

[tuna]

You need to uncheck the 720p option on the PS3 Display settings if you want to run UC3 in PS3-upscaled 1080p.

[Nesh]

Just finished it and man what a ride it was.
I feel though that it was shorter and
with fewer "wow moments" that kept me on the edge of my seat compared to U2. Regardless its visual feats and immersion is second to none except probably to its predecessor.
Simply amazing.
All the elements were there and they achieved technical excellence in every single one. Air, fire, sand, wood, metal? So many things close to perfection its crazy
This game's engine set new boundaries on what was thought possible on the console

[BoardBonobo]

Originally Posted by Nesh

This game's engine set new boundaries on what was thought possible on the console

This generation at least!! There seems to be a stand out developer every generation and Naughty Dog were the ones for this. Whose next I wonder?

[Shifty Geezer]

It should likely remain Naughty dog, because they are an elite first party. 3rd party devs developing cross platform titles on cross-platform engines won't be able to optimise as well. That's of course taking the 'stand out developer' to mean the one getting the most from the box. There are other ways to stand out too. Getting the same game working well on two very different architectures is a damned impressive feat in itself. Getting amazing results from a shoe-string budget. Creating unique ideas. So an overall accolade shouldn't be given without qualification.

[Sigfried1977]

I agree. Especially about the unique ideas part. I also think this has always been ND's Achilles heel. Quality visuals and presentation aside, ND always looked at what was popular at the time and then built something around it without really touching the core of the gameplay. From Way of the Warrior all the way to Uncharted, there has never been an ounce of true originality in a ND game. I'm kinda suspecting that's also why the games sell really well, but not spectacularly so. I'm hoping The Last of Us will finally change that.

[BoardBonobo]

Originally Posted by Shifty Geezer

It should likely remain Naughty dog, because they are an elite first party. 3rd party devs developing cross platform titles on cross-platform engines won't be able to optimise as well. That's of course taking the 'stand out developer' to mean the one getting the most from the box. There are other ways to stand out too. Getting the same game working well on two very different architectures is a damned impressive feat in itself. Getting amazing results from a shoe-string budget. Creating unique ideas. So an overall accolade shouldn't be given without qualification.

Obviousy you're right Shifty, I should remember to qualify such accolades. Especially given the urge that some people find to fill pages on the precise meaning of your lexical usage!!

'stand out developer' - primarily first party, deemed by merit of wringing the most from the box across multiple entries in a consistent fashion over a single generation. And also progressing the crossover between games and mainstream entertainment through the development of a more cinematic approach to games structure. Providing the general public with a reason to take our chosen hobbies\work choices more seriously.

[Shifty Geezer]

Originally Posted by Sigfried1977

I agree. Especially about the unique ideas part. I also think this has always been ND's Achilles heel. Quality visuals and presentation aside, ND always looked at what was popular at the time and then built something around it without really touching the core of the gameplay. From Way of the Warrior all the way to Uncharted, there has never been an ounce of true originality in a ND game. I'm kinda suspecting that's also why the games sell really well, but not spectacularly so. I'm hoping The Last of Us will finally change that.

I disagree. Uncharted 2's climbing gunplay, especially with U2's multiplayer, was pretty original I think. And they didn't want to create a shooter in the first instance but Sony asked/told them to. ND wouldn't win Best Developer in the Originality category as perhaps ThatGameCompany would, but they aren't creating mindless clones either.

[Prophecy2k]

Originally Posted by Sigfried1977

I agree. Especially about the unique ideas part. I also think this has always been ND's Achilles heel. Quality visuals and presentation aside, ND always looked at what was popular at the time and then built something around it without really touching the core of the gameplay. From Way of the Warrior all the way to Uncharted, there has never been an ounce of true originality in a ND game. I'm kinda suspecting that's also why the games sell really well, but not spectacularly so. I'm hoping The Last of Us will finally change that.

I disagree partly...

True originality barely exists anymore, as we're in a time where any idea worth its socks has been done 10 times over.

ND's strength has always been in melding extsing gameplay mechanics/elements and overal game design together from previously disperate genres.

I mean see uncharted; it's effectively a GeOW cover shooter crossed with Tomb Raider like action adventuring, setting and platforming mechanics, adding verticality to the TPS cover-shooter genre.

The Jack and Daxter games melded Mario-like platforming with third person, Rachet & Clank like shooting, and later a bit of GTA-like vehicle play.

The two games taken as the sum of their parts are truly unique and original. Hence I would commend them for their fantastic execution in what they do.

True innovation is something that comes around very very rarely. And any dev that can manage to achieve it, should indeed be lauded well for their work. However, looking at the best devs in the industry at the moment, very few are actually truly innovating in any real way. They're merely doing what ND does and focussing on execution of successfully combining existing ideas and gameplay concepts to varying degrees.

[Prophecy2k]

Originally Posted by Shifty Geezer

I disagree. Uncharted 2's climbing gunplay, especially with U2's multiplayer, was pretty original I think. And they didn't want to create a shooter in the first instance but Sony asked/told them to. ND wouldn't win Best Developer in the Originality category as perhaps ThatGameCompany would, but they aren't creating mindless clones either.

Lol, you beat me to it Shifty.

Also, kudos for mentioning a truly innovative developer, as I was trying to think of an example but couldn't actually think of any at all

[Shifty Geezer]

At the same time, ThatGameCompany is pretty niche and so far been supported by Sony's very open funding policy on game types. I'm not sure a AAA studio could be as original and inventive as TGC while being mainstream and generating enough turnover to fund AAA projects. We see this most often with indie and small-scale titles being the more original because they have less to lose, I guess. Where ND are sitting, I think they do an admirable job furthering the art within the constraints of big business.

[Sigfried1977]

Originally Posted by Shifty Geezer

I disagree. Uncharted 2's climbing gunplay, especially with U2's multiplayer, was pretty original I think. And they didn't want to create a shooter in the first instance but Sony asked/told them to. ND wouldn't win Best Developer in the Originality category as perhaps ThatGameCompany would, but they aren't creating mindless clones either.

I never said they make mindless clones, but they never did anything to really disrupt the market either. Mortal Kombat was huge, so they made Way of the Warrior, then platformers were all the rage and Crash was born. The jump and run fad continued all the way to the PS2 generation with J&D, until R* made GTA that is, so J&D suddenly became an open world game with a touch of (rather awkward) grittiness. Then Epic made Gears of War and look who's made a cover based shooter. (with jumping mechanics so simplified and automated they might as well have been quick time events anyway). I feel ND's creations are always overshadowed by their obvious inspirations.

I'm not arguing that they are very skilled at taking someone else's ideas and combining them into something very polished and cohesive, but visual wow moments aside, I never walked away from any of their games with a sense of "now that was truly something else". Yes, true innovaton or at the very least unique appraches are indeed quite the rarity, but they still exist and have paid off incredibly well for certain games.