Best looking water in a console game this generation?

[macabre]

I didn`t like the smaller pools of water in Uncharted , the water was too clear. For moving water clear is ok, but not moving water should be a bit denser in that environment.
They nailed the look of the ocean though (only nitpick is that there is a tile pattern in wide angle scenes.

 

[el_rika]

Uncharted's water looks pixelated? The lighting, reflections, refractions and movement of Uncharted's different waters (they have lots of different types depending on location) trumps MGS4. Eg. The sunset at the U-Boat section, where, if you spin the camera you'll see reds and oranges mix with the greens of the forest, along with the reflection of the U-Boat. Just incredible.
]

the actual ripples you make when interacting with the water in Uncharted are very pixelated. It very visible for example from a top down view when you swim near the U boat.

...not really comparable to the MGS4 ones which also have 3 times as many ripples.

The ocean as macabre commented is extremely well done though.

 

[kai_h138]

I believe the best water in console games are:
- Uncharted
- Lair
- Halo 3
- Metal Gear Solid 4

Honourable Mention:
- Kameo (But it looks really weird)

I would've said Bioshock, but like many others have stated, it might look like good water, but it doesn't act nor feel like water. Why? Because when the character is in the water, in Bioshock, all that appears are particles, and a texture (sometimes).
http://i36.tinypic.com/qqnzwy.gif


Now, in Uncharted, water "moves" somewhat, and actually interacts with the player.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/8498/uncharteddrakesfortunecuj8.gif
and
http://i4.tinypic.com/6gcci0i.gif

Mod Note: IMG tags for gif animations are not allowed. Crysis is also not a console game.

 

[ultragpu]

i actually really like the underwater view in MGS4, the sense of organic nature is felt with all the little touches and the ripples are excellent too. the best showing of water in mgs4 would be that huge cutscene at the end of Act3, it was truely breathtaking.

 

[Skrying]

Ouch, those screen shots with the water make it look really bad. Not so sure I could support that as the best looking.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

I wish ND had added the feature to take a screenshot in Uncharted with the trophy update. There are so many moments when the game Wows me and I feel the urge to take a screenshot.

Looks like I'll have to play MGS4 again. I don't remember much water in it.

 

[deepbrown]

Ouch, those screen shots with the water make it look really bad. Not so sure I could support that as the best looking.

Mine don't. Played the game?

 

[el_rika]

I wish ND had added the feature to take a screenshot in Uncharted with the trophy update. There are so many moments when the game Wows me and I feel the urge to take a screenshot.

Looks like I'll have to play MGS4 again. I don't remember much water in it.

I really really wish Sony would add that in the next firmware, like prerssing the PS button and have the option to take internal screenshot, that would be amazing, especially seeing how Uncharted or MGS4 don't have that many screens online, especially from later acts and cutscenes

 

[Arwin]

Here's a HD video by the way of that water section. Uncharted is one of those rare games that are such high quality that internet movies always lose an amazing amount of detail, but it still looks good, though water spray could probably be better:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/26770.html

Things I notice are that exploding barrels don't ripple the water yet I think, and the water falling back down doesn't impact the water much either (understandably so ... the engine is quite stressed in these sections already!)

 

[RenegadeRocks]

I really really wish Sony would add that in the next firmware, like prerssing the PS button and have the option to take internal screenshot, that would be amazing, especially seeing how Uncharted or MGS4 don't have that many screens online, especially from later acts and cutscenes

MGS4 provides an In-game Camera so that one can take screenshots of beautiful stuff and Resistance in the add-on pack , I think, lets you take screenshots by pressing the printscreen (IIRC) key on your attached KB. It is something the game has to support, not really something from Sony.

 

[Neb]

Mine don't. Played the game?

Do you have a custom build of Uncharted?

The interesting thing would be which games have good upclose water, I've seen many games where the water looks like crap upclose but not in distance. Few has high quality upclose but there are some.

 

[Skrying]

Mine don't. Played the game?

No I haven't, but the screen shots show different areas of the game. It's perfectly possible for it to look very good in one area but poorly in another. I'd say one of my criteria for best water is consistently looking good, Uncharted appears to excel in some places but not fair so well in others.

 

[infinity4]

Half Life 2 in The Orange Box to me. I haven't played many games like BioShock so I will just say from what I saw.

 

[deepbrown]

No I haven't, but the screen shots show different areas of the game. It's perfectly possible for it to look very good in one area but poorly in another. I'd say one of my criteria for best water is consistently looking good, Uncharted appears to excel in some places but not fair so well in others.

Well I think it excels in all the different types of water...which you'd be able to see if you played the game. The screenshots elrika showed are actually the area that impressed me the most...so those screenshots aren't that good an indication of the water (but do demonstrate is discussion of water reaction).

I suggest you give the game a go.

Do you have a custom build of Uncharted?

I meant the screenshots I posted

What about Heavenly Sword's water? There was a boss battle on water, with waves and everything.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

That pixelated water of el-rika's is not like anything I recall seeing. Is it the same every time in that same place? In this case it's clearly a low-res normal map. I wonder if its a case of an LOD or pop-in glitch, the texture res hasn't been set accordingly? It's certainly not true that all water in Uncharted looks like that! It's on the whole very smooth, perfectly shaded, and the only shotcomings are foam/drops and physics, IMO.

 

[Turok]

Halo 3 gets my vote. I driving the warthog through it and actually being able to see the water being displaced on a 3d plane.

 

[SonComet]

What about Heavenly Sword's water? There was a boss battle on water, with waves and everything.

I really wish they had shown the arena filling with water. It's empty and then suddenly filled. The water in that scene looked okay. But overall very flat and lifeless to me.

 

[dubyateeeff]

In the early parts of Uncharted, Drake's buddy says something to the effect of: are you really going to jump into the water it seems disgusting and you jump in and the water is clean.

What Uncharteds water is laking has been pointed out several times in this thread, but to me the up-river level just rocks. It makes such a good impression. I barely remember the water in GTAIV and MGS4. And Uncharted's sea, ponds, water falls and water streams also looks nice.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

In the early parts of Uncharted, Drake's buddy says something to the effect of: are you really going to jump into the water it seems disgusting and you jump in and the water is clean.

What Uncharteds water is laking has been pointed out several times in this thread, but to me the up-river level just rocks. It makes such a good impression. I barely remember the water in GTAIV and MGS4 (or Crysis). And Uncharted's sea, ponds, water falls and water streams also looks nice.

Just played that level last night and I was thinking the same thing.The chase"out of the frying pan" and the up-river level are the things you remember the most after playing Uncharted and talk about to your friends. They really created the feel of going up a river with the water and the handling of the jet ski!

 

[patsu]

Any examples where water contribute to (some) game play rather than just looking good ?