Is the next generation really that exciting....really?

[rabidrabbit]

Already the pre-release marketing images for games look almost invariably much much better than the released games.
What I'm worried about how are they going to make the hype-building "actual gameplay" pictures look considerably better from this gen.

I'm sure the average gamer can't tell the difference, image quality wise, between a GT4 high-res shot and a shot from Unreal 3.
If one was asked which one they think represents graphics from a next gen console, would they be able to tell... I think not.
The mainstream gamer has been spoiled by marketing departments that put out pre-rendered shots and footage of a game in a way that can be mistaken as actual game graphics by uninitiated.

You cant show the advanced physics, animation and effects in a static screenshot.

 

[London Geezer]

That's totally true, that's why i think games will have to "feel" better, different, and only animation and physics can help with that. Of course, the casual gamer would have to play the game to "feel" it.
But i agree that visually, many people will only see a marginal difference, where the difference is actually much higher...

Unless Madden on Xbox2 really looks like that EA shot released a couple of days ago... But i'm kinda skeptical...