Uncharted 3

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

:LOL:
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 :p
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
They are overshadowed by their......"inspirations" because people see the surface of ND's creations, thinking they are just copying ideas and dont get how much better, deeper and varied their execution really is. I own all Gears and each title felt like a repetition of "cover, shoot, repeat" with improved visuals. The world feels sterile and dead.
But what makes Uncharted unique is how everything including the world itself blends so nicely to the experience and gameplay. Each stage feels unique. Each environment has its own elemental hazard. I did not feel like I was playing Gears with humans or Tomb Raider with a cover system. It was a totally different experience even though it uses similar ideas, simply because they are standard nowadays anyways. Cover is as self-evident as walking in a game that involves shooting. Platforming its as self evident as pressing a jump button in every title that involves exploration.
But no one else has managed to come up with so powerful ideas and implementation on how your character reacts to the environment, and the environment reacts to ways that they are so immersive and you feel like you are in a roller coaster ride. Mansion engulfed in flames? Train fight? Horses? Airplane accident? Sand taking everything in its path? Collapsing worlds? Sinking ship and waves taking everything on their path? Words cannot explain how amazing their execution was. Every implementation is unmatched and the only way to tell how awesome and breathtaking they are is to experience it.
It has a strong element of surprise, it does stuff you wouldnt normally expect to do so flawlessly and so strongly when other games just do a basic implementation that works. People shouldnt even dare compare Uncharted to other games.
 
They are overshadowed by their......"inspirations" because people see the surface of ND's creations, thinking they are just copying ideas and dont get how much better, deeper and varied their execution really is. I own all Gears and each title felt like a repetition of "cover, shoot, repeat" with improved visuals. The world feels sterile and dead.
But what makes Uncharted unique is how everything including the world itself blends so nicely to the experience and gameplay. Each stage feels unique. Each environment has its own elemental hazard. I did not feel like I was playing Gears with humans or Tomb Raider with a cover system. It was a totally different experience even though it uses similar ideas, simply because they are standard nowadays anyways. Cover is as self-evident as walking in a game that involves shooting. Platforming its as self evident as pressing a jump button in every title that involves exploration.
But no one else has managed to come up with so powerful ideas and implementation on how your character reacts to the environment, and the environment reacts to ways that they are so immersive and you feel like you are in a roller coaster ride. Mansion engulfed in flames? Train fight? Horses? Airplane accident? Sand taking everything in its path? Collapsing worlds? Sinking ship and waves taking everything on their path? Words cannot explain how amazing their execution was. Every implementation is unmatched and the only way to tell how awesome and breathtaking they are is to experience it.
It has a strong element of surprise, it does stuff you wouldnt normally expect to do so flawlessly and so strongly when other games just do a basic implementation that works. People shouldnt even dare compare Uncharted to other games.

Indeed.

Ever since way back in the PS1 days with Crash Bandicoot, Naughty Dog have bent over backwards to extract every last bit of performance from Sony systems. Love these guys for pushing the boundaries of what is thought impossible on any hardware they touch.

If the rumors are true, I wonder how they feel about an AMD APU for PS4.

Probably doesn't mean much to Sony either way in the big picture, but pride in one's work can go a long way in pushing the boundaries, which in turn push sales.

As an example, look what happened to Sega after they dropped out of the console biz. Their inspiration dried up, and the result is a company which is a shell of it's former self and the sales followed suite.

Not to say this will happen to Naughty Dog, but it's just an illustration of how pride in ones work can drastically effect the output. Especially in creative endeavors.
 
They are overshadowed by their......"inspirations" because people see the surface of ND's creations, thinking they are just copying ideas and dont get how much better, deeper and varied their execution really is. I own all Gears and each title felt like a repetition of "cover, shoot, repeat" with improved visuals. The world feels sterile and dead.
But what makes Uncharted unique is how everything including the world itself blends so nicely to the experience and gameplay. Each stage feels unique. Each environment has its own elemental hazard. I did not feel like I was playing Gears with humans or Tomb Raider with a cover system. It was a totally different experience even though it uses similar ideas, simply because they are standard nowadays anyways. Cover is as self-evident as walking in a game that involves shooting. Platforming its as self evident as pressing a jump button in every title that involves exploration.
But no one else has managed to come up with so powerful ideas and implementation on how your character reacts to the environment, and the environment reacts to ways that they are so immersive and you feel like you are in a roller coaster ride. Mansion engulfed in flames? Train fight? Horses? Airplane accident? Sand taking everything in its path? Collapsing worlds? Sinking ship and waves taking everything on their path? Words cannot explain how amazing their execution was. Every implementation is unmatched and the only way to tell how awesome and breathtaking they are is to experience it.
It has a strong element of surprise, it does stuff you wouldnt normally expect to do so flawlessly and so strongly when other games just do a basic implementation that works. People shouldnt even dare compare Uncharted to other games.

So when an Uncharted game is scripted to death (let's face it, there's very little gameplay in U3's most spectacular scenes, and you either play exactly as intended by the developers, or you simply fail) it's praiseworthy, but when CoD does it it's treated damn near as a crime?

Doesn't really matter either way. I simply think that doing something besides perfecting what others have done before you is the only way to make a lasting impression, especially if you also want the sales numbers to match the critical acclaim.

It's not even so much about the overall quality, but the huge sellers this generation were all pioneers in some way or another. Assassin's Creed, Gears of War or Modern Warfare - they all did something new. Most of the other big sellers at least used to be pioneers last generation, like Halo or GTA.
 
So when an Uncharted game is scripted to death (let's face it, there's very little gameplay in U3's most spectacular scenes, and you either play exactly as intended by the developers, or you simply fail) it's praiseworthy, but when CoD does it it's treated damn near as a crime?

Doesn't really matter either way. I simply think that doing something besides perfecting what others have done before you is the only way to make a lasting impression, especially if you also want the sales numbers to match the critical acclaim.

It's not even so much about the overall quality, but the huge sellers this generation were all pioneers in some way or another. Assassin's Creed, Gears of War or Modern Warfare - they all did something new. Most of the other big sellers at least used to be pioneers last generation, like Halo or GTA.

Uncharted's platforming and verticality isn't enough for you? If it were simply a Gears clone you'd be on the floor the whole time.

The two games play very differently and it takes time to readjust to Gears after playing Uncharted. The main things they share are 3rd person camera and snap to cover. Even then the camera in Uncharted is pulled out and better suited for platforming, Gears keeps it framed behind your character.

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.

How do you simplify jumping? You jump in a direction and that's where Drake goes. Sometimes you fall. The climbing on some surfaces follows a strict path in campaign, but in multiplayer jumping is as free form as it gets. There's also nothing wrong with simplification. The big innovation of Gears is snapping to cover, which I'd describe as pretty simple and automated. It's also much better than doing it the old fashioned way and having to manually crouch behind cover.
 
The snapping to cover was taken from an RE4 scenario, where you snap to cover behind a crate and then pop out and shoot. Even RE5 had similar scenes and it was funny when reviewers said that RE is aping GeOW when it was the oppsite.

Anyways..... How well you make something matters in this market, not whether its original. If a game mechanic is a copy, but perfected and plays awesome, it will work.
 
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