I'm surprised how well many last gen games and remasters have held up graphically compared to the current generation.

TheCrackedJack · Aug 3, 2019

I mean, clearly they are not going to be able to top stuff like Horizon, RDR2, God of War and other heavy hitters. But many of them don't really look to out of place to me in the current gen ecosystem since we have such a wide variety of games released with so many different levels of budgets.

But playing PS2 remasters like Shadow of the Colossus on the PS3, it was just so blatantly obvious you were playing a just gen game, as great as it was. However, playing stuff like Dishonored, Bioshock Infinite, Gears 3 (One X), Uncharted 3, Mirrors Edge (One X) and they still look really damned good. Anyone else agree or have any good screenshots to share?

Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea (Rebecca Ashburn on Flickr)

Uncharted 3 (PS4) (Juan Carlos Morales Merlos on Flickr)

Beyond Two Souls

Dishonored Definitive Edition (Andrew Moore on Flickr)

nsilvias · Aug 3, 2019

good art direction goes a long way in preventing your game from looking super dated rite away

StrykerIsland · Aug 3, 2019

It's because the jump from last gen to current wasn't very large. One of the smallest ever. I think many of us are hoping the next transition is more pronounced.

Dr. Mario · Aug 3, 2019

StrykerIsland said:
It's because the jump from last gen to current wasn't very large. One of the smallest ever. I think many of us are hoping the next transition is more pronounced.

Narrator: it wasn't.

dodo · Aug 3, 2019

that uncharted shot is very nice but to me the uncharted collection on PS4 was actually a really good "wow, okay, things really HAVE improved" measuring stick for this gen. stuff like the train level in UC2 used to feel like the best graphics were ever gonna get, but now?

AllMight1 · Aug 3, 2019

God of War 3 and Ascension also look spectacular still, and of course Last of Us looks like a current gen version except for jaggies, same with The Phantom Pain looking great except for low resolution, but damn those real time cutscenes looked like the greatest thing to me.

Dark1x · Aug 3, 2019

StrykerIsland said:
It's because the jump from last gen to current wasn't very large. One of the smallest ever. I think many of us are hoping the next transition is more pronounced.

It's a massive jump if you look at what is being done on a technical level. We've simply reached a point where dramatic leaps aren't going to stand out as they used to. It's all about refinement.

Heck, plenty of folks aren't even impressed by real-time day tracing. It looks amazing but not everyone appreciates the difference.

StrykerIsland · Aug 3, 2019

Dark1x said:
It's a massive jump if you look at what is being done on a technical level. We've simply reached a point where dramatic leaps aren't going to stand out as they used to. It's all about refinement.

Heck, plenty of folks aren't even impressed by real-time day tracing. It looks amazing but not everyone appreciates the difference.

For sure. Tougher than ever to stand out and impress, because the gap between "good" visuals and "bad" visuals has gotten smaller thanks to dev teams continuing to get better and better at their craft. I still remember the first time I saw a PS game (RE2) after years of playing Atari and Genesis games, I was absolutely blown away. Then again with MGS2 on ps2, couldn't believe what I was seeing. PS3 was the Uncharted and God of War 3 show. For PS4, there's an absolute ton of great looking games. So the overall bar seems higher than ever, making it tougher to impress.

I also think with all the remakes and remasters, it clouds people's memories of what the original games actually looked like.

TheCrackedJack · Aug 3, 2019

xeecee said:
that uncharted shot is very nice but to me the uncharted collection on PS4 was actually a really good "wow, okay, things really HAVE improved" measuring stick for this gen. stuff like the train level in UC2 used to feel like the best graphics were ever gonna get, but now?

I get what you're saying. I think it's impressive though that the airplane or cruise ship set piece from Uncharted 3 is still more impressive than pretty much every set piece on current gen that doesn't come from a Naughty Dog or Sony Santa Monica designed game.

Dark1x · Aug 3, 2019

TheCrackedJack said:
I get what you're saying. I think it's impressive though that the airplane or cruise ship set piece from Uncharted 3 is still more impressive than pretty much every set piece on current gen that doesn't come from a Naughty Dog or Sony Santa Monica designed game.

That's not entirely a visual thing, though.

ThisIsBlitz21 · Aug 3, 2019

I totally agree.

Something like, Modern Warfare Remastered is indiscernable from a current-gen game.

Dark1x · Aug 3, 2019

ThisIsBlitz21 said:
I totally agree.

Something like, Modern Warfare Remastered is indiscernable from a current-gen game.

It is a current-gen game, though.

KillLaCam · Aug 3, 2019

Dark1x said:
It's a massive jump if you look at what is being done on a technical level. We've simply reached a point where dramatic leaps aren't going to stand out as they used to. It's all about refinement.

Heck, plenty of folks aren't even impressed by real-time day tracing. It looks amazing but not everyone appreciates the difference.

Yeah I didn't really get ray tracing until I saw how it was used for the global illumination in Metro Exodus. That kinda blew my mind. I don't even want to play without ray tracing on that game now.

ThisIsBlitz21 · Aug 3, 2019

Dark1x said:
It is a current-gen game, though.

To be clear, I mean it's indisernable from any PS4/XBO game.

Dark1x · Aug 3, 2019

ThisIsBlitz21 said:
To be clear, I mean it's indisernable from any PS4/XBO game.

Right. The original MW looks super dated but the remaster was completely remade so it naturally compares favorably to PS4/XO titles.

TheCrackedJack · Aug 3, 2019

Dark1x said:
That's not entirely a visual thing, though.

I wouldn't dispute that asset streaming, physics, careful level design, etc all play a part. But I believe that the main point of set pieces existing in any video game is to impress the consumer from a visual standpoint, since they usually limit the users gameplay in some way compared to a non set piece.

Dark1x · Aug 3, 2019

TheCrackedJack said:
I wouldn't dispute that asset streaming, physics, careful level design, etc all play a part. But I believe that the main point of set pieces existing in any video game is to impress the consumer from a visual standpoint, since they usually limit the users gameplay in some way compared to a non set piece.

I kinda feel like many developers have simply moved away from highly scripted sequences which is why it feels like it hasn't been matched by many modern games.

ThisIsBlitz21 · Aug 3, 2019

Dark1x said:
Right. The original MW looks super dated but the remaster was completely remade so it naturally compares favorably to PS4/XO titles.

It was completely remade? Dang, I never knew that before. That explains a lot.

TaySan · Aug 3, 2019

Crysis still looks amazing. As do many Ubisoft games.

StrykerIsland · Aug 3, 2019

Dark1x said:
Right. The original MW looks super dated but the remaster was completely remade so it naturally compares favorably to PS4/XO titles.

Modern Warfare out this Fall is on a whole other level, visually. Seems like a pretty big difference between them.

Dark1x · Aug 3, 2019

StrykerIsland said:
Modern Warfare out this Fall is on a whole other level, visually. Seems like a pretty big difference between them.

Of course. Totally different game. The Remaster of MW, though, does look current gen.

Inuhanyou · Aug 3, 2019

That's the difference between a remaster that fully remakes graphical assets like SOTC, Halo 2 Anniversary, Gears of War Ultimate Edition and others this gen versus a remaster that just ups resolution like God of war 3 Remaster

nbnt · Aug 3, 2019

StrykerIsland said:
It's because the jump from last gen to current wasn't very large. One of the smallest ever. I think many of us are hoping the next transition is more pronounced.

Why would the next transition be more pronounced? If anything, I think it'll be the smallest one, like, ever. Especially with the half step consoles we now have. And we've already seen games with the next gen gimmick (ray tracing) and, to me and like half the reactions I read on forums, the difference is just not that big.

Diminishing returns is a real thing.

Tyaren · Aug 3, 2019

Inuhanyou said:
That's the difference between a remaster that fully remakes graphical assets like SOTC, Halo 2 Anniversary, Gears of War Ultimate Edition and others this gen versus a remaster that just ups resolution like God of war 3 Remaster

SotC 2017 is no remaster though, it is a proper remake. As the name says, everything was remade. Remasters take old assets, maybe update/polish them a little and show them off in higher resolution.

Inuhanyou · Aug 3, 2019

Tyaren said:
SotC 2017 is no remaster though, it is a proper remake.

semantics. its 1:1 layout of the original game with exact same PS2 assets beyond graphical overhaul

Tyaren · Aug 3, 2019

Inuhanyou said:
semantics. its 1:1 layout of the original game with exact same PS2 assets beyond graphical overhaul

It's not semantics, it is a remake and not a remaster. The developers, Bluepoint Games, say it is a remake, Digital Foundry say it's a remake too.

Inuhanyou · Aug 3, 2019

Tyaren said:
It's not semantics, it is a remake and not a remaster. The developers Blue Point say it is a remake, Digital Foundry say it's a remake too.

i know what they say it is, but what it actually is is a remaster, in line with other remasters also overhauled to a similar degree like COD MWR and other remasters of a similar scope i have already mentioned

Tyaren · Aug 3, 2019

Inuhanyou said:
i know what they say it is, but what it actually is is a remaster, in line with other remasters also overhauled to a similar degree like COD MWR and other remasters of a similar scope i have already mentioned

It's good we have you to tell us what it really is then. :)

crazillo · Aug 3, 2019

I've played a lot of older games over the last couple of years. I agree with the OP especially when it comes to textures, also lots of older games have been upgraded/enhanced visually. Also, you've mentioned games with great art style that will always look good and unique (like Bioshock). Where older games DO feel dated though is when it comes to facial animations, motion capturing, lip synch, character 'stiffness', animal skin/fur etc. Also, environmental effects have improved.

grmlin · Aug 3, 2019

Not a last gen game but I recently played Ryse on Game Pass and I was blown away by the visuals considering it's a launch title.

But to stay on topic: I thought GTA V looked fantastic.

KennyL · Aug 3, 2019

You could down/back port current gen games to last gen specced systems while still retaining overall look such as Doom for Switch or cross gen games like MGS5. Porting Mario64 to snes is impossible.

Even for raytracing, you could bake it and fake it to like 50-70% of the look.

TheCrackedJack · Aug 3, 2019

The Last of Us Remastered is another great looking one (Ra_Du on Flickr)

pixelation · Aug 3, 2019

Agreed... bring on Puppeteer to PS4! (fine... I'll settle for backwards compat via PS5).

AllMight1 · Aug 3, 2019

Dark1x said:
Of course. Totally different game. The Remaster of MW, though, does look current gen.

What changes are we going to see on next gen, and how big is the jump going to be?

Sonicfan059 · Aug 3, 2019

Inuhanyou said:
semantics. its 1:1 layout of the original game with exact same PS2 assets beyond graphical overhaul

There are no PS2 assets, everything is remade. Hence a remake. Remakes remake all the assets whereas remasters just take existing ones and enhance them.

RedSwirl · Aug 3, 2019

A lot of those late last-gen games, particularly AAA games coming out between 2011 and 2013 were honestly cross-gen games. The PC versions of games like BioShock Infinite (the console remaster is literally just the PC version), Far Cry 3, Crysis 2, Witcher 2, and even Medal of Honor Warfighter already had assets on the same level as current-gen launch games.

ThisIsBlitz21 said:
It was completely remade? Dang, I never knew that before. That explains a lot.

Tyaren said:
SotC 2017 is no remaster though, it is a proper remake. As the name says, everything was remade. Remasters take old assets, maybe update/polish them a little and show them off in higher resolution.

Inuhanyou said:
semantics. its 1:1 layout of the original game with exact same PS2 assets beyond graphical overhaul

Sonicfan059 said:
There are no PS2 assets, everything is remade. Hence a remake. Remakes remake all the assets whereas remasters just take existing ones and enhance them.

Modern Warfare Remastered and Shadow of the Colossus are remakes that actually fall into that middle area that hasn't been clearly defined yet, where they completely redo all the graphics and art assets but leave the gameplay and level design pretty much 100% identical to the original game.

Other examples include:
Halo Anniversary
Halo 2 Anniversary
StarCraft Remastered
The Crash and Spyro remasters (I think, I haven't played them)
Super Mario All Stars SMB1 and SMB3.

Butch · Aug 3, 2019

RedSwirl said:
A lot of those late last-gen games, particularly AAA games coming out between 2011 and 2013 were honestly cross-gen games. The PC versions of games like BioShock Infinite (the console remaster is literally just the PC version), Far Cry 3, Crysis 2, Witcher 2, and even Medal of Honor Warfighter already had assets on the same level as current-gen launch games.

Modern Warfare Remastered and Shadow of the Colossus are remakes that actually fall into that middle area that hasn't been clearly defined yet, where they completely redo all the graphics and art assets but leave the gameplay and level design pretty much 100% identical to the original game.

Other examples include:
Halo Anniversary
Halo 2 Anniversary
StarCraft Remastered
The Crash and Spyro remasters (I think, I haven't played them)
Super Mario All Stars SMB1 and SMB3.

Yeah, but I'd say they are a lot closer to remakes than remasters, in most of those cases.

Deleted member 13155 · Aug 3, 2019

Well on PS3 I thought MGS HD, Second Runner HD and KH Remix looked really good.

But the jump from PS3 to PS4 was more about resolution and framerate. The assets were already there during the PS360 generation. Just held back by low resolutions and shitty framerate and AA solutions. I think if you take Heavenly Sword and MGS4 and update these games to 4k ish, 60fps then they would probably look rather current-gen.

Sharivan · Aug 3, 2019

I agree. Current generation games don't look that much better than the previous one. There are minor improvements but the difference isn't as big as it was in the past.

Crossing Eden · Aug 3, 2019

StrykerIsland said:
It's because the jump from last gen to current wasn't very large. One of the smallest ever. I think many of us are hoping the next transition is more pronounced.

Sharivan said:
I agree. Current generation games don't look that much better than the previous one. There are minor improvements but the difference isn't as big as it was in the past.

Go back and play a 360 or PS3 game on the actual hardware

mreddie · Aug 3, 2019

The jump was big from a framerate and lighting standpoint so the engines of these games followed though and got a good upgrade to match up with the PC and you got games like MW Remastered or Halo Anniversary which looks like had it not been a remaster, you would have thought it was a modern release and not games from 2007 even with the MAX settings.

Lukemia SL · Aug 3, 2019

RKR said:
Well on PS3 I thought MGS HD, Second Runner HD and KH Remix looked really good.

But the jump from PS3 to PS4 was more about resolution and framerate. The assets were already there during the PS360 generation. Just held back by low resolutions and shitty framerate and AA solutions. I think if you take Heavenly Sword and MGS4 and update these games to 4k ish, 60fps then they would probably look rather current-gen.

They'd look like last gen games in 4K just like the Last of Us

Crossing Eden · Aug 3, 2019

Lukemia SL said:
They'd look like last gen games in 4K just like the Last of Us

Ding ding. It's undeniable that the best looking games from last gen had amazin art direction that truly shines at higher resolutions combined with HD texture packs, however, they still don't hold a candle to this gen's best looking games especially at higher resolutions. Like, metro last light at 4K can't compare to metro exodus with Rtx. This gen saw a major overhaul in how developers bring worlds to life. Polycount, PBR Materials, shaders, realtime and baked lighting, Post processing, etc. all of it looks WAY better. Especially when pc is out of the equation and we just compare console games.

Deleted member 47076 · Aug 3, 2019

Dark1x said:
Of course. Totally different game. The Remaster of MW, though, does look current gen.

Yeah it looks very comparable to Black Ops 3 and Infinite Warfare.

Hieroph · Aug 3, 2019

Can't agree with you. That PS3/360 look has aged badly imo. Current gen games reached a level that is just a lot more appealing. A lot of PS360 games are in that uncomfortable "early HD(ish)" phase and they look the part.

TheBaldwin · Aug 3, 2019

ThisIsBlitz21 said:
It was completely remade? Dang, I never knew that before. That explains a lot.

Yeah it was completely new. But i still think cod 4 and espcially WAW hold up really well, WAW espcially has great visual design.

grmlin said:
Not a last gen game but I recently played Ryse on Game Pass and I was blown away by the visuals considering it's a launch title.

But to stay on topic: I thought GTA V looked fantastic.

GTA V was some fucking wizardry from Rockstar. They must have prayed to every god to get that thing running on a ps3 and 360.

Games from 2005-2009 i would say have aged really badly though for the most part. They were at this weird mid point (almost similar to 90's movie CGI) where the games industry was moving closer to high fidelity graphics, and new technology's and graphical effects like bloom, and tried to meld realism, new graphics tech, and bizzare art style's to create a bizzare visual mess that ran at low 20 FPS on either console.

That said there are some great gems out there. But games from 2011-2013 from that era are kind of cheating because it was clear that tech had far supassed what the 360/PS3 were capable of doing.

But as the first poster said, art style will always be the main factor in a games visual style. It's why games like Team fortress 2 still look so great despite being 12 years old.

Sonicfan059 · Aug 3, 2019

Crossing Eden said:
Go back and play a 360 or PS3 game on the actual hardware

This. I went back and played Gran Turismo 5 after not having played it since Sport came out and it's pretty ugly in comparison and not at all how I remembered it.

ShinUltramanJ · Aug 3, 2019

They still hold up, and on PC you don't need a real beefy rig to run them at 4K and 60fps.

famikon · Aug 3, 2019

StrykerIsland said:
It's because the jump from last gen to current wasn't very large. One of the smallest ever. I think many of us are hoping the next transition is more pronounced.

don't know about this:

late 7th gen game vs 8th gen launch (almost) title – less than 3 years difference

Also, many developers started focusing on MP GaaS or esport games there visuals don't matter that much, and linear SP AAA games almost died – just imagine how would look Dead Space 4 for example (if it had same level design as in DS1/2).

Crossing Eden · Aug 3, 2019

famikon said:
don't know about this:

late 7th gen game vs 8th gen launch (almost) title – less than 3 years difference

Also, many developers started focusing on MP GaaS or esport games there visuals don't matter that much, and linear SP AAA games almost died – just imagine how would look Dead Space 4 for example (if it had same level design as in DS1/2).

I don't think many people realize just how insane it is that despite some developers making maps that are the size of countries that those still run circles around even the most linear and pretty Last gen games.

I'm surprised how well many last gen games and remasters have held up graphically compared to the current generation.

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