Upcoming graphical powerhouses

[Carfax83]

With next gen gaming in full swing, there are some really awesome games coming down the pipeline that are technically amazing! Which one do you think is the most impressive, and please list your reasons why and even link to some videos or footage to support your assertions.

Also if your most graphically impressive title is not on this list, go ahead and name it in your post..

For me, I'd say Star Citizen definitely is the most graphically impressive title I've seen (and the most ambitious generally speaking as well), and that's mostly due to it's sheer scale and intricate detail. I hesitated to put it on the list since it's such a long way from being finished, but the YouTube presentations I've seen are extremely impressive, and it keeps getting better.

The fact that the game is PC only and targeted towards gaming spec machines means there will be no downgrading!

Star Citizen FPS teaser

Star Citizen Constellation trailer.

My second choice is AC Unity. This game really surprised me. It looks like Ubisoft went all out on it's development. Much of Paris and it's monuments are on a near 1:1 scale, and building density and crowd generation is off the charts! Apparently there will be thousands of NPC A.Is roaming the streets of Paris. Also there is an underground section of Paris called the Catacombs which will be explorable as well, all of it seamlessly connected with no loading screens.. Not to mention the game uses a physically based rendering pipeline..

Here's one very impressive AC Unity gameplay video

My third choice is the Witcher 3. Like Ubisoft, CDPR has also gone all out in an effort to make Geralt of Rivia's last adventure as spectacular as possible. Like my previous two choices, Witcher 3 will use PBR and be totally seamless with no artificial breaks which is very impressive for such a story driven game. There will also be various environments from mountain tops to swamps to densely populated cities to stormy coastlines. Plus, Geralt will be able to swim underwater! Witcher 3, like Star Citizen will also support GPU accelerated PhysX making it a technological powerhouse..

Witcher 3 1080p 60 FPS uncut Gamescom presentation

Sword of Destiny trailer.

 

[Barfo]

With next gen gaming in full swing.

I hate this term, it's fucking retarded. Besides being a console thing, next gen is PS5 and whatever successor the XBone gets.

 

[xantub]

nothing that is also released for consoles can be considered a 'graphical powerhouse', as the PC version is obviously downgraded to satisfy console requirements.

 

[Red Storm]

Star Citizen is going to be the graphical benchmark.

 

[Carfax83]

I hate this term, it's fucking retarded. Besides being a console thing, next gen is PS5 and whatever successor the XBone gets.

I could care less whether you hate the term, as it's completely applicable.

As an example, PCs have had 64 bit capability for a long time now, but only now are we seeing it used to great effect....and this is because the consoles are 64 bit.

64 bit enables games that are designed from the ground up take advantage of the greater memory address to take on a size, scope and complexity that have never been seen in games before; even at recent as a year ago before the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One.

 

[Carfax83]

nothing that is also released for consoles can be considered a 'graphical powerhouse', as the PC version is obviously downgraded to satisfy console requirements.

Sorry but that's just ridiculous. Games and game engine often tend to be "scalable" if you didn't know..

 

[Carfax83]

Star Citizen is going to be the graphical benchmark.

Star Citizen is likely going to win this poll I'm certain. Personally, I have no real interest in Star Citizen as I'm not a space sim type of guy. But the ambitious nature of the game is really compelling.

It makes me wonder whether they can actually pull it off. If they release a single player component with FPS combat and exploration I'll definitely buy it though..

 

[ImpulsE69]

The thing is that in the context of your post and list they are completely correct. Star Citizen is (I think?) the only made for PC game in that list. The rest will be ports developed for less capable systems. Unless they release a PC upgraded version of the games then the only reason they would push a system is because of a bad port job.
That isn't to say that Star Citizen will be the best looking, we simply won't know until it is released, but it is mostly likely to fully utilize the PC versus the rest simply due to development.

Also next gen really doesn't apply because the new consoles were behind PC's before they even came out. Unlike previous gens.

 

[Carfax83]

The thing is that in the context of your post and list they are completely correct. Star Citizen is (I think?) the only made for PC game in that list. The rest will be ports developed for less capable systems.

That's kind of a half truth. Whilst Star Citizen is the only pure PC game on that list, many of the others have the PC as the lead development platform.

I mean, are we going to start calling games like the Witcher 3 which is being made by a strong PC centric developer consolized? That would not only be silly, it would also be a lie..

Unless they release a PC upgraded version of the games then the only reason they would push a system is because of a bad port job.
That isn't to say that Star Citizen will be the best looking, we simply won't know until it is released, but it is mostly likely to fully utilize the PC versus the rest simply due to development.

Like I told the other guy, game engines are inherently designed to be scalable. So even if a game is multiplatform, it can still theoretically take advantage of each platforms' strengths.. A good example of this is Watch Dogs. Despite the technical issues with the PC version, Watch Dogs on PC at ultra quality settings is far better looking than the console versions and has superior draw distance, shadow quality, ambient occlusion, more post processing effects, higher texture resolution etcetera..

Also next gen really doesn't apply because the new consoles were behind PC's before they even came out. Unlike previous gens.

It still applies because hardware is only half of the equation. The other half is software. 64 bit is the perfect example. PCs have had 64 bit CPUs and operating systems for many years now, but only very recently have we gotten native 64 bit games, and that's because the consoles are now 64 bit.

 

[irishScott]

Star Citizen is going into 4k territory, how many others on that list can say the same?

 

[frozentundra123456]

I could care less whether you hate the term, as it's completely applicable.

As an example, PCs have had 64 bit capability for a long time now, but only now are we seeing it used to great effect....and this is because the consoles are 64 bit.

64 bit enables games that are designed from the ground up take advantage of the greater memory address to take on a size, scope and complexity that have never been seen in games before; even at recent as a year ago before the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One.

Well technically he is correct. Both new consoles are now the current generation. But I think everyone knows what is meant by the term, so I really have no problem with it.

 

[JujuFish]

I could care less whether you hate the term, as it's completely applicable.

How much less? And no, it's not completely applicable considering the PS4 and Xbone are current gen systems.

 

[Carfax83]

Don't you guys have something better to do than to lecture me on idiomatic game terminologies?

For **** sake, this topic is about games and it's turning into a fucking vocabulary lesson... D:





No profanity in the tech forum.




esquared
Anandtech Forum Director

 

[Carfax83]

Star Citizen is going into 4k territory, how many others on that list can say the same?

AC Unity, Far Cry 4, Dying Light, Batman Arkham Knight and the Witcher 3 will most likely have 4K support given that they are all part of NVidia's Gameworks program.. Metro Redux will also feature 4K support later this month.

But how important is 4K support when only a small percentage of gamers can afford such a setup? 4K gaming is too expensive right now given that it vastly increases your GPU power requirements and current GPUs aren't powerful enough.. 4K gaming likely won't take off until 20nm GPUs become available..

 

[escrow4]

I want games that are not like Watch Dogs. You want a graphical powerhouse like Crysis 3 that is really a graphical pig to run?

 

[StinkyPinky]

Some weird poll options here. Far Cry 4? The new Dragon Age? From what I've seen of them they look average graphics wise. They could be great games (I hope so) but there's certainly nothing great about them graphics wise.

 

[Carfax83]

I want games that are not like Watch Dogs. You want a graphical powerhouse like Crysis 3 that is really a graphical pig to run?

Are you kidding me? Crysis 3 was one of the most optimized games I've ever played.. Ran like butter on my system @ very high settings..

So graphically advanced games don't necessarily have to run like pigs.. Great running, and great looking games don't have to be mutually exclusive..

 

[Carfax83]

Some weird poll options here. Far Cry 4? The new Dragon Age? From what I've seen of them they look average graphics wise. They could be great games (I hope so) but there's certainly nothing great about them graphics wise.

The new Dragon Age Inquisition to me looks damn good.. It uses the Frostbite 3 engine, so unless Bioware screws up on purpose, it's not going to look average.

Dragon Age Inquisition gameplay trailer

Second trailer

And Far Cry 4 isn't a good choice I agree. I should have put Ryse Son of Rome in it's place.. Oh well..

 

[Bateluer]

In terms of the poll, Star Citizen followed by Witcher 3, will be the graphical powerhouse games of 2015. FarCry 4 and Dragon Age Inquisition don't make the cut because they're also coming out for the last gen consoles, which means they've been hamstrung for sake of selling on the old crap.

The new Dragon Age Inquisition to me looks damn good.. It uses the Frostbite 3 engine, so unless Bioware screws up on purpose, it's not going to look average.

Screw up on purpose? Like releasing it for Xbox 360 and PS3?

 

[ImpulsE69]

Yea, you act like you are new to gaming or something...you asked the question and you don't like anyone's answers. You probably would have been better off asking in the console section. All of your arguments are great in a perfect world where devs are actually trying to make the best game possible, however we don't live in a perfect world and that is exactly the opposite of how marketing to consoles works. These days it's mostly back end deals and rushing to market while spending as much on marketing as the game.

It's been said repeatedly that in many cases they will make all platforms look alike as to not make one be any better. Obviously that doesn't stay the case if they are being developed for 360/PS3 at this point, but yes I can see them not taking advantage of PC pluses if only out of laziness. It's not anything new.

I will give you Witcher 3 though.

Personally I'm not a graphics snob, so it doesn't bother me, but let's not try to pretend it's something it's not. It's also been shown time and again the game you see in their "devs" and "demos" are not the games that get released due to having to tone them down for consoles (although they rarely want to admit it).

 

[Carfax83]

In terms of the poll, Star Citizen followed by Witcher 3, will be the graphical powerhouse games of 2015.

I kind of struggled to decide between the Witcher 3 and AC Unity for second place. In the end, I decided to go with AC Unity.. AC Unity's rendition of 18th century Paris is absolutely amazing. It seems they got the scale, the density, the magnitude to the point where it's extremely realistic... Plus the crowd generation is incredible..

FarCry 4 and Dragon Age Inquisition don't make the cut because they're also coming out for the last gen consoles, which means they've been hamstrung for sake of selling on the old crap.

With Far Cry 4 I would agree, but not Dragon Age Inquisition. The Frostbite 3 engine is extremely scalable across different platforms, and Bioware have publically stated that they use high end PCs for the game's development. So that means everything is developed for PC first, and then scaled down appropriately for the consoles.

From the videos and trailers I've seen, the game assets look very sharp and detailed.. Honestly I think it's possible now for a game to be released across multiple platforms without suffering much if any loss in graphical quality for the PC version due to the scalable nature of these "current gen" game engines..

Again, Watch Dogs is a good example of this. The level of detail setting in Watch Dogs affects multiple parameters, including geometry, terrain, lighting, object count, model complexity and a host of other factors. So that's how these engines and games are being designed these days, with a top down approach...

 

[skipsneeky2]

GTA5 looked pretty reasonable on my cousins PS3, it should push what pc graphics can do.Will end up running like a dog i am sure if GTA4 is anything to go by.

 

[futurefields]

GTA4 runs great, not sure what you are talking about. It has better graphics than Watch Dogs, runs better, and is a 7 year older game.

Rockstar > Ubisoft

 

[cmdrdredd]

nothing that is also released for consoles can be considered a 'graphical powerhouse', as the PC version is obviously downgraded to satisfy console requirements.

You say obviously like you have a clue.

 

[cmdrdredd]

GTA4 runs great, not sure what you are talking about. It has better graphics than Watch Dogs, runs better, and is a 7 year older game.

Rockstar > Ubisoft

GTA4 ran like crap at release. That's just a fact there. It also doesn't compare to Watch Dogs in graphics at all.

I don't know what planet of elitism you all are from where every damn game is considered "garbage console game" unless it's only available on PC. That kind of thinking makes me believe that people don't enjoy games at all and just like to come on the internet and grumble for their own satisfaction.