Why did game graphics improve so little since 2001??

[Easynow]

Why did graphics improve so little since 2001????

Check out Star Wars Rogue Leader on Gamecube

This game is still one of the best looking game around and it was released in 2001 !

Today's graphics are great but imo we have made little progress over the past 10yrs

I think the industry needs something revolutionary, like what ID software managed to do more than 15yrs ago with DOOM

 

[Rorifett]

This game is still one of the best looking game around and it was released in 2001

Having just watched a quick Youtube video I can only assume you're having a laugh here

 

[Easynow]

Having just watched a quick Youtube video I can only assume you're having a laugh here

You are probably looking at the N64 version which looks horrible indeed!

You have to search youtube with "rogue squadron 2 hd"

 

[Sniper Ash6]

Watch gameplay for Metro 2033, Crysis 1/Warhead and Battlefield 3 on Ultra/Highest settings and then tell me graphics haven't moved on.

 

[Rorifett]

Further to the 'surface' level of graphics having improved loads there's also all the ambient differences, you didn't properly get things like leaves falling from trees in games 10 years ago, now all these wee subtle things are there for most games and they add to the experience, not by bringing anything to the game but instead taking away things you notice aren't there.

 

[Easynow]

One thing is true: things have improved but in many many small steps over a long period

We haven't had a true 'shock' in years like the one we had for example when the ps1 suddenly offered gamers true 3d arcade gaming

For example they recently added diffuse lighting in games like uncharted 3 which looks awsome, but they keep adding small improvements

I hope we will have another real giant leap forward, the kind of which leaves you in total disbelief

and I'm not talking 3d gaming or higher definition - I'm talking realistic gaming, not 'artificial photorealism', with smooth and realistic movements and colours which really mimic the real life

 

[mattclarkie]

I thought the title of this thread was 'Why did game graphics improve so little in 2011', and I would have said 'Because the hardware is out of date'.

But the real title is baffling, just look at the difference between Halo CE and Halo 2, both launched on the same console (a whole generation ago) within 3 years of each other, and it immediately shows gaphics radically improved between 2001 and 2004.

If you had used Star Wars Republic Commando on the Xbox as an example instead of Rogue Leader on the Gamecube (which wasn't even good looking for a Gamecube game), you'd have had a stronger argument of graphics reaching a plateau.

 

[Member 79251]

Fancy graphics mean nothing if the story and game play are pants. 8-bit games will always be the best in my eyes. No need for fancy servers, content or seasonal pass codes.

 

[Mr Nook]

The OP may have a point in that game graphics haven't made a significant "wow" jump since, I'd say, even about 1995.

Seeing things like Ridge Racer and Wipeout in 3D back at the launch of the PS1 hasn't been beat graphically since IMHO. Sure graphics are better now, but it's only been in relatively slightly incremental improvements really.

 

[Rorifett]

In the 15 years since 1980 the graphical leap in games was unbelievable, in the 15 years since 95 the improvements in graphics has been phenomenal. The thing you've got to remember is that with every graphical leap there is an exponential leap in costs as well, if companies were able to **** money into the wind we'd see much better graphics but it is too expensive to do on the mass scale.

Frame rates are much higher now too, the original Ridge Racer would be unplayable these days and in my eyes the lack of wow factor comes from our perceptions and rose tinted memories. As Pixel says though, majority of best games in my eyes at least were the old ones, hell my favourite games have been text based adventures lol

 

[smallclanger]

I also think our expectations are higher too. Back in the 80's we were happy with what we had but were amazed by each bit of ingenious programming that delivered some new gaming environment. Now we have FX in films that is totally real feeling. It is harder to wow us.

 

[sdb123]

I couldn't disagree more with the OP....the game mentioned is very much the exception for that period.

 

[Dinky Dragon]

Did you ever play Bioshock, Gears 1, Heavy Rain?

The long and short of it is that game looked great to you back then, you didnt know any better. Whats making it look better to you now is all part of nostalgia.

Halo 1 blew my mind at the time... Now... Not so much

Gaming, graphically has deffo moved on. If anything its strong narratives that have suffered.

 

[GAZBEROTTEN]

The OP may have a point in that game graphics haven't made a significant "wow" jump since, I'd say, even about 1995.

Seeing things like Ridge Racer and Wipeout in 3D back at the launch of the PS1 hasn't been beat graphically since IMHO. Sure graphics are better now, but it's only been in relatively slightly incremental improvements really.

Consider these facts

The hardware in current consoles and next generation severely pails in comparison to what the pc can do now or the PS4, Xbox 720 etc.

The OP hasn't mentioned what you will need to see how really far graphics have moved on. For this you need a 2GB Graphics card and a tv/monitor cable of 2160P resolution 3840x2160 pixels plus 6GB Ram

Adding to all of this a decent 4D triple core processor in your pc or console. Only then can you really see how far graphics,photos and video have advanced.

Sadly until the release of the Xbox 720,PS4 etc and 2K HDTV's it will be a decent while before even he and us can see how far graphics have truly advanced.

Also when the pcs you have now and the Xbox 360's PS3's etc drop down to less than £90 new expect to see the Xbox 720 PS4 announced or even new technologies you never thought where possible.

 

[Dinky Dragon]

I think you have also lost your mind.

 

[Sniper Ash6]

It's clear that Gaz has no idea what he's talking about.

 

[Dinky Dragon]

I agree with him when it comes to PCs but for anyone to think that a bloody gamecube game looks like the last few years of 360/PS3 gaming is nuts.

 

[Flawed Tactics]

Fancy graphics mean nothing if the story and game play are pants. 8-bit games will always be the best in my eyes. No need for fancy servers, content or seasonal pass codes.

Did 8 bit games have great stories, the ones I played didn't, (Jet set Willy, Manic Minor) were my sort of games! Lol. Agree about game play, though I always thought games from back then were to hard, but that's because I was so rubbish. Lol

 

[Dinky Dragon]

My top 5 games (Do they look great? They did at the time!)

Broken Sword Series
Bioshock
Gears of War Series
Breath of Fire 3/4
Pokemon

Meh, most of us are real gamers here. We all have different tastes. I remember playing Rogue Squadron thinking it was the best looking game on Earth (in my brain its still pretty sick) in actually reality side by side it looks plain sheeeite right now.

 

[mattclarkie]

Just look at the difference between the Gridlock and Blood-drive maps on GoW2 and GoW3. The newer versions of the maps suck, but they are much more detailed.

http://www.msxbox-world.com/videos/stream/22738/blood-drive-comparison.html

 

[meweavy]

to the op,have you not seen the graphics on batman arkham city and assassins creed?,also there is dead space 1 and 2,graphics have moved a lot since the 360s release.

 

[Crovon]

I don't think the op has explained very well what he means. I understand where he is coming from.

Forget about the rogue squadron example, it could be any game from that era really.

I remember seeing the demo of the T Rex on ps1 and thinking 'wow!', hell, even my parents were impressed and it helped me to convince them to buy me one.
It's because it was the first time those kinds of 3d polygon graphics had been seen in the home.

Up until then it was virtually all 2d flat plain, side scrolling stuff or 'into the screen' scrolling stuff (with the exception of the fantastic SNES FX chip & FX chip 2 games)

But it's all part of a longer cycle tbh. We had that from 1986-87 (nes, etc) to 96 (ps1,etc) it's just been a longer period of time this cycle.

I'm sure we will see something with that 'wow' factor when the new consoles are released.

IMO it was the 16 bit games that were best even though I loved the 8 bit era too

 

[Rorifett]

The thing is though once you've gone '3D' where else is there to go?

Gears had that wow factor on the current gen all those years ago.

 

[joker]

IMO it was the 16 bit games that were best even though I loved the 8 bit era too

This is the same for me too.

Although I do understand where the OP is coming from, when most people had PS2 I had a Dreamcast, no although the Dreamcast wasn't supported as well as the PS2 the games (IMO) were graphically far superior. When Xbox launched it used similar graphics chips and techniques to the Dreamcast, and from that point there as been little "wow" factor in terms of graphics possibly due to the focus being on multi-player and online gaming. Having said that we are 5/6 years into the latest generation of consoles and as previously stated they are becoming dated........although this should be the peak and breakthrough era (going by end of life cycles on previous generations of consoles, Sega CD, Nintendo-SuperFX) where compression techniques and squeezing the last drops of life from methods previously unthought of flourish!

Out of interest I'm a 34 year old gamer originating on Atari 2600 and owning almost every console (UK market only) at some point, not claiming to know it all.....but I have seen many advances in all aspects of gaming, control methods, storage methods, graphical advances, multiplayer and online advances.

I personally feel the next generation of gaming will not bring the wow factor in terms of graphics (there is rumour that most games will be download only, means file sizes need to be considered and kept to minimum), but will expand on them as much as the programmers can within the constraints they will have to work with.

Mark

 

[AdsterUK]

Toggling between new and old graphics in Halo Anniversary is pretty conclusive in seeing how much graphics have changed.

As for wow factor, I'll stick never forget watching the cut scene where you are in the water at the beginning of Bioshock...and then realising its not a cutscene but the game itself.