What game holds graphical supremacy?

[chu]

I think all four are extraordinarily amazing. I love Far Cry's outdoor environments, I love HL2's gritty city, and I love Doom 3's dark, terrifying, "wtf is going to be around that corner" approach.

I am equaly excited about all three, ( I havn't seen or heard much about Stalker) But I am probably more excited about Far Cry because it will be the first one out, hopefully.

 

[MrMan16]

I voted for H2. The graphics are extraordianry. I love it. Doom 3's graphics are nice, but I dont particularly love all the dark shadows, though it goes great for the style of the game. H2's graphics jsut has that feeling. Like, H1's graphics werent groundbreaking, but to me, they jsut had a feeling. It made the graphics seem better, which was already posted. I think we should all look at the source video again....

Offtopic: I dont see so much in STALKER. From the videos that I have seen, it just doesnt look as FUN.

:cheers:

 

[Kadayi]

From a purely graphical viewpoint I voted D³ because I think that it edges it over the competition because of the bump map complexity of the creatures. However I have a lot of reservations about D³ with regard to other aspects (ability to render large numbers/large areas effectively).

Environmentally I'd say that Stalker is slightly more impressive than HL² looks wise(I've dabbled with the alpha and the outdoor environments are unnervingly realistic if a little grim). However HL² wins hands down compared to the other two with respect to human character animation.

It is all a bit scissors, paper stone between those 3 in my book (far cry leaves me cold unfortunately....it's just too dayglo)

 

[chu]

Well I finally saw most of the HL2 bink videos, yes finally. Wow, all I had seen before was some shatty video recording of the game.

Graphics wise, I say Doom 3 is better. But as far as in-game environments go I think HL2 will be better. You've seen one space colony, you've seen em all.

I also saw a tech demo for the crytek engine (Far Cry). I was really impressed by that as well.

Plus I saw a teaser for Stalker. It looks good but I don't know. Looked kind of boring. Eh, we'll see.

Be in mind I am in the past with dial up. I am sure these vids are old to you but they're furking new to me.

So my list for visual graphics supremecy goes:

Doom 3
HL2
Far Cry
Stalker

For environment:

HL2, Far Cry
Doom 3
Stalker

When is MoH PA suppose to come out? I dloaded a couple of those movies and it looks good too. Only thing I didn't like is when the guy shoots the water, the ripples looked way too big and fat, but I never shot a gun at water so wtf do I know.

edit/

And another thing. In the HL2 Traptown vid, I got a cringe when I saw the combine at the top of the stairs ( where Gordon shoots the heater at him with the Grav gun). If the AI is suppose to be superb, why wasn't he taking cover in the next room or something. He just stands there casualy reloading while Gordon approaches him with the heater.

Is the AI that advanced that it calculated for that combine to notice that it appears that Gordon can't seem to hurt him, so he just stands there and reloads knowing that there was nothing Gordon could do, but wait! "Oh wait! I think he is going to propel that heater at me!! Maybe I should duck inside this doorway, ooops too late I'm dead."

 

[MultiVaC]

Doom3 may have good tech, but they just did a pretty crap job in the artwork section if you ask me. The Doom3 world looks like it's been constructed out of 3 elements: Rubber, clay, and plastic. It looks all soft and fake, like action figures in a toy playset. They soft edges contrast the ugly sharp shadows and doesn't look real at all. A lot of the monsters don't scare me at all. I'm sorry, but I think they just look... well... stupid.

 

[blahblahblah]

I think you also have to consider what each game is trying to accomplish.

From what I have seen of HL2 screenshots (no vids, only have 56K), it looks really good in certain areas (interior areas), but I am disappointed with the graphics quality in other areas (like the city itself). Overall though, HL2 awesome (for what it is trying to accomplish).

Doom3 on the other hand looks awesome with its bumpmapping and lighting/shadows. It may look fake to some but I think it looks better than if the HL2 engine was used to create Doom3.

Far Cry doesn't do much for me besides its incredibly long draw distance (1 kilometer) which is about time in video games. I am getting tired of seeing so much fog in games. Other than that it looks like a run of the mill graphics engine to me.

STALKER has me really excited because its gameplay is looking like Morrowind (great game) but with much more grit and realism. Its graphics engine looks great, it just seems like it does not use enough pixel shading and bumpmapping to take it to the next level (graphics-wise).

Verdict: Doom3 with HL2 and Stalker in a close second.

Side Note:
I think most people have forgotten or too young to remember what type of graphic miracles that John Carmack has done. (Quake anyone?)

 

[chu]

Yeah blah, I am on 56k too. I just went through that xburn place and ordered a couple cd's with hl2 vids and other vids on it.

Far Cry is more than your "run of the mill" engine and offers more than just a long draw distance. It too has dynamic lighting, poly bumping, realistic physics, etc.

 

[MultiVaC]

Well yeah, fake can be good in games. But Doom3 is saying "Look at me, I'm scary!!!!11!!" and to me, fake isn't scary. I think to fear has to really hit home, create something familiar yet twisted and horrible. I can't really relate to an uberspacemarine fighting demons from Hell who have rocket launchers on Mars. I can relate to someone in a realistic looking broken down city, lost and unprepared for the shadows, concealed enemies, mystery and harsh bleakness that Doom3 doesn't seem to offer. It doesn't matter how good your engine is, you have to use it well. Just my thoughts, of course.

 

[Letters]

Yeah, the thought of being alone in a very dark place with all manner of horrible things creeping around that want to kill me doesn't scare me either.

It'll be awesome if D3 pulls that off well.

 

[blahblahblah]

Elfurher

HL is not even remotely realistic but it still proved to be somewhat scary in certain parts. Hell, I cant even remotely relate to HL. To say that is the requirement of being scary is completely misssing the point of video games or horror in general.

You have my definition of fake confused also, when I say fake I mean how it looks. In specific, some of the bumpmapping on the monsters makes the monsters look like plastic. But to say fake will hurt the quality or the goal of the game is crazy. I've been playing games long enough to remember when monsters and grunts alike used to have square necks. Yet, when I played those games I was immersed to an incredible extent.

I'll guarrantee that Doom3 will scare the pants off you if you do three things. 1) Play it late at night (1:00 am does the trick for me). 2) Play with the lights off. 3) Use headphones (forget that fancy audio stuff, I'm old school).

 

[MultiVaC]

I never said HL is scary. It's not, and doesn't claim to be. I don't mean Operation Flashpoint realistic, just believeable. Things should make sense. And yes, I do think fake looking does hurt the game when the goal is to scare you. We have much higher standards now than we did in the days of square-necked enemies, so I don't think that applies. Every plastic looking enemy is a reminder that I can retreat back into my world with a single keystroke. Games with places and creatures that are realistic could haunt me even after I shut off my computer (FYI I haven't found a game that truely gets it right) because I can imagine them on the street at night without it feeling out of place. They can be hideous and not right, but shiny-looking skeleton with rocket launchers on its shoulders? No.

 

[blahblahblah]

I think my square necked analogy is still if not more valid. Take the most recent game I've played Call of Duty. A fantastic game but it still is not what I would call perfect or believable. However, my mind, when I get immersed in the game can take those innaccuries (whatever they may be) and toss them out the window. If you have never played a video game that does this, I pity you, as you have not experienced what PC gaming can do.

It sounds like you want a game that provides the same experience as the movies Seven or 8mm. If you expect that from a game, I suggest you change your expectations for games because that probably will never happen.

P.S.
Anyone who says Seven or 8mm and does not believe they qualify as disturbing yet realistic enough to imagine them in real life is probably lying. Oh yeah, watching the T.V. versions (on USA network) of Seven and 8mm dont count.

 

[Bastion]

STALKER all the way the grafx & night/day/rain/thunder is so damn cool its gonna be the dark horse that kills all games. I was really excited about HL2 but after all the drama and lies and the fact that STALKERS grafx/game feel/sounds/physics= just mind blowing. I think im going to get my money back from my 2 pre-ordered copys of HL2.I think once ppl see the depth of stalker , it just seems never ending.

PS: Gabe good luck :thumbs:

 

[Wolf]

D3 is technically impressive but from what I've seen of its art direction and cliche premise I really fail to see what is so visually impressive about it. I'm just not buying people saying "But *OMG* dude!! it's got a unified renderer" as a come back to 'It looks pretty uninspired'. Aesthetics are subjective and I know I personally fail to be inspired by fairly low poly claymation creatures covered in overly glossy bump-maps designed to off-set the grey-scale that comes from all the hard-shadows...

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it will be a fun on-rails weekend shooter with plenty of hairy moments...

 

[daveodeth]

is it me or does the water in the HL2 docks video look really inviting, it's just so clear.

 

[Caminante]

Doom 3, obviously. It's another one of John Carmacks engines, and he's been on top of the field from the beginning. He's done so much with dynamic lighting, and all the Doom 3 pics look unbelievably realistic.

Half-Life 2 may have better gameplay, interaction and physics, but for graphics only I'd take Doom any day.

Who is to say that Doom3's game core won't include a good physics engine and so forth? Anyways, my pic is STALKER, that game is looking better then D3 and HL2 put toguether.

 

[MrD]

Why is EverQuest2 not in this list??

Eh?

 

[Fiddle]

Because everquest 2's entire world looks like it's been painted on and locked in a state of suspended animation. I've never seen such a static looking piece of crap. That game looks terrible lol.

...*votes for Doom III*

 

[Zoorado]

Graphical supremacy is easy to judge in technical terms, but much harder to do so when comparing pure aesthetics. Technically, DOOM 3 should be unparalleled. It is going to be the pioneer for a whole new generation of game engines (with full per-pixel processing + unified dynamic lighting across all surfaces). When Carmack invented lightmaps during the end of Quake's development, little did he know that this new (in 1996) piece of tech is about to be prominently used in games of the next 8 years. I expect DOOM 3 to have (close to) the kind of technological impact Quake had during its days.

But if you are comparing the artistic qualities of the games' graphics, then it all boils down to a matter of taste. So far, I like the artwork of both DOOM 3 and Half-life 2 equally. STALKER has sub-standard character models, and Far Cry is just too colourful for me.

 

[MrD]

Yeah, I concede, the graphics in EQ2 are not as good as HL2 or D3. But way to start talking utter crap btw! I am glad you are so informed ...

Yeah the graphics are cartoony looking. Completely deliberately i might add, and it certainly is no bad thing. It *is* a fantasy game afterall! How you can call a world "static" when you've only seen screenshots, well that really makes me laugh.

The game, by no stretch of the imagination, looks "terrible". Maybe you were exagerating a bit, or just generally being childish. Or maybe its time you got your eyes tested? "lol"

 

[FoB_Ed]

I voted for S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the graphics look more realistic. They have that gritty feel that Far Cry and Doom 3 seem to lack., and everything doesn't look plasticy and shiny


Stalker: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/stalkeroblivionlost/screens.html?page=120

Doom 3: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/doom3/screens.html?page=75

HL2: Don't need to show you guys, you know what HL2 looks like

Far Cry: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/farcry/screens.html?page=219



Doom 3 and Far Cry both have excellent graphics, but they don't capture that realistic feel that HL2 and Stalker do.

 

[X-Vector]

Killer 7, no contest.

As for the runners-up, I concur with Wolf (on the DooM III bit) and Zoorado (on the rest) with the addition that I'm really, really attracted by HL2's visual style.
I think it's a great mix between the familiar and the excitingly new.

 

[Letters]

Really the only thing to completely 'wow' me in terms of graphics so far has been the Half-Life 2 docks video.

But I've only seen the D3 trailers, and nothing else of that...

It's really hard to tell a game's graphics by still screenshots.

 

[crabcakes66]

to me doom3's gfx are not that great, i dont know why people like them, i think its more of a fanboy jump on the wagon kind of thing, like HL2 was....realistic my ass....... Hl2 looks pretty good, awsome character models.


but overall i have to say stalker...the enviroments look incredible.

I voted for S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the graphics look more realistic. They have that gritty feel that Far Cry and Doom 3 seem to lack., and everything doesn't look plasticy and shiny


Stalker: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/stalkeroblivionlost/screens.html?page=120

Doom 3: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/doom3/screens.html?page=75

HL2: Don't need to show you guys, you know what HL2 looks like

Far Cry: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/farcry/screens.html?page=219



Doom 3 and Far Cry both have excellent graphics, but they don't capture that realistic feel that HL2 and Stalker do.

just look at those screenshots......its pretty easy to tell what game looks more "realistic"

the stalker screenie looks almost like a real picture FFS.

 

[[daniom]]

I think it's a great mix between the familiar and the excitingly new.

Good words there! i think that is the reason why all of those in this poll who has chosen HL2. Anyway i chosen Half-Life 2 of course, no doubt about it. :cheese:

 

[nc17]

Pole is closed now but i would vote for doom3, doom3 is the most visually pleasing but hl2 has the most dynamic gfx

Farcry is a close 3rd and stalker looks pretty good but it looks like the ut2003 engine with dx9 effects so its no even on the radar right now

 

[vann7]

my vote goes to Doom3..

dont miss CWG D3 screenshots...

http://www.computergaming.com/slideshow2/0,4617,a=108300,00.asp

 

[DrEvil]

The stalker engine is unbelievable. definetely superior to what i have seen so far of the other games.

 

[[daniom]]

The stalker engine is unbelievable. definetely superior to what i have seen so far of the other games.

I really really like the sky graphics in S.T.A.L.K.E.R!! but is there any physics in this game?

 

[FoB_Ed]

realistic my ass....... Hl2 looks pretty good, awsome character models.

I meant it seems more realistic than, say, doom 3, because it holds a more gritty feel that is more like RL. In doom 3 everything's made of shiny metal that looks like plastic. I didn't mean that the graphics were incredibly real looking, just that they were more, um, believable

 

[Murray_H]

HL2 for me, it still wows me when i watch it.

Stalker looks a little too faded for me and the foliage annoys me.

Doom 3 looks like plastic and like Brian said, the models are blocky and the textures just seem odd -like they have been stretched or something. Its hard to explain, just that something looks odd.

And Far Cry - it just seems too unreal for me, the other 3 titles seem to have made a jump into the semi-real, semi-game, but Far Cry seems to defiantely have a place in the game world. The textures are too clean i think.

 

[GRIMEY]

If you ask this question on a doom3 forum, doom3 would get the most votes. The same thing would probably happen on a stalker/far cry/other forum.

IMO nothing can compare to Doom3's visuals. ID have done it again.

 

[Kadayi]

I really really like the sky graphics in S.T.A.L.K.E.R!! but is there any physics in this game?

Yes it uses an intergrated physics engine. One of the bigger trailers demonstrates the physics, try Fileplanet or some such site to obtain it, it's worth a view.

 

[OCybrManO]

Doom 3 just takes what every other modern engine can do a tiny step further... instead of having normal maps only where they are needed and only using dynamic shadows when needed they just make everything done the same way all the time. It may look neat but it's just as much of a gimmick as people say the physics are in HL2... and it's quite a resource hog. I'm not saying the Doom 3 engine doesn't serve its purpose, because it does so in spades. It just isn't as versatile as the other engines (specifically, the Source engine). If you want a horror mod with the best mood lighting possible at the expense of detail in other areas you should indeed use Doom 3. For everything else I would recommend modding HL2... because it is just the most well-rounded of all the games/engines that should be released in the next few months.

 

[GRIMEY]

"It just isn't as versatile as the other engines"

Rubbish.

"I would recommend modding HL2... because it is just the most well-rounded of all the games/engines that should be released in the next few months."

Because you've got the final copy of HL2, Doom3, FarCry and a few other games not currently released, right?

 

[Caminante]

Man, are this boards so full of people who won't pay attention to detail?! This people saying that, "Doom3 looks as though, it was build of plastic and clay", obvioulsy don't have a clue of what they are saying nor have any artistic talent -not like there is anything wrong with it however.

Apparently, all this HL2's fanboys had never seen a kick ass engine such as D3s, so they bash on it, because they are not use to see dynamic lighting and shadowing in games.

HL2 is going to be just great, the engine isn't all that from what i've seen thus far. Character are low polygon, the texture sux and the level's geometry levels are too simplistic as compare to STALKERs. The only thing that has impressed me so far from HL2 is the water effects, that is about it. The game inherrited the annoying edginess from the previous engine.


Although i will buy all the games mentioned, HL2, D3, FarCry and Stalker, the later is clearly the winner over here -no need to get into detail- and period, just watch the trailers and you will get a clear picture of how the final product will look like.

 

[Dougy]

i hate to burst the "doom 3 is plastic" whores bubbles but in motion they dont look like plastic.

 

[crabcakes66]

please dont tell me what i see.

doom3's overall artwork and general design are not that impressive.....

Running down corridor after corridor popping plastic demons is not my idea of a good looking game.


this thread is not about what game has quasimatic 2000 lighting and shadows.... Its about what game LOOKS the best.

 

[blahblahblah]

doom3's overall artwork and general design are not that impressive.....

How is it not impressive. Sounds more like a bias then an observation.

Running down corridor after corridor popping plastic demons is not my idea of a good looking game.

Substitute plastic demons with generic aliens and military and you get Half-Life and Half-Life2.

this thread is not about what game has quasimatic 2000 lighting and shadows.... Its about what game LOOKS the best.

Lighting and shadows play a huge part in determining how a game looks. Go find a game that allows you to choose between software and hardware rendering. Notice a difference? I bet you do. The more advanced the lighting and shadowing that are used in the game the better the game will look.

 

[Kadayi]

i hate to burst the "doom 3 is plastic" whores bubbles but in motion they dont look like plastic.

But they do look grey, pretty much every creature in the D³ videos was grey or a similar tone. Great skins, but no colour going on at all.