The technical director for Criterion (Burnout Paradise) wants to put a stop to a persistent cliché in development: The idea that some game or project is maxing out a console's capabilities.

Such a claim is "proof that you're not the best," Richard Parr said to Eurogamer. "It means you're out of ideas."

The line of reasoning - those who are truly pushing the boundaries of game development are discovering more and different things to do, not finding their options limited and shrinking. I agree. The capabilities of a console can be measured objectively in, say, polygons, framerate, etc. But the totality of a game experience? How do you honestly get to a point where you say "Well, that game is right at the limit"?

Criterion senior engineer Alex Fry chimed in: "You always find new ways to do things, the constraints lift. Not just with a new console generation but with every game you do. ... The constraints go away because you learn. While it's nice to say you've maxed something out, there's not really any point."

Criterion: Nobody's Maxed Out a PS3/360 [Eurogamer]

Send an email to the author of this post at owen@kotaku.com.