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Denver, 2:46 AM
Sat Jan 2
9 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/16/09
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10/19/09
[www.youtube.com]
While it's obviously missing a little spit 'n shine, it's still Dead Space, and in my opinion it appears to preserve the aesthetics of the final product fairly well for a last-gen, non-native HD console.
I think a more relevant example of how important graphics and processing power overall are is the original Medal of Honor on the Playstation. I'm sure that the game would have been far, far more enjoyable if it hadn't been held back by technical limitations. The draw distance was pathetic, letting you see only perhaps 5-6 meters in front of your face, so the sniper rifle couldn't even really zoom in. There are a number of clipping and graphical glitches that can easily be blamed on the Playstation's relatively primitive graphics capabilities, and the game more often than not ran at framerates of lower than 20 FPS, making it extremely difficult to aim at things. In fact, interviews reveal that the engine technically wasn't able to render more than two enemies on screen at the same time without horribly raping the engine. In short, it's amazing how anybody had the tolerance to enjoy that game, because looking back on it, it probably would have fared far better on superior hardware.
A more ancient example of this same kind of predicament is the Atari 2600 itself. Although the system was extremely popular, it really couldn't render more than a few objects on screen at the same time - a "ball" and "missle" object, specifically. Anything more than that would cause the screen to flicker horribly so that the system could keep up, and technically, most games didn't even render everything that was supposed to be on the screen in one frame at a time. The Atari 2600 port of Space Invaders is notorious for not having as many aliens as the original, even though the developers had already used tricks to make the hardware render as many as it did.
While it's obvious that these kinds of situations are hardly analogous to today's technical tribulations, they can be used to illustrate the simple fact that hardware matters. HD graphics do matter in this day and age, because higher resolutions not only make many games prettier, they make them playable. I used to play Unreal Tournament 3 and Team Fortress 2 on a much older graphics card, and could only play at a resolution of 640 x 480 on the lowest settings. It didn't matter how smoothly the games ran (which they really didn't), it was still nearly impossible to hit anything because it was hard to tell what was what. Now I can play both games at resolutions of 1280 x 1024. Let me tell you, not only is it a big improvement in the graphics department, completely changing the atmosphere of both games, but it also makes them both playable for once. Dead Rising Wii failed because it couldn't render as many zombies on screen as the original, and on my old specs, TF 2 lagged to high hell whenever more than a few players were on screen blowing each other up. Now, let's say that the Wii could keep up with the 360 and PS3 in terms of graphics processing power, but still only output in 480p at maximum. Not only would that make NO sense, confounding and frustrating many customers who are smart enough to know what the system would be capable of, it also holds the system back because the developers would not be willing to support such an outdated definition, and having low resolutions would hinder gameplay in many obvious ways, not to mention completely killing the atmosphere. Trust me, playing a 480p game on a 40" flatscreen television perfectly capable of 1080p is not pretty AT ALL.
Anyway, the point here is that I can't see why anybody would be AGAINST HD graphics. And while it's obvious that Miyamoto is not exactly opposed to HD graphics, he's completely ignoring anything that graphics can contribute to an experience, both atmospherically and technically speaking. It's impractical, but he'd never know, because it's not like most Nintendo games run on cutting-edge graphics technology, nor does the gameplay in most Nintendo games rely on modern graphical techniques to create atmosphere, display relevant information in creative ways, or facilitate gameplay beyond what has already been done. It's no exaggeration to say that Nintendo games function very very differently from most other games, so of course HD might not be as relevant. But Nintendo's adamant stance on HD is what's keeping potential customers at bay, and it's one of the reasons why they lost so much third-party interest and support. Even from a business standpoint, this stuff fucking matters.
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/20/09
"Obviously, Nintendo has no need for or desire to make their systems competitively powerful, but it's pretty obvious that their decision to use obsolete processing technology has lost them a lot of support from both third-parties and customers."
I'll concede the third party support, though they have a lot of it, but customers? No. They do not have a huge lead and continue to sell Wiis hand over fist each month because they lost customers.
As far as Uncharted 2, no doubt the Wii couldn't process the physics required for that game, but it could definitely handle the poor looking wall and ground textures I have seen in a lot of screen shots. Again, I don't see how making the Drake guy look more realistic improves the gameplay. #nintendo
10/20/09
You're asking why games need to be realistic to be fun, and the answer is that while they do not need to have the best graphics evar to be fun, it certainly helps people enjoy the game more, and it adds to the diversity of games out there. I don't recall saying that games need to be realistic to be fun. But, it does depend on the game. Not every single fucking game out there calls for the simplicity in graphics design of a Mario game, and if they did, I can assure you that people would feel very differently about how they played.
10/16/09
10/16/09
Nintendo had better business acumen, innovation and marketing and crushed the competition by NOT putting HD in the Wii and keeping the cost down. I'm not a big fan of the current Wii but Nintendo did what they've always done since the 80's...redefined the industry this time at a lower price point.. and god help us all..
I'd buy a WiiHD if and only if Nintendo improves their online with more community features and gives us 5.1 support while keeping costs competitive. #nintendo
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Your right, Gameplay Graphics.
But some people do enjoy a good visually stunning moment, it can really help set a mood.
Its not needed, but HD would be a nice plus.
Thankyou for making sure that everyone has read that exact same comment you posted for the 1001st time. #nintendo
10/15/09
I would prefer the Wii caught up and did HD, but honestly, when a game like Super Mario Galaxy busts out I can't really tell the difference unless I actually make a point to think about it. Shadow of the Colossus anyone?
As much as I love HD I'm so tired of the snobs who condemn everything that isn't. Yes, we get it, HD is super fine, but to be hung up on the tech behind games is to miss the point. Some of the greatest games I'll ever play are pixels and sprites. That said, Uncharted 2 looks completely amazing. #nintendo
10/15/09
10/16/09
That being said Mario Galaxy is easily my favourite game this generation. I'm not really sure it would look much different in "HD".
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10/15/09
"Looks isn't everything, personality and charm is also important. But it wouldn't hurt to look good" #nintendo
10/15/09
I'd probably buy an HD Wii for my son if one came out. #nintendo
10/16/09
The DSi is a complete system upgrade from head to toe. It still plays DS games but will also support the newer titles it was built for.
Building a HD Wii wouldn't be accepted so well. #nintendo
10/15/09
10/15/09
Looking forward to Galaxy 2. #nintendo
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10/15/09
The point's the same either way: the vast majority of the country still has old TVs. Want proof of that? Look at how many people needed coupons for the digital converter program. #nintendo
10/15/09
360: Is a mixed bag now, has DVD yet has 1080p output. At first it was fine but now it is lagging behind and now it is stuck in the middle since everything is getting bigger and to last the next few years without bluray with 1080p is a huge pickle to be in. One way to get past that is DLC or a bigger harddrive, but it still a pickle no matter what.
PS3: Released as a full next gen gaming machine but lag behind the competition for YEARS because of it, only now starting to catch up.
Wii: DVD with standard graphics, Nintendo didn't lose anything by going this route (a part from lose to many a pirate, but they make up their loses very well) and now they could probably safely release a HD model within the next year or two... HD won't be the underlying feature (Nintendo will have to have other newer features to make it sell other then just 'lol here is wii hd enjoy'), but it is standard so no doubt it will most likely be able to output full HD quality with and maybe use bluray disc or some other form of new medium. #nintendo
10/15/09
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10/16/09
10/15/09
With the recent revelation that fewer half of the people who played Gears of War 2 did so on an HDTV, you can't really blame Nintendo for dragging their feet here.
The technology is certainly here for some people, but not everybody has latched onto the HD bandwagon, which is fine. Nintendo is certainly correct for focusing on gameplay over graphics. #nintendo
10/15/09
10/15/09
you don't make the standard. #nintendo
10/15/09
TV's used to be lower than 480 lines(240 or something), and when 480p came out it was touted as HD.
Though this is many many many years ago.
But give it 20 years and 4K will get touted as HD all over again. #nintendo
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10/15/09
the standards are 480p, 720p n 1080p then up to 2K, 4K and the experimental shit
Halo jsut runs at 640p, its not 720p n its not 480p. Simple as.
The fact Youtube call their higher resolution stuff "HD" kinda shows how useless HD is as a 'standard'
I open up the "HD" options for outputting renders and I get a shit ton of 'standards' in various resolution.
Doesn't help that its NTSC thats 480p, PAL is 576i.
Makes handing in assignments a pain in the ass when you have web, PAL, NTSC, 'HD' and the random in betweens to think about. each teacher prefers their own resolution... bleeurgh.
I'd prefer everything just be 1080p n leave it at that, but the bitrate n render time is obviously a pain. #nintendo
10/15/09
How pretty a game is might not matter in terms of gameplay, true, to an extent, but the power of the console is quite important for gameplay.
To run snazzy graphics you need higher processing power, and this is the processing power that is used to create more advanced AI and physics. Is this not true? I'm no expert.
One of the gameplay perks of playing, let's say, GTA4, is the fancy physics engine (who's name I forget) that allows the NPCs to register shots to different body parts and to flail around realistically. The Wii does not have the processing power to do that.
To me, that is a crucial part of the gameplay experience of GTA4, one that enticed me to the game, actually.
I'm not sure if "physics" and such fall under the realm of "graphics," but they do seem to go hand-in-hand with "HD graphics/gaming."
I think that if you limit your hardware, you limit your gameplay.
10/15/09
I tried to say that as least tech like as I possibly could, if anybody is wondering why it sounds somewhat weird. #nintendo
10/15/09
I believe what you say makes. Processing power enables the... well the processing... of most of the content being diffused or used.
Anyways, it's not like Nintendo needs the new tech. They are falling back in the online, graphics and power techs, but they are still ahead in the sales.
Not saying I like the direction Wii is heading, but Nintendo likes it! #nintendo
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10/16/09
This Euphoria engine (thanks SasQ) is not nearly the same as what you describe in GoldenEye. Those are canned animations while the newer physics give us endless possibilities for different deaths. You may be different, but I find a much greater feeling of satisfaction when the characters die in cool, surprising ways. It enhances the gameplay. When peeps die in GoldenEye they die in one of twenty ways, and "seeing them die" does not contribute to the entertainment/gameplay in the slightest.
It DOES take more processing power to use these physics, otherwise we would see something like it on the Wii.
But yea, your examples are much better.. as well as Nside's.
@(Zombie) D Mitsuki, Gotta have guts kid!: Ok, yes, that makes sense. That made me think of Boom Blox. Never played it, but it seems like the graphics were sacrificed in order to better serve the physics. #nintendo
10/15/09
Video games aren't meant to be horsepower pissing contests. They are meant to be entertaining. Slinkies aren't in HD but they are still pretty fun, fun is supposed to come first. #nintendo
10/15/09
10/15/09
I'd be fine with horse and buggy... except I can't stand the smell of horses. :p #nintendo
10/15/09
My point is it doesn't matter if the Wii is HD or not, if the games you play make you keep playing despite graphical flaws, what exactly is the damn problem? #nintendo
10/15/09
Just like when they released a console with an inferior graphics chip/processor/whatever to their previous console, right? #nintendo
10/15/09