1) Graphics
“But graphics don’t mean anything!” I hear you yelling at your laptop. Let me guess, you instead think one of the following: graphics are for the elitists/ graphics don’t effect the gameplay/it’s actually more about the aesthetic quality.
Well, yes and no. But mainly no. This is the new era of gaming folks, the next generation of cutting edge computer entertainment. Technical improvements are one of the reasons gaming is such an impressive thing to take part in, and as “beautiful” as your pixel-art indie drivel is, is it really pushing any technical boundaries? Is it really driving the industry forward? Really?
The last-gen version of Grand Theft Auto V was no slouch, but the updated game comes with a coat of paint so fresh it’s still dripping down the canvas. It looks like real life, sometimes even better. The characters might have a slightly “uncanny valley” look, but environments are meticulously modelled and chock-full of so many little details that simply noticing them all should unlock an achievement. One of those details is a dog that takes dumps.
Far Cry 4 is also something of a graphical powerhouse, with some of the densest foliage and richest lighting since the original Crysis made you shell out $400 for a new graphics card. The rendering of the wildlife is particularly noteworthy, with an abundance of beautiful looking creatures to hunt and be hunted by. An example of one of those creatures is a dog.
Another card stacked in Far Cry‘s favour is that it managed to retain a certain parity on rival consoles, whereas GTA V has caused something of a stir with its gaping graphical differences between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Obviously graphics aren’t the be all and end all, but that’s what the rest of this article is for. So turn the page.
