• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Dr Pears

Member
Sep 9, 2018
2,670
The Witcher 3 looked pretty bad compared to other open worlds like GTAV Remastered & MGSV which came out around the same time.
 

Whompa

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
4,254
the fact that it's a discussion is the most depressing or disappointing downgrade of the entire artistic medium, to me...

...oh and Watchdogs. Immediately started this generation on a wet fart.
 
OP
OP

BAD

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,565
USA
Is the overall point of your thread to just complain about games not looking as pretty as in earlier vertical slices and just not acknowledge any sort of context?
I'd have no problem with you trying to bring context had you actually had anything to add to the topic, but you have yet to answer to the premise of the thread at all.

It's one thing to say "X game was my biggest disappointment on this topic, but I'd like to add that it was understandable for X reasons."

But you've come in with no intention of actually joining the discussion and instead are making serial argument posts.
Many people don't do this, especially when they not only make braindead comparisons but also call the end product ugly regardless of the context. Even OP started the thread with stating that a four year old game is actually ugly along with the implication that the only way for it to be consistently pretty is by editing ini setting.
Ugly is a subjective term, and there's no context for the downgraded visuals that makes my overall opinion 'wrong' on the matter. I considered it ugly at launch and ugly on Pro and misleading to post .ini file edits as if they shipped it that way. It isn't a new opinion on a 4 year old game. It's my answer to my thread title.

Why enter a thread where you refuse to acknowledge the existence of its premise?
 

Crossing Eden

Member
Oct 26, 2017
53,292
I'd have no problem with you trying to bring context had you actually had anything to add to the topic, but you have yet to answer to the premise of the thread at all.

It's one thing to say "X game was my biggest disappointment on this topic, but I'd like to add that it was understandable for X reasons."

But you've come in with no intention of actually joining the discussion and instead are making serial argument posts.
I already gave my opinion on the subject of "downgrades" people talk the most about. You should read your own thread.

Seems so. Gotta love the more toxic threads.
 
Oct 29, 2017
13,471
While I appreciate the in depth explanation of how they needed to change engines. There is still the image that the end user receives (regardless of system used to play it) and whether it looked like what was shown originally or not. There's only so much the context can add when we are setting the tone of the thread with terms like "under the hood changes". It is more of a what you see and what you get premise.
 

Dremorak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,682
New Zealand
Because it came out in 2015. The Witcher 3 was the most ambitious game of the generation at the time of release.
I must just not like the art style, cause even at the time it just felt...meh.
IMO this:
witcher3pc_06.jpg
Looks no where near as good as this:
And these aren't even close to the best shots from any of these games. It just looks average as hell to me.
Sure some of the wide shots of valleys of trees that I'm sure people will reply with look pretty decent. But it never really looked as good to me as any of the other games that year.
 

Leo-Tyrant

Member
Jan 14, 2019
5,072
San Jose, Costa Rica
That the end game is ugly. And the difference wasn't IQ.
There is a difference between "this game looks worse from reveal to launch" and "this game is ugly".

A very large difference.

Also no, the difference is not in IQ lol

I tend to associate IQ with the overall "image quality", that includes worse lightning, worse shadowing, worse filtering, etc. But you are right.

I meant "difference in actual graphic quality"

Still not a hot take, people can be disappointed if they are shown A but the end product is B+ (Even considering all of the game development, engine and hardware context)
 

Crossing Eden

Member
Oct 26, 2017
53,292
I must just not like the art style, cause even at the time it just felt...meh.
IMO this:
As we established, no TW3 does not look as good as games with lower ambitions and different priorities when it comes to resource management. But when it all comes together it results in an experience that's much more engrossing than any of the other games that year. Or even the years before it. Like novigrad is much smaller than Seattle in Infamous but good lord is the former more memorable. There's always a lot going on in The Witcher 3. It's definitely a technical marvel. And as someone else said, Bloodborne doesn't look quite like that. For example that screenshot lacks chromatic aberration. :|
 
Last edited:

KORNdog

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
8,001
The Witcher 3
Watchdogs
Anthem
Crackdown 3

Those all stand out in my mind as pretty big downgrades compared to the "real time console footage" they initially showed.

I find crackdown 3 to be the most insulting though. The others still looked ok/good.

I imagine cyberpunk will be getting added to the list too. But I guess we'll see.
 

Acetown

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,296
Dark Souls 2 was pretty disappointing, it's not a current gen game though, but it's already being discussed so I'll roll with it.
I would still say it's a nice improvement over the first game though.

tlozwiiu2015.905f1115438.original.jpg


Breath of the Wild is one of my favorite games ever, but damn would this have been nice.

I honestly kind of disagree about Zelda. Yes, there's an obvious technological downgrade, but the final game still ended up looking nicer because of the colors.
The teaser was garish as hell.
 
Last edited:

nib95

Contains No Misinformation on Philly Cheesesteaks
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
18,498
As we established, no TW3 does not look as good as games with lower ambitions and different priorities when it comes to resource management. But when it all comes together it results in an experience that's much more engrossing than any of the other games that year. Or even the years before it. Like novigrad is much smaller than Seattle in Infamous but good lord is the former more memorable. And as someone else said, Bloodborne doesn't look quite like that. For example that screenshot lacks chromatic aberration. :|

What does that have to do with the game being mis-adverised and hugely downgraded in final retail build comparative to early gameplay footage or builds?

And personally I think other open world games that released in a somewhat similar time frame looked better, eg games like Dragon Age Inquisition, Final Fantasy XV, InFamous Second Son, Arkham Knight etc.

But all of that is besides the point. Developers should be more honest about how their games will look, or be more careful with respect to judging prospective builds, hardware limitations etc prior to release. For example, don't have your game running on some ridiculously beastly PC rig for early show off builds when you know it should know the game will have to be massively paired back to also run on much weaker consoles. It's just deceptive.
 

Crossing Eden

Member
Oct 26, 2017
53,292
What does that have to do with the game being mis-adverised and hugely downgraded in final retail build comparative to early gameplay footage or builds?
I imagine you haven't read the thread.

And personally I think other open world games that released in a somewhat similar time frame looked better, eg games like Dragon Age Inquisition, Final Fantasy XV, InFamous Second Son etc.
I imagine you haven't read the thread.
 

EssCee

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,130
Uncharted 4 reveal with Drake didnt really hold up in the final game - still a gorgeous game but wasn't as mind blowing from a character model perspective
 

Darkstar0155

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,158
I was actually disappointed in Anthem. It does look great, but not as mind-blowing as I expected.

Red dead redemption 2 looks amazing but I was disappointed in the hair and people in general outside of the main cast.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 probably takes the cake for me though. It's a fun game but I can't stand the IQ.
Can XC2 be considered a downgrade though? I don't remember it looking any different from when it was first revealed.

For me personally, it would be BOTW (not that it doesn't look great) and WD
 

J_ToSaveTheDay

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
18,775
USA
Watch Dogs by far was massively overblown in its initial reveal. The narrative also ended up being disappointing despite what I feel is a pretty good premise, and the gameplay had a very mediocre feel to it -- not great and not terrible.

But it was a huge visual and generally experiential let down compared to what I wanted after seeing its reveal.
 

misho8723

Member
Jan 7, 2018
3,709
Slovakia
There's no denying that TW3 was downgraded, but calling the game ugly is straight crazy talk - this screens are of course without any mods
http:///Xfld.jpg
http:///Vfld.jpg
http:///Wfld.jpg
http:///Yfld.jpg
 
Last edited:

Morrigan

Spear of the Metal Church
Member
Oct 24, 2017
34,294
It launched in 2014 on XB1 and PS4? How is it any less current gen than Watch Dogs or MGSV?
No, it launched on PS360 only. It was later ported on PS4/X1 with the Scholar edition but it was made 100% as a PS360 game. Watch Dogs and MGSV were at least cross-gen at launch.
 

MillionIII

Banned
Sep 11, 2018
6,816
Watch Dogs, first next gen game I bought. I expected it to blow gta v out of the water but to my surprise it was really bad, how this game sits at 80 metacritic I have no idea.
 
Oct 29, 2017
13,471
What are some notorious downgrades in previous gens anyway? Like before the 360 and Ps3. Was it not much of a thing to over-promise yet?
 

Cyborg

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
1,955
Dark Souls 2 and The Witcher. Both amazing games but the reveal and downgrade was just insane.
 

Stouffers

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,924
Zelda also had a disappointing downgrade before release.. mostly with lighting . It's not talked about a lot, but I remember being disappointed.
 

Legacy

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,704
Witcher 3 ugly? Couldn't disagree more

Watchdogs will forever hold the title of most disappointing graphical downgrade of the gen
 

Detail

Member
Dec 30, 2018
2,946
It took me 2 hours to mod TW3 to get it looking anywhere near the trailers from before release.

It does look fantastic now tbh not going to lie but the standard game actually has always visually underwhelmed me not going to lie, I couldn't go back to playing it without mods now that I have seen it like it is with them, just being honest.

The small details in Witcher 3 (like how bushes and foliage doesn't react to you when you walk through them) has always made it feel quite last gen to me, I feel like other open world games kind of spoiled it for me.

It has some of the best looking vistas I have ever seen though.

In terms of downgrade and what is the worst, Alien colonial marines by some distance but since I am sure that's not this gen then probably Rainbow Six Siege, the initial trailer looked so much better than the actual game.
 

Nezacant

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,083
This thread went exactly as expected. Way to go.

The guys calling The Witcher 3 ugly need to go visit to the Screenshot thread on Era..
Right? The screenshots people are posting here of Witcher 3 are laughable, obvious attempts at finding the worst looking examples of the game either with lower end hardware or less than ideal time of day and lighting conditions. I get people were disappointed at the visual difference between early prototypes of the game and the final product (which happens ALL THE TIME), but there is no need to shit out straight up falsities when the game at release was still very impressive.
 

Deleted member 9746

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,406
There's no denying that TW3 was downgraded, but calling the game ugly is straight crazy talk - this screens are of course without any mods
http:///Xfld.jpg
http:///Vfld.jpg
http:///Wfld.jpg
http:///Yfld.jpg
wow so ugly

Off topic but still relevant: The DLCs of TW3 saw visual improvements across the board according to DF.
There's that too. The DLCs look significantly more impressive than the base game.
 

ss_lemonade

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,642
What are some notorious downgrades in previous gens anyway? Like before the 360 and Ps3. Was it not much of a thing to over-promise yet?
I thought Brute Force on the OG Xbox looked next gen when looking at magazine previews. I don't remember the final game blowing me away though.

That might just be down to higher resolution screenshots though. For example, Ninja Gaiden Black on the 1x now matches the bullshots we got before.
 

misho8723

Member
Jan 7, 2018
3,709
Slovakia
Off topic but still relevant: The DLCs of TW3 saw visual improvements across the board according to DF.

These are mine own screenshots from vanilla version of TW3 with the majority of them with Medium graphic settings.. somehow I still don't see an ugly game
http:///dgld.jpg
http:///fgld.jpg
http:///ggld.jpg
http:///egld.jpg
http:///pgld.jpg
http:///qgld.jpg
 
Last edited:

ThatsMyTrunks

Mokuzai Studio
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
2,619
San Antonio, TX
Watch Dogs is the answer for me and it's not even close. I watched that trailer over and over again thinking "video games can do this?"

Then the game came out, and the answer was a clear and resounding "no they can't yet"
 

Matty H

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,107
Witcher 3? It was one of the best looking games ever when it came out. I played on Xbox and was still blown away but the Digital Foundry vids made me wish I had a top end PC.

I think Ubisoft are the biggest culprits. We were shown some impressive visuals when Watch_D0gs was revealed but it ended up looking like a 360 game.