Have we hit the technology wall?

[rocketpig]

BrainBoxLtd said:

rocketpig said:

Whether they look like cutscenes or not is irrelevent. You have to realize that even a Blu-ray disc probably wouldn't hold all of the pre-rendered video needed to play Mass Effect if the game engine didn't power the entire game. Not to mention the millions of dollars BioWare would have needed to put into the game to pre-render all the footage. Mass Effect wouldn't have nearly the impact if you forced lower resolutions into the storytelling. You may disagree with me but I have a feeling that most people with 40" or larger HDTVs will probably agree with me on this one.

 I have a 50" HD set. For me the more impressive parts of Mass Effect was the camera direction, as it seemed to be one of the few games to actually direct the camera in dramatic ways. That's what stood out to me, not the textures and the lighting.

 

Ah, yes, the camera direction was another brilliant touch. I didn't mention it but I should have. My point is that when everything is combined, Mass Effect brings really amazing storytelling to the table that wasn't possible last generation through the game engine, lighting, textures, cameras, and sound. Could it have run better? Absolutely. But since this was BioWare's first stab at the 360 and even they admit the game was rushed, there's a lot more there to tap into for future releases.

And some of the AI in that game are really bastards... I just hit a pirate cove last night and trying to coax those bastards out into the open without dying was a real pain.