Tech Analysis | Splinter Cell: Conviction (576p, 2xMSAA)

[Reasonable]

slowmo said:

Reasonable said:

FaRmLaNd said:
This generations obession with resolution is bordering on the moronic.

Newsflash, high resoltion has nothing to do with how good a game looks. Thats more based on colour pallete, lighting, art direction then having more tiny squares. Not to mention gameplay is king anyway.

While I agree the focus on resolution is getting out of hand you can't say it has nothing to do with how good a game looks - it is a major factor in how good a game will look depending upon the relationship to the resolution and the display.

Game assets, art direction, lighting, etc. will make a huge difference in whether the game looks attractive or not - no doubt about it - but they can be both enhanced or scuppered by resolution.

I think its more of a case of people jumping on the hate bandwagon just regarding resolution they are annoyed with.  So many people were quick to criticize FFXIII on the 360 regarding its issues, even with everything mentioned, when I saw the game in action its still a beautiful looking game.  The worst points regarding the quality of that game in comparison to the PS3 version were not because of the resolution fully but rather steps they implemented while porting.  The CG video could have looked a shed load better with some better use of the compression codecs rather than the hasty job that appeared.  The mad alisasing that occurs in places could have been fixed if they'd patched the engine prior to porting rather than doing the rush job. 

The point is that like you say resolution can enhance the image but it should never be a buying point, mind you some would argue graphics in general should never be a main buying point!

Yeah, I never think graphics should be a selling point either.  Guess I was just being pedantic regarding the idea resolution has nothing at all to do with the final results, which is clearly not the case.

I find myself wondering how my 360s and PS3s are actually even hooked up to HD displays.  I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people are playing on an SD display anyway, making the whole thing kind of moot.

For me it's gameplay first and then artistic direction over technical graphics, if you see what I mean.  I first and foremost want the game assets to look well designed and in line with its feel, then a sensible balance between resolution, etc. and performance.