I don't know about Castlevania and I haven't started Enslaved yet (great Collector's Edition btw), but currently Prince of Persia (2008) is the best looking multiplat game for me.

@Disolitude, you are getting extremely redundant with your view on graphics.  I already illustrated how your ridiculous view would mean that games like Shadow Complex, Sonic 4 or Shank could never be considered as good looking games since... you don't control a camera.  ¬_¬

Your camera excuse for dismissing the quality of some games' graphics is ludicrous at best. 

Castlevania is a really good looking game.  Certainly up there, right behind the best of the best on console, at least in the third person action adventure genre (God of War 3 and Uncharted 2).  Camera control or not, this doesn't make the damn intricacies and details in the graphics go away.  Making what you see actually look good. The only thing holding it back from the top of the top is the fact that they didn't get to lock the framerate at a steady 30fps.  Just like Enslaved is getting near the top of the top too, but is held back by some poor texture work, screen tearing, and lots of pop-ins.

The tech used in both games is different, and so is the approach to game design.  But both are mostly on-rail experiences, and one is certainly not as detailed as the other one, camera "cheat"(seriously, wtf?) or not.  Lighting in Castlevania is much better than in Enslaved and so is the texture work.   This makes the picture look much more detailed.  Even if Enslaved takes the flashy approach that the Uncharted series uses (a game series that it unashamedly copies on almost every single game design ideas and execution) by over-saturating the colors, giving this vivid look that most people (myself included) appreciate.

Finally, by the description you gave, Disolitude, you seem to have only done the demo of both games and nothing else (of course, your description of what you did un Enslaved particularly makes me think that's the case), and jumped on the occasion yet again to come bashing at Castlevania's visuals.  Spitting the same redundant lame "camera control cheating excuses.  Before talking about something, I would highly suggest that you know a bit more about what you're talking about first.

So I'm assuming you believe God of War III doesn't have very good graphics because you can't control the camera?

Yeah, because camera control is the only thing important in graphics.  The amount of shaders used, or the strenght of the lighting engine, among other things are not to be taken into account.

Take Enslaved, and make it a shader heavy game like Castlevania, and that "free camera" game becomes a stuttering fest.

You didn't illustrate anything in the previous thread.

Shank, sonic and Shadow complex are not visual powerhouse games by any means. They have better gameplay than Lords of Shadow and they do not have gameplay where elements and attack you from 360 degree angles but where camera only lets you see 1 point of view. I don't know about you but to me that is quite dated approach to 3D visuals and gameplay involvement for a full blown hack and slash game. It leads to frustration for camera not letting you see an enemy which isn't in the field of vision, and it also leads to lack of being able to explore the scenery visually. You guys are just looking at polygons and AA you see on static images and are claiming "amazing!!!"...I'm looking at the whole game in motion. It isn't very visually stimulating as the combat is static and scenery is on rails.

You must have thought Myst was the best looking game ever when it came out for many years. Sure, all it was a point and click static background game...but it was preeety.

I wouldn't put it on the top shelf of games when it comes to visuals(unchartd 2 is better and plays much better)...but that first 30 minutes of the game is quite explosive and visually stimulating. Better than anything found in castlevania... But thts really irelevant...gameplay wise, both games bore me. I can sum up god of war/castlevania combat gameplay in 2 statements.

1. button mashing on various enemies and bosses (gets boring in 30 minutes)

2. playing DDR with buttons while finishing bigger enemies. (gets boring before it starts...QTE really need to stop)

This is how I play my games btw...I am quite a graphics "whore" but gameplay is second to none.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_m4ygvA6-tB0/TKvuVbKfzRI/AAAAAAAAARc/aA9E4yy61f8/s720/IMG_7045 x.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_m4ygvA6-tB0/TKvvsybpPoI/AAAAAAAAAR8/GQo6OAAWd5I/s720/IMG_7052x.JPG

@Disolitude: We talk about graphics, you then say the camera is affecting the gameplay as a counterpoint to justify your lack of insight?  That has nothing to do with how the graphics looks, and what kind of tech is backing them up.  You're already grasping at straws.

Edit: LMAO, what does your game setup have to do with anything discussed here.  You want attention, eh?  Here, that's today's newspaper roll... 

*Throws*

Not even close. You are talking about amount of AA, polygon models and other technical nonsence.

I am talking about how design decisions influence gameplay and visuals.

3D combat static camera = not visually stimulating period. 

The screen just sits there while shit happens...I don't find that appealing to look at.

I'm certainly not talking about the amount of AA, as none of those 2 games (Castlevania and Enslaved) has any. ^_-

lol...touche.

Some people posting above you were talking about that stuff.

I agree that castlevania is pretty and some of the scenery is very impressive. I just can't get over the limits imposed by the presentation. I'd like to explore the screnery and look around, spin the camera while I fight bosses...but I can't.