curl-6 said:
Yeah, RS2 was absolutely jaw-dropping back in 2001, there wasn't a better looking game on the planet. I remember seeing it on a TV in a game shop and thinking, "that has to be pre-rendered, there's no way that little box is generating that!" The sequel, however, pushed the system even further. |
RS3 was indeed awesome in terms of overall graphics. I enjoyed the expanded level depth, water effects, shadows and higher polygon count on ships.
But (and there always is a but) RS2 was a launch title. New system, new code, and all the new ideas they had were still tainted with the restraints of the previous generation. The leap from the n64/PSX generation to the GameCube was so mind blowing that like you, I questioned what I was seeing was even possible, much less real from a video game.
Till this day, I remember going to the Mall of America to play the GameCube for the first time during a Nintendo event. They had a Kobe NBA game which looked nice, but nothing mind blowing and some other titles but what caught my eye was a blacked off test area with a line of people. I saw the sign say RS2 (actually spelled out) and eagerly awaited to see a ps2 level fuzzy visual update to RS1, which still to me would have been awesome.
A extremely nice looking young lady led me and a friend in and said enjoy. What followed was so god damn amazing, not a single sound came from either of our mouths. The detail, the sound, the effects, the scope, and the fluid feel of holding the GameCube controller while playing that game. We walked out of that area, got back in line and played it again, and then left. The entire walk back home we would not shut up about what we thought the rest of the game would be like.
Nothing has had that much of an impact on me since then in terms of being blown away. You are right, no other game on the planet came close to looking as good as RS2 and in my opinion, and nothing approached that level until Gears of War. But again, these are just opinions.
