Can A Game Be Too Pretty?

Delve with me into an age old question: can a video game be too pretty? I am sure many of you will fly off the handle and simply reply “of course not!”. Understandably so seeing as many of us in the gaming community have waited for this current generation of games to really exercise our HD televisions, but I pose to you the conundrum… Can a game be too pretty for multiplayer? Think before answering.

Recently I delved into the newest demo from our friends over at Naughty Dog and really didn’t think too much of it until I began to play the game. Myself and the other editors decided to play multiplayer matches to get a feel for the game and the controls, but what we found was breath taking. Uncharted 2 is a masterpiece on all fronts so far, creating a fun mix of combat and action right into their multiplayer. Here is where the integral question lies, is Uncharted 2 too pretty to play on multiplayer?

You may think that I may be worried about possible lag issues because of the high resolution and frame rate of the title, but this isn’t the case at all. My main concern was with the sheer beauty of the game, it caught me by surprise so much that during deathmatches I would literally walk away and just look at the scenery. In the temple during a RPG match I caught myself looking at the candles on the wall and commenting to the other editors how truly spectacular they looked. Then during the Ice stage I found myself looking at the tread marks left in the snow left by other players. In one stage my admiration of trickling water in the corner got me assassinated. Even during a simple reload I found myself admiring the actual clip I just removed out of the AK47 that now lay on the ground.

I submit to you that Uncharted 2 is just too pretty and actually takes your attention away from killing others. Perhaps once I am used to the sheer beauty of the game, then and only then, can I really become a lean mean killing machine. As of right now I feel like an art student looking at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel wondering how Michaelangelo achieved such greatness.

My only greater fear is that Uncharted 3 may be even better… impossible!

http://dualshockers.com/2009/09/can-a-game-be-too-pretty/

Is the damn game THAT gorgeous? Oh my.........

The "prettyness" will wear off eventually like all games that look amazing when first released.

When you pass through an amazing looking part ofa game for the first time you usually stop and think WOW. The second time not so much and the fifth time you just run through without noticing.