Is next-gen really next-gen?

...Having just checked the new Lost Planet trailer, i have become even more excited about Capom' s new IP... ...looks like LP will be truly quality... ...but...

...to ignore the likely to be fantastic gameplay, and to degrade the conversion to being about pure visuals:

....did anyone else notice how the visual quality of Lost Planet seems to be on the same level as ex-box' s Ninja Gaiden?....

...now we all know about the *cough* less than fantastic, obviously not next-gen ' filler' type-games *cough* but, ...what type of majoritive standard do you expect from any newly purchased, next-big-thing gaming machine, when it comes to the number of genuine ' this-is-absolutly-not-possible-on-past-gen' game releases verses the aforementioned ' filler' material? ..(which ofc don' t necessarily have to be bad games).....

...or do you think that all/most 360 games look a million miles better than NG?..

...i don' t own a 360 yet so could you guys give me your opinions on how top drawer ex-box games compare to 360 games (from a standard definition viewpoint only ofc) ...include works in progress like Lost Planet and GOW if you want to...

....if you agree that LP is on the same level as NG, what do you think that says about ' next-next-next-gen' game consoles?....

...or about the never-endingly controversial Western devs v Japanese devs debate??....

...it makes me think that console makers are generally more skilled in marketing new ' next-gen' hardware than they are in producing the actual results....
...but that' s just my opinion.... ...what' s yours????

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Did you see the smoke from explosions?
and how many monsters,or cool robots was in that trailers?
Also the bugs look amazing!
This clearly doesnt look like a NG game.
did you dl the trailer in 480p on marketpalce?
Cause the trailer look even worser then on standard tv then :S

Even if you break 2 legs from a crab it still runs!
What you gotta do is find its weak spot and do massive damage at it.

Ghost Recon 2 (Xbox)



Ghost Recon 3 (Xbox 360)





DoA: Ultimate (Xbox)



DoA4 (Xbox 360)



But focusing on your question more specifically...

Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)



DoA4 (Xbox 360) Pretend this is Ninja Gaiden 2.





With XNA and DirectX 10, Ninja Gaiden 2 will look MUCH better than DoA4. It' s too early to compare stuff properly. Instead we should be comparing 1st gen Xbox titles to 1st gen 360 titles...

Easiest and fairest...

DoA3 (Xbox launch title)



DoA4 (Xbox 360 launch-ish title)



...

NextGen is truly nextgen, the visuals are truly amazing, play Oblvion and Ghost Recon if your in doubt. Im looking forward to seeing the Lost Planet trialer in 720P, im getting a 40" Hd tv next week.

The thing is, people always get it wrong and compare the most recent current gen games to the first next gen games.

You can only fairly compare games like the launch titles or games released a year after launch or whatever. In this case you would compare DoA3 to DoA4 even though Ultimate was far nicer than 3. And the jump is huge!

If you wanted to compare say the Xbox version of Black to something on 360, then to keep it fair you' d need to wait 3 or so years to allow developers to get inside the hardware like they did with Xbox.

Brother in arms 1(the expansion is the 2nd) Using unreal engine 2.0





And here is Bia3 with unreal engine 3.0,and yes when the character climb,or with explosion you saw that left hand.








ps! sorry here is the xbox version of the expansion game,that is considered BIA2.
Its looks good.



I played it on pc though,and never finished it,but i finished the first game.

Even if you break 2 legs from a crab it still runs!
What you gotta do is find its weak spot and do massive damage at it.

Next Gen or not - it' s about cool games - that' s why DS rox the world, that' s why every system - PS3,X360 and Revolution will be great - great games.

Some will have next gen visuals , some next gen physics ,some will have next gen AI and some will have next gen gameplay.

I can' t wait for games that combine it all - next gen gameplay with next gen graphics and physics and so on.

I think Oblivion looks to be the only game that tried it lately, and to some degree it succeded - it really is a mix of next gen goodies.

OK say the combined clock speed of the 360 is 12 or so times more powerful than the xbox before it.

thts truly next gen, so are the display, audio and communication systems.

If ferarri came out with a car 12 times more powerful than the last would people really be stood around asking if it was a new generation or not? Driving would still be the same! unless your expecting a car that flies... thats still a few generations away

Seriously, just got my brother back from london a nigh halo 2 champ, who had never played a decent 360 setup and was dubious about it.

He hasnt left the console for 4 hours playing graw.. and he hasnt seen any of the other titles yet.

So yes it definetly is next gen.

with next gen potential for the years ahead.

...it makes me think that console makers are generally more skilled in marketing new ' next-gen' hardware than they are in producing the actual results....
...but that' s just my opinion.... ...what' s yours????

Thats very true...

Next Gen or not - it' s about cool games - that' s why DS rox the world, that' s why every system - PS3,X360 and Revolution will be great - great games.

Again very true indeed..

So far ive have been equally impressed with the following games:

Zelda TP (GC): the art direction and attention to detail kills any so-called ' next-gen' adventure games ive seen/played.

VF5 (arc) The motion-capture techniques in this game are the very best I’ve witnessed. the little details and gorgeous backgrounds ' flow' in a dreamy manner.

New Super Mario Bros (DS). this looks super cool, great gorgeous graphics and again gameplay to die for.

Lost planet (360) The first 360 graphics that actually ' slapped' me in the face in a very -MGS4-way, even more actually. (just gonna see if 360 will output these visuals and run super-smooth in real-time.. we' ll see)

MGS4 (ps2) Super-smooth, great details extremely atmospheric.. this is how i expected all ' next gen' games to look like..

Crysis (PC) The finest example of how next gen PC games will look like (im already seeing Physx proccessors in motherboards, things are starting to roll)

Graphics wise- any good art direction, super-smooth framerate and attention to detail is what i look for..

Obviously, ' Gameplay' takes a huge role and i really like the direction Nintendo have been taking recently (with DS and soon Revolution)..

I feel 360 and PS3 games will at times fall to the superior gameplay that Revolution has instore. with the same over-abused ' two analogue stick' joypads, alot of game genres on 360, PS3 will feel tiresome and overused ultimately..

But I still want to play VF5 more than anything else, so..

I think the HD is really holding devs backs as far as making graphical leaps so early.

Look at first Gen Dreamcast Vs. last Gen Playstation N64 And Saturn.
I can see why some people say this is the smallest jump in history.
I think that is one of the reasons why Nintendo chose this route.

Yes I do see the differences but not like before Dreamcast.
I think...I know the difference will grow much larger .
What would happen if you took out the HD and new affects.
Visually from released games.
I say I would be much more impressed with these same specs
and devs would have been able now and later.
I wonder what would have happened if Hd was not a requirement?
I don' t think people ouhave been so disappointed.

If ferarri came out with a car 12 times more powerful than the last would people really be stood around asking if it was a new generation or not?

NO...Ferrari is not only power -it' s control - top of the line Brakes,Suspension - those cars drive like a dream.

If they made a car 12 times more powerful and able to stick to the ground at 90 degree turns or stop after 10 meters of breaking from 500 mph - it would be next gen as hell :)

Driving would still be the same!

Well ...gaming won' t be the same, because for the first time we' re getting not only the typical evolution (PS3 and X360) but also Revolution.There' s something for everybody now.I think this upcoming (actually already started) new generation is going to be amazing and much better than anything we' ve seen so far.

It' s the 3rd 3D generation and it' s not the last (look at 2D games - Guilty Gear shows that 2D graphics have been mastered only few years ago).

I think that RAM memory is one of those parameters that describe system the most so I' d say games will look about 10 times better :)

The thing is, people always get it wrong and compare the most recent current gen games to the first next gen games.

You can only fairly compare games like the launch titles or games released a year after launch or whatever. In this case you would compare DoA3 to DoA4 even though Ultimate was far nicer than 3. And the jump is huge!

If you wanted to compare say the Xbox version of Black to something on 360, then to keep it fair you' d need to wait 3 or so years to allow developers to get inside the hardware like they did with Xbox.

..i hear you, and see the logic in your point...

...but i guess that the fact that ex-box was barely tested by most devs before 360 was announced pretty much destroys your argument, because around three to four years from now, MS will announce another new machine!...

....and isn' t 360 supposed to be sooo easy to code for? (mind you, they said that about ex too)...

....i think i' m gonna compare recent 360 games against recent ex-box games anyway, because no-matter what BS console makers try to pull, first year ' next-gen' titles MUST be significantly superior to current gen, so as to be able to sway people to buy one over sticking with their current machines. PERIOD.

...soooo...

...how about a nice, simple & straight-forward comparison using the shiny-new Tomb Raider: Legend;


360

ex

360

ex

360

ex

...actually 360 seems to justify it' s self pretty well here (much better than the almost identical ex & ps2 multi-format titles)..

..but then multi-format titles usually never properly test individual platforms do they?.....

...hmmm...

...let' s look elsewhere then...

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Bish after reading what you wrote, I' m amazed you didn' t mention Okami - quite possibly the game of the year 2006 (It really is awesome).



I think it' s fair to comapre DoA4 to DoA3 - both were launch titles (DoA4 almost made it :) ) , so Team Ninja knew just as much about Xbox as they do about 360.

-maybe even more than they knew about 360 since it' s got a custom CPU with multicore programing next to Xbox' s typical intel Pentium.

Yeah but Bish is right in saying that few developers actually pushed Xbox, ...it never really made any leaps.

The thing about 360 is that XNA and DirectX 10 will unlock a whole new level and make things much easier.

Yeah you' re right - I found it strange that most games kept the same visual level with no huge improvements , but Splinter Cell kept progressing the graphics nicely and Doom 3 or HL2 were great.Same goes for Rallisport challenge 2 or Outrun 2.

Depends one developer - it' s just that some gamers never played those great games.

It definitely didn' t have graphics progression of PS2 , but PS2 started with crappy graphics so it wasn' t hard to improve.

The PS2 had crappy graphics at the onset due to developers requiring their own methods of programming the sucker. Sony does not have the dev kits that the X-Box, and moreso the 360, have available to make a programmer' s life easier. Of course, the PS3 is going to be quite difficult to program for as well, moreso due to the fact that they have to program for the multiple cores of the Cell. The only ones to release awesome looking titles soon after launch, if not at launch, will be Sony' s own developers. Their own hardware, after all. Kojima has the knowledge his team needs already. One can not say the same for third parties, unless you are Sony and you announce that, but it won' t happen.

Is next-gen really here yet? I prefer to think of it as " now arriving." The 360 does not have enough titles, or the killer app, to claim that next gen has fully arrived. However, it has entered the train station, and is applying the breaks, so it is almost here, IMO.

That being said, if Wii is what Nintendo, third parties, and their fans (I, others) think it is, Nintendo is also going to arrive in the station shortly, in a completely new train across a completely new track, laid out by the DS. It may signal a new bloodline, rather than a generation, and that is what Nintendo really is hoping for.

Quick aside - Sega, please release a multiplayer Initial D in this next-gen! Yeah, like they would do that for a relative arcade cash cow, but one could always hope.

You wa Shock!!!

That being said, if Wii is what Nintendo, third parties, and their fans (I, others) think it is, Nintendo is also going to arrive in the station shortly, in a completely new train across a completely new track, laid out by the DS.

...yeah, but once you get a ticket and get on board, you' ll find that the train is just one big wii smelling neonatal crèche...


...y' know, the more i look at the above tomb Raider comparison, the less i' m impressed.... ...perhaps i was too quick to give 360 the benefit of the doubt...

...i might even go as far as saying, that if ex-box had been given more time, it probably could match most first generation 360 games....

Edit:

hey vdig, that is a f*cking awesome avatar you got' s there dude

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I agree that the X-Box could still be further tapped. However, considering the old school computer parts in the X-Box, it is a wonder it could look better than most computer rigs. Then again, the X-Box need not support Windoze, so it can afford to spend every bit of power on the games. How much more could be tapped is a different story. I think M$ was right to attempt to pre-empt the Sony machine, but the lack of software will hurt it badly. Finally, if Silentbomber and the suppossed 322 euro launch price pulls through with a larger game library, M$ will be smarting.

Thank you for liking the avatar. Took it from a 1024 x 768 wallpaper. Cropped and resized via Photoshop. Next up for my avatar: animated gif of Kenshiro getting ready to kick ass. That won' t be complete for a while though. Here is the page my avatar came from.
http://www.hokuto-no-ken.jp/index2.aspx

Edit 1 and 2 and 3

While I' m at it, if you want to see what Raoh Gaiden looks like in action, the trailers are available in the above link as well. I recommend trailers 2, 4, and 5. If only the regular anime looked that sick.

You wa Shock!!!

....



....err i' m gonna need some help with that link... ....my ability with Japanese ideograms is a big fat Zero...

...fantastic presented site though (loved the guitars)... ...please say it' s for a new Hokuto no ken anime movie

Currently accepting Article & Review requests

Next gen really needs a Hokuto game, two if you count the 2d fighter....

With that out of the way, make sure you are on the page with the scrolling background. If not, you are on http://www.hokuto-no-ken.jp/. The link to index 2 is on the top right of that page, above Kenshiro' s golden portrait.


You will find yourself at http://www.hokuto-no-ken.jp/index2.aspx
To find the wallpapers, click the download link (menu is in English).
Trailer link for trailers. Trailers appear on the right as large and small flash video. Video appears to the left. I number them 1-5 going down. (top =1) 2, 4, and 5 are recommended, 2 for nostalgic anime intro, 4 and 5 for length and scenes.

Yes, it is a movie, out in Japanese theatres now.

You wa Shock!!!

Yes, it is a movie, out in Japanese theatres now

...GREAT NEWS!!! ..you just made my day... (why' d didn' t i hear about this earlier?)..
...anyway better stick on topic, if you wanna post more about bad@$$ anime, post here ...

...anyone got RRXX for 360?.. ...are you impressed with this:



...when three years ago ex-box had this:



...?....


...don' t you just love next-gen eh?...

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Then again, DOAXBV was not a first wave title either. Still, it is true. Unless you count the lighting and all the fancy technical stuff, there is not much improvement in graphics comparing DOAX to RRXX. Indiana Jones tech demo is introducing some dynamic flailing for AI, though, that can not be reproduced on the currently established consoles, so there are a few things to look forward to. Like I said, next-gen is only now arriving at the station. It is not all here yet.

You wa Shock!!!

RRXX is being compared to a game by Team Ninja?

That' s just wrong!

You should have waited until DOAX2 was shown at E3...

Unless you count the lighting and all the fancy technical stuff, there is not much improvement in graphics comparing DOAX to RRXX.

...improvement?

...i call that a regression!

...still majik is right i guess, it IS unfair to compare against TN....

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Xbox



Xbox 360

You know, when I first saw the difference, I was impressed. Then I looked properly.

Now it' s obviously better, but I mean look at thing. It' s almost the same model, with better lighting and rez. - Just look at his feet.
Look at the first on Ghost Rider, to the firs near Cap hardly next gen impressiveness.

Honestly, if this game say say a well developed eXbox game, the difference would be miniscule.

NiGHTS into Dreamcast

Visuals have gotten much better but it hasn' t chocked us the same way as with previous generations since the jump in graphics haven' t affected the gameplay or the content in any major way.
When the PS1 and DC were released the power of those consoles affected the gameplay significantly. Would Shenmue be possible on the Saturn? Maybe but it wouldn' t have been the same thing as on the DC.
So I think we should take the amount of content and gameplay in games in concideration here instead of visuals.
Is the gameplay and the content in the 360 games possible in previous-gen console games?
Maybe some of them but tell me that a game like Oblivion would' ve been possible on the PS2 and I' ll slap your face so that you wake up to reality.

The PS2. No. But the PSP.....

Just kidding..

NiGHTS into Dreamcast

When they dev multiplattform titles they have a special graphic engine in mind,that they use to its fullest power when using 360,as seein in Tomb raider legends.

However they will not look truly next gen cause that engine must be able to run in previous gen,btw for 2 years ago the best pc could run UE 3.0 in max 5 fps,which means any console like gc/ps2/xbox would explode if it even tried it.

While 360 and ps3 is ready for it,and in titles as Gears of war,too human,mass effect and Mgs4 you truly see what games are capable of when they are dev for a next gen and wasn' t a launch title that had to been rushed.

Even if you break 2 legs from a crab it still runs!
What you gotta do is find its weak spot and do massive damage at it.

The Unreal Engine 3.0 would downright murder my rig at the moment. It is not that strong at all.

In that case, my computer is also current gen. Man, can' t wait for next gen to arrive in full.

You wa Shock!!!

Do these look " next-gen" ???

No, they look next-next-gen.

Majik why even try?
Let all people who doubt on next gen see what MS has to offer in terms of Mass effect,gears of war and too human and ofc halo3.

:) let they speak for themself.

Even if you break 2 legs from a crab it still runs!
What you gotta do is find its weak spot and do massive damage at it.

I dont own a 360 but from the vidoes ive seen of 360 games running I do think its next gen. When the PS3 comes out you will truely see next gen (graphics that is)

...i think you all should shut up and listen to the true voice of knowledge, Kikizo:

..So far all we' ve got is last-gen ports with a quick dash of bump-mapping paint, or a thousand extra brain-dead foes chucked in to make use of the extra processing power.

...obviously from 360' s specs, it is a next gen machine.... ...it just hasn' t produced any real next-gen games.....

...this will likely be rectified in the second and third years of it' s life... ...as and when it actually properly gets going, as some of you have correctly said..

...i just feel sorry for all the early adopters who bought one expecting next gen now....

....the price to pay for the line: " I GOT AN XBOX 360!!!" eh?..

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And you think it will be any different for the early PS3 adopters?!

That' s why I say the train is only pulling up now. The machine' s here, but the titles to go with it are not.

I' m glad I did not get a 360 yet. The introduction of the smaller CPU chip in ' 07 to reduce heat, which leads to reduced fan noise, is quite the big deal for me. In addition, said smaller chip will lower M$' cost to produce, which leads to price drop when PS3 comes out, most likely. Finally... my ears keep hearing sordid tales of X-Box 360' s breaking down as if on a dance floor. These broken 360s are piling at rediculous rates, if what I' m hearing is true. I say, for most of them, take better care of the system. Some people seriously move the system while on from horizontal to vertical? They must be nuts! That being said, some just break on their own, which is why I may yet hesitate if the PS3' s initial price launches at the 360' s current price. My friends have a motto: NEVER buy the first batch of consoles. Purchase at the next revision.

You wa Shock!!!

..So far all we' ve got is last-gen ports with a quick dash of bump-mapping paint, or a thousand extra brain-dead foes chucked in to make use of the extra processing power.

Retarded.

Oblivion and GRAW can be described like that?

I sincerly hope Oblivion and GRAW can not be merely described like that. I would think that more than just the graphics are being improved upon. I yearn to play FEAR, but I have not the rig to do it with. If the FEAR A.I. is as impressive as I hear it is, I would hope similar A.I. improvements would enhance Oblivion and GRAW' s gameplay experiences. Then, we have the new Indiana Jones tech demo the few priviledged to see it are talking about. A.I. that adapts to their situation AND environment as they are flailing sounds pretty neat. You think you knocked an A.I. unit to their death, only to have him or her come back and shoot you in the back of the head. If this is what they say the next-gen is capable of, you better believe it would enhance the way a game is played.

As impressive as Fight Night has been with the painful knockouts, I would want to see more regular knockdowns too, where they are still struggling to stand, and not necessarily decked out all the time.

You wa Shock!!!