ChronotriggerJM
Member
Nah, I'd argue it's PC biased. Microsofts few mentions on the list are well deserved. The OG Xbox was a beast in it's time.
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The most technically-advanced game for each year
- Thread starter Phediuk
- Start date
Nah, I'd argue it's PC biased. Microsofts few mentions on the list are well deserved. The OG Xbox was a beast in it's time.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
There is only one xbox exclusive on that list.
Nah. Even a flawless version of GT5 isn't going to come off well against Metro 2033. If it would, it'd probably have been listed.
I don't think it should. OP's done a great job starting of a good thread topic, and his rules help prevent everyone simply trying to wave their favourite consoles big exclusive for each year under the guise of it doing so much "with what they had to work with".
We'd just end up with a bunch of lists like The Artisan's, with people arguing why their choice is more valid and how Mario Kart 8 should take 2014 easy... basically every other graphics thread ever.
Daniel Jackson
Member
That I Robot looks amazing for a 1983 game
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Also OP this is much MUCH better video for AC:Unity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vKKfgBobg4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vKKfgBobg4
ChronotriggerJM
Member
I'd also argue that Metal Gear Solid 2 in 2002 was an absolute technical Juggernaut. I remember shooting ketchup bottles in various places and watching them fragment correctly 
Nothing on PC blew me away like that game.
Nothing on PC blew me away like that game.Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Yea this definitely seems to be the most technical impressive game upon it's release. Remember the ice melting.I'd also argue that Metal Gear Solid 2 in 2002 was an absolute technical Juggernaut. I remember shooting ketchup bottles in various places and watching them fragment correctly
Secret Character
Member
In all seriousness, there haven't been any Nintendo games that pushed the bounds of technology in a very, very long time.
On the Playstation side, I don't see many games actually coming close to what was listed. There are a couple things that other people have said, like MGS2, that warrant a nod, but nothing else really touches what was being done on PC.
The rundown on the arcade games, by year, is awesome. It's very clear that Sega had a firm grasp on the evolving technology until the Naomi/Chihiro/Triforce days. Early Lindburgh games were outstanding looking, but weren't technical marvels like they were in the past.
LukasTaves
Member
I would give 2013 for Ryse. Even on xbone it has some features with higher setting than Crysis 3 maxed, way better models and scenery geometry.
If pre baked lighting is your cutoff for impressive games than your list would probably only feature Crytek games XD
Completely realtime lightning with GI is extremely hard to do, even now the only upcoming games I can think that doesn't prebake GI are Fable Legends and Tomorrow Children.
If pre baked lighting is your cutoff for impressive games than your list would probably only feature Crytek games XD
Completely realtime lightning with GI is extremely hard to do, even now the only upcoming games I can think that doesn't prebake GI are Fable Legends and Tomorrow Children.
ChronotriggerJM
Member
Oh yeah, I remember that! Even crazier to think that game was 60FPS. The PS2 was a beast in its early years.
Not seeing MGS2 as the number 1 or even contender is questionable.
Because Virtua Fighter 3 came out that year...
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
This is a picture of Crysis 2 not Crysis 3
Also, the engine when used in Ryse was already more advanced than when it was used in Crysis 3 I believe
derExperte
Member
Because GLQuake, which arguably is the Quake we all remember, didn't come out before January 97.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Forgot about this, Ryse also won the siggraph award even though it was released in the same year as Crysis 3.
No, we "consolites" haven't ignored anything. I wouldn't really say that Halo 1 is a tightly-engineered game, but Halo being vastly more technically-advanced is a big part of why RtCW performs much better on comparable hardware.
Because on 1996 PCs, Quake looked unimpressive and ran horribly compared with 3D games in the arcade space.
It's arguable that Quake is extremely impressive in accomplishing what it did in PC software, though.
What? If it was what you said MGS2 would've won 2001 over Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
This is a good, fair and well put together list to be honest.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
1992 isn't Doom?
nkarafo
Member
Doom is 1993. It was state of the art for games you could play at home but still not nearly as advanced as Model 2's 3D textured graphics (at 60fps even).
Another one that I think might be mentioned for 1988 is Reikai Doushi.
Stunning 2D fighting game for the arcades.
I saw this image in my first run through but I didn't notice you mentioned it was a 1988 game.
That's looks impressive but when I see it in action I'm underwhelmed by various instances of animation like the ways hit detection occurs. The models are great but this feels like a cheat analogous to the FMV games of the 90s.
Not bad but not exceptional enough.
I didn't think the 70s to 80s would have so many racers. I thought adventure games would be king but it's nice to have expectations shattered.
kutthoat5150
Member
good list OP, though for 2004 I think Far Cry was technically better for what it accomplished than HL2 and Doom 3 with it's huge interactive environments, but that's just my opinion. Other picks were solid
ShutterMunster
Junior Member
If you want to play the "if" game, if DC was on PC you could no doubt get the same visuals at 60fps with even better image quality provided you have the hardware. Just because a game is on a closed platform limitation doesn't make it unimpressive. DC is also locked at 30fps with no drops, so the game has to be running somewhere above 30fps anyway.
I mean jesus christ... it's absurd.
bananafactory
Banned
There's a case to be made for KZ:SF in 2013, but aside from some great textures and gorgeous particle effects Infamous didn't do too much more, compared to games like AC Unity and Driveclub.
This thread would be a lot more interesting if we just capped it at 2010. We already have dozens of threads littering the forum about what more technically impressive in the past few years.
Also, what about Quake in 1996? Fighting games are so limited in scope I have a hard time giving them a technical award...hey you make a great looking box with 2 people in it!
Also, what about Quake in 1996? Fighting games are so limited in scope I have a hard time giving them a technical award...hey you make a great looking box with 2 people in it!
KingJ2002
Member
Im in the DriveClub... umm.. club for 2014.
what it has achieved with it's weather system and LOD is unparalleled and it was accomplished on a closed platform early in it's infancy.
Also... you should add Metroid Prime as a runner up for 2002... it introduced a HUD system that forever changed immersion in FPS.
what it has achieved with it's weather system and LOD is unparalleled and it was accomplished on a closed platform early in it's infancy.
Also... you should add Metroid Prime as a runner up for 2002... it introduced a HUD system that forever changed immersion in FPS.
SystemUser
Member
No way. KZ and UC2 might be more aesthetically pleasing games, but in terms of graphics, open-world scale, and AI, ArmA 2 beats the shit out of them, and probably most action games made since. Sure it's janky as fuck, but the ArmA/OpFlash franchise attempts more than basically any other military shooter even dreams of.
Console games are rarely the most technically advanced.
OldAsUrSock
Banned
Because their games at the years of release were outdone by many other games. Gears was a huge graphical showcase for its time and the hype at E3 because of its graphics helped the Xbox 360.
I don't think you really appreciate just how badly Virtua Fighter 3 murdered everything that year.
This is Quake in 1996
Now take another look at the vid of Virtua Fighter 3 in the OP.
Yea...
EDIT: Besides, Scud Race happened that year too. So even without considering fighters, Quake isn't taking it.
RoombaDance
Member
I just wanted to thank you for making this list. Really cool stuff.
I have to wonder if we're putting too much focus on certain aspects of the technical performance since we see a dominance of racing and FPS games. Half Life 2 got an honorable mention, but it seems like we might be focusing on things like lighting and texture detail instead of on things like online connectivity, AI, huge hordes of enemies, and large open worlds.
I have to wonder if we're putting too much focus on certain aspects of the technical performance since we see a dominance of racing and FPS games. Half Life 2 got an honorable mention, but it seems like we might be focusing on things like lighting and texture detail instead of on things like online connectivity, AI, huge hordes of enemies, and large open worlds.
nkarafo
Member
Yup.
Nothing could touch (or even come close) the Model 3 during it's run. Even the Dreamcast couldn't handle the ports very good (although that's probably because of bad porting job).
nextgeneration
Member
Sega's arcade output and the hardware to power their games was legendary back in the day. Nobody, nobody even came close.
ChronotriggerJM
Member
I'm pretty sure Driveclubs lighting solution is global in that sense. Someone took a screen cap of a park bench that was accurately reflecting the grass around around it lol. As it stands now, I don't think I've seen more impressive lighting to date. When cars are out at a distance, and the light hits at a certain angle, the colors wash and reflect in a manner that makes them very hard to distinguish, much like they would in reality. It's pretty sick stuff.
Poimandres
Member
Dude, Doom blew me away as well but Daytona USA is just absolutely insanely bonkers good looking. I actually think that is far and away the easiest to pick and without a doubt the biggest graphical jaw dropper I've ever seen for the time of release.
This thread is pretty great I have to say. The progress made during the 90's was just insane. So cool to see it all in front of you like that.
SystemUser
Member
I think I would put Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (PC version) above Gears of War. Advanced Warfighter had more details, more onscreen characters, more physics, larger environments and better lighting than Gears of War on Xbox 360.
cpp_is_king
Member
I'm confused. Why isn't Wolfenstein 3D listed? It's arguably the most technically advanced game for its time, ever.
Not even going into details, the whole list being about arcade or pc, let's say it shows a particular vision of what technically advanced means to begin with.
Does that mean the most power eating ? its seems so. After that it's subjective.
For example the last 2d view game quoted is from 1978. That means any "technically-advanced" game after that had to be 3D or fake 3D right. No 2D games were even potentially advanced in term of coding or display i guess. Cause it was already odl school in 79 i guess.
And even with 3D games, Wave Race 64 could still win an all time technical award for example.
What i mean is that list is highly subjective and reflect a certain inclination toward certain games, culturally, to begin with.
Eh. Drawing a pretty box with a somewhat fixed point of view with a fixed number of characters just seems limited in what they are trying to do technically. The animation and modeling was definitely impressive though.
Racers are just sort of an extension of that although I give them a lot more cred.
ChronotriggerJM
Member
Nah, Killzone 2 is impressive, but Crysis was released 2007 lol. Killzone 2's A.I. on the other hand was award winning. Especially impressive in the bot mode, which was the multi-player mode with all A.I. So the systems in place had to be intelligent enough to handle both linear and non linear gameplay.
MrCunningham
Member
Really hard to chose the most technically advanced games of the last few years, really. There are probably some mind blowing things hidden away as prototypes and demo's that we haven't seen. But still a solid enough list.
RoyalLaFlame
Banned
Nah. Unity doing what it does in an open world? That's something worthy of being in that spot.
MaximusPayne
Member
...yes