BioShock creator Ken Levine says he's "not aching" for the next-generation of consoles, because current titles "don't look old to me".
Speaking to our colleagues at Access in the video interview below, the Irrational man argued there's still "a tonne of juice left" to push gameplay innovation on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
"It's clear there's still a fair bit of juice left in these machines," he said. "You look at Arkham City, Uncharted and Gears of War and you're starting to see that these games don't look old to me. They look very current.
"I was playing Batman the other day and he's flying over this huge city, the snow is landing on the wings of his cape and you can see it hitting and melting... they still retain the power to visually amaze me.
"From a gameplay standpoint absolutely there's a tonne of juice left [in current consoles]. There are lots of things to explore. That doesn't mean it's not challenging to build on what you've done - obviously Infinite is a very large step up in terms of technology from BioShock 1."
For more BioShock Infinite goodness, check out these stunning screenshots released at GamesCom and June's Skyline gameplay trailer.
Comments
27 comments so far...
JBoo on 4 Nov '11 said:
Uncharted 3 looks next gen :p not sure about the other 2 games he said. They look shiny & last gen to me lol
a3HeadedMonkey on 4 Nov '11 said:
Yeah, they don't look bad, but they don't blow you away like gears 1, gta or cod4 did when they came out.
New consoles please!
richardgeefe on 4 Nov '11 said:
I think it's a bad time to be releasing a new console anyway. Most people are cash strapped and production costs are still relatively high. PS3 and Xbox are performing MOSTLY on par with each other (unless it's a case of God of War or Uncharted, which make the most of the former, a technologically superior machine).
There's also not much further you can go with graphics at this point. Look at CGI in movies from 10 years ago to now - mostly the same. Only in rare cases like Avatar that tech was optimised to get the best visuals. Something like Terminator 2 STILL looks good 20 years on.
I'd rather a crap looking game with awesome mechanics and replayability, than something that looks amazing for the sake of it.
steve w on 4 Nov '11 said:
Ken Levine to me always looks like an idiot.
metallicorphan on 4 Nov '11 said:
yeah i agree with him,what with GTA5,Mass Effect 3 and Bioshock Infinite,i am fine for next gen,see how we are this time next year
and when Next Gen does eventually get released,lets hope its not in a month like this one where every game released is pretty much a must buy
its disturbing to see just how many people want a next gen machine for one thing....graphics,Gears 3 and Bats 2 did look great,and although i have not played it Uncharted 3 looks great also,and that goes to show just what the developers can do,and what they can squeeze out of current gen
Agent75 on 4 Nov '11 said:
Games on next gen consoles will obviously look a lot better, but this gen consoles (apart from the Wii which is a supped up GameCube), are still going strong, and can easily go on for a 10 year cycle. But I can see the 360 going on for about another 2 years, then the 720 will be out. Lately, there's been some great looking games released.
Padua on 4 Nov '11 said:
Well it would be nice if you could play games at 1080p at 60fps - even in 3D if you want it.
Just compare Battlefield 3 on a decent PC with a console. Consoles are clearly lacking juice and especially RAM o.O
I wonder how much of the development cycle is wasted on optimising to get the best performance for the resources available?
ensabahnur on 4 Nov '11 said:
Aye he looks a bit like Steve Carell to me as well
budge on 4 Nov '11 said:
He looks a bit like Charlie from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
gillri on 4 Nov '11 said:
forget BF3, look at Uncharted 3, the PS3 is apparently ten times weaker than my PC and UC3 is the best looking game out!!
steve w on 4 Nov '11 said:
WHO???????
budge on 4 Nov '11 said:
This guy.
http://mimg.ugo.com/201103/2/6/1/184162/cuts/charlie-kelly-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-4517_144x144.jpg
Haven't you ever seen 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia'? Funny US sitcom.
svd_grasshopper on 4 Nov '11 said:
is this worth £400 just to get a better frame rate and resolution?
no - the console versions don't exactly look bad, or run poorly.
the cost for performance jump isn't justified.
ps2 to ps3 games: massive difference.
ps3 to beefy PC: not so massive. the same game, with higher settings.
dicky1993 on 4 Nov '11 said:
i like this man he's got a good mindset
TheCrimsonFenix on 4 Nov '11 said:
Amen Ken, who btw, still sounds somewhat like Heath Ledger's Joker.
Haven't played my PS3 in a while as I've been sticking to my PC lately. I do find myself thinking, "geez, if only my PS3 games were this sharp in 1080p and at 60fps" but, when I eventually get back to playing the PS3, that thought just washes right over me and I enjoy the game for the game. No, it won't exactly be in full HD but 720p isn't exactly some horrible jagged mess that makes a game look absolutely s**te. My DVD collection including movies spanning 40 years isn't in 1080p and it doesn't stop me from enjoying those. As a storytelling medium in the way of Uncharted, Batman and Bioshock, the PS3 and 360 are more than capable of producing some engaging video games. Even if we had consoles capable of PC power "futureproofed", they would end up getting overtaken in power again, and we would be back to square one on the whole "it's holding progression back" crap. New powerful tech isn't going to magically open the gates for developers to unleash never before seen video games that are the best to have graced our minds. It's going to open the landfill sight of same old shooters, racers, fighters and sports games that we already see today, only nicer looking. Sure, there will probably be those worth picking out and picking up but until that happens and a video game is made on a next gen system that looks, plays and feels like something entirely new, I'll just stay perfectly happy with my current systems thank you very much.
Less hype and tech demos of what "may" come out, more evidence of it actually being worth the upgrade, please.
ryanreedymusic on 4 Nov '11 said:
I think that no one can comment on games looking current unless we see games that are actually made with the most current hardware out there. There are way to many comments about games still looking good. Yes they look good for almost 6 to 8 year old systems. They do not look good or can compare in gameplay to something that would be made with brand new hardware.
TheLastDodo on 4 Nov '11 said:
Well said Mr Levine. +1 to you sir and +1 to those that agree with him.
You only need to look at Bioshock Infinite to see he knows what he's talking about, that game looks incredible on consoles, both technically and artistically.
Padua on 4 Nov '11 said:
I'm enjoying Uncharted 3 at the moment - Not going to be getting Battlefield 3 for a long while.
It does look and play fantastic.
However Uncharted 3 was found to run at 60fps in a demo and it is meant to look even more glorious (!)
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digit ... -at-60-fps
ingy on 4 Nov '11 said:
If you look back at all the past consoles, the games were all good enough until compared with the next gen'.
This is how the industry works, games designers and developers want us to stick with what we've got because it saves them a fortune, they can churn out half decent games to a massive user base.
I've been gaming since before some of you were born, and let me tell you the last thing you want is for things to stay the same, technology needs to be pushed forward, and hopefully the next round of consoles will arrive asap and have us all drooling with anticipation.
The comments "i'm happy with this gen" and "we don't need new consoles" is music to the ears of Call of Duty developers and others like them, and serves only to stifle game creation and development.
Maybe a little dramatic, but let's see this great hobby of ours continue to be pushed forward and not stagnate.
KK-Headcharge78 on 4 Nov '11 said:
How do people know if something is next gen when it ain't happended yet? Unchartered can look 3 gens ahead all it likes, it's still this gen as are the other great looking games like Rage, Batman, Forza 4 etc...
KK-Headcharge78 on 4 Nov '11 said:
Exactly mate. Bioshock Infinite looks epic!!
Very_Silver_Ownz on 4 Nov '11 said:
Its strange because when I see screen tear, lag and terrible graphics it makes me wish the next consoles would arrive but I still think the 360/PS3 are capable consoles.
To be honest it feels like this gen of gaming has only started as 4 years of PS3 and 360 didn't have great games and only really started getting great games in 2010.
As long as the next consoles are the last consoles we will ever have to buy I won't be buying any new console for at least 2 or 3 years after they come out as I'll just stick to PS3 and 360 as they have plenty of games I haven't even tried yet.
kirankara on 4 Nov '11 said:
Or more importantly, from business perspective, look at pc sales of bf3 against consoles. Pc half a million, consoles about 4.5 million. Not many people are prepared to invest three money required to play bf3 on next gen hardware. That kind of leap has to financially viable before companies move to next gen. People would rather play on a toned down version.of bf3 than spend £500 to run on mid end pc, or anywhere upto £1000 for higher end.one..(bf3 running in ads on maxed out settings uses 2 graphics cards.worth.£500 alone)
gmcb007 on 4 Nov '11 said:
Agreed Ken,a rare memeber of the gaming industry: Somebody who is passionate about games development.
Unlike this site that has just released another article as to why we need next gen. Right now is amazing with the likes of the stunning Uncharted visuals and the massive world of Skyirm.
Seriously say the next gen appears, how long will it be before they're be demands for the following gen? Focusing too much on wishlists and the future will make you miss out in the wonders of whats going on RIGHT NOW!
Mmmmgrolsch on 4 Nov '11 said:
You should try taking your dick out of the PS3 sometime.
budge on 5 Nov '11 said:
I was playing Witcher 2 in 3D on my mate's PC last night, now that's a good looking game, looking forward to playing it on the Xbox 360 soon.
kirankara on 6 Nov '11 said:
great looking game, but would rather put head in oven than play it. I just dont like rpg's .