ALL CHANGE, PLEASE! IT’S HIGH TIME FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
With the next gen approaching, let’s not waste its potential
Sony has finally lifted the lid on PS5’s wider library, with each new title and sequel revealed showcasing the visual capabilities of the new console. Between dimension-hopping gameplay in Ratchet & Clank and the death-defying time loops of Returnal and Deathloop, the future looks bright. Dare I say it, are we finally going to stop chasing after the phantom of photorealism?
The visual step up is far more subtle than those of previous console generations. As we saw from the Unreal 5 demo, environments gain the most from the tech upgrade, but so far people still don’t look like lossless uploads of real, live humans – and that’s okay. I’m not going to deny the novelty of seeing every pore on Agent 47’s gleaming bonce but that’s not why I keep coming back to stash half of the level’s NPCs in various cupboards.
For me, the standout title of this showcase was Goodbye Volcano High. That’s right, I took one look at its narrative adventure stylings, the teen angst, and the anthropomorphised dinosaurs and I thought “Yes, this is the one for me.” My colleagues took one look and also concluded “Yes, Jess will love this.” It’s fair to say, even at this point when we don’t know much about the project, that there’s little else quite like it on PlayStation. I don’t want to dismiss KO_OP’s game as ‘Wow, so zany,’ especially as its cast of dinos aren’t here solely for the aesthetic, but could PlayStation 5 be a welcome return to the weird old days?
GETTIN’ WEIRD
It’s no secret that I’m not exactly a massive fan of tentpole series like Grand Theft Auto. It’s no secret that I look as much to the past as I do the future for my new favourite games. It’s also no secret that I’m more than a bit nostalgic for the early experimentation and innovation of the first two PlayStation consoles.
But the days of character models looking roughly like an array of loosely assorted cardboard boxes are long gone. And yet, we’re presented with a similar opportunity; rather than having to work creatively around the limitations of the hardware, the tech now presents an unprecedented realm of possibility, so why not get experimental again?
Sony going so big on indies in its recent stream is a positive sign, but it’s not hard to see why Triple-A developers may be less keen to step outside their comfort zones. By their nature, these corporations’ massive productions attempt to appeal to the broadest possible audience in order to recoup their budget – not to mention earn much more beyond that initial sum. But casting such a wide net too often repels this glimmering fishie.
In the face of countless stories of crunch, often facilitated by toxic workaholic company culture and lousy management, would it really be so bad for Triple-A productions to narrow in scope? Even just a smidge? Would it really be so bad to have fewer lifeless open worlds on PlayStation 5? I’m not saying that devs should be encouraged to do more with less – that’s part of the problem – just that less can be more. Regardless of how it’s done, something needs to change. Punishing development cycles are burning through industry talent and make it a career path inaccessible to everyone but the already pretty privileged. The best time to change course was yesterday. The next best time to do it is with PlayStation 5.