Visually Stunning: Uncharted 2 vs Alan Wake Are They On Par?

GT: One of the most important aspects of any game is how good it looks. I know, gameplay comes first, and for many the story comes after but don't be fooled, countless gamers who've experienced Uncharted 2 have died many deaths staring at the HDTV screen and the visually stunning scenes in said game; so don't tell me graphics don't matter because it does.

[fishd]

EVERYBODY...RUN TO THE HILLs

[Double07]

xD this will not end well at all.

[fishd]

It's like that scene from Jurassik Park...that glass of water shaking...something BIG is coming...lol

[SnuggleBandit]

overall, alan wake looks great! but not quite there IN MY OPINION. Its textures aren't quite as good and also alan's animations are no where as good as uncharted's. The lighting in AW is awesome though.

[kaveti6616]

I expect Alan Wake to be as fun and enjoyable an experience as Uncharted 2. I can't say the same about the visuals, but as long as it's good fun, then why would I care? Alan Wake appears to be pushing the 360 very far, so that's also a plus.

[Icyhot]

This is gonna so not end well. Expect 200+ comments and a 1000 degree for sure.

Man whatever you guys think I personally feel most levels of God Of War 3 look CGI quality. Ya even better than UC2 (especially the demo part now in the game... They upped the lighting engine to a whole new level and the Hades and Poseidon fight). Alan Wake looks great and I leave it at that.

But for me right now GOW3 has the crown.

[Michael Myers]

seen the graphics for alan wake, there really good for that dvd can do, actually surpassed my expectations, but uncharted 2 owns this day and night.

[lelo2play]

Let's at least wait for Alan Wake to come out... then make the comparisons.

[hs123]

could it be how splinter cell looked good but later it turned out to be with those worst graphics. could same thing happened to alan wake i mean when i first saw sc:c it looked like a really good game with good graphics, but turned out to be no where near. But character model for alan wake looks like the character model from codmw2, so it wil not beat uncharted in graphics

[Boody-Bandit]

Alan Wake looks like it has some top notch graphics but not Uncharted 2 level graphics.

[thewhoopimen]

I say that what Remedy has managed to pull off so far with its small team is very impressive. I think once Alan Wake comes out, we'll be able to do a thorough comparison.

In terms of tech, the lighting is very impressive with Alan Wake. There is obviously less mo-cap though than uncharted 2. The environments at least in the house look as detailed as Uncharted 2. In terms of gameplay, I think Uncharted 2 definitely has alot more things and physics interactions going on than Alan. However, Alan's story might be a bigger surprise.

I wonder if Alan's clothing will drench and dirty up like Drake's.
Anyway, since this games isn't even out yet. This is what I can tell so far.

[Rock Bottom]

it all depends on how blind you are

[commodore64]

I don't understand this debate

UC2 has a completely different artistic style, which relies very heavily on a cartoony, colourful element. This it has done in an exemplary and fabulous way.

Alan Wake is seems to be rendering environments and scenery that are altogether more realistic and dark. The effect of light, dark and fog seems to be used as much as the effect of colour is used in UC2.

Both games look great, but they also look different.

How sad it is when fanboys cling to their 'graphical victories' as representations of, or replacements for, their fragile egos.

[kalebgray92]

awaken the cracken!!!!! the flame cracken.... well the xbox one and the ps3 one............ well get both of them up

[XRider]

Both look great, it's nice to see consoles with games that have graphics that are on par with 3yr old PC games.

[Jamegohanssj5]

Best be trolling.

TGSI

[Darrius Cole]

The graphics from those Alan Wake screenshots don't even approach Uncharted 2. The screenshots that are the article references show U2 looking better and doing more. The AW screenshots are all set in the dark with everything around Alan dimmed. The U2 screenshots are the daytime, some of them have 3 or 4 moving enemies plus Drake in them. One of them shows Drake hanging from a moving train, a MOVING train.

[snoopgg]

They did this already saying that Metro was a better looking game then Killzone 2. Me being a multiconsole owner, went and rented Metro to compare, and when I finally seen the finished product, it wasnt even close to Killzone 2 visuals. The graphics and textures that Metro had were not bad, but wasn't anything to brag about. I will do the same with this game too, I am alittle wary about beleiving this hype on Alan Wake just yet. Only time will tell.

[Army_of_Darkness]

"Let's at least wait for Alan Wake to come out... then make the comparisons. "

No, no... sorry man. No can do. The guy writing the article asked the question knowing the situation, so we'll have to give him an answer right now.
UNCHARTED 2.

[Immortal Kaim]

Pathetic 'article' from a pathetic site, for the pathetic fanboys. Enjoy morons...

[sikbeta]

The Answer:

NO! Uncharted 2 > AW, but that doesn't mean AW looks bad, so keep gaming...

[DatNJDom81]

can get hit by a house, a flying car, a huge tractor and not fall down?

[evilmonkey501]

Almost everyone under the sun knows the ps3 is the graphics powerhouse this generation. Now that the horses are loose under the hood, there is no comparison between platforms. Alan wake looks great, just not ps3 great.

[pixelsword]

for all we know, this is still beta-level graphics.

Just wait, then debate.

[SaberEdge]

It doesn't matter. They both look exceptionally good and Uncharted 2 is an amazing game and I believe Alan Wake will be as well.

[elpresador]

....that noticed that the character models and other things were jaggy as hell and that they eyes of those characters (especially choles) where so jagged that they looked horrible? Overall U2 did look great but I think that with the AA jacked up it didnt make it look as good as everyone seems to think it is.

[Redrum059]

this game is gonna be a dissaster, think about it. from what i know, its on a single disk and has no multiplayer, no multiplayer means less gameplay time so it needs a good campaign. also alan wake isnt as good as ucharted2(graphicaly).look closly at the flat textures with low polygon count(grounds, walls) unlike uncharted2 which has bricked walls and bumpy grounds(high polycount). OK look, large plygon count(good graphics/textures) takes up disk space, so if alan fake is as good as unchartd(1) then yall would be experiencing a 3hour campaign. UNless they use lots of backtracking or decrease res to 576p like a sertain gimper game coming out lol.

[Socrates]

Judging by screenshots and video that I have seen Alan Wake looks better. They have very different graphical styles, but I think Alan Wake looks more realistic and detailed.

[JokesOnYou]

They're very different in style but Alan Wake graphics are something to behold, the pics are right there and although UC2 looks great theres no doubt to me that Alan Wake comes out on top. I think some of you would say UC2 has better graphics than Crysis if it possible to get the same exact PC max out visuals on 360. The pics speak for themselves:

http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

vs

http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

Wow, and they said the 360 had nothing left.....Alan Wake says otherwise.

JOY

edit,vvvvv lol, so now folks are blaming the pics, these looks like the same UC2 pics I've seen a ton of times before, but well go ahead put any UC2 pics you like next to these AW pics, its not a big deal but why sony folks won't give credit where credit is due is just too funny.

[Socrates]

Ok I just looked at those screenshots and watched that video again and there is no question that Alan Wake looks substantially better.

[4Sh0w]

@JOY not to sound harsh, but you know better than that, of course the 360 has plenty more to offer, but not every dev is going to focus so much time on the 360 to "prove" what its capable of, sony has more in-house studio's to do that for the ps3, while microsoft focus seems to be on keeping strong 3rd party support, don't give the naysayers any creditability by repeating their unfounded crap.

As far as this comparison goes, well the first thing I notice is how different they look, which should be obvious given their settings/artstyle but yes if I had to choose I would say Alan Wake looks a bit better, but I'm still a "substance over style" kind of guy myself so hopefully Alan Wakes gameplay will be just as good as UC2, now thats a much tougher bar to reach instead of graphics.

[Aquanox]

I think Alan Wake is the only game with such quality with 4xAA. Uncharted 2 had 2x.

[N4Flamers]

from this sh___y site. The only problem I have is that usually when you want to compare 2 games you would do something like put the pictures side by side, why is that so hard, oh yeah number of hits.

[Redrum059]

those screen shots you just provided above comparing alan wake and u2 me justs proves me write about flat textures in alan wake. like i said if those graphics were as good as U2 then do you realy think that 6-7gb of disk space is enough to fit a full campaign. to the few above me that disagree, keep lying to yourself. theres a reason the game is mostly in the dark. good textures and no dark fogs hiding anything here.

[Consoldtobots]

the only ones still having these debates are silly fanboys in denial that the 360 was maxed out 2 years ago. Anyone with half a brain has already seen that the 360 GPU is vastly underpowered compared to the CELL+RSX rendering pipeline and THATS NOT GONNA CHANGE ANYTIME SOON, IN FACT NEVER. This is another case where the developers can push out a few extra pixels and effects by using coding tricks but the improvements are always marginal at best and completely forgettable at worst. 360 fanboys have been warned to check their egos at the door and concentrate on what makes their console good. This constant need to get into pissin matches with PS3 exclusives is like doing the same into the face of a hurricane, it'll just fly right back smack in your face.

[Redrum059]

agreed, you are a smart one. BUT for the hell of it, im going to go ahead and say AW is as good as U2. Have fun with your four hour campaign omish ppl.

[Eddie20101]

Completely honest answer is no. Uncharted 2 looks much better.

[BYE]

Uncharted 2 has plenty of jaw dropping scenes which you can't believe are from a video game until you see it for yourself on a full hd tv set. They simply can't be described or shown over the internet.

Alan Wake might have these kind of scenes, too. It's way too early to tell though.

[mikeslemonade]

Most of the critics that have seen the game say Alan Wake is nothing special and they're not even sure if the gameplay is that great. From the videos I see the dark levels look good but the light levels look average. And the levels in the towns where Alan walks door to door look mediocre. I mean mediocre like GTA4 graphics. Alan even jogs like Niko in the town portions.

Once the game gets on your TV I bet it won't even reach Mass Effect 2 graphics. Right now Mass Effect 2 is the benchmark on 360.

[The Wood]

are we surprised you said that ?? NO (coulda bet my mortgage on it), do people see what they wanna see? YES....cummon man its almost like your just preying, almost projecting, hoping the 360 has a graphical animal to compete against sonys glut just like u did with.....arh nevermind

The graphics do look better than i thought but a lot of those pics are 'official shots' which have a habit of being a bit.... u know....bullshotish and sometimes they cannot be trusted...I was more impressed with the actual footage to be honest but from all of what ive seen of U2 and the little ive seen of AW, U2 is STILL the beast; from dark environments to light ones from open environments to tight ones from fast moving environments to static ones U2 is STILL the beast and you'd know that if you'd actually played it.

despite that credit should be given to this and the devs as this could of turned out like another metro or splinter cell (graphicswise). At least this is somewhat comparable and i will prolly pick this up if the games any good

[Lightsaber]

I love how all the ps3 fangirls are talking about how uc2 has better gameplay and better animations and physics and so on. I wonder how they can tell all that from a screenshot. Alan Wake most really look better then uc2 cause they are desperately looking for way to say uc2 is better.

[Shaman]

From those shoots even though they are probably the worst from both games UC2 looks better.

@Consoldtobots
Can you please explain me what you meant by cell+rsx pipeline,lol?

[sid4gamerfreak]

You know the best visually stunning game ever? No its not Uncharted 2 or Alan Wake. Its crysis on a pc.

[adex88]

It should be taken into consideration that Alan Wake features an open world of 100 square kilometers, comparable to San Andreas' 36 square kilometers. I haven't played UC2 so I don't know about this but I've heard that weather and shadows etc. are pretty much static in UC2 while in Alan Wake everything is dynamic. UC2's textures look amazing but it's really difficult to compare.

[vhero]

No 360 game will ever match uncharted 2 graphics and what's scary is PS3 games can probably beat it though.

[k jules]

are you really this stupid? You think that resolution has much to do with disk space? Crysis is on DVD, yet PC's can run that beyond full HD. Also ALL cutscene's in UC2 are pre-renderd, not in-game. They are 720P movies that take up much space. If Alan Wake only has in-game cutscene's they could easily fit a 12 hour campaign on 1 disc. Just wait and see....

[Redrum059]

i stopped reading at "uncharted2 cutscenes are pre-rendered". youve got to be the biggest idiot, not to mention its actualy the other way around. from what ive seen, Alan wake has lots of CGI prerendered scenes. you just failed miserably

[HolyOrangeCows]

Not real-time, old pictures. The Uncharted 2 ones are from an old issue of Game Informer when it was still pre-alpha.

This isn't a fair case for either game.

[k jules]

sorry for you, but even Naughty Dog said they were pre-rendered. Not CGI, but in-engine, with lots of AA that in-game doesn't have. If you played through the game you could easily see that they were from a higher level graphically than in-game was. They are 720P movies which take up lots of space, something that isn't possible on DVD. A linear game such as Alan Wake is possible on DVD with a 10+ hour campaign if they are without pre-rendered cutscenes.

EDIT:
picked this from a random forum:
'Essentially the cutscenes use all the content from the actual game and WERE rendered on the PS3, but were converted into movie files that play on our PS3s instead. They did this so the game could load the next stuff in the background whilst you watch, instead of sitting at a loading screen. It's also why you can't skip the cutscenes.'

Edit 2:
no response? Guess I'm not 'the biggest idiot' after all and that I don't fail 'miserably' ;).

[ThanatosDMC]

From this thread, you can tell apart those who dont have PS3s and never played U2. They're missing out on the awesomeness and blinded by a big X.

@^ Sadly for us gamers, Alan Wake is not open world anymore. Yep, it's true look it up.

[vilanova]

not better but very very better,gameplay we dont know

[fooltheman]

Alan wake isn't that 'open world' anymore..
anyone who think this will be in for a surprise

[ikral]

We all do know developers are doctoring those screens before releasing of game, and than when game comes out, it looks a "tiny bit" worse. So, lets wait.

[adex88]

It's still open world technology (according to Remedy) and the same people have said that many goals in the game can be reached in many ways using vehicles or just by walking, thus it's not always linear. It's also been said that the world will be open for exploration during daytime gameplay.

[Hudahudahuda]

God of war 3
Uncharted 2
Killzone 2

The Holy trio of PS3 graphics.

I think God of war 3 looks the best.

Alan wake can go hang out in a dark foggy corner when the big boys are in town.

[fooltheman]

The problem is that no one knows how linear and open this game will be...
It won't be open world
and it won't be strictly linear

[Silly gameAr]

What's wrong with those Uncharted 2 screenshots? They look washed out.

[Pennywise]

They have to do something to make them look comparable.

[ApocalypseShadow]

water down one to make it on par with the other.

no one is saying alan wake doesn't look good.or that remedy sucks as a developer.everyone here that like action games loves max payne.

but this need to try and keep up with ps3 top games is making the games look worse than they are.ps3 pumps out more graphics.developers have said it,gamers have said it,sony has said it from the beginning.

and the awards have said it.if alan wake looked on par or better than uncharted 2,industry insiders would have said uncharted 2 has been dethroned in graphics.

NO ONE SAYS THIS BUT (SOME)360 SITES AND THE FANBOYS.

just don't try.how about comparing 360 games to 360 games.compare the game to gears 2 or something.maybe even mass effect 2.but to keep comparing to games where you will lose every time will make you disappointed every time.

no amount of belief will change the fact that ps3 pumps out better graphics. and has been since sony's game engines were finished.and after tweeking their engines,it just gets that much harder to look at the comparisons.

[Icyhot]

Soon we will have sites comparing UC2 multi-player shots with Alan Wake in-game and deeming AW a winner you guys wait for it (Just like KZ2 vs Reach). I have seen this media for a long time now and a PS3 exclusive on top just gives them constipation.

[wicko]

Washed out or not, there is still way more detail in the Uncharted 2 screens. Alan Wake looks good, but saying this two games are comparable is a bit of a reach.

[thewhoopimen]

Unfortunately I have to agree with some of the more zealous PS3 fans after reviewing the screenshots. They definitely downsampled the Uncharted 2 shots. You can tell because all the aliasing is gone. One of my complaints this gen, is you see all these console zealots trying to play off incomparable titles by comparing lower resolution shots. Really?

[Ravage27]

just look at the texture quality and there's so much more detail in UC2.
Not to mention that ND managed to achieve all that while pushing the technical limits in the mindblowing setpieces.

The fight in the collapsing building with all sorts of objects flying around. The moving train level. And the ice caves are the most beautiful environment i've ever seen.

[CobraKai]

some of those screens are from when Game Informer FIRST gave info on UC2. It's not even from the latest build.

[CoxMulder]

What's wrong with those UC2 screenshots..?

I'll tell you:

Those UC2 screenshots are in 720p all over the web, yet Gamethirst felt the need to compress them to a meager resolution of 576p. Making them look slightly washed out and lacking in crisp-ness.

Funny thing is that Uncharted 2 still looks better.

For comparison (remember to zoom in):

http://www.xgn.nl/downloads...

vs.

http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

[Silly gameAr]

Yeah Penny. Either way, I'm staying out of this because it's the definition of a flamebait article.

Peacccceee.

[Cajun Chicken]

I'll judge myself. But all I'll say for now is Naughty Dog know what to do with PS3s and Remedy certainly know what to do PCs, and if you look at it, the 360 is just a barebones gaming PC.

Remedy might be the first to make a REAL 360 game.

[Gradient]

Epic already did with Gears of War, a game that was visually impressive when it launched.

Guess which game officially dethroned Gears of War. I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with 'Gun Farted'.

[Cajun Chicken]

Middleware. Doesn't count. Gears would run equally, or questionably better on PS3, we don't know, because it's never happened. What we do know is the UE is virtually the same on each platform. Middleware generally does.

News and quotes out there actually say that Epic suggested MS to actually put the extra mem in the 360 to display Gears at its current graphics. It was nothing but a demo for both the machine and Epic to sell on and temporarily rule the middleware scene because nobody could be bothered to develop their own engines with such graphical intensity at the time being. Except, of course, most first party PS3 games from 2007-2009 and Naughty Dog proving everyone wrong at that with their own engine which can be seen nowhere else.

This engine HOWEVER has been especially made for 360 by Remedy and to take advantage of it's technology. So chances is, this'll be the first time pretty much ever, that a real platform exclusive AAA game with it's own detailed graphic engine will surface on the 360, that isn't middleware, or looks average, similar on other platforms or acceptable. It's actually quite a turning point.

[Gradient]

Hmm, weird.

You sound like you're making excuses for all the 360 exclusives.

[greatjimbo78]

It sounds to me like he's making a perfectly sensible and valid point. For the non-rabid fanboy out there, this is known to be the truth.
Yes the PS3 can produce better graphics. But, with a decently coded & balanced engine made for the 360, it's close, damn close.

[Convas]

Sounds like Cajun was making a good sensible point to me too Gradient. Oh wait, sorry, you can't see properly with those fanboy glasses on, here let me take those off for you.

[Persistantthug]

For the most part I agree with Cajun and I gave him an agree largely because he brought up a great point which I don't think I've heard anyone else bring up. Alan Wake will be the first 360 only made engine (that's worth mentioning) ever.

Should be interesting.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Going to have to play it. The visual aspect of graphics is only one part of UC2's tech. Things like animation and quality of mo-cap is something you can't get from screens.

But just looking visually they seem to be close.

[8thnightvolley]

360 titles are usually made of middleware engines that never take the advantage of the console... as far as graphics goes.. god of war3 is numero uno.. uncharted2 looked mighty beautful .... but ya i am kinda of shocked at how AW looks coz i expected someting worse... 3rdly this engine is not even built for the 360 coz really remedy are pc developers by their DNA and made this game corely for the pc and 360 as an addition only MS came to cut the pc side off .... so i dont even still regard this title as a true true exclusive on a 360 purpose built engine... but things look great anyway.

[Bathyj]

That pretty much seals it then.

We've seen AW movies, the best thing about it is the lighting (which UC does brilliantly as well, Blue Caves) but the animations not even close to Uncharted's.

Nothing is, not even the almighty Crysis.

[GR8 1]

Uncharted 2 looks like a cartoon bright color graphics.

Gamersyde Preview:
"To be clear, none of the existing Xbox 360 games even compares to it, and even on PS3, which have more real exclusive titles, it's hard to find an equivalent. Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, Crysis, these are the few games which can compete with it."

So at the end of the day what this Article is saying is can a CARTOON stand up against Alan Wake. Hell no Alan Wake graphics are way beyond Uncharted 2 FACT.

[bRAAAaaains]

What'ya talkin' about? I don't even see the graphics in Alan Wake, either it's too dark, too bright or blurred out.

[ZBlacktt]

You have not played UC2 I see. I just sat here and watch that 6min video. That video looks good to you? It doesn't look like the colors are washed out? There are no deep rich colors in that at all. Looks faded in away. When Dev's talk about needing so much space on a CD for code. To add all the realism, details, sounds, etc. Yet, they take up nearly a full Blu-ray disc. Where do you ever see that possible to get the same results on a DVD? I mean just recently FFXIII was hacked to death to fit on 3 DVD's. Down scaled in appearance as well, left out content,etc.

[TheXgamerLive]

number 1, it takes place during both day and night and all the natural transitions during a normal day. But reguardless, here's a live demo that was given showing some of what you like to deny. Alan wake's graphics are ultra realistic unlike the cartoony graphics of UC2. p.s. Mass Effect 2 kicked UC2's graphics in january anyways. Hell yeah!!
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
oh yeah, this was also filmed w/a shake cam, handheald and it still looks this hella real.

ok, here's a mass Effect 2 cinematic trailer, say what?????
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[King81]

quit spreading bull. ME2 doesn't even look better than Uncharted Drake's Fortune. Heavy Rain and GOW 3, then Killzone 3 and Resistance 3. The graphics keep getting better and better

[TheOutsider]

This is what happens when these 2 Fa*s FU*K with a PS3 GAMER.... http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[RagTagBnd445]

I must say i am impressed, that you are always the first person in the open zone to comment on most big PS3 article in N4G. Are you sitting in the PS3 section, pressing F5 again and again just to flame as soon as there is a new article about graphics or PS3 vs 360?

[cobraagent]

Man, I seem to know more about Mass Effect 2 than you do. The cinematic trailer is pre-rendered CGI cutscene!!!!! Its not the game engine you idiot. Compare Miranda's hair in this video and in gameplay, then you will know what i mean. Shame it came for the XBOX too because if it had not come for the XBOX the graphics in the pc version would have been far better!!! Your stupid console can't keep up and developpers are so limited in terms of graphics...

[RagTagBnd445]

BTW x-gamer i loved Mass Effect 2 also, but Uncharted 2 is visually much much better.

[The Killer]

2004 high top PC quality!!!

Uncharted 2 is 2008/2009 top end PC quality!!

and i am being honest.

[Al Bundy]

LOL! They had to dumb down the Uncharted 2 screens to match the Alan Wake screens. That says it all.

[Michael Myers]

theres no point in arguing, if someone is a fanboy of alan wake (not a bad game) looks great! but there going to be ingorant when comparing both games. they are blinded by fanboyisme, and cannot see that uncharted 2 is visually better! simple! whats so damn hard about admitting it?

[Persistantthug]

And tell Peggy I said hi :P

[cody2oo]

http://playstationlifestyle...

[ATLGAMER]

Will not be graphically matched by a xbox 360 game...

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Yup, even if it happened it would be denied by the SDF protectors.. Just look at the reporting and crying already..

It's just an automatic "NO" and they don't even need to play the game..

You're a perfect example.

[Fanb0y]

It's on xbox, so it must look bad.

Oh, the logic.

Ima say it right here: Alana Wake is on par with Uncharted 2.
If your definition of graphcs are in how technically impressive it is:

Lighting: better
Texture quality: on par
Animation: I have no idea. I haven't seen enough gameplay footage
Poly count: can't tell from what was shown. Probably lower, but it's not distracting from gameplay

And if judge graphics by it's 'art', then
the graphics are subjective, and can't say that one's better than the other.

[wicko]

LOL okay fanb0y, guess I can't argue with that evidence!!

Come back when you know what you're talking about.

[hamoor]

graphics this graphics that
The x game is not better than y game because it doesnt have better graphics
This game have more polygons and so on
Who cares?? My sh1t have unlimited polygons with 100000XAA and 1000000p resolution
I mean since when graphics is the only thing matter than looking to what that game offers
So in your logic crysis is the best game ever made!!!!

[lelo2play]

Yes... if you have all options maxed out and tweaked, Crysis is the most visually stunning game until now.

[authentic24]

Graphics matter just as much as gameplay. I can make a game with dots give it a story and it won't immerse you in the gaming world at all. So to say graphics don't matter is ignoring the relevance of anything to look better.

The idea behind games are to immerse the player into the game. This is why games with good graphics get good reviews. Not always but usually.

I mean if graphics don't matter why purchase a 360 or ps3 at all. why not just continue to play atari?

From a game designers point of view, you would want the best graphics possible. It aids you in telling your story much better and more efficiently. It allows you to go to realms and create things you couldn't do before.

Whenever you hear a dev say something like,"we wanted to create as realistic a game as possible." They don't mean that a game like GOW is realistic, they mean they want it to be a world that you could believe in while playing.

Take a smiley face for instance. A smiley face has no personality at all, but the more detail you add to it the more personality you give to it. Same thing for graphics, so please stop saying graphics don't matter, only gameplay, because you cannot have one without the other. And without graphics enhancement the industry would be dead...... let me restate that for I offend PC gamers, without Graphic enhancements along with simplicity the industry would be dead.

[The Iron Sheik]

You bots say that gameplay>graphics right? Why would you guys say that but then try to convince people Alan Wake looks better than Uncharted?

Oh that's right you are all complete hypocrites.

[L-Teezy]

i guess graphics wouldnt really matter to a person that owns a console that cant produce any good graphics.. ;D

[Gradient]

Considering Uncharted 1 looks better than Alan Wake, this comparison is quite useless.

[farhsa2008]

ps3 games cant even compete with uncharted 2 so how can xbox 360 games?

[sikbeta]

Oh...man... Kratos will so Rip your head off for saying that, you've been warned...

[Marquis_de_Sade]

Having finally played God of War 3, I have to say, it's not a patch on UC2 in my opinion, both in terms of gameplay and graphics. UC2 is a masterpiece without equal this generation, God of War 3 looks good but the fixed camera is irritating and the gameplay feels clunky and dated compared to other action games.

[OGharryjoysticks]

http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

There's a reason this game has won everything it can win.

[SpartanZero]

http://www.xbox360achieveme...
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[Lionhead]

"Your kidding"

Surprised you didn't add any other witty dialogue with your usual BS

[seij555]

No, He's not:
http://i33.tinypic.com/15q9... http://i43.tinypic.com/2q8q...
http://i40.tinypic.com/2ijt... http://i44.tinypic.com/2wfs...
http://i41.tinypic.com/bf5o... http://i39.tinypic.com/10em...
http://i40.tinypic.com/9k11...
http://i41.tinypic.com/4fj8...
http://i43.tinypic.com/iyzc...
http://i40.tinypic.com/23ve...
http://i43.tinypic.com/5bbs...
http://i42.tinypic.com/2qjx...
http://i39.tinypic.com/2mgm...

[Lionhead]

lol Altered images are cool and all

If you want I can throw together some altered Alan Wake scans, upload them to tinypic and post them as "proof" as well.

I'll wait til Alan Wake comes out to see, I was just calling out Jijoro.

[thewhoopimen]

Where'd you get those uncharted2 shots? They look altered and far more muted than I've ever seen in the game. Were they shot off the TV?

[seij555]

How the hell are these altered? They were taken with a capture card. You have obviously never played Uncharted 2 if you think those screens are altered.

[hoskind1]

Obviously altered =\

[Biggest]

They look like they were taken off-screen with a bad camera. And even then, it looks better. What do the Alan Wake pics have going on with the colors? I think I saw 4 shades of black with a little gray and brown. And a light that doesn't illuminate the thing its hitting. So vivid.

[Shaman]

What are you guys still drinking cool aid??Those seji555 shoots are what UC2 looks like,those are direct shoots captured when he played it with capture card not camera.You obviously havent played it,posting bullshots with 16xaa and downsampled,please,those are real shoots.Uncharted 2 has 2xaa and thats how 2xaa looks like when you actually capture it with card while playing,you should play it to see.

[Mo0eY]

Bots wish the 360 could achieve Uncharted 2 graphics. Just look at them all fluff Halo: Reach - they think it looks better than Crysis 2. What a sad world the bots are living in :(

Actually check out these in-game graphics: they don't look so bad after all: http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[BannedForNineYears]

Uncharted 2.

[Zero 007]

Alan wake >> uncharted 2
all ppl try Alan wake demo at spanish event they all say best graphics for this generation
lool
uncharted 2 now looks crap if i compared with Alan wake

[3sq]

No no

Uncharted Drake's Fortune >> Super Mario 64 >>>>>>> Alan Wake fixed.

[Lionhead]

Looks like someone hasn't played Uncharted 2

That little game that made it rain GOTY's

[ZBlacktt]

You are playing on a DVD console my man... Brb, breaking out my record player. Let's be honest here, lol.

[pwneddemocrat]

Uncharted2 was and still is a beast.
Alan wake looks promisng.
i sure am damn glad that i own both consoles lol
it's an awesome time to be a gamer now.

[mirroredderorrim]

I had some serious hype for this game when it was PC/XBox360... Now, I don't even care. It's one of those games I will miss, unfortunately, but can I even say it is unfortunate?

The game has changed since I last had interest in it, and since most of us already know about the "lowest common denominator" we will never know what Alan Wake could have been. This game was destined to be on PC for what was announced years back.
If it ever comes out on PC later on, I would definitely give it a try, but would Remedy even do a PC version? Would it even take advantage of what Dx10/11 have to offer?

Sour grapes in my face. =X

Edit: @Below:
I know what I am missing. >:)

[Hands Up For Games]

Thats a shame, you wont know what your missing.

[Lionhead]

I preferred when the game was more open world, but I can see how that would deter the story of the game and that "thriller" aspect.

Can't wait for May though, gunna be epic.

[SpartanZero]

Wow Alan Wake looks so good makes Uncharted 1 and 2 look like a multiplatform

[mirroredderorrim]

That is pure, uncut comedy, Jijoro. However, I digress. =D

[KILLERAPP]

He must have Kevin butler fever… This comment is just sad…

[adamx]

this made me bust out laughing.

Wake looks good but Uncharted looks better.

[3sq]

gamesthirst took the screens from the early-build of uncharted 2 (if you look at Drake's hair you would know his hair doesn't look like that in the final game)

And they even shrank the 720p screens of U2.

What a joke. LOL

Below: LOL Zero 007, thanks for the link, you just confirmed Alan Wake looks like Sh1t. Unfortunately there's no games that look as sh1tty as Alan Crap on PS3 :)

Edit: Wait there's one, Last Rebellion
looks on par with Alan Wake, my bad my bad.

[Zero 007]

watch this video im shore after this trailer u will sell ur uncharted 2 copy with cheap price
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
give me one exclusive game on Crapstation 3 look like this game :)

edit : BTW Alan wake own best action game on E3 2009 from IGN also GOW III amd uncharted 2 nominated
but Alan wake the winner overall
link
http://games.ign.com/articl...
uncharted 2 my a***
anyway im also Crapstation 3 owner add me UAE_Sniper or X360_FaN

edit 2 : Hey ZBlacktt buhahahahah also Gears of war 1 own GOTY in 2006 go check 2006 GOTY
Gears of war 1 own GOTY 2006 overall
so wat the big deal with uncharted 2 ???

[ZBlacktt]

While you are on a search hunt. Please look up GOTY 2009. Then look up how many awards that game has won to date. Please, list them all off here, ok? We'll wait. No hate or flame, just talking.

[damnightmare]

How can you link an SD video as "proof" of how graphically superior a game looks? LOL

[RedDragan]

those awards you linked from IGN also voted Modern Warfare 2 as the best shooter...... LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!

Yup, very worth of respect! LMFAO!

[Hands Up For Games]

Games have different art styles and Both Games look brilliant!! As an owner of Both concoles I can honestly say that UC2 was my favourite Game last year and Alan Wake looks like it could be my favourite Game this year.

That must really f*ck up the Fanboys brains ;).

[FLAMES_187]

4get the graphics uncharted kills alan wake hands down but compare the gameplay. Although alan wake hasnt been released to play theres videos on youtube and u cant compare the two in no way, fashion, or form. I get the whole mystery scene but theres no way this game is touching UC2 360 needs to go back to the drawing board and make more interesting IP's instead of hyping up a gloomy video game like this. Not to mention the creepy fat guy with the christmas lights wrapped around him (weird)

[Hands Up For Games]

Are you still trying?

[unrealgamer58]

lmao no.

go back and fight jack and daxter. they're on par lol

[zeddy]

wait a minute are those pc screenshots? doubt the 360 could do something like that, if so cudos but even still uncharted looks better.

[nilamo]

It's unfortunate but the pc version has been cancelled all the screens you see are of the 360 version. Before calling them bullshot you need to realize that alan wake does 4xAA at 720p.

[cooperdnizzle]

Dude that posted those U2 pics. Yea those were totally made to look worse/. And you can do that with every pic! Same with making them look better. Dev's do it all the time. Loser!

[Imalwaysright]

From these screenshots U2 is hands down the winner in terms of graphics.

[FLAMES_187]

Do u patrol XBOX forums waiting for someone to disagree with Alan Wake? ITS AN OPINION. GET OVER IT. U wanna talk about a fanboy? ur the poster child.

[nilamo]

Wow calm down, it's one thing to give an opinion it's another to give fanboy drivel.

[SephireX]

AW graphics look great for an open world game. UC2 obviously looks better but its a linear game so you would expect it to look better anyway. It would be interesting to compare AW with Infamous. Having said that, Infamous is a more open game than AW but it would still be interesting to see.

[seij555]

Don't start with that linear vs open world bullshit. Alan Wake is in "episodes" and isn't an "open world" game. It was said in an interview that just the town would be open world for one of the episodes. Honestly, I think they are hiding bad textures in the darkness and using heavy depth of field tricks.

[Imalwaysright]

Correct me if im wrong but im pretty sure that Alan Wake is no longer a sandbox game.

[nilamo]

Alan wake has a lineair structure as well, though the daytime sections are more like open world however still more lineair compared to games like gta etc. The overal game and pacing is lineair, but remedy is using open world technology to render their world. So if you see an environment in the distance, you will certainly visit it later in the game.

[lowcarb]

Alan Wake doesn't need to look like UC2 at all just so long as the world looks extremely believable.

[eggbert]

They have different styles. Alan Wake's style is made to be darker and gloomier in order to heighten the feeling of the game and make it more atmospheric.

Uncharted 2 didn't try to dull out colors in this fashion, so it's not really comparable. Overall, i'd say UC2 has slightly better graphics, but at this point most people probably wouldn't even notice.

Just enjoy the games, like I will.

[gamerzBEreal17]

you guys uncharted2 isnt that great looking anymore...FF13 (ps3 version) looks better then uncharted2 so dose god of war3 maybe even heavy rain at times

[suckerpunch]

heavy rain is a slow pace interactive cutscenes that require less processing power than UC2 and still NEVER look as good as UC2. GOW III has way flatter environment than UC2. FFXIII, uhh.....don't think so either

[suckerpunch]

alan wake is gorgeous man !

Some ppl here say GOW III beat uncharted 2 graphics.

I used to say GOW III is the best looking game, but having played both, i guess i changed my mind back to uncharted 2 again. Some levels in GOW III looks ps 2.5, some backgrounds are flat and empty. I guess a closer competitor would be between alan wake and GOW III.

my opinion= uncharted 2 > GOW III > alan wake > killzone 2

[TheDesperadoKING]

See: Halo 3 and Reach, FFXIII-subpar edition, all the other games that can't even match up to THE FIRST UNCHARTED!

[Foxgod]

Alan Wake looks as good as UC2, but the majority of N4g will not agree.
Is the majority of N4g the bible of gaming?

If not, then decide for yourself about this game, and ignore all the whiners here.

[Obama]

Alan Wake will not win any graphic awards this year. Mark my words.

[sashimi]

Alan wake 5year development time vs Uncharted 2 2years development time
and then there's the fact that uncharted 2 released months before Alan Wake.Uncharted 2 will still blow Alan Wake away! that is fact!

[HypermysticsonicHMSX]

Are you serious?....

pew pew pew....

[2paclives]

360..try all you want...uncharted is better...look at the background scenery in alan wake...crappy looking trees and look at the rocks, all jagged...can't touch uc2 or gow3...not going to happen with limited hardware and limped dvd storage...sorry.

[DigitalAnalog]

But please don't put Uncharted 2 in that same sentence. JUST...

DON'T!

-End statement

[bviperz]

Finished products to finished products...

[stonecold1]

is better than this garbage game alan wake does not hold a candle to uncharted 2 uncharted 2 is way better than alan wake = epic fail comparsion

[frankymv]

uhhh...no

not even close.

Uncharted looks way, way, way better than Wake. period.

[GeoramA]

Look how washed out they made Uncharted 2 look. LOL

And yet, it's still no contest!

[jerethdagryphon]

fun uc2 fact. in the ice levels roll in the icy streams and your coat freezes :)

but alan wake looks good, i the main char loks decent nad care and attention to detial has gone into making it..

however,
uc looks better, naughty dogs tricks and stuff allowed far greater use of blended animation so theres no choppiness to them

i hope wake does well for remedys sake but i fear it may end up as just another 3rd person doom thing

[jerethdagryphon]

zero cutscenes look nice but actualy gameplay sorry even in standard def those walls and textures look primitive, or worse digitised photos over flat geometry,

main char model uses a lot of normal mapping to cover basic geometry wherein the animation looks stilted and keyframed...

[suckerpunch]

where is quantum theory ?

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I really really love the Uncharted series, got pandoras box GOW3 and the gow 1&2 collection, and heavy rain ALOT... freaking amazing games...

But I personally think Alan Wake is the 1st game I've seen that can touch PS3... now Im just waiting to see what on 360 can follow suit!

cause personally I think people blow the graphical gap between PS3 and 360 out of the water, I own both consoles and enjoy both thoroughly!!!! as I just wish most people on this site would play both...

It's either OWN A PS3... or 360 GAMERS SHOULD BUY A PS3... why is it so wrong for people to play and enjoy what 360 brings to the table?

[NoOoB101]

Alan wake doesn't hold candles..its a flashlight duh.

[F4k]

Not evens close to UC2, but looks good, btw I bet this game gonna scores higher that UC2, GOW3 and KZ2, like do it other titles for xbox 360... I just don't understand...

[brolik86]

Imho...they are both great looking games. Yet imho Uncharted 2 looks way better than Alan Wake. The fact that ND REFUSED to go by the usual playbook in the gaming industry where a dev purposefully uses a muted color palette to hide bad textures and SUCCESSFULLY pulled off a great game at the same time is amazing in and of itself.
Does that mean that no one should ever play AW because it can't match up to Uncharted's level of graphics?? Hellz noo...I'm sure many ppl will like the game for what it is. However putting it next to Uncharted is foolish.
At the same time, please don't try to play AW like its complete and utter crap. That is FAR from the truth. 2bh, Alan Wake is the first game in a LONG TIME to even try to push the envelope on the 360 so kudos to Remedy. Its about damn time someone actually tried something new on the 360

[authentic24]

every time i see this game I think of Alone in the Dark, and I get nauseous.

[gamer7804]

From an artistic standpoint you look at UC2's graphics and it looks like an amazing looking videogame with great graphics. When looking at Alan wake, you don't even think videogame, you can easily visually place yourself into the realistic world they have created.

[Biggest]

The realistic world where you can't see anything and there are shadow people that are allergic to flashlight?

[Brklynty1]

Nuff said...

[condorstrike]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......
Godzilla..Godzilla.....

Alan Wakes looks wicked, but who know. just wait for release and stop showing Golum his Precioussss....

one thing is sure, the story is going to be better than UC2, damn
b-rated movie story was the only thing that sucked in that game.

[Def Warrant]

lol Alan Wake bullshots vs Uncharted 2 in-game screens and yet Uncharted 2 still destroys it. Alan Wake needs to beat Uncharted 1 off-screen shots before being put in the same light as Uncharted 2.

Why can't the others side comprehend the fact that they will never have a game that matches the ps3? Not to mention GOW3 is the new console graphics king right now. Like i said, M$ will always be behind two steps from Sony. Better luck next gen mate.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

so whats the problem that you see? I only own 2 of those amazing games Uncharted 2 (not counting 1 although you could) and GOW3... only reason I don't own the amazing game known as Alan Wake is cause it hasn't released yet!

[clarkdef]

All people seem to talk about is story and graphics. I like good graphics as much as the next guy, but hell I'm so sick of hearing about graphics!

[carreirabr]

And the let down list grows bigger and bigger: Metro 2033, FFXIII, Splinter Cell: Conviction.
Coming next: Alan Wake and Hydrophobia.

[1PC2PS33360]

I can play Uncharted 2 AND God of War 3 on my tv right now (just beat the later (9.8 outta 10 for me)

Alan Wake is intangible as of yet....it remains to be seen...I am highly doubtful that it will even match uncharted 1 quality visuals...but I am very eager to play it.

[keysy420]

flame bait artcle you can tell buy the opening scene they aint on par and there isnt any load scenes in u2

[Dusdg]

You fanboys all crack me up. Let's be honest and get this right out of the way, Uncharted looks like crap. Uncharted never was claimed to be the most amazing graphically intense game of all time until Uncharted 2 came out. As of right now GOW3 > Mass Effect 2 > Uncharted 2 > Killzone 2 > Gears of war 2. That's what my top 5 best looking gen games that are out right now are. It's funny that you can just read the title to the news and know how the comments are going to turn out.

[floetry101]

The graphics look fantastic. It's good to see more games coming to the 360 that really push the hardware. It does look like a great game, and I'll sorely miss the PC version. That said I don't think it looks better than Uncharted 2. Uncharted 2 is the zenith of console gaming graphics. To a certain extent God of War 3 disappointed me given some of the character models (Hepheastus anyone? lol). Uncharted 2's visuals are just incredible. The screenshots don't do the game justice, it has to be seen in motion to be believed.

[stennexxx]

Alan Wake who? it the black smoke from LOST. lol

This should be called Alan Lost.

[carreirabr]

Alan Lost in the Dark, bashing water tanks and mine carts with a flashlight.
Pew pew pew.

[Jab-dees-nuts]

how are they gonna compare these two games? its sad. UC2 is FAR better in everyway. AW does peek my interest as i am a horror freak

[led1090]

You know graphics are good.....but their effect on you will only last around 10 mins to half an hour....beyond that its all about the gameplay....its sad that gamers aren't so concerned about gameplay anymore

[baodeus]

wow, i just start playing unchart 2, and wow the graphic is so over rated. The game is good though. Seriously It doesn't even top Gear 2. Resident 5 should have gotten graphics. Why don't u guys show videos instead of touch up photos? Wow, i can't believe the sh*&% you guys saying. Same crap with GoW3 except during QTE. It just prove you guys never play any game from the other console. This site is full of sony fanboy. I own both console so it is not a problem, I just don't get why u guys so loyal to one console?

[Finalfantasykid]

Both games look crazy.

[Figboy]

with that said, i think it looks absolutely FANTASTIC, and i can't wait until it releases in two months.

as far as the visuals go?

i still think Uncharted 2 beats it out.

basing my opinion on the screens of Alan Wake a few things make me give Uncharted 2 the edge:

1) The character models in Alan Wake look good, but they also look kind of plastic. See this screenshot: http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

the characters in Uncharted 2 don't have that shininess to them: http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3...

2) Night time. most of the Alan Wake screens are at night, which hides a lot, allowing things not illuminated to be really detailed. this isn't a bad thing, by the way, as i don't mind developers using techniques like this to serve their visual goals: http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

Uncharted 2 is set in the daytime, meaning that it's imperfections cannot be masked by shadows and darkness. further meaning that it must maintain it's visual impressiveness at all times: http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

on a related note, the daytime stuff in Alan Wake looks FANTASTIC also: http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

but the textures take a hit (see the textures on the bridge in the screenshot above).

and: http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

also, rendering a mountainous vista with generous bloom and lots of trees is one thing, but i have to say the LOD in Uncharted 2 is pretty spectacular: http://playstationlifestyle...

and: http://frayedwire.files.wor...

as i said before, i'm REALLY pumped for Alan Wake. i've been itching for a REAL Survival Horror game since the letdown that was Silent Hill: Homecoming, and it's looking great, i just think comparing it to Uncharted 2 is a bit premature.

people trying to deny that Alan Wake looks visually stunning are fooling themselves.

my opinion is that, currently, with UC2 being released and running on Playstation 3 systems already, it looks better.

until i get Alan Wake into my 360 in a few months, i can't REALLY make a definitive decision on how it stacks up, and usually, i don't NEED to.

i don't need every game to shatter some bar to be entertained. i just want Alan Wake to be a GOOD game, and since it's coming from Remedy, that's one concern i can strike off of my list.

[Socrates]

I don't agree with most of your observations about the respective screenshots. I think Alan Wake looks a little better than Uncharted 2.

[Figboy]

i can't really judge Alan Wake properly since it just isn't out yet, but it's looking really great.

thanks for not just outright calling me names like some other folks on this site!

[brolik86]

What really gets me about Uncharted is how the visuals stand on the own with little to no use of bloom.

IMHO when I see alot of video games. On one hand, bloom can make outdoor scenes look more realistic by simulating the way a human eye reacts to strong sources of light. On the other, when videogames use this technique too much (i'm looking at you Gears of War) it makes the world your playing in look horribly unrealistic. It crosses the line in the uncanny valley and makes it a huge turnoff, at least imo.

Uncharted is great to me because they responsibly used bloom and didn't use it to cover certain graphical flaws like other games. Will Alan wake be guilty of this idk...but it does raise a red flag in my mind when i see too much bloom all over the place. Still think it will be a great game though.

[foreverflame]

uncharted 2 carrys alan wake jockstrap in terms of graphics,uncharted is plagues with low res,buggy glitches in the game.alan wake will destroy uncharted 2.and don't let me start with the gameplay alan wake mops the floor with nathan drake mantities

[Socrates]

Hardly anybody said Metro 2033 was going to be an "amazing" game. People just said that it looked amazing and might turn out to be pretty decent, both of which are true.

Alan Wake does look like an amazing game to me. Its graphics are amazing, that's for sure.

[boysenberry]

After five or so years in development, Alan Wake better look visually stunning!

[BooBaggins]

as a Xbox fanboy, Uncharted 2 pleased my gamer soul. Alan Wake is coo, but uncharted took it to another level completely. Graphics, animation, STORY!. Uncharted 2 is the best game ive played in many years. I havent played Alan wake

[FuckinUsername]

>Gets hit by giant container and doesn't fall down....Wat

[Biggest]

That's realism, dude. If you got hacked up with a harvester, you'd stumble a little bit too.

[XmnMetal]

MGS4 looks better than this.

[Jerk120]

That's because it's a movie.

[lh_swe]

...Don't thinks so.

[XmnMetal]

MGS4 looks better than this

[gtamike123]

http://gtamike.tsgk.com/PS3...
http://gtamike.tsgk.com/PS3...
http://gtamike.tsgk.com/PS3...

[xtremeimport]

alan wake in progress for like 10years

uncharted2 like 2

i'd hope it looks good.

[chriski333]

funny thing how can u compare a game with stunning lighting and all the color in Uncharted 2 alan wake is just a dark game no light so u cant compare the 2 but anyway uncharted 2 is better in ever way

[astar123456789]

ok aw looks half way good, its going to look better then halo 3, but as far as un2 it does NOT come close maybe un1 (maybe) or not. ps3 will always have the best looking games, because its next gen not last gen so lets just stop this right now and say ps3 is better. Pew pew pew

[CLOUD1983]

I can thing in an instant 5 games with better graphics than AW, it's very easy after all PS3 compete only with it's self, there is no way to compare xbox game with PS3 it's on an other level, here 5 games:

GoW3, MGS4, KZ2, UC2, UC1

Also character movement in AW was very fake, how they can compare this game with UC2 really... it's not bad for a DVD game with xbox quality, but UC2? r they serious? :/

[Paballo]

Alan wake better look comparable to uncharted 2,its being in development for 5years.The game looks good though.Does anyone know if Remedy will license there engine as it is one of the few engines that is is not middleware and built for the xbox360.2ndly I hope there is no DLC for this game because that would suck.we won't be getting a complete game.esp wen the devs tonned down the game from making it a sandbox which I think it would have worked well.Here's hoping it lives up to the book and has a fairly long campain.Anything less than 15hours is not acceptable.I will jst label the game as a DNF(did not finish)if its short.We gamers deserve better if so.

[prettyboy1]

alan wake is no graphic power house like uc2 but it does have good graphics.better then sc.c thats for sure anyways alan wake seems to have an interesting story so thats all i need from it

[strickers]

Alan Wake is the best looking 360 game I've seen and I really think it could be great BUT they need to stop putting 360 games against PS3.They lose every single time and it's not just in static screens.When in motion the gap becomes larger.Watching the AW trailer,the textures in the house fall well short of UC2,the animation is weak by comparison and the the lighting,though good,is no better than UC2.
First it was Splinter Cell and I couldn't see the fuss.It looks meh,apart from the torture scene.Now Reach and AW.They both look good and big improvements for 360 but they do not look better than their respective PS3 rivals.Does it matter?No and they do look GOOD.

[Escamotage]

This game IS looking better and better. But not quite up there with Uncharted 2.

On another note: This is the second video clip I see now where some big solid object flies into him and he just says "eh". This really bothers me. I'm hoping it is just a dream sequence or something, because that is a big gameplay flaw. First he gets smacked with a car, now he gets hit with a water tower? Why would he run away from an axe man if he can survive all that??

[theone26]

Alan Wake is gonna be a looker with its beautiful lighting and shadows and spacious level, it'll sure redefine the graphics on the 360 for the first time since Gears. But IMO Uncharted 2 still looks way better overall. Now GOW3 vs Uncharted 2 will be a much more meaty fight.

[Thehierophant]

I think Alan Wake is better:

FSAAx4
Land total of 100km2, roughly twice as Oblivion
Hardware Tessellation
Physics Engine
Procedural system to have different variables in each game playable
Deferred Lighting
Volumetric light and fog
Volumetric shadows capable of projecting anywhere you see
Self Shadowing
HDR
Bloom
Lens Flare
SSAO
Captive motion (facial capture)
depth of field
Motion Blur
normal mapping
And lots of pixel-shader effects more ...

Dynamic changes day / night and weather
Terrain draw distance of 2km square
There will be no charges in the game
We will use vehicles
Exploration and dialogues with characters

[RagTagBnd445]

Sorry, but many of the effects you listed there, are not really in the game.

[gypsygib]

With all that, how come it doesn't look better than U2 in still pictures and falls ever further from U2 visuals in motion.

[RageAgainstTheMShine]

I don't even need to look at Uncharted 2 when I saw this one http://www.gamesthirst.com/...

I picked the one with the brightest lighting. Just look at the wood texture. It's on PS2 level. U2 and Alan Wake are worlds apart.

Wake Up!

[shysun]

UC2 looks better for sure. They animation in UC2 blow AW away.

[theone26]

You're definitely pulling things out of your ass Thehierophant, Alan Wake does not support hardware tessellation, deferred rendering or procedural physics. I know it's fun to quote all the fancy names but it doesn't fool everyone. Besides, 80% of those features you mentioned are already present in U2 and Gow3 so I don't see it has the edge here. Now try MLAA "equivalent of 16xAA+" with Titan sized moving levels and 50 enemies on top of those, then I'll be impressed.

[Thehierophant]

The things I say are true, confirmed by Remedy.

[maniactadpole]

Drake looks more cool than Alan wake....And he's a ladies man !!....i think he gets better girls than kratos cause kratos seems to attract only sluts !!!

[mp1289]

...yeah Aphrodite is a slut now that you mention it.

[Meryl]

you know there is something wrong with AW when critics are not talking about it as much as they did for UC2, AND THE TIMES I HAVE HEARD SOMETHING IT HAS BEEN AW IS NOT THAT GREAT COMPARED TO UC2, BUT IT IS A GOOD XBOX GAME

[Thehierophant]

The critics don't talk too much because they cant yet ;)

And, it's Remedy, and Sam Lake = SOLD

[theone26]

Remedy can say whatever they want though at this stage I have yet to see your proof, a link perhaps? Point is many devs have promised things but ended up gutting it for the retail or under delivered. Seriously, do you even know what hardware tessellation is?

[hellraiserpop]

AW does use HW tessellation. One of the devs mentioned it. He also clearly specified that it's used only for the ground, not for everything. I doubt the 360 gpu can handle that.

[Shaman]

360 can do hardware tessellation but Remedy dont use it,they use on cpu thread for tessellation,though its software,not hardware.

[Greyfoxdbz]

Do people realize that alan wake has been in development for about half a decade, for that long in development it should look good, with that in mind it still doesnt look as good as uncharted 2, which was in development for 2 years

[HappyTrigger]

Have you ever realized that this is a new IP from Remedy? While Uncharted 2 is a sequel with all the games assets already fleshed out. Or how about the fact that Remedy is only a team of about 45 people. Remember, Max Payne took about 4 years to develop, while Max Payne 2 only took 2 years.

[Finalfantasykid]

Uncharted1 was a new IP, and it was only in development for a couple of years as well. At the time it was one of the best looking games for a console. Even now it would probably be considered to be better than average.

[ManiacMansion]

the first 10 comments are from 1 bot and 9 droids...

do i have anything else to say?

[awesomeperson]

But the 1 bot is 90% of the time the first person to post in flamebait articles.

[kraze07]

And the fanboys are eating it up as expected.

[tudors]

Tomb Raider is more comparable to UC2 same as Alone in the dark of silent hill might be compared to Alan Wake, both Alan Wake and UC2 are much better than the games that I mention but you cannot compare them to each other because they are too different.

[tudors]

one thing UC2 has in heaps is excellent textures, but you have to look at the game overall or the art direction, e.g. do you think GOW3 looks better than UC2 because I do, but clearly if this was a texture argument UC2 wins hands down, it all depends on what you are looking for, e.g in Alan Wakes case you want to feel like you are part of a living breathing phycological world, GOW3 you want to feel like you have been thrown back to the days of greek mythology, Halo Reach SCFI, I am not sure what category UC2 falls into but you see where I am going with this.

[GodGinrai]

uc2 is what an indiana jones game should have been. There is alot of action and its not stop roller coaster to the end. alan wake is more "the ring" mixed with a little "lost". It has a very dark mysterious look to it.even in the games daytime. then theres the fact thats its gonna be more open than UC2. There are more differences between these two games than people want to admit in hear. Every body on N4g justs wants a reason to sh*t on alan wake....whats wrong with JUST being a gamer folks....i pity some these N4G types tudors but people like you always bring constructive points to a topic...i dont care much about that bubble ish but have one anyway!

[comp_ali]

Alan wake is 5 year old

[bujasem_89]

http://www.youtube.com/watc... dont get ahead of your selves mindless xbox droms http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[tudors]

What has that got to do with anything? other than they want the game to be the best it can be.

[RagTagBnd445]

When do people learn to not compare screenshots for a game there is not released yet?

[GodGinrai]

They never learn on this sight..just look at the reaction to the new ghost recon pics!

[Picnic]

I think that too much is being made of Alan Wake's graphics. The Resident Evil remake on the Gamecube still has beautiful (pre-rendered) graphics and character animation but there wasn't so much hype over it. Alan Wake's graphics only looks relatively solid in a GTAIV kind of way - there may be set pieces where things look brilliant but it doesn't seem to be consistently Uncharted 2 type amazing in its looks.

[mattygamefreak]

Alan Wake looks good but it's no match for Uncharted 2. Doesn't mean that it won't be a good game though.

[GeoramA]

Wasn't Metro 2033 supposed to look better than Killzone 2?

Wow, talk about being way off...

[bison812]

Uncharted 2 was a great game so I hope Microsoft designed a great game as well. so visuals who cares as long as game play is there

[GodGinrai]

more people need to have your kind of attitude on here bison.bubble up.

[DigitalAnalog]

But this never ending tirade of shooting graphics back and forth between the 360 and PS3 is becoming silly. The author didn't bother to at least compare the graphical benchmark that at least hasn't been beaten by the 360 which is: Uncharted: DF or Heavenly Sword. Surpass that, THEN start talking about Killzone 2 because surpassing Uncharted 2 in graphical/technical marvel is a very tall order.

-End statement

[zekks2k9]

duh.......alan wake loooks better....give credit to where its due and stop being biased!!!!!

[DigitalAnalog]

-End statement

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

To me so far the game is looking good, but after playing Conviction I'm actually starting to lose hope any XBOX 360 game runs in HD. I'll have to see how the game is once released.

Like the Halo 3 screen-shot the looks good on computer, but not in motion?

[gartall]

Alan Wake.......... DAY.......MY PICTURES

http://www.imagegratis.com/...

http://www.imagegratis.com/...

http://www.imagegratis.com/...

http://www.imagegratis.com/...

http://www.imagegratis.com/...

[NnT3291]

You got disagrees for posting pictures. This site is funny sometimes

[xanith83]

The title should of said Alen Awake VS Alone In The Dark!! LOL!

[gypsygib]

AW graphics are very good but not close to better than Uncharted 2, maybe it's post-processing but something is missing in AW to put it on par with U2

[divideby0]

AW is on my must buy list.....some of what I have seen looks great..some so so... most of what I have seen is darkish and doomish....I have only seen a scene in full daylght with DOF
I cant compare it to UC2, since I know how UC2 looks on my TV...
If I AW has wettable clothes like UC2..thats def. a step in the right direction.

[gtamike123]

360 only games never look better than PS3 games FACT

[clr7672]

Crysis 2 on PS3 will equal it or barely beat it. No other game can beat Uncharted 2 in graphics.

[gtamike123]

good for a old DVD disk game

[s45gr32]

I will wait and see.

[AliTheBrit19]

Uncharted 2 had some great visuals, and so does Alan Wake

My opinion? Uncharted 2 probably has overall better textures and draw distance, Alan Wake with better lighting.

[SpinalRemains138]

I think they both look great! Having played through UC2 though, I have a soft spot for it. That game was like an interactive movie and raised the bar for console gaming 2 levels! Alan Wake does look very very pretty though. Perhaps the gameplay can give us a better perspective on which game is truly more enjoyable. I dunno, man. UC2 is one tough nut to crack. That game was just awesome.

[gartall]

Please.
http://www.gametrailers.com...

http://www.gametrailers.com...

[bangoskank]

Uncharted 2 wins in the graphics and animation department hands down.
While not as good as Uncharted 2, Alan Wake's visuals create an eerie and tense atmosphere that is unmatched.

These are two totally different games by the way. Why the hell are they being compared?

[iliimaster]

how can you compare this HD game alan wake to the groundbreaking record setting game of the year to this????? its beyond insane..... when will people get it.. the xbox cannot put out games that can compete in this area which they try to so many times...never will a game that looks as good as uc2 gow 3 or heavyrain or msg4 or gt5 those games are on another level.... kill zone 2.... i mean the list goes on.... its a FACT.. all of my ps3 games/bluray movies have ZERO scratches.... the disc cannot be scratched or dammaged unless thats ur purpose..... whats even funnier is to hear people actually agree....its kinda desperate...... i play the hell outta my xbox GT xII K r a t o s...

but this is a joke...

[captainjy]

this crap goes in the Open Zone. But since we're at it, let's talk facts- TIME and TIME again, we see comparison videos and TIME and TIME again, every single difference is so slight that it's pointless to even claim one as better than the other. Since release, the claim has been that the PS3 is technically superior and yet what game is really that much better on the PS3 than the 360 or vice versa? NONE. Gears, Gears 2, Fable, Bioshock, Mass Effect, ME 2, have all been amazing graphically. Stop being a fanboy. I own a 360, bleed green and even I can admit that graphically, both consoles are just about the same, even technically.

[MRMagoo123]

that can admit that both consoles are equal lol is the reason behind this because the ps3 has far better looking games and equal is all you can say without sounding completely stupid?.There is a huge difference between 360 exclusives and ps3 exclusives and if you cant see that then maybe listen to the people that hand out all the game awards they will let you know(Hint: ps3 wins).If the ps3 was being beaten in quality the same way by the 360 i would probably say the same thing to but you have taken the first step next is actually opening your eyes youll see why ps3 games get all the awards, maybe buy a 1080p tv too that might help.

[vilanova]

it does not have the same weight of processing, physically and shadow, the shadow is not dynamic, the effect of light on AW and without comparison, tornadoes that rip all, and even the water in AW is better

[ironmonkey]

alan wake looks good considering they haven't released a damn demo 5yrs later but ill have to say uncharted 2 wins this one. to me i think its the animations in uc2 that catches peoples eye. call it cartoonie or whatever, its the fact that its cartoon animations or so fluid and smooth and believable, you couldn't tell the difference if you were watching a tv show or playing a video game

[Ps_alm3k]

I'll guarantee you that Alan will not steal any awards like Drake does.
Second, Alan is still asleep...

[tudors]

.

[Belasco]

Looks awesome, but why couldnt they do an animation for him climbing that huge boulder? That is just sheer laziness.

[Miacosa]

The texture work in places looks better in Uncharted 2 not as flat as in Alan Wake. Also Uncharted 2 the game is running in-engine some of Alan Wake looks like CG scenes. Still looks good to play.

[HappyTrigger]

All of the vidoes you have seen of Alan Wake is in-game.

[Thehierophant]

Alan Wake hasn't any CG scene.

[Subzero200x]

lol is this the best these consoles can do? a max Payne game and a tomb raider rip off.

[captainjy]

To say that because Uncharted 2 is out that it's by default better is lame. Based on what I have seen between the two, both are different style of games. AW looks more realistic, easily. We haven't even seen the final product yet so expect it to look even better. And let's face it, the only reason why all of the PS3ers are so defensive is because this is really the only game on the platform that has really done well.

[finbars75]

The only game thats done well on the ps3.Thats calling the kettle black.Not in the long run.Killzone2,GOW3,LBP,Heavy Rain and so on and so on.Sorry but we have games that are original and different and all you have is Halo and multiplatform games.5 years in developement and all I see is another alone in the dark game to me.Lame and unoriginal.Maybe you will get Alan wake 2 years from now because there still going to be playing catch up with any game thats coming out this year or next.What games have dont well on the xbox that are exclusive besides Halo and gears that are both been dated back to the prehistoric times in the gamming world.Nothing because sony believes on quality and moving forward into the future not staying back and depending on old crap to do well for them.Jealousy no we just have more in class in good games that are out now not screenshots.Good luck on Alone in the Wake 3.

[blazed13]

the truth i dont really care about the graphics all i want is a great horror game and this looks like it gonna do the job.

[T9X69]

All you PS3 fanboys are on U2 nuts, the game wasn't that great I bought it used amd returned it in 3 days. Its a good game but nothing close to what PS3 fanboys make it out to be.

[MRMagoo123]

go check all the awards UC2 won its not just ps3 gamers that think this game is amazing in every way its the vast majority of the gaming world only a few tool bags or die hard 360 fans lie about it not being good. You dont have to like a games genre to know its good if you dont like rpgs doesnt makes every rpg bad just not for you.

[OutgoingSquall]

S$$$$ on Alan wake the game hasn't come out I have seen gameplay and his weapon is a flashlight hahaha I don't know what to say and noone really cares alot of comments is to make fun remedy should have made max payne 3 this game is too leftfield too corny and the spoiler to this game is obvious.

[tiamat5]

Actually that light thing sounds as gimmicky as Alone in the Dark's fire theme and we know how that turned out. Something tells me that light source thing is going to get old and annoying fast.

[finbars75]

All these are screenshot of a game thats not even out yet to a game thats been out for a few months thats won every award imaginable.Looking what they where saying about Metro2033 and how it looks graphically matched to killzone2.As far as im concerned I think that alan wake is not going to touch Uncharted2 until I see proof and alot of talk and screenshots that are probally computer CGI.Good luck with Alan wake because your going to be disspointed just like Splinter cells graphics that where suppose to match Drakes.LOL.576p theres no pushing the xbox with games like that.Uncharted winner by a mile.

[Unbornkirkster19]

If you guys appreciated videogames not just for their graphics but for what they are and get your head out of eachothers ass' then stop fighting over somthing so stupid. I agree UC2 does look quite a bit better that AW but why does that matter when graphics are the least important part of a game imo.

[iliimaster]

this was all to get hits.... or a xbot desperatly trying to justify why he's wearing a master cheif costume for halo 12 coming out this year

[gtamike123]

I didn't see any flat textures in uncharted 2 but I do see them in Alan Wake.

Like low res and not clear up close textures

[cysna]

XRider said: "Both look great, it's nice to see consoles with games that have graphics that are on par with 3yr old PC games. "

-Which PC games? There have not been any good PC games in the last few years (and this is from an old PC gamer). PC has been dead for a long time now. And this PC resolution thingy, it doesn't make a game look great.

[Maya]

lame hype attempt. both games have very little in common. heavy rain would be a better sparring partner, if only alan wake was final...

[SSCOOLCHEA]

When you can have GREAT GRAPHICS and shlt flying all over the place at the same time .

[Bizmal]

No it's not on par simply because it is on xbox. Xbox cannot top ps3 graphic wise.

[jack_burt0n]

wow you guys are in for some serious disappointment when you actually play alan wake, you shouldn't hype things up like this because when it disappoints its going to be ripped to shreds instead of enjoyed for what it is.

[EvilBlackCat]

"wow you guys are in for some serious disappointment when you actually play alan wake, you shouldn't hype things up like this because when it disappoints its going to be ripped to shreds instead of enjoyed for what it is"

-wow that just sounded similar to ps3 loyalist fanboys

In my OPINION i like Alan Wake Visual Artistic approach more than Uncharted2 but nobody can deny that uncharted 2 and gow3 both looks amaizing.

[labwarrior]

Which is funny, 360 seems closer to a current super pc, and PS3 can only do coriddor games in tiny 100% restricted paths, like PS1 games did back then because of low ram

Of course Alan Wake is not a linear, repeatitiv,e 8 hour shooter like Uncharted 1-2, so there is a real game lasting more than an afternoon there to enjoy the visuals in too

[jalen247]

Alan Wake looks great. But lets not get ahead of ourselves here.

Alan Wake doesn't look as good as Killzone 2 so why is it even being compared to Uncharted 2?

[yogaflame]

not even close UC2 wins by a mile

[jalen247]

Haven't people learned from Metro 2033?

Its not wise to compare 360 games to elite PS3 exclusives. You simply can't win. Why you might ask?...2 simple things

(1) PS3 has more horsepower under the hood
(2) Sony first party devs are the most technical devs in the industry. They are simply more talented than the competition.

Make a top ten console dev list and 8 out of 10 are probably Sony first party devs.

For example here is four off the top of my head.

Guerrila Games
Sony Santa Monica
Naughty Dog
Polyphony Digital

The only other non Sony competition on a technical level is the PC developer Crytek who now are just entering the console market.

Anyone who owns and has beat GOW III knows the deal with what Sony devs are pushing on the PS3. GOW III is polished to a ridiculous spit shine. Put it this way, the title screen is real time game play and you see it at the end of the game. I have never seen a game look that good on both a technical and artistic level.

[jalen247]

First it was Prototype against inFamous. (inFamous in a landslide)

Then it was Bayonetta against GOW III. (LOL. Not even worth a comment)

Then it was Metro 2033 against Killzone 2 (LOL. Killzone in a landslide)

Now its Alan Wake against Uncharted 2. (Hmmm...if I was to make an educated guess about this comparison prior to Alan Wake being completed, I would say Uncharted will win in a landslide also.)

I mean seriously people. Mass Effect 2, MW 2, Resident Evil 5, and Lost Planet 2 look better than Alan Wake in my opinion. And these are all games that are currently available on the 360.

[TehChef]

No contest.

[renato]

Ok, good game