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Graphical Fidelity I Expect This Gen
- Thread starter ResetEraVetVIP
- Start date
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Cumulus
Member
Again with this "look at this cutscene" shit.....Show me any frame from GOW 2018 or Ragnarok that has this level of fidelity. There are tons of examples in this trailer that easily places this game a generational step above prior GOW.
Haven't you learned from your SM2 experience or are we still pretending "in engine" would mean anything at all?
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ChiefDada
Gold Member
That's literally the point. If this was Ragnarok, Kratos/Atreus/whoever would be lit up like a Christmas tree.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The textures in the Onimusha demo....
At least I like the demo and the combat but the graphics are underwhelming
PC?
GymWolf
Member
So not another requiem i guess...The textures in the Onimusha demo....
At least I like the demo and the combat but the graphics are underwhelming
Bojji
Member
This is 100% scripted part, they can anything with the lighting (like in cutscenes).
Cumulus
Member
lol no, we`re talking about direct light AND scripted scene/Cutscene here...
Literally the one lightsetting that looked good since the dawn of raster tech, even without RT, "sunset".
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Balducci30
Member
Idk watching the God of war stuff - cutscenes look great, and moments look great but some of it looks straight up bad when it's gameplay. I think it's the lighting, like the main character gets those weird highlights on the model when the lights not right
Edit; maybe it's just the hair?
Edit; maybe it's just the hair?
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GymWolf
Member
I think you could have chosen a better pic tbh, except for the hair, the model in this pic look very ragnarock-ish.And some says it looks like ragnarok lol
Compare the geometry on that sword to the geometry of fatekeeper sword...
new gow improving from ragnarock doesn't mean much when ragnarock baseline was so mediocre, now it look like a decent\ok nextgen game but far from the top.
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ChiefDada
Gold Member
Huh? Just because a scene is scripted doesn't mean the limitations of real-time rendering disappear. If that was the case, then Ragnarok cutscenes would have no problem looking comparable to this. Unless you're saying they do?
Sept Terrion Of Nothing
Member
There is definitely something wrong with Deborah's in game model. Below shots are not some of her "best shots" (and mind you I wanted to find these kind of shots) but they are so much good and natural looking.
How did they manage to make in game model so much worse? It's so stupid that one honestly thinks that Sony really wanted to uglify her. Boggles the mind, yeah?
Addendum: Ragnarok Faye looks much much more better.
How did they manage to make in game model so much worse? It's so stupid that one honestly thinks that Sony really wanted to uglify her. Boggles the mind, yeah?
Addendum: Ragnarok Faye looks much much more better.
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ChiefDada
Gold Member
What are you even saying here? Do you even know?
Cumulus
Member
Yep.
Outisde of cutscenes the lighting visibly breaks here and there. Much better than the predecessor, but a far cry from even a garbage RTGI implementation like in Indi.
If I had to guess I´d bet on a probe system with a denser grid and more updatecycles than before. If there is any RTGI in there they royally fucked it up.
I see repeating patterns.
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Bojji
Member
Game is large and they have to bake everything. Ragnarok has places with good bakes (Jotunheim) and places with ZERO lighting (Vanaheim), it looks broken in those places.
There are plenty of good looking cutscenes in Ragnarok (and plenty of bad looking ones as well). Without RTGI it's all based on human labour.
Good bakes:
I don't have examples of bad bakes on cloud storage...
There is definitely something wrong with Deborah's in game model. Below shots are not some of her "best shots" (and mind you I wanted to find these kind of shots) but they are so much good and natural looking.
How did they manage to make in game model so much worse? It's so stupid that one honestly thinks that Sony really wanted to uglify her. Boggles the mind, yeah?
Addendum: Ragnarok Faye looks much much more better.
Yeah, i think she looks a bit better (outside of hair).
Turk1993
GAFs #1 source for car graphic comparisons
These are my thoughts about the last 3 days
- Fatekkeeper looks fire, literally one of the most impressive looking game right now
- Ill looks insane, if the animations and graphics looks like that in the final game than it is one of the new benchmark games for this genaration.
- Wolverine looks mehh..., just like SM2 it has some nice cutscenes and sequences but in gameplay everything becomes average and flat. Im sure there will be good looking parts but on average it will look just ok.
- GOW: F looks good but nothing crazy, there are improvements compared to GOW: R but its still fall behind other games in alots of areas. And it has the same problem like Wolverine where the gameplay parts has lots of flat parts and average lighting.
- Clutch looks incredible, it has some of the best car modeling i have ever seen. The material quality and shaders are truly ahead of anything else. Also the environments and lighting look really good (was expected with UE5). Can't wait to see the gameplay reveal. Hopefully it is not full arcady and the graphics don't get downgraded. Im looking forward to this as a racing game enthusiast.
- Fatekkeeper looks fire, literally one of the most impressive looking game right now
- Ill looks insane, if the animations and graphics looks like that in the final game than it is one of the new benchmark games for this genaration.
- Wolverine looks mehh..., just like SM2 it has some nice cutscenes and sequences but in gameplay everything becomes average and flat. Im sure there will be good looking parts but on average it will look just ok.
- GOW: F looks good but nothing crazy, there are improvements compared to GOW: R but its still fall behind other games in alots of areas. And it has the same problem like Wolverine where the gameplay parts has lots of flat parts and average lighting.
- Clutch looks incredible, it has some of the best car modeling i have ever seen. The material quality and shaders are truly ahead of anything else. Also the environments and lighting look really good (was expected with UE5). Can't wait to see the gameplay reveal. Hopefully it is not full arcady and the graphics don't get downgraded. Im looking forward to this as a racing game enthusiast.
viveks86
Member
Arm details? You mean this?Literally the only good thing about wolverine are logan's arm details
BlownUpRich
Member
Agreed 100% there is a noticeable jump from Ragnarok, just not enough to be considered satisfactory in my humble opinion, there are some weaknesses, but it can look delicious, and the animation quality is impressive too.Ok. Finally watched Laufey, and I must say they've really cranked things up visually. It's really not as bad as I feared and a clear step above Ragnarok. Anyone saying it looks identical... the hell guys? Show some evidence to prove your point. I've literally been playing Ragnarok for the last several months and can tell you 90% of the game looks nothing like this. Cut scenes come somewhat close and Kratos comes even closer (they already exceled at that since GOW 3), but nothing else does. Just... look at this. How is this not an noticeable upgrade?
Versus:
Or
I think some are looking at it with rose tinted glasses. The environment for the first 8 minutes and 30 seconds look pretty weak, but the moment she squeezes out of the cave, suddenly everything looks wayyyy better.
It's still not the massive leap I hoped for, but as a current gen title, it would be the one to beat amongst PS studios at least. Not a very high bar at the moment... but still. There are some issues though:
1) No RTGI as far as I can tell. Not seeing a secondary bounce from sunlight. Likely probe based or just fully baked
Another example below of missing secondary bounce.
2) Hair rendering looks good at a distance, but becomes an aliased mess in a few close ups. Looks good most of the time, but just something i noticed
3) Ground textures and details look so basic with tons of flat textures without visible PoM or tessellation in the opening section. UE 5 has spoiled us with nanite levels of details that this looks so... bleh
Though this seems to apply only up to first 8.5 minutes until she crawls out of the cave in the shot above. It's all wayyy better after that point. Even a lot of foliage and vines that had no AO before have proper shadowing or AO after. Seems like the opening area needs some end to end polish.
4) Really thin foliage/shrubs seem to have gotten no upgrade whatsoever. Straight up 2D cards with no AO to ground them. This will likely remain in the final game, I think.
5) Some particle effects are unstable/low res. They are fizzling throughout and likely running at half the framerate. Thought SSM had nailed GPU particles already. Not sure what's going on there... Not an easy thing to screenshot, but you will see what I mean around this area. All the flying/floating embers are a bit off compared to the rest of the presentation
6) Her model could use some RTAO, even if they can't pull it off for the rest of the environment. And with such long flowing hair, it's leaving insufficient shadowing on her scalp, forehead, face, neck or back. Depending on where the light is, it sometimes look like a wig on a bald person as a result. This alone would make her a lot more pleasing to the eye. She looks fine in more perfectly lit scenarios, like the start menu
versus:
This is an issue with light and shadow rendering in realtime. Not the model. Same as Grace in RE Requiem. If only they had PT....
But the game is still a looker overall, unless you really want to cherry pick shots because you have some unresolved beef with this franchise. Tagging a few random examples in spoilers before I piss people off with this post length. Lol
I repeat 2018/Ragnarok does not look anything like this 90% of the time! Moments like this are once in a few hours in that game.
I can see 2,3 and 5 and may be 6 getting some improvement depending on how close to release this is. But overall, it should still look like a proper current gen game when it's out.
Correct. No RTGI. Evidence aboveChiefDada
Maybe off-topic but I had to bring this up, according to Alanah Pearce, she worked on the writing of the game way back and it seems like Santa Monica replaced all of her work with another one's work. Good job to Santa Monica lmao, people are kinda shitting on her.
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ChiefDada
Gold Member
Game is large and they have to bake everything. Ragnarok has places with good bakes (Jotunheim) and places with ZERO lighting (Vanaheim), it looks broken in those places.
There are plenty of good looking cutscenes in Ragnarok (and plenty of bad looking ones as well). Without RTGI it's all based on human labour.
Good bakes:
All of these "good bakes" look bad for current gen standards. All of them.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The textures in the Onimusha demo....
At least I like the demo and the combat but the graphics are underwhelming
In the latest DF video they put out, John mentioned its the same demo from Gamescom last year, so there's a bunch of room for improvement between now and September.
Bojji
Member
DF vide basically confirms no current gen tech here:
Those are good bakes for GOWR - not current gen quality lighting. Faye GOW doesn't have it as well.
Those are good bakes for GOWR - not current gen quality lighting. Faye GOW doesn't have it as well.
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Cumulus
Member
I think I´ll steal that "we see a lot of continuity here" phrase. Sounds a bit more diplomatic than "same old shit"
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
Watching it now. the excuses they make for wolverine looking mid are infuriating.
Vick
Member
RedC
posted a nice AI Summary:Digital Foundry State of Play June 2026 Reaction Summary
Overall Impression
Digital Foundry's reaction to the June 2, 2026 State of Play was generally positive.They described it as:
- a solid show
- no real stinkers
- no major dead spots
- a good mix of big Sony titles and interesting third-party games
- it was not mind-blowing
- there were few genuine surprises
- but almost everything shown looked at least interesting or technically competent.
God of War: Laufey
Biggest Sony Reveal
DF starts with the final reveal because they viewed it as one of the biggest announcements.The game appears to be:
- a new God of War entry
- starring Laufey / Faye
- built on the 2018/Ragnarok gameplay lineage
Gameplay Takeaways
Combat looks:- faster than the Kratos games
- still clearly evolved from modern God of War
- more agile due to Faye's movement style
- Faye appears to have a real jump
- not just context-sensitive ledge traversal
Visual Impressions
DF thought the game looks like a clear upgrade over Ragnarok.Praised:
- better lighting
- more detailed environments
- improved foliage
- higher-quality character models
- strong hair simulation
- better bounce lighting / GI look
Technical Caveats
Still visible:- SSR reflections
- shadow maps
- some lighting oddities
- some possible hair aliasing/artifacting
- PS5 Pro
- using PSSR
- targeting 60 FPS
Marvel's Wolverine
Strong Showing From Insomniac
DF praises Insomniac's productivity this generation.They point out that including Spider-Man Remastered, Wolverine would be Insomniac's fifth PS5-era release, which they see as extremely impressive compared to most modern AAA studios.
Visual Direction
DF does not think Wolverine is pushing real-time rendering boundaries.But they do think it is:
- handsome
- clean
- colorful
- smooth
- technically polished
Ray-Traced Reflections
DF notes Insomniac continues using RT reflections well.Their approach:
- focus on glossy / mirror-like surfaces
- avoid rougher reflections that create noisy denoising artifacts
Blood System
One of the standout technical details:- Wolverine has a volumetric-looking blood globule system
- hit the ground
- have volume
- run downward
- behave like more than a simple decal
Game Structure
DF suspects Wolverine benefits from being more linear than Spider-Man.That may allow:
- better set pieces
- more detailed environments
- tighter pacing
- more Naughty Dog-style cinematic action
Overall Take
Wolverine looks:- polished
- violent
- technically conservative but smart
- likely one of PS5's stronger upcoming exclusives
Rayman Legends Retold
Surprising Rebuild
DF initially questioned why Rayman Legends needed a remake because the original still looks excellent.But the reveal changed their mind.
Instead of a basic remaster:
- the game has been rebuilt in full 3D
- apparently using Snowdrop
- while preserving the original gameplay structure
Visual Praise
DF strongly praises the new look.They describe it as:
- playable CG movie-like
- visually beautiful
- faithful to the UbiArt spirit
- modernized without disrespecting the original
- PBR materials
- strong lighting
- ray tracing
- 60 FPS target
Switch 2 Interest
DF is especially curious about the Switch 2 version because Ubisoft claims:- same ray tracing features
- 60 FPS
Main Hope
DF hopes this sells well enough to justify:- a proper new Rayman game
- or a similar rebuild of Rayman 2
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
John's Personal Highlight
John was extremely excited for Ace Combat 8.He praises the series for combining:
- arcade dogfighting
- light realism
- dramatic storytelling
- strong visual design
- incredible music
Technical Notes
Ace Combat 8 appears to use:- Unreal Engine 5
- a new 3D cloud system
They say the new cloud system may allow Project Aces to build sky spaces almost like levels, with cloud formations functioning as structures to fly through.
Presentation
The game looks:- gorgeous
- cinematic
- more advanced than Ace Combat 7
- more real-time in its storytelling presentation
Overall Take
DF thinks it looks exactly like what an Ace Combat sequel should be.John is clearly all in.
Stuntman Hollywood
Biggest Surprise For John
DF was surprised by Stuntman Hollywood.The concept appears to revive the Stuntman formula:
- perform movie-style driving sequences
- follow director commands
- execute stunts in real time
Licensed Movie Car Angle
The trailer references or includes cars inspired by:- Fast and Furious
- Miami Vice
- Knight Rider
- Back to the Future
Influences Mentioned
The developers reportedly cite:- Burnout
- Split/Second
DF sees this as promising because arcade-style stunt/racing games have been rare for years.
Caveat
The trailer starts heavily cinematic, and DF notes the gameplay footage does not look quite as flashy as the CG-style presentation.Still, the concept itself impressed them.
Until Dawn 2
New Developer
Unlike the original Until Dawn, this sequel is not from Supermassive.Developer:
- Firesprite
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- The Persistence
- PlayStation VR work
Game Style
DF expects the same basic formula:- interactive horror
- branching choices
- QTEs
- characters can live or die based on player decisions
Technical Impression
DF thinks it looks:- attractive
- likely Unreal Engine 5
- not obviously boundary-pushing
- but visually solid
Overall Take
DF is interested, especially because Until Dawn helped define the modern cinematic horror-choice genre.Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
A Remake Of A Remake Situation
DF frames this as interesting because Tomb Raider already had:- the original 1996 game
- Tomb Raider Anniversary
- the recent 1–3 remaster collection
Visuals
DF says it looks:- handsome
- clearly Unreal Engine 5
- modernized heavily
- with visible Lumen-style lighting/reflection characteristics
Gameplay Context
John pushes back on the idea that classic Tomb Raider aged badly.He argues the original still works because its climbing and navigation create a real sense of challenge and reward.
Oliver suspects this remake may be more hand-holdy and modernized.
Overall Take
DF is curious to compare:- original Tomb Raider
- Tomb Raider Anniversary
- Legacy of Atlantis
Kemuri
Ikumi Nakamura's New Game
Kemuri is from Ikumi Nakamura's studio.It appears to be:
- a stylized yokai-hunting action game
- with co-op elements
- and a very striking visual identity
Visual Praise
DF strongly praises the art direction.Highlights:
- comic-book-style speed lines
- motion blur used for readability
- strong particle effects
- superhuman movement
- Ghostwire Tokyo-like yokai influence
Main Concern
John initially worried it might be a generic class-based online/mobile-style game.But the trailer made him more optimistic.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Demo Released After The Show
John played the PC demo and came away impressed.Performance
On a high-end PC:- max settings
- ray tracing on
- DLSS Quality
- no frame generation
- roughly 130–140 FPS
- very stable frame times
Gameplay
DF likes:- the combat
- the challenge
- the main character's attitude
- the revival of the Onimusha franchise
Capcom Praise
DF compares Capcom to Insomniac in one key way:Both have strong internal tech and pipelines that allow them to ship high-quality games at a reasonable pace.
Oliver specifically praises Capcom for being able to revive series like Onimusha without needing every project to justify a $300M–$400M budget.
September 2026 Release Traffic
DF notes that many games appear to be clustering around September 2026 to avoid GTA 6.Mentioned:
- Wolverine
- Onimusha
- possibly other major releases
Sony's Showcase Strategy
DF contrasts Sony with Microsoft.Sony tends to:
- reveal games closer to release
- spread announcements across the year
- avoid showing everything years in advance
- concentrate announcements in big June showcases
- sometimes reveal games many years before release
- Fable
Final Verdict
DF's overall view:The June 2026 State of Play was:
- solid
- well-paced
- technically interesting
- not packed with huge shocks
- but filled with credible, good-looking games
- God of War: Laufey
- Marvel's Wolverine
- Rayman Legends Retold
- Ace Combat 8
- Stuntman Hollywood
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
I recall much, much better looking instances in Ragnarok, and GoW 2018 as well. But much worse as well, especially Ragnarok.
Bojji
Member
I think I´ll steal that "we see a lot of continuity here" phrase. Sounds a bit more diplomatic than "same old shit"
They are trying whatever they can to be as nice as possible. Where is Alex?!!
Digital Foundry State of Play June 2026 Reaction Summary
Overall Impression
Digital Foundry's reaction to the June 2, 2026 State of Play was generally positive.
They described it as:
Their main caveat:
- a solid show
- no real stinkers
- no major dead spots
- a good mix of big Sony titles and interesting third-party games
- it was not mind-blowing
- there were few genuine surprises
- but almost everything shown looked at least interesting or technically competent.
God of War: Laufey
Biggest Sony Reveal
DF starts with the final reveal because they viewed it as one of the biggest announcements.
The game appears to be:
- a new God of War entry
- starring Laufey / Faye
- built on the 2018/Ragnarok gameplay lineage
Gameplay Takeaways
Combat looks:
Big gameplay difference:
- faster than the Kratos games
- still clearly evolved from modern God of War
- more agile due to Faye's movement style
DF sees this as a meaningful mechanical change because modern God of War spends so much time on movement, traversal, and environmental navigation.
- Faye appears to have a real jump
- not just context-sensitive ledge traversal
Visual Impressions
DF thought the game looks like a clear upgrade over Ragnarok.
Praised:
They specifically note that Faye's hair is much more advanced than her depiction in Ragnarok.
- better lighting
- more detailed environments
- improved foliage
- higher-quality character models
- strong hair simulation
- better bounce lighting / GI look
Technical Caveats
Still visible:
DF notes the footage was:
- SSR reflections
- shadow maps
- some lighting oddities
- some possible hair aliasing/artifacting
There were some frame drops in the footage, but they stress it is too early to judge performance seriously.
- PS5 Pro
- using PSSR
- targeting 60 FPS
Marvel's Wolverine
Strong Showing From Insomniac
DF praises Insomniac's productivity this generation.
They point out that including Spider-Man Remastered, Wolverine would be Insomniac's fifth PS5-era release, which they see as extremely impressive compared to most modern AAA studios.
Visual Direction
DF does not think Wolverine is pushing real-time rendering boundaries.
But they do think it is:
Insomniac is praised for making smart, realistic technical choices rather than chasing every expensive rendering feature.
- handsome
- clean
- colorful
- smooth
- technically polished
Ray-Traced Reflections
DF notes Insomniac continues using RT reflections well.
Their approach:
DF sees this as the right compromise for current console hardware.
- focus on glossy / mirror-like surfaces
- avoid rougher reflections that create noisy denoising artifacts
Blood System
One of the standout technical details:
Blood appears to:
- Wolverine has a volumetric-looking blood globule system
DF considers this a neat technical touch because the game is much more violent than Insomniac's usual output.
- hit the ground
- have volume
- run downward
- behave like more than a simple decal
Game Structure
DF suspects Wolverine benefits from being more linear than Spider-Man.
That may allow:
The train / chase sequence stood out as one of the most exciting moments.
- better set pieces
- more detailed environments
- tighter pacing
- more Naughty Dog-style cinematic action
Overall Take
Wolverine looks:
DF expects it to be a major release, especially given Insomniac's track record.
- polished
- violent
- technically conservative but smart
- likely one of PS5's stronger upcoming exclusives
Rayman Legends Retold
Surprising Rebuild
DF initially questioned why Rayman Legends needed a remake because the original still looks excellent.
But the reveal changed their mind.
Instead of a basic remaster:
- the game has been rebuilt in full 3D
- apparently using Snowdrop
- while preserving the original gameplay structure
Visual Praise
DF strongly praises the new look.
They describe it as:
Technical notes:
- playable CG movie-like
- visually beautiful
- faithful to the UbiArt spirit
- modernized without disrespecting the original
- PBR materials
- strong lighting
- ray tracing
- 60 FPS target
Switch 2 Interest
DF is especially curious about the Switch 2 version because Ubisoft claims:
They suspect the controlled camera and 2D-style gameplay may make this more achievable than something like Star Wars Outlaws.
- same ray tracing features
- 60 FPS
Main Hope
DF hopes this sells well enough to justify:
Overall, they consider it one of the most pleasant surprises of the show.
- a proper new Rayman game
- or a similar rebuild of Rayman 2
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
John's Personal Highlight
John was extremely excited for Ace Combat 8.
He praises the series for combining:
- arcade dogfighting
- light realism
- dramatic storytelling
- strong visual design
- incredible music
Technical Notes
Ace Combat 8 appears to use:
DF especially praises the clouds.
- Unreal Engine 5
- a new 3D cloud system
They say the new cloud system may allow Project Aces to build sky spaces almost like levels, with cloud formations functioning as structures to fly through.
Presentation
The game looks:
DF hopes the game pulls back from Ace Combat 7's still-image-style cutscenes and leans more into real-time cinematic sequences.
- gorgeous
- cinematic
- more advanced than Ace Combat 7
- more real-time in its storytelling presentation
Overall Take
DF thinks it looks exactly like what an Ace Combat sequel should be.
John is clearly all in.
Stuntman Hollywood
Biggest Surprise For John
DF was surprised by Stuntman Hollywood.
The concept appears to revive the Stuntman formula:
- perform movie-style driving sequences
- follow director commands
- execute stunts in real time
Licensed Movie Car Angle
The trailer references or includes cars inspired by:
DF thinks the idea of combining Stuntman gameplay with officially licensed film/TV properties is brilliant.
- Fast and Furious
- Miami Vice
- Knight Rider
- Back to the Future
Influences Mentioned
The developers reportedly cite:
as inspirations.
- Burnout
- Split/Second
DF sees this as promising because arcade-style stunt/racing games have been rare for years.
Caveat
The trailer starts heavily cinematic, and DF notes the gameplay footage does not look quite as flashy as the CG-style presentation.
Still, the concept itself impressed them.
Until Dawn 2
New Developer
Unlike the original Until Dawn, this sequel is not from Supermassive.
Developer:
Known for:
- Firesprite
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- The Persistence
- PlayStation VR work
Game Style
DF expects the same basic formula:
Peter Stormare's character appears to return in some capacity.
- interactive horror
- branching choices
- QTEs
- characters can live or die based on player decisions
Technical Impression
DF thinks it looks:
They also joke that the characters look "ultra douchy," which they consider appropriate for this kind of horror setup.
- attractive
- likely Unreal Engine 5
- not obviously boundary-pushing
- but visually solid
Overall Take
DF is interested, especially because Until Dawn helped define the modern cinematic horror-choice genre.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
A Remake Of A Remake Situation
DF frames this as interesting because Tomb Raider already had:
Now Legacy of Atlantis appears to be another major reimagining.
- the original 1996 game
- Tomb Raider Anniversary
- the recent 1–3 remaster collection
Visuals
DF says it looks:
They note the footage shows mixed 30 FPS and 60 FPS clips, but they do not take that as final performance evidence.
- handsome
- clearly Unreal Engine 5
- modernized heavily
- with visible Lumen-style lighting/reflection characteristics
Gameplay Context
John pushes back on the idea that classic Tomb Raider aged badly.
He argues the original still works because its climbing and navigation create a real sense of challenge and reward.
Oliver suspects this remake may be more hand-holdy and modernized.
Overall Take
DF is curious to compare:
They think the new version looks promising.
- original Tomb Raider
- Tomb Raider Anniversary
- Legacy of Atlantis
Kemuri
Ikumi Nakamura's New Game
Kemuri is from Ikumi Nakamura's studio.
It appears to be:
- a stylized yokai-hunting action game
- with co-op elements
- and a very striking visual identity
Visual Praise
DF strongly praises the art direction.
Highlights:
Oliver says it is not normally his kind of game, but the visuals are so eye-catching that he is interested anyway.
- comic-book-style speed lines
- motion blur used for readability
- strong particle effects
- superhuman movement
- Ghostwire Tokyo-like yokai influence
Main Concern
John initially worried it might be a generic class-based online/mobile-style game.
But the trailer made him more optimistic.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Demo Released After The Show
John played the PC demo and came away impressed.
Performance
On a high-end PC:
He reports:
- max settings
- ray tracing on
- DLSS Quality
- no frame generation
He praises Capcom's RE Engine as extremely optimized.
- roughly 130–140 FPS
- very stable frame times
Gameplay
DF likes:
They note it does not push visual boundaries like Pragmata, but it looks attractive and runs extremely well.
- the combat
- the challenge
- the main character's attitude
- the revival of the Onimusha franchise
Capcom Praise
DF compares Capcom to Insomniac in one key way:
Both have strong internal tech and pipelines that allow them to ship high-quality games at a reasonable pace.
Oliver specifically praises Capcom for being able to revive series like Onimusha without needing every project to justify a $300M–$400M budget.
September 2026 Release Traffic
DF notes that many games appear to be clustering around September 2026 to avoid GTA 6.
Mentioned:
They joke that developers moving away from GTA 6 shows "cowardice," but obviously understand why publishers want to avoid competing with what could be the biggest entertainment launch ever.
- Wolverine
- Onimusha
- possibly other major releases
Sony's Showcase Strategy
DF contrasts Sony with Microsoft.
Sony tends to:
Microsoft tends to:
- reveal games closer to release
- spread announcements across the year
- avoid showing everything years in advance
Example discussed:
- concentrate announcements in big June showcases
- sometimes reveal games many years before release
DF views Sony's approach as more restrained, though with exceptions like Intergalactic.
- Fable
Final Verdict
DF's overall view:
The June 2026 State of Play was:
Biggest highlights:
- solid
- well-paced
- technically interesting
- not packed with huge shocks
- but filled with credible, good-looking games
The show did not completely blow them away, but they considered it a strong presentation with no obvious misses.
- God of War: Laufey
- Marvel's Wolverine
- Rayman Legends Retold
- Ace Combat 8
- Stuntman Hollywood
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
I recall much, much better looking instances in Ragnarok, and GoW 2018 as well. But much worse as well, especially Ragnarok.
Yeah, vanaheim had entire areas with no lightmaps, hahaha.
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viveks86
Member
Idk watching the God of war stuff - cutscenes look great, and moments look great but some of it looks straight up bad when it's gameplay. I think it's the lighting, like the main character gets those weird highlights on the model when the lights not right
Edit; maybe it's just the hair?
Faye has some form of dynamic hero lighting. Similar to Kratos and Aloy. That can sometimes interfere with the ambient lighting of the scene. Never been a fan of that but without RTGI or PT, she would likely look worse in badly lit scenes. Would give GAF even more excuses to dunk on her design. Lol
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Vick
Member
Indeed. But then other places looked really good. Like Svartalfheim, and some pretty nice looking stuff in the mines. Asgard is borderline photorealistic at times. And others instead so very inconsistent lighting-wise. The game is huge, plenty of good but also plenty of bad.
Three shots I took back in the day on PS4 Pro, God of War 2018.
ChiefDada
Gold Member
Remember when I, ChiefDada, pointed out RTGI in Yotei announcement trailer before DF did???
RTGI clear as day.
Yeah I think we'll see the same thing for Faye. The soft shadows created from the many emissive lights in the trailer are too high fidelity for standard raster technique imo.
walter568
Member
What a beautiful rock formation !Indeed. But then other places looked really good. Like Svartalfheim, and some pretty nice looking stuff in the mines. Asgard is borderline photorealistic at times. And others instead so very inconsistent lighting-wise. The game is huge, plenty of good but also plenty of bad.
Three shots I took back in the day on PS4 Pro, God of War 2018.
I'm saving this reference.
Bojji
Member
You also thought that PSSR1 killed DLSS.
This game doesn't have RTGI in that announcement trailer.
GymWolf
Member
Yeah, in the trailer they looked pretty detailed.Arm details? You mean this?
viveks86
Member
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
guys, is this next gen? i cant decide.
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Superposition
Member
guys, is this next gen? i cant decide.
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
yeah gymwolf is gay. i caught on to it when he kept posting Aloy pics saying she was attractive.Arm details? You mean this?
mrqs
Member
The 60 fps focus and the lack of courage of going all in with a better graphical pipeline has killed Santa Monica and Insomniac. Hopefully Naughty Dog still wants to push the graphical standard.
Laufey and Wolverine look a bit dated and lack most of what the current tech is doing.
Laufey and Wolverine look a bit dated and lack most of what the current tech is doing.
I would say it nearly is, but unfortunately it lacks the RTGI and infinite geometry of the true next gen titles.guys, is this next gen? i cant decide.
What is really impressive though are the animations imho
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GymWolf
Member
Yeah i was talking more about skin shaders.If only they had R* tech for body hair...
Bojji
Member
Superposition
Member
That Poseidon fight is still a banger by today's standards, btw. I was fascinated by the textures, the wet ground, and particle effects in the whole scene especially. GoW III's visuals was designed with passion, zero doubt.
And what we're talking today is lazy copy & paste assets...
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ChiefDada
Gold Member
guys, is this next gen? i cant decide.
Not particularly, no. I think you just like the grandness of the creature.
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ChiefDada
Gold Member
I should clarify and say RT emissive as opposed to RTGI/bounced lighting.
Bojji
Member
GOW3 was ahead of its time. I remember when HipHopGamer saw that intro of the game and no one belived him when he said "it's PS4 quality". Then people played the game and their jaws dropped...
High quality per object motion blur
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geary
Member
Agreed 100% there is a noticeable jump from Ragnarok, just not enough to be considered satisfactory in my humble opinion, there are some weaknesses, but it can look delicious, and the animation quality is impressive too.
Maybe off-topic but I had to bring this up, according to Alanah Pearce, she worked on the writing of the game way back and it seems like Santa Monica replaced all of her work with another one's work. Good job to Santa Monica lmao, people are kinda shitting on her.
Wait …that means it is dev for 6 years and we only got a trailer?
And ppl were shitting on IO…
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MDSLKTR
Member
Incoming boss fight in a small circular arena thanks to the camera that insists upon itself.guys, is this next gen? i cant decide.
This is what everyone wants.
anyasok
Member
Looks AI generated which tracks with Capcom adopting this garbageThe textures in the Onimusha demo....
At least I like the demo and the combat but the graphics are underwhelming
Killer8
Member
Whenever I see how disappointing Wolverine looks, I rationalize it by saying "well it's 60fps so that's the sacrifice", but ILL also appears to be 60fps during gameplay so the excuse just evaporates. I mean if this is the price to pay for Insomniac's efficiency this gen then i'll take it, but it even feels like we are regressing, after how mind-blowing Rift Apart can still look today.
Also I really wish Digital Foundry would shut the fuck up calling every game "handsome", this latest update of their vocabulary is already so tiresome. "Bespoke" was bad enough. It's reaching the point where I don't want to watch them any more just because of how predictably annoying they are.
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