Cowboyspike;142236
Skank. Art is subjective, which is why I think ICO and SOTC are two of the most beautiful games last gen, even though the tech wasn't that all impressive compared to say GOW2 or MGS3. What I meant to say was tech-wise.
my vote would go to Crysis on that. They're doing somethings there technically that blow my mind. Though their skin lighting model sucks.
BTW, how will you and other developers cope with costs next gen? You and others must already suffer losses due to how expensive this gen is. If Xbox 720 or PS4 is released before 2012, then i'll quit console gaming and stick to my DS and PC.
Costs for games are crazy.
This is why you're seeing publishers shutting down and absorbing 1st party studios.
Ensemble was Microsoft's most expensive, external developer. That's why they shut them down. It was cheaper for them to develop in-house and share their tech. Same goes for all the publisher owned developers.
Truth is, it's been said that less than 10 percent of games turn a profit. The other side generate so much profit that they can fund all the other games publishers put out.
If you ask me, I'd rather go back to a year long development cycle. Purposely choose an art style that is both unique and easy to develop. A game that is modular. I'd want to put out more games at a lower price point. Digital distribution would be the primary way of getting the game out there.
But that's just me.