Uncanny Valley

Here's a preview of what we can expect next gen graphics will look like. CryEngine 3 was used to build this. And if you've got a high end gaming system, you can experiment with the development tools youself.

It's all very impressive, but I'm truly amazed with the realism of the ocean. It's hard to emulate the properties of water, and I think they pretty much nailed it. And it's about time we got realistic foliage, rather than wonky branches with sharp construction paper leaf cutouts.

Developers at Epic have also been working on their Unreal Engine. And with more licenses, Unreal powers some of the most popular games, including iOS titles. Here's a preview of some of their latest features.

Don't forget to hit HD on these if you can!

Kara

From the studio that brought you Heavy Rain (one of my favorite games), Quantic Dream has released a short called "Kara". They released a short in 2005 called "The Casting" and gave us a bit of insight of what to expect in Heavy Rain. This new short definitely explores new possibilities and avenues, but it is uncertain whether it'll be connected to their next game.

The short itself is actually pretty good and emotional. Check it out! Slightly NSFW.

Fable: The Journey

Fable: The Journey is the fourth game in the series, and will take place 5 years after the end of Fable III. An evil entity known as The Corruption is in pursuit of you, and you must reach the Spire while encountering all sorts of adventures across Albion.

As you can tell from the screenshot, Fable: The Journey is a first person game. That's because it will exclusively be a Kinect title. You will be using your arms to control how your character interacts with the world. You can cast spells, and craft yourself a shield, spear and hammers to defeat enemies. You can also craft fishing rods and telescopes for mini game fun. And as the screenshot shows, you must control the reigns of a horse carriage.


This is a huge step from the traditional adventure RPG genre of the past Fable games. It seems like a lot of fans are disappointed with the Kinect addition, but I will keep an open mind and try it out. Who knows, it might actually be fun!

Check out the youtube link for a gameplay demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Q1dgegSIo

Burrito Bison Revenge

I encourage all of you to check out this highly addictive game, and sequel, Burrito Bison Revenge. It's one of those "see how far you can launch the object" game, but incredibly fun. At first it might not be very rewarding, but you earn cash each round, and once you begin purchasing upgrades and power-ups, then the addiction begins! Set aside a couple hours to play this awesomely, cartoony, colourful adventure!

http://www.kongregate.com/games/JuicyBeast/burrito-bison-revenge

Super HD

While most of us are happy enjoying our primitive HD TVs, even some of us just getting one now because they're more affordable, NHK Science & Technical Research Laboratories has already created Ultra High Definition. Back in 2003, they built a prototype using 16 HD recorders capture a 30 minute long test footage. That was highly experimental, but they've been hard at work since!

Imagine a TV 16 times bigger than yours now, while retaining that quality. In 2009 SHARP demonstrated an 85" LCD display capable of 7680 x 4320 pixels. The average TV size now is about 46 inches. With a projection of 60 inches by 2015, things will get ridiculous.

But don't expect to see it in Best Buy anytime soon. The ETA for this is between 2016 to 2020. Mainly due to limitations of storage and broadcast distribution of content.

So when you're watching HD now and thinking, "This high def is really showing off an ugly side of that news reporter", pretty soon you'll be able to see pores clogging up and shedding skin cells float away into dust.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_High_Definition_Television