14 DAY TRIAL // The current generation of consoles has really shined in terms of hardware performance, largely thanks to the power that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have offered both gamers and game developers around the world to enjoy.
In recent weeks, we've seen quite a few studios and developers brag about the fact that they have maxed out one console or the other and that there is practically nothing that can be done in order to further improve future games that will be arriving on that specific console.
But that isn't so, Burnout Paradise developer Criterion Games believes, which has revealed, through its Technical Director, Richard Parr, and Senior Engineer, Alex Fry, that, if a studio has pushed a console to its performance edge, it just means that it has run out of ideas, and that you can learn from anything you do on a specific platform.
“That's proof that you're not the best,” Parr says. “It means you're out of ideas.” His idea is shared by Fry. “You always find new ways to do things, the constraints lift. Not just with a new console generation, but with every game you do. Whether it's a sequel or whether it's a new game, you learn to do things differently, better. The constraints go away because you learn. While it's nice to say you've maxed something out, there's not really any point.”
Let's not forget that Criterion definitely knows what it's talking about, as Burnout Paradise is currently one of the best looking titles for all the major platforms, the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, taking all of their hardware powers to the max in order to recreate a stunningly detailed racing experience. This, coupled with the fact that the console versions were launched at the beginning of last year, makes the knowledge of the Criterion team that much more valuable.