Games are getting too dark? Literally

[Kogarian]

What kind of wimp plays with the screen on? Bah! Turn it off and play like a man! You think I got to level 3 on Oblivion in six months by having the screen on?

 

[squid5580]

I have my brightness level set on my TV set dang near perfectly for cable and dvds. Yet when I use the 360 the majority of the games I play need the brightness adjusted so that Ican just plain see. I think it is because games are being made for HD and SD owners can go screw themselves.

 

[levelone]

I think it is games trying to be more "realistic" but I'd prefer space marine riding dinosaurs on the planet zod with zero pronunciation (I forgot the episose but it's on the escapeist videos) then "gritty dull dirt covered realism"

 

[mikemart]

yea they do feel a bit dark

on GTA 4 and oblivion i made brightness at highest level
GTA cause i really couldnt see, oblivion cause i didnt feel like constantly using a damned light spell

with COD ive had moments where i thought my TV turned off cause of the darkness

 

[Ushario]

I thought Oblivion was supposed to be dark. That's why they put in light spells and torches.

The only problem I have with oblivion is how the caves/forts have like no torches or candles in them. I doubt the Muraders stay in a dark coner all god damn day

There are mods for PC that fix this, so that they actually carry torches, and drop them on the ground when they enter combat.

Some people also think that the dungeons are too light in Oblivion so they mod it to have darker dungeons...which means you need a torch or spell.

 

[massau]

i have no problem with oblivion if i set mine brightens at the highest i dot even need to use a light spell than

 

[MarxonSR1]

I have seen some games with screens so dark that, I can barely make out the gun I'm holding. But a lot of the time it's meant to be that way, to add atmosphere generally.

But I do object to games that make it dark just for arbitrary gritty realism in games that it is just not necessary in. Making things closer to life is all well and good, and something suddenly exploding from the deep for you to chainsaw its face off are also good. But don't do those things at the expense of gameplay.

Otherwise I might as well go down to my local cinema and watch horror.

 

[MusicalFreedom]

I think the darkness is just a symptom of a bad trend in art / graphics direction. Having a "gritty, realistic" art direction seems to be the popular thing to do, and for some reason the developers see realism as being really fucking dark. I don't get it, I can see just fine in real life, but not as well in games aiming for realism?

People say that graphics have become better over the years, but I'd say that visual appeal is quickly disappearing, which started by turning off all the fucking lights.

 

[matnatz]

Nah, Sega CD games were darker.

 

[MusicalFreedom]

Nah, Sega CD games were darker.

And they were mostly shit as well... perhaps there's a trend I'm seeing here.

Seriously, though, I haven't seen much of the Sega CD games, what little I have seen doesn't seem to be that dark at all. That's disregarding Sonic CD, too.

 

[Weaver Tyialo]

I have this problem too. Also, my brightness setting is at the top usually, but some parts I have no ability to see a thing that is going on around me.

 

[Frank_Sinatra_]

I think it's just you, because on my HDTV I don't have a problem unless it's GTAIV.

 

[Raziel_Likes_Souls]

Bioshock. It needs a flashlight plasmid.