Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora PC - An Incredible Showcase For Cutting-Edge Real-Time Graphics

[@cubusaddendum]

Thanks for noticing the acoustic rendering features we put in Alex! If you really want to hear the ERs and pseudo-LRs shine through though, you could fire the assault rifle while turning on the spot. Even with KZbin's stereo fold down you can hear the different reflection points render with their own physical-based filter states. All the best, Robert Bantin (Snowdrop Audio Architect).

[@kellyisrael895]

You guys did an absolutely incredible job with the sound design, even on my lousy headphones and on PS5 (although the PS5 is such a lovely little beast that it looks like it does get away with reactive audio in some games). Every creature's location rendered precisely enough that I can follow animals just from *the sound* of where they are, which in an Ubisoft game with relatively minimal UI is actually kind of important. Since I often use the relatively minimal Exploration mode for my UI, to give this old Avatar movie fan the feel of being a Na'vi. Kudos for the incredible tech work from all teams when it comes to getting Pandora right.

[@BobaFett396]

Don’t comment often, but I had to shout it for all to hear: playing this game on XSX and Atmos with my HT setup is beyond any experience I’ve had in any game. Please know you guys did such a great fucking job and should set the precedent for all future games out there!

[@AceStrife]

Audio still seems to remain such an underappreciated part of games. I feel like ever since Microsoft dumped hardware audio with Vista things took a downward spiral, as features like Creative's EAX got nuked (and they gave up on ALchemy). I could even tell the difference right on the desktop with Windows sounds. Thank you for creating something we can point to to show people what good audio in games sounds like, without even needing a HRTF setup.

[@rarelycomments]

The power of raytraced audio is underappreciated currently, I'm very excited for how it will be developed and utilised further. It has the potential (especially in VR) to add striking and captivating realism to games.

[@HurriKane1991]

Hi Robert, does the game support dolby atmos for headphones on pc?

[@theotheronethere4391]

The Snowdrop engine team should be given a prize. They handled the DX12 transition way better than many of their counterparts (cough Frostbite), very capable of large open-worlds, great multiplayer capacity, versatile (this engine was used to make the South Park game) and very beautiful. Bonds well for the Star Wars game.

[@HalfpennyTerwilliger]

It's also the engine used for the two Mario+Rabbids games.

[@xBINARYGODx]

bodes * and yes, I hate myself for having typed this

[@ac3d657]

Seek. Help.

[@p5rsona]

@@xBINARYGODx I too noticed that, wtf does bond well mean haha. but yes does bode well for the star wars game, honestly its the dream star wars/ space exploration game I have been waiting for

[@GORILLA_PIMP]

​@@ac3d657🤣🤣

[@ACGreviews]

Game is just insanely looking and I very much enjoyed playing it compared to some of their past titles.

[@thealgerian3285]

Doesn't quite sound like this is saying much.

[@willuigi64]

@@thealgerian3285 Should it? They're just saying it looks nice and was more enjoyable than past titles from the dev

[@E_Sunbro]

Your review is honestly what got me to buy the game. The idea that there are quiet moments in equal measure to combat encounters was very appealing to me.

[@fuzzy3932]

@@willuigi64everyone is so cynical. God forbid a game is just a good game…. Nope, that means it’s “mid” or “trash” Some folks just can’t enjoy something for what it is. It’s sad.

[@FoohyheadGaming]

@@fuzzy3932I agree. Nowadays if a game isn’t perfect, you will be judged if you enjoy the game. Not every game needs to be perfect, nor do they need to score a 9/10 to be considered “good”.

[@cooperm211]

It's crazy how much better DF's capture looks than anything I saw from Ubi before launch.

[@JakeMoran09]

I agree this wasn't even on my radar until this df deep dive. Super impressive.

[@MrVoland44]

Yes, this time PR was really weak. Even AC Mirage have more cool trailers than Avatar

[@Cinnabuns2009]

@@JakeMoran09 no doubt. Its only on EGS though so that's a no go for me. Maybe it will come to Steam at some point, bummer

[@ac3d657]

Holy wow seek help

[@CrimsonStarviper]

Honestly yeah I was considering skipping but this game looks super dope here in DF's tech video. Trailers were probably from console versions.

[@Kevduit]

One of the best looking games I've ever experienced. Literally just wandered around for hours exploring the unbelievable scenery

[@Glotttis]

You forgot to mention that after you were done checking out some plants you proceeded to do same-y mundane missions with mind numbing gameplay.

[@paradigm2841]

Why did you change the title of your video though?

[@ender_z4nd3r83]

@@Glotttis when you buy a ubisoft game you know what you are going to find, and still did better than expected, in some areas only a little and in others a lot

[@sk8ermGs]

@@Glotttis😂😂 so true

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

For some reason I read "scenery" as "sorcery". Tbh, getting this level of visuals from Snowdrop feels like sorcery.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@YOGGaming]

being one of the enviroment artist that worked on this game, this warms up my heart to hear!

[@ac3d657]

Yeah man Skyrim climb the hill with Charged crysis Jump, Such brave design bro

[@RedMangabey]

Fantastic work! Thanks for all the effort and hours of labour to bring this to life.

[@mukuroikusaba7347]

​@@ac3d657such negativity get laid bro

[@JasonGenom]

@@ac3d657 that is not what an environment artist does lol

[@RemyBuckss]

You helped create something jaw dropping and gorgeous. Be proud!

[@koustav24das]

Snowdrop is a very underrated engine. Division looks really a good looking game without much performance issue.

[@sparkydeltorro]

I played a lot of Division 2 with my brothers, underrated game and looks great IMO. Particularly always liked how fire looks in that game.

[@Keivz]

💯

[@Scantronacon]

@@sparkydeltorro Division 2 looks amazing and so much attention to detail and the gameplay is fun as hell and not to mention I get to play as Hunk!

[@brzimtrco6142]

Yep, division was revolutionary back in 2016

[@MichaelLochowitz]

This is the best engine I’ve seen that balances beauty with playability. In Division 2 everything is so clear and easy to see/play.

[@joshlyman7059]

the natural world in this game is just unreal, this is what i used to dream of as a kid, i know ''graphics dont matter'' but to a lot of ppl they really do, just wandering around this is spectacular

[@khalidkhalil5437]

graphic dont matter? huh?

[@thecooljohn100]

@@khalidkhalil5437 lots of people believe that. Usually it's because they don't have the hardware to run games at 2K/4K at max settings or they don't play single player games. Hardcore multiplayer gamers don't care much for visual fidelity, and on all the eSports titles they usually run all the settings on low to achieve max FPS.

[@mandrews6282]

I did not expect this game to go so hard visually. And the sheer amount of foliage alone and excellent lighting is pretty awesome. It really is a stunning game.

[@timmy3822]

I love walking through woodland and looking at the ferns and moss on trees etc. I think I’m going to love just wandering around the game world, I’ve never seen such high quality detail on such small assets before. It really does make the game stand out from its peers.

[@cube2fox]

Yeah. Only small complaint I notice from the video is that the small plants seem to be a bit over animated. They seem to move a bit too much. If it's supposed to be the wind, you can't tell from which direction it is coming.

[@damara2268]

And still you get people who will tell you that it "looks the same as 2015 games" and that its "unoptimized"

[@Spacemonkeymojo]

@@damara2268 The kind of people who would say that are the ones who said "this looks lame" when the trailer came out.

[@mitchh5596]

His points about the gameplay loop are interesting, you're kinda forced to keep crafting and upgrading your gear, you do get given gear pieces via story missions but not enough to sustain the way the levelling system is formulated. Late game gets tough if you don't have good gear.

[@Mr450pro]

I’m not a hardcore gamer, but this is the only game I can walk around in for hours without actually playing it. Just enjoying it and get away from the real world. Nothing beats this game at night! The sounds from the world around you. Plants,animals,and the music. I just love this game! A huge thanks to the developers for making this masterpiece 😍👌🏻

[@jmako979]

Hats off you Ubisoft for delivering a pretty stellar open world on both PC and console that runs perfectly. Crazy Ubisoft being the one to get this right at the tail end of the year

[@HiLoMusic]

Love to see a comeback

[@editing5157]

Hats off to Massive. Ubisoft's gameplay is supposedly what hampers this game.

[@stephenmeinhold5452]

its shocking that they have put out a game with no problems on day one its ubisoft one of the publishers that do not have a good track record. but the game has been in development for 6 years which shows if you put the time in you get great results most of the time. sadly most games have a 2 year development if that and its not enough time.

[@cybercery5271]

​@@editing5157fully owned by Ubisoft since 2008, Massive IS Ubisoft

[@MrVoland44]

Wgym crazy? After rockstar and sony its Ubisoft who always creating awesome looking openworlds Not to mention Division, now look at AC Unity, its 9 years old a NO ONE was able to create such dense city with insane amount of npcs

[@b4ttlemast0r]

Would have liked to see more of a comparison as to what the unobtainium settings actually change

[@Coldmud]

I guess there wasn't enough time

[@leonro]

That sounds like something that will be touched upon in the optimised settings guide.

[@Kira-qc4qi]

Yea he said that he only found out about them after he had the video basically finished.

[@stephenmeinhold5452]

@@leonro i hope so. its running well on my 2080ti system but i would like to hear alexes recomendations as then i know what the settings do.

[@ac3d657]

Don't bother, they are shills, shilling their ubisoft shareholder connections

[@AngryApple]

this water wettness effect on objects inside water is sooo nice, such a small detail but it actually makes this one of the best water surfaces ive seen in video games

[@ectoplasma5]

Yes that impressed me the most ! Also the way it connects to the land !

[@AngryApple]

@@ectoplasma5 yeah exactly it looks right.

[@nerdoutreachprogram5358]

Right?? Also when I was walking through the creek at the very start when you enter the forest I looked down into the water and was like, _damn_ those rocks are covered in fuzzy algae they look so good lol

[@Rebelscum264]

Too much water

[@tatianaes3354]

UBISOFT is cool again?

[@johananj.j8003]

The foliage in this game is just glorious. No other game comes even close this.

[@cormac8613]

Ark ascended foliage looks considerably better. It's hard to compete with Unreal engine 5

[@cody3335]

@@cormac8613 no

[@johananj.j8003]

​​@@cormac8613Have you seen the gameplay trailer? It doesn't even look half as dense, reactive or varied as this game. I'm also sure that ark won't be as optimised as Avatar, considering its UE5.

[@Sal3600]

Crysis did it in 2007

[@gaborfazekas7915]

Forbidden west...

[@BingusDad]

I've had so many moments in this game, where I just stop and look in awe at the world. This is the forest I as a kid dreamt would one day be in a game. Now it is here.

[@chs_ambs8356]

Stepping out into the world for the first time after you escape the RDA facility is a true Crysis moment. The only other game to do that recently is Doom Eternal when you teleport into Urdak.

[@leotide1990]

The Unobtanium settings bring my 4080 to its knees, but it’s so cool to see how far it can scale!

[@originalityisdead.9513]

The game pushed my 4090 at ultrawide and whilst using DLSS. It's also made me realise that my 12900k needs to go. It's bottlenecking my system.

[@CaptToilet]

does it add any visual difference or does it just simply push LOD settings to the max?

[@Keivz]

@@originalityisdead.9513what are going to replace it with? A ryzen 7 9800x3d?

[@DroneCorpse]

@@CaptToiletthey likely don’t know or care. it’s just about pushing the specs to the max.

[@sven957]

I wish he woulve done more comparison shots

[@Nytonoventa]

I played the game for a few hours, it looks stunning. And the sound design is super immersive!

[@zaq_d]

Kudos to Massive Entertainment and all the teams that worked hard on this one. Really enjoyed playing last night, and thanks Alex for bringing attention to stellar efforts with your reporting.

[@Ronzem2]

Massive so underrated. Been doing hit games for as long as I can remember.

[@stephenmeinhold5452]

i would send them a gift basket if i could.

[@yoteca]

I can't believe they actually made an amazing Avatar game. Wow, absolutely stunning.

[@liaminwales]

I am so happy RT audio is being used, it's something iv hoped we'd see more of by now. Audio cant have a big compute cost but the effect of good audio on a game/film is massive. I hope we see some more videos for this game, maybe a comparison to UR5? Super cool to see a engine push graphics so hard that's not Unreal, id like to see more engines covered.

[@manoftherainshorts9075]

Considering how bad the average user's audio equipment is, no surprise that companies don't prioritize that.

[@mrbobgamingmemes9558]

Most gamers dont give a f**k about audio quality unless they have sound problem, like muffled audio, stuttering, static, missing bass , etc, most gamers are not audiophile

[@krisiscove]

​@@mrbobgamingmemes9558Considering how vertical this game is, I love that it has proper Atmos support.

[@mrbobgamingmemes9558]

@@krisiscovesounds interesting, but i dont know if it make difference in games on average audio device used by gamers

[@krisiscove]

@@mrbobgamingmemes9558 Oh of course I agree. With that said I appreciate the effort massive put in even more because it is a niche market they are catering too.

[@KyleCollective]

Now that they’ve announced the division 3 watching this makes me even more excited because regardless of how you feel about the game as a whole you can’t deny that the worlds they built for the division look and sounded great so seeing that they have massively upgraded the engine I am beyond stoked

[@Alcoholikaust]

Probably my favorite Massive game and one of the best looking games of the year. Gave the 7800x3D and 4090 a workout on 'Unobtanium' settings-

[@MrAnimescrazy]

What frames are you getting at native 2k and native 4k with max settings? Then what frames are you getting with frame gen, dlss etc.? Thanks.

[@bustercherry8734]

I have the same setup. I'm gonna have to try this game as much as i don't care for avatar.

[@a.t.6432]

​@@bustercherry8734you can get it from steam and then ask for a refund after you tried it

[@nabushdinosaure]

@@MrAnimescrazy With 4090 and 7800X3D, in Native 4K it's in the 20's -40's. Looks absolutely gorgeous but to make it playable I use FSR3 ultra quality + frame gen = 55-90fps. FSR3 looks better than DLSS, which is softer and I like sharpness...

[@MrAnimescrazy]

@@nabushdinosaure damn ok thanks for the info and what about native 2k with everything maxed out?

[@Corybander]

Opinions shared tastefully, beautiful graphical showcases with exceptional quality on KZbin. Thank you, Alex

[@121deen]

Finally, someone who doesn't think the game is just far cry with Avatar characters. Well done for the professional observation. It feels and plays so much differently. Way too many unfair comments out there!

[@russia4biden221]

It is just far cry with avatar characters, its not a good game, keep coping

[@Overrated333]

@@russia4biden221look at ur name pls

[@kaustavdas436]

It is not far cry with avatar characters,its a good game,i support your statement

[@acesamm]

duality.

[@longjohn526]

The people who say that haven't played the game ...... Plus they are from the "I hate everything in my life" crowd .... I really can't understand how people can go through life that damned miserable all of the time ......

[@Griffo4]

Despite crashing every hour of gameplay for my pc, (Please don’t make fun of my outdated graphics card) this is one of the only games to make me say “oh wow” out loud and actually smile. Climbing the rookery was one of the most immersive, awe-inspiring, beautiful thing I’ve seen in a video game.

[@hihihi1q23]

I can't wait to see how their new Star Wars game looks running on this engine.

[@yoSevZ]

Same

[@ToMiBriX]

OMG yes, cant wait.

[@J4Berg]

This makes me really want a division remaster. The concrete jungle. The snow falling. Accumulating and melting. All the different lighting in the game. Would be amazing.

[@Sonic_Kirbo]

The night time bioluminescence of the plants reminds me of the bright colorful neon lights and particle effects of Infamous Second Son, loved the lighting in that game.

[@yoSevZ]

This just make me more excited for Star Wars outlaws

[@leotide1990]

One thing that helps me to enjoy this game is that I haven’t played a single FarCry game since the first one around two decades ago. So I’ve missed out on the FarCry-specific things that makes this feel tired to many, and thus this game is SO much fun

[@117johnpar]

The water suffers from a "Swimming pool" effect. Its like the ripples are too evenly dispersed and move too quickly, Almost feels like its scaled wrong for the type of water thats being shown. Thats about the only visual element I see that takes me out of just being absolutely stunned by a live scene in this game.

[@granthartley]

I thought the same thing. Felt like my video was playing at 1.5x speed (or higher), but it wasn't. Hopefully they'll correct this in a patch, along with the other visual discrepancies Alex mentioned.

[@Chasm9]

Darn... I feel like I'm looking at some high quality UE5 forest tech demo. Such a tasty looking game.

[@RedPillAlways]

UE is trash in reality

[@Lord_ofcinder]

I can’t believe it’s from Ubisoft. Ubisoft used to be one of the best in pushing graphics and then they got stale till they dropped this game. It’s genuinely a very good game and I am actually enjoying it compared to their other titles.

[@NintendoGamer2011]

@@Lord_ofcinder Honestly, I think Massive Entertainment is the best studio Ubisoft has right now. This game, plus Star Wars Outlaws coming next year? That’s impressive!

[@93836]

@@NintendoGamer2011 Holy crap, I know. I can’t wait for Star Wars: Outlaws.

[@yellowblanka6058]

Keep in mind, this is running on a $2000+ GPU. Personally, yes, it looks nice at these settings, but not nice enough to make me run out and spend two grand on a GPU alone.

[@HacksawJimThuggin]

Ubisoft are great when it comes to making great looking games...It's the gameplay that they struggle with.

[@minbari73]

The gameplay is fine, now go back to walking around in the dark with a torch or a sword.

[@SuperBallani]

I disagree, their games also have very consistently very very solid gameplay, in fact i would they are some of the best in the Open world category.

[@HacksawJimThuggin]

@@SuperBallani if you've played 1, you've played them all. They rarely deviate from their formula. AC, Division, Far Cry, Ghost Recon... Are all similar at their core

[@minbari73]

​@@HacksawJimThuggin Open world games usually have something to do in them, an enemy to fight, something to take over and make yours or make free. AC's play very differently to the Division, FarCry plays very differently to all of them. At their core the loop is similar, because what else are you going to do in an open world game? People want to shoot or kill things and feel the progression. Why is this wrong?

[@SplitScreamOFFICIAL]

I want to see this game in VR It would be a great way to complete the Cycle

[@BowserSmb-t2k]

That would be the only thing that gets me to buy it. Otherwise its Just another boring movie adaptation.

[@KBL1974]

I've been trying to play this on pc. Not having much luck though as I can't move 10 feet without my jaw dropping and me having to hit up photo mode. Think I've taken 60 plus screen shots, all wallpaper worthy, in first 3 hours. When a storm hits and the skies are grey with high winds... omfg Was really disappointed that no one had made a big enough deal about how special this is... until now 😊

[@badpuppy3]

Why does the lighting still look so flat?

[@Mart-E12]

I turned on the explorer mode the first time I started playing and it's such an interesting challenge. I'm so unused to actually getting lost in a game world and it feels great and immersive. I was just thrown into this world to find my way around and I love the freedom that gives me

[@oceanedetotes]

At 8:32 the ground with all the leaves is impressive ! First time I see something like this in a video game ! I would like to see a ground like this in RDR 2 PS5

[@mr_StevenS]

6:40 "Pandora at night is lit up not only by the moon" - Pandora is the moon here, it is lit up by it's planet =)

[@DigitalFoundry]

Check the Note in the bottoming left when I say that

[@b-radb5483]

What I like about the team at DF is they look at game a bit differently. Alex's description of what he likes about the game and how he enjoyed it was very much in line with my thoughts. I find this kind of analysis is missing from most reviews.

[@ac3d657]

Cringe. Seek help

[@IAt0m1xI]

This should be in VR I mean this looks good

[@TheBlackbirdii]

Best comment so far

[@stephenmeinhold5452]

i have avoided VR as i dont like wareing a huge device on my head but for this game i would go for it.

[@jojomojo3847]

pick a small device, there are sizes for everyone's taste.@@stephenmeinhold5452

[@saintsalieri]

It honestly drops frames very noticeably on Series X but I'm still enjoying it immensely. It's a great open world sci fi game, and it's nice to get one of those this year after all.

[@SubaruWRC1996]

For me it only has ever dropped once. I did notice it runs alot better on performance mode as when I got to the grasslands everything was flickering and dropping textures but going to performance mode definitely stopped it

[@saintsalieri]

@SubaruWRC1996 I'm on performance mode as well, and it drips quite a bit during rainstorms. On quality I was choppy in general. I expect some improvements will be made but it's already a great experience.

[@DwarfNoble]

Glad you're enjoying it! :D.. I only play games on PC.. so was curious: Does it have Ray Tracing on Series X?

[@Maxiow]

It's heavy as f* on PC too, should require a lot less from the hardware according to the visual fidelity, the water looks really weird for the most part

[@Maxiow]

​@@DwarfNobleit does, surprisingly

[@sagewaterdragon]

The Division is still one of my favorite-looking games, the Snowdrop engine is incredibly capable and the way that they flex their technical muscles with an art team to match was incredible. This looks like a worthy new game in that lineage. Super stoked to try it. Your description of it as closer to Crysis than Far Cry has me wanting to buy it.

[@devilduc]

a comparison between console and PC would be great and a comparison between unobtanium and ultra setting would be great too.

[@Justmeandmy20cents]

It's Far Cry in Pandora, but oh man it's the best feel good game I've ever played! The random events and fighting is some of the best Ubisoft has ever done. If you think open worlds are overwhelming, skip this it's the most overwhelming map yet, but if you can conquer your fears, my god is it rewarding!

[@14supersonic]

Appreciate getting a PC build analysis first for a change, you guys should do this more often. It helps showcase how good these games really could be given the resource and optimization.

[@granthartley]

100% agree with this.

[@ScyrousFX]

Hats off to Massive, stunning work. I do wish the motion blur looked better. It looked quite off in trailers and early footage, and it doesn't seem to have improved at all.

[@Reverend_Rob]

I feel like this is one of the best videos on the channel. Watched the entire thing. I really appreciated the detailed explanation of the gameplay in addition to the technical analysis.

[@paradigm2841]

Total respect for Alex and John being able to amend their previous opinions instead of falling into disingenuous click-baity negativity

[@philipp995]

I also thought that this Avatar game reminded me very much of Crysis, it looks incredible, love just discovering it. The only thing I don't like so much is the water.

[@minbari73]

Agreed, the water doesn't look right. Waterfalls I like though.

[@SolarScion]

The water moves too fast. I wonder if it's just a technical physics/framerate limitation or if the team actually thought it looked right. If so, they need some distance or a third party.

[@sajidhasan8385]

Snowdrop is indeed insane. People who play Division 2 know how good the game looks even in 2023. Great W for Ubisoft massive.

[@gibbs3000]

The game is beautiful and fun to play, I went in with low expectations and was blown away once I stepped out into Pandora.

[@mdance86]

So was I. Very rarely do I play a game and go "wow". When I stepped out into the forest for the first time, I just sat there and looked. I was stunned. Absolutely phenomenal!

[@Rocksteady72a]

Hiding the Unobtanium settings is honestly such a smart move for the devs. PC-only players get very upset when game aren't running above 60, so tricking them into thinking the max is actually the max is a really neat way to sidestep the review bombs that would've happened.

[@eSKAone-]

Also smart to side-step Geoff Keighley's birthday

[@eSKAone-]

Real awards should be in spring of the following year. Like the Oscars

[@Rocksteady72a]

@@eSKAone- ?

[@thegoodsherman]

Cool that this is not Unreal engine 😊

[@elpablo551]

This is the first open world that really looks like in the trailers to be honest. I have been playing this game since release and OMG and stunned by how good it looks. The environment really is ALIVE and it feels like that. I mean, I was at a river side hunting storm beast and suddenly a big fliyng dragon (not the small ones they ride on) lands at the river, the stormbeast run away like hell I was like "WOW WTF is happening right now!" Storywise it's ok and very solid. The only thing I was scared off was how easy you can kill the enemies but you can play the game in hard difficulty and that changes everything. Humans deal damage but not that much the robots will fuck you up. Just how I wanted it. Game of the year in my opinion

[@HosseinAhmari-p5r]

I love Snowdrop Engine . I played Division 2 on dx12 for 12 hours straight and didnt notice 1 single micro stutter. Im sure it will be the same for this game!

[@seanporcelli3965]

This is just as impressive as the movies my god.

[@anasshahid224]

Facts bro

[@saricubra2867]

Needs a path tracing upgrade to destroy PCs like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2.

[@GastenX]

Hearing Alex sitter there talking all the technical bed talk about this game made me buy it..

[@Decenium]

oh man, that is excellent sound design....really nice

[@MR-vg7yn]

Getting a faithful Gothic remake in this engine would be pretty much my dream. Even with 20 year old tech, Gothic 1 and 2 are still among the most immersive game worlds out there. Getting to see them with all the bells and whistles of current rendering tech would probably be mind-blowing for me.

[@Kuranghi]

"Yet it still floods in from that opening, bouncing around the entrance" *flashbacks to university days*

[@drusik]

"I think Crisis has finally been beaten in the Jungle Graphics department" - As I thibk that, DG pulls the words out of my mouth. I've always loved Snow Drop Engine, NYC looks great till this day in Division 1 (and better in Coney Island DLC in Division 2, the area where I live in RL). Remedy's Northlight Engine is also one of my favorites, with Quantum Break, Control (which has a PC RT Improvement Mod that is amazing), and Alan Wake 2. Massive Entertainment and Redemy are amazing Dev companies

[@humanafterallTF2]

That hud guidance tip to turn all off should be a design philosophy DURING game development, always.

[@vgnvideogameninja2930]

I've tried it on my RTX 4090 PC and my PS5 and can barely notice any differences. So nearly everything in this video also goes for consoles.

[@seanryu5214]

9:00 Another amazing example of this is when I was looking at the fish in the hunter logbook and I notice how the light was being spread over the scales and that honestly kinda amazed me.

[@KRG30001]

If you’re a fan of Pandora like I am then it’s worth it

[@christopherwood8778]

“If you just ignore the gameplay, the game is actually really fun.” - Alex Battaglia

[@Jensen8918]

'Check out how this plant shines onto other objects. We have never seen that in a game before'. We have, for the last 15 years. And for 60% less performance.

[@dixienormous227]

when i first got it, i was playing it like a fps game. But then idk i just started running and jumping and just experiencing it and it became so much fun

[@zedus4042]

I had suspicions about this game but WOW, this looks absolutely phenomenal! Ubisoft finally stepping up their visual and audio presentation. Also makes me very excited for next Far Cry game as it is also going to use the same engine!

[@boris3973]

As far as i know next AC is not using Massive's engine.

[@No-mq5lw]

And Star Wars Outlaws too! Good riddance to Dunia tbh

[@zedus4042]

@@boris3973 nobody mentioned assassin's creed here

[@boris3973]

@@zedus4042 i could have sworn you did...

[@TheSoxor123]

Currently playing this game at 4k and its THE best game I've ever seen. I thought Alan Wake 2 was next level but this game is a different beast graphically. I get lost in the forrest often and I love it.

[@alexatkin]

One thing nobody seems to give Ubisoft credit for is most of their PC games which also come out on Playstation, they include native controller support on. Avatar has adaptive triggers on PC when played with a wired PS5 controller (as did Far Cry 6), noticed mostly on the hacking mini games and harvesting some trees. Its a really nice touch. Also a huge kudos to them for including a toggle for Tinitus in the audio settings, as someone with the condition when games/movies simulate the effect it makes mine a lot lot worse for hours afterwards.

[@svenk5221]

I enjoy it a lot. Mich more than the other Ubisoft Formular games lately which I also played and liked so far. This game has something special besides beautiful graphics. Real nice pacing inmo

[@john_hunter_]

I like how you can see the wind blow ripples in the water. It's the first game I've seen with that effect.

[@NootNoot.]

Not only is the game pretty, I'm glad they spent the time to have some great interactivity, physics and audio. Also facial capture looks really good as well. The game gives me an equal awe inspiring feel like Cyberpunk and Alan Wake which are team green biased games.

[@jungerspross7922]

I just have to say the quality of your videos is unmatched. The attention to detail and technicality, as well as your editing and writing, truly sets you guys apart from most other similar channels. Keep it up!

[@6reen6uy]

No way this is a multi million unit seller, I really don’t understand who this is for.

[@thefoss721]

This is by far my favorite game since Zelda ocarina of time… my mind is blown every time new geography, animals, plants, birds are revealed and there is no short amount of creativity and time and love poured into every location…. Think about this, a team of thousands of game developers creating this game that took multiple years, that’s a lot of work for us to come by and pick it up for $30 bucks splitting it with someone with another PS5,… wow great job Ubisoft this is a true next gen game Great job Alex perfect demonstration of this game

[@Jeka85]

This feels like promo material.

[@Kougeru]

10:30 Anyone else remember when devs promised pop-in wouldn't exist anymore once everything was designed around SSDs? Just like loadtimes disappearing, it was a fun dream to believe in...

[@svartholstjornuson6215]

I mean, it looks nice, sure. I still think it look suitably gamey. Something like Horizon from last year looks a bit more refined.

[@jackcall3815]

The audio section was pretty crazy

[@rng81]

Now if only the game wasn't generic and boring :c

[@blabla1177-r7u]

As a fan of Avatar movies I am very happy that we got opportunity to step into such a beautiful world. Hopefully one day on some future hardware and headsets we will experience it in VR.

[@LonerJoe]

I installed the game on my AM5 with RX6950x I'm 72 years old and just had to see it. It's a bit complicated to play for me 😅

[@Lewdology]

No mention of stutters huh. This is Alex's Christmas present, amazing looking PC game that runs well. Love to see it.

[@MohammedYounis-w6h]

Snowdrop delivers the same visual quality as Unreal with half the performance cost. if this game was made with Unreal 5 it would've been a performance disaster

[@the_kovic]

Love to see a competent in-house engine. I'm not a fan of a potential all-Unreal future so I always give bonus points to studios who still maintain their own tech.

[@Unprotected1232]

For once I'm very intrigued by a Ubisoft game. It's been a while.

[@fraktux]

15 hrs in and this game is 🔥 Having a blast

[@eljusticiero322]

Agree people who think this is a blue far cry definitely didn't play it

[@jomareun]

​@@eljusticiero322Turn on Exploration mode and you're effectively playing sci-fi Morrowind

[@OctavioVLT]

I loved the game but bro how could yo play so much it released yesterday 💀

[@impersonator4439]

Do you actually enjoy the gameplay? It's the same old mechanics.

[@OctavioVLT]

@@impersonator4439 The core mechanics are very different. Exploration mode makes it a whole different kind of game.

[@Shantara11]

Given the lack of comparisons to Horizon Forbidden West, neither Alex, nor the PC crowd in the comments have played it yet.

[@tomkirbygreen]

Thank you for this Alex. Now I just need to decide whether to get the Xbox Series X or PS5 version since I don’t have a uber PC :-)

[@Purturtur]

From what I've heard from other reviews the game takes full advantage the DualSense controller if that helps with your decision.

[@Noob-yx1cu]

get it on the ps5, this game uses the dualsense like no other

[@Not_So_Slim_Shady]

Didn't expect much from this but my mouth fell open the first time I went out into the forest.

[@LeeLee-fi7mx]

Gorgeous game, can't wait to see the console review and what cutbacks were made to develop this game on much less powerful hardware.

[@jarail]

Not a single mention of shader compilation or traversal studder! If absent, that's a huge W.

[@Ploskkky]

Ubi's open worlds are second to none. The game is an absolute must-have for me.

[@alexatkin]

What immediately jumped out at me in this video was the water washing up and down the stones. I've never seen a game nail this before, as the stones never look correctly wet and especially lack that surface tension effect that makes the two things convincingly mesh together. Its such a small thing but it makes a huge difference that they've done this.

[@HENRIK40k]

Nice preview Alex, awesome job Ubisoft team! I would have liked to see condensation buildup on exterior facing windows; this would simulate the difference in humidity and interior temperatures. This could also in theory mask lower quality RT reflections if used.

[@ShaylonRS]

I’m about 3hrs in and my god I spend most of my time exploring the witch craft that massive did here is a true next gen masterpiece

[@Compusemble]

Superb visuals and well optimized. I tried the hidden "Unobtanium" graphics preset and it looks superb, but so demanding even on a 4090.

[@adriantrusca1245]

This translates to: " Hey look at me, I have an expensive graphics card. Notice me!!! I have money!!" Shut up.

[@Crimsongz]

Yours translate to : "I'm jealous and unhappy"@@adriantrusca1245

[@richardtucker5938]

no it doesn't, it doesn't translate, its just the thing they said. Take a look back at your comment, is it fair?@@adriantrusca1245

[@Saif0412]

​@@adriantrusca1245we don't need to be jealous or hate on high end GPU users. He just said it's taxing even on a 4090. He wasn't bragging, but you got triggered for some reason 🤦🏽

[@sumairsaif2050]

Another 4090 notice me comment lmao

[@nimbulan2020]

While the GI looks superb, I can't say I'm at all impressed with the reflections (even worse quality than Lumen's hybrid reflections) or the shadows, which display a ton of shimmering artifacts throughout the video.

[@kevinhobson44]

Hallmarks of software gi mate.