Hellblade 2 gets new look at GDC 2023
- Thread starter John Elden Ring
- Start date
First look at the game in over a year and it's still behind the scenes stuff. Red flag.
Is it just me or does it feel like they are doing things in the wrong order.
Dec 10, 2021 - Captured in-game by the development team.
Mar 22, 2023 - Realtime facial animation
2021 - "In-Game"
2023 - Facial animations
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Don't see why not, looks in line with the animation in Horizon FW, which was admittedly pretty great. Rendering looks more realistic than Horizon, but still looks like a game. Not seeing anything that couldn't be real. Still not into this overly dark, the-main-character-shops-at-hot-topic, kinda story though. DIdn't like it on PS4 in the first game either. The whole "experience mental illness!" angle was ridiculous. No thanks?
They really should be showing the actual game at this point. You know, someone with a controller in hand. Running around. Doing things.
The video looks amazing. Let's hope the final game -at least in the cutscenes- looks somewhat similar to this, but with something in the background.
next time, in 2025, they gonna show just eyes...
D
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4 years after the game was revealed, we're still on CGI trailers that are not in game? That isn't a realtime cutscene, unless by realtime, they mean it's a cutscene, really this time.
Still recording the facial animation, but we were told and brigaded into believing it would be released in 2021.
Still recording the facial animation, but we were told and brigaded into believing it would be released in 2021.
That scene is 100% realtime....
Not saying the game will look exactly like that... but in cutscenes it will likely be close.
Not saying the game will look exactly like that... but in cutscenes it will likely be close.
D
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just like the 2019 demos were in game, on an engine that didn't release for another year? Just like the last trailer was totally in game and not running on a PC (it was)?
I'll believe it when I see it running on a current day Series X.
Ninja theory, taking sweet ms monies and taking their time. They might release it by 2027.
Will never get why they stick with hellblade. First one was 6/10 if i ever played one. Enslaved, dmc, heavenly sword were all better. Should have went with new ip imo.
Will never get why they stick with hellblade. First one was 6/10 if i ever played one. Enslaved, dmc, heavenly sword were all better. Should have went with new ip imo.
Those faces from the asylum. Is she impersonating Xbox fans? Nice job!
I also recognize a horse with those chops.
I also recognize a horse with those chops.
Not a fan ofThose faces from the asylum. Is she impersonating Xbox fans? Nice job!
I also recognize a horse with those chops.
?
You must be a hater...
That monkey is cute but I think she looks more like a horse. Flapping lips.Not a fan of
?
You must be a hater...
This game could be a good looking mediocre gamepass fodder when it finally releases.
Which would be a clear upgrade over the usual bad looking mediocre gamepass fodder that MS usually releases.
Which would be a clear upgrade over the usual bad looking mediocre gamepass fodder that MS usually releases.
I think it's actually an improvement over the facial animations from the 2021 footage, where there seemed to be a lack of crispness and detail in the faces, and some of the skin textures looked "waxy" (that's aside from the fact the characters could've been sweating or it was a moist environment with high dewpoint...because their skin didn't reflect that IMHO).
That said, I didn't see anything that was much of a step above HFW:
I'd say maybe there's a bit more detail in the skin textures for the Hellblade II footage, but in terms of actual animations I think HFW is still better in the faces. There are parts in the HBII footage when Senua is talking where it looks like her face is over-emoting and it creates a slight uncanny valley effect. Particularly near the end, right around when she stops talking, is where it seems most pronounced.
The opening part of the HBII trailer, before it transitions to the dark background and before Senua starts talking, actually impressed me a good bit more. If they can just work on some of the facial muscle and lip sync transitions when she talks, and get more minute facial muscle animations in whatever mo-cap tech they're using, it'd clean up a lot of the issues IMO. And would help bring the final game even closer to the reveal trailer's visuals, which still have the best facial animations by far.
So, I can see a possibility where HBII has somewhat better facial animations than HFW (which is a high bar to hit, though Burning Shores will probably outdo HFW in that area as well), but I still expect HFW to retain the graphical edge in most technical areas, specifically with things like geometric density. Part of that is just down to stylistic differences so it's not exactly a fair comparison. That said artistically speaking it's not possible to say which of the two will look better because they are both going for very different moods visually. It comes down to preference at that point.
Now when the hell is this game actually coming out?
That said, I didn't see anything that was much of a step above HFW:
I'd say maybe there's a bit more detail in the skin textures for the Hellblade II footage, but in terms of actual animations I think HFW is still better in the faces. There are parts in the HBII footage when Senua is talking where it looks like her face is over-emoting and it creates a slight uncanny valley effect. Particularly near the end, right around when she stops talking, is where it seems most pronounced.
The opening part of the HBII trailer, before it transitions to the dark background and before Senua starts talking, actually impressed me a good bit more. If they can just work on some of the facial muscle and lip sync transitions when she talks, and get more minute facial muscle animations in whatever mo-cap tech they're using, it'd clean up a lot of the issues IMO. And would help bring the final game even closer to the reveal trailer's visuals, which still have the best facial animations by far.
So, I can see a possibility where HBII has somewhat better facial animations than HFW (which is a high bar to hit, though Burning Shores will probably outdo HFW in that area as well), but I still expect HFW to retain the graphical edge in most technical areas, specifically with things like geometric density. Part of that is just down to stylistic differences so it's not exactly a fair comparison. That said artistically speaking it's not possible to say which of the two will look better because they are both going for very different moods visually. It comes down to preference at that point.
Now when the hell is this game actually coming out?
It won't be mediocre but it will be a cinematic movie game with forced walking and sad girl narrative with barely any gameplay. Everything they hate.
These dudebros twitter warriors are all going to pretend to like it to promote Xbox and then they will shit on Horizon and Spider-Man by calling them walking simulators
