Ray tracing. It’s like the new kid on the block who thinks he’s so cool, swaggering around making everything look shiny and bright. Seriously, how many times do I have to hear about ray tracing on Xbox Series X? Is it really necessary to make even the shadows entertaining? It’s that obnoxious friend who keeps showing off his new shoes at every chance he gets, except this time it’s in a video game. Oh wow, look at that realistic puddle reflection; my bad, my eyes were so glued to it I forgot to actually enjoy the game.
Because yes, everyone plays games for the puddles and not for, I don’t know, the actual gameplay?
A forest in Resident Evil 9: Requiem now looks like a set from a Hollywood movie. Woooo! Now I can see how menacing a tree is when bathed in glorious, unnecessary rays of light. There’s folk horror in there somewhere—probably lurking behind those lifelike leaves. I’m sure it makes all the difference for my blood pressure when I’m trying not to get eaten alive by digital monsters. But hey, let’s prioritize shiny shadows over an engaging storyline.
Pixel perfection is everything that matters now.
I swear they could rebadge an old Pac-Man game with ray tracing, and it would suddenly be hailed as a groundbreaking blockbuster. Quadrant 4 just wouldn’t be the same without meticulously traced beams of unmatched light bouncing off Pac-Dots. Yep, we’re really living in a golden age of gaming innovation. Whatever.