It often feels like photorealistic mods are coming thick and fast nowadays. Since PC hardware reached a point where realistic lighting and textures can be rendered quickly and with tremendous detail, so many games have received an overhaul.
The most recent is Cyberpunk 2077, whose photorealistic mod is so impressive that it’s actually a bit too good. In a video posted to Reddit, we can see vehicles from the game that look freakishly realistic to the point where it feels a bit ‘uncanny valley.’
Cyberpunk 2077 already looks gorgeous with all the bells and whistles turned on
At first, we see a BMW next to a motorbike and, honestly, it’s hard to tell them apart from any real-world counterpart. The video continues showing more vehicles before then climbing onto a bike and setting out for the countryside surrounding Night City. Redditors, much like myself, are split on the footage. While it’s incredibly impressive, it removes a lot of the character from the game and potentially shows why games should never strive to achieve this kind of fidelity.
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“I just can’t get with these photo realism mods, they strip the game of its trademark aesthetic.” says one user, while another agrees by stating, “I actually don't find this kind of video impressive. It's always overcast weather + some extra shiny materials + desaturated colours. In Cyberpunk's case, all the work is done by path tracing, but you lose all the amazing art direction for a soulless grey-ish style.”
Of course, you’ve got some that simply don’t believe what they’re seeing, as this Redditor points out, “That’s just not making sense. Like I see it and I get it but at the same time, my brain is not processing that that’s not real.” Whether we ever reach this point in blockbuster games is hard to say, and even if we do you’re going to need a PC costing nearly 10K. This is what this user is hinting at with their quip, “Hold up lemme just call nasa and see if I can borrow a cup of graphics and fps to do this.”
Topics: CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077, Mods, PC