Old PC Games That Still Compete With Current Gen Graphics
Metro Last Light
Metro Exodus promises to be one of the best-looking shooters ever made when it launches next year, especially on the souped-up Xbox One X and PS4 Pro consoles, and, of course, on PC. And given just how much graphics have been a hallmark of the series from the very first game, it’s little wonder 4A Games is putting such an emphasis on impressive visuals. Even to this day, the series’ second game, Metro Last Light, wouldn’t look out of place next to console shooters when run on PC with settings dialed up to the maximum.
The atmosphere of Moscow’s dank subway systems really comes to life thanks to the material and particular effects in the game. The air is thick with dust and smoking powder in the most claustrophobic scenes and the constant use of breathing apparatus sees condensation fog up your monitor in a way that really transports you. That level of immersion is created by techniques such as tessellation and supersampling, which are only available on the PC version and never made their way to console, even in the reduxed PS4 and Xbox One versions.
Of course, performance and motion-capture aren’t quite up to scratch compared to today’s games, but you’d be amazed by just how close they get; the last-ditch seventh-generation games really weren’t too far behind. But what we certainly can say is that Metro Last Light running on PC at max settings still glimmers with an extra sheen, boasting textures that look just that little bit sharper than even today’s most cutting-edge console titles.
