Photo Mode is my new gaming obsession

Infinity Nikki and Assassin’s Creed Shadows have become my twin obsessions for their meticulously detailed environments, textures, and weather. With open-world dress-up game Infinity Nikki, I continue to be agog at how clothing textures are rendered with such detail and fidelity that by mere sight, I know exactly what a piece of fabric will feel like. For Assassin’s Creed Shadows, an action-packed romp through feudal Japan, I’m constantly in a state of awe at the natural beauty of the Japanese countryside, a feature that has been widely celebrated since its release. Both games are so visually arresting they made me fall in love with a video game staple that I’ve never really cared about before: photo mode. Photo mode, which typically pauses the game to give players the ability to take professional grade images of their video games, is a modern gaming feature that’s been around long enough to become a standard inclusion, especially in AAA games. But I’ve never seen their appeal. It’s a ... Read full article.