The Power of Photo Mode.

Gaming for me is about the setting, if the setting of a game
isn’t imaginative or pretty, I find it very difficult to want to invest my time
in it, as like most people I am drawn in by beautiful things. However, as shallow
as this may sound, the game still must be good.

Now herein lies the problem with a lot of games lately. I have
ranted about this before, but I will again. Assassins Creed. Now the second
game built the world in a way in which I wanted to explore it because it was
interesting and breath-taking, the same with Brotherhood. However, Black Flag
set in the Caribbean was so boring. Yes, the sea was pretty, and the boats looked
pretty sick on the open waters with a sun set in the back-ground, but there was
nothing that stood out, it was a lot of jungle, sand and town. Which sometimes
is great, but the story didn’t want me to explore this. I understand that they
are constrained to historical accuracy, but certain settings just don’t do it for
me.

Skyrim is a very different game in terms of setting, the
open world makes you want to discover everything in it, the mountains, the tombs
and every settlement there is, because they are fantastical. But also, they are
presented beautifully, the change in weather can change the view completely,
not to mention how the night sky is absolutely stunning when it is clear. I
spent so long just looking at the setting in Skyrim wishing I could document
it.

In the last few years photo mode has been cropping up quite regularly.
Photo mode allows the players to document their greatest gaming achievements,
but also gives the opportunity to create stunning snapshots.

The first time I came across the concept of the photo mode
was in the HD remaster of The Legend of
Zelda: Windwaker with the camera, which was a side quest item but even then,
I spent far too long attempting to get a pretty shot. The HD version added a
selfie mode which enabled the viewer to experiment to a certain extent, if
anything it just made the whole thing more entertaining (I’ll just point you in
the direction of this Game Grumps clip, which is pure hilarity).

The capabilities of photo mode range from simply removing the
HUD and adding a filter to full camera capabilities, including depth of field, changing
camera angle and being able to get rid of those characters getting in the way of
that perfect landscape shot. Most notable photo modes that I have come across
so far are Horizon Zero Dawn and Uncharted 4, the former being the superior.
Both give the ability to capture stunning and unique images showcasing the
amazing worlds that have been created. With Uncharted
4, famed for its set pieces, it is the perfect opportunity to really play
with the angles.

  Horizon Zero Dawn gives
the ability to pose Aloy in so many dynamic ways, which, whilst displaying the
beauty of the game adds a whimsicality to the process. I will give an honourable
mention to Super Smash Bro’s for the WiiU, because honestly, that can produce the
most epic shots mid-battle.  As an amateur
photographer, who spends countless day trips and holidays lagging behind the
group because I am taking too long snapping away, photo mode is a dream. But is
it also a curse?

I have such a short attention span, I see something pretty or
more interesting and that is me gone. So, I spend so much time pausing the game
and entering photo mode. Whilst I have got some cracking shots, I am not
entirely sure it is conducive to the gaming experience.

Gaming is immersive, they are meant to bring you into the
world they have created, you are meant to completely succumb to becoming the
character you are playing as, especially in such narratively and fast-paced games
such as Uncharted 4. So constantly
pausing the game and taking a snapshot surely disturbs the fantasy of the game.
However, as I mentioned before, it does give you time to appreciate what has
been created in the game, and I bet the environmental artists love this tool
that enables everyone to appreciate their amazing work.

My mind is not made up on this dilemma, simply because I
love photo mode, however I feel that sometimes it is all I want to do. In a
game like Horizon Zero Dawn, I haven’t
really been able to get into the game as much as I would like and have enjoyed
the photo mode more than the actual game at times…

So, I haven’t really been able to settle this discussion, so
what are your thoughts? Would you be happier for photo mode to die out, or do
you want it in every single game? Comment and let me know!

By Siobhan Eardley.

All images are screenshots I have taken in photo mode on Horizon Zero Dawn and Uncharted 4!

(Here are some more of my favourite shots from Horizon and Uncharted 4… I was desperate to include them!)