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It's early days with our analysis of the new Skyrim Remastered, with work only beginning proper on the day of release. Our initial objectives here were pretty straightforward - we wanted to get a grip on PS4 and Xbox One performance metrics after the various issues that have befallen Fallout 4, not to mention the profound problems encountered in the last-gen PS3 release. Secondly, after the release of only the most limited of comparison shots pre-launch, we really wanted to get to grips with the quality of the remaster itself. To what extent does Skyrim Remastered offer an actual improvement over the original release maxed out on PC?The good news is that in virtually every regard, Bethesda has managed to bring the top-tier PC experience to the current generation of consoles and has indeed delivered the range of enhancements promised, but there are some limitations. To begin with, in terms of artwork quality, the remaster appears to retains the core ultra quality texture seen in the original release, but enhancements beyond that seem non-existent. Indeed, modders aren't too impressed at all with Bethesda's approach to the art, suggesting that the original top-end assets have simply been put through an upscaling filter. Beyond the texture work, the actual enhancements come from tweaks to the Creation Engine that affect both level of detail and the post-processing pipeline.
As the adventure begins and our hero is on the path to his execution, what's immediately clear is that Bethesda has been lavish with its utilisation of both volumetric light and god rays, as sunlight punches through the forest canopy. It's a nice-looking feature that appears to have been ported over from Fallout 4. Also evident is the inclusion of a tasteful depth of field effect, giving a slightly more realistic look to the field of view. It's interesting to note that these additions to the renderer can actually serve to give the game a somewhat softer look compared to the original presentation, which often resolves more detail in the artwork. But there's no downgrade here - it's simply a new spin on Skyrim's aesthetic.
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