One of the most unique games seen at E3 2017 was A Way Out, a split-screen co-op game that follows the stories of two convicts as they escape from prison and go on the run. The game is one of the more high profile indie games making its way to PC and consoles next year, but it seems as though game director Josef Fares is a little frustrated with the sacrifices that have to be made to bring his game to home consoles.

In a recent interview with Engadget, Fares criticized the power of the PlayStation 4, basically saying it and other home consoles are holding back game development. He made these comments after discussing the motion capture animation and graphics in A Way Out, which he hopes to improve on in the months leading up to the game's planned release in early 2018.

"You want the honest truth? This machine is not so strong as you think. This is like a five-year-old PC. If consoles were as powerful as PCs are today, you would see all different games. Most of the work developers put out there is to make them work on consoles."

A Way Out Dev Criticizes Power of PS4 - Leo and Vincent

Fares is correct in his position that video game consoles are weaker than top of the line PCs, and that if they were as powerful as PCs, games could be more impressive on a technical level. However, Fares is not taking into account the cost of building such a powerful PC, and the increased development costs associated with creating a more graphically intensive product. Furthermore, a significant chunk of the gaming market seems to prefer home consoles over PCs, and if home consoles were eliminated in favor of PCs, it's safe to say that many people would never have the opportunity to play A Way Out at all.

So, A Way Out's graphics may not reach the level of quality that Josef Fares would prefer, but that's the nature of the video game industry. Having said that, it's not like the game looks bad by any means. In fact, it has rather impressive graphics based on what was shown at E3, and there's nothing quite like it available today, which should go a long way in generating additional interest for the title.

In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how A Way Out and game director Josef Fares will drum up controversy moving forward. Besides his recent comments about the PS4 and console gaming, the decision to release A Way Out without online matchmaking has also been criticized by some members of the gaming community. Fares has developed a reputation as being outspoken about the decisions he's made with A Way Out, so expect to hear more from him as we grow nearer to the game's release next year.

A Way Out will be available in early 2018 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Engadget