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This Underrated Feature You Should Care About

This Underrated Feature You Should Care About

We’re living in an increasingly connected world, and this is influencing our games. The PlayStation 4 brought a Share button into our lives, which the Switch is now also adopting. It’s possible to get screenshots from games on the Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS, and Vita. Services like Twitch and YouTube allow us to stream what we’re doing. With all of these opportunities to interact with one another and show off gaming moments we enjoy, do games actually need their own photo modes? Surprisingly, it seems like they just might.

This may seem like an odd assertion. After all, we have so many means of already getting pictures while we play. Do we really need a game to pack in another, additional means of seeing extra snapshots in our lives? The thing is, multiple games released over the last few months have been doing something different with their photo modes. They’ve been integrating them into games in such a way that they’re becoming more than an opportunity to take screenshots of things we’re doing. They’re more rewarding and clever than ever before.

Final Fantasy XV is a good example. This is a game with a photo mode, but it handles it in an unexpected way. As you play, Prompto will take pictures when you least expect it. These may or may not have filters applied, based on options you set in the menu. Each one offers snapshots that come across as photos someone would take on a road trip. They add to the game’s overall ambiance, and also provide a little something special at the very end. It’s a unique take on the concept.

With Dead Rising 4 , we see a series that’s known for its photography putting a photo mode to even better use. Frank West has to take pictures throughout the game. He’s snapping shots for points, as well as to move the story along and discover things. But he can also take goofy selfies with people and monsters alike. Here, we’re getting the photo experience, but it’s secondary and ties to a critical game element. It’s taking the photo mode to a new height.

When it comes to Pokemon Sun and Moon , the photo mode is an homage. Pokemon Snap , a game where you photographed Pokemon and Professor Oak assigned you points depending on how good the pictures were, was one of the series’ best spin-offs. Here, we can take pictures of Pokemon at selected spots, earning points that give us access to better camera lenses. At a few points in the game, taking pictures is even part of the island challenges. It’s a way to remember something we loved, as well as offer a little variety when going through trials.

Another game that handles this well is Gravity Rush 2 . Once Kat gets a camera, it’s used in a number of clever ways. You can take pictures on your own, whenever you’d like, to earn costumes and items. Should you participate in treasure hunts, you’ll have to take a picture that will act as a clue revealing the treasure’s location, which is then sent off to another player online. There are even some side quests that require you to take pictures of certain things in the world, like the one where an old man cons Kat into getting photos of pretty girls for him to leer at. The idea of taking pictures for pleasure is there, but there’s an option to go deeper and be rewarded for it.

This Underrated Feature You Should Care About

And now, most recently, there’s the 3DS version of Dragon Quest VIII . Cameron Obscura gives you a camera to use in-game. While it’s initially a means of taking silly selfies and getting pictures to put on digital postcards you can share with other players, it eventually becomes an important in-game hobby. Meeting his photograph requests means earning equipment you might otherwise not earn until much later in the game. By taking time to make use of a photo mode, you’re getting a more powerful party.

Photo mode is a feature you should care about in games. Specifically, because developers are getting more clever about how it’s implemented. It’s not just about getting screenshots anymore. We can do that on our own with most games already. Now, it’s about offering ambiance, items, and other more rewarding elements from taking a few minutes to capture an in-game moment. And that’s great for everyone who likes to enjoy the little extras in every game.

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