realistic graphics in games (just a little positive rant)

[BRIMStone]

one thing i've noticed is that, maybe the most deciding factor in how 'realistic' visuals look is *lighting*

if you look at the gloves of the character (their textures are a bit muddy) and the fact that the sleeves and such dont wrinkle or move at all would give away that its a model being animated and not real, but i bet most people didnt even notice this at first.

i think the camera filter and the very good lighting/reflections, are what make this look most realistic, take another game for example: Half-Life: Alyx...one of the more realistic looking games to come out recently, and a huge part of that is LIGHTING, i think its mentioned in 'the final moments of half life alyx' or whatever that interactive book thing is called that you can get on steam.

anyway good lighting, reflections, and volumetric effects are what sell realism, not necessarily texture clarity or even model fidelity; and i think the dev(s) know this and are doing very well with this project. good luck guys.