Graphics vs Aesthetics

[Abriael]

Go on, Abriael. Show us on this doll where ArenaNet touched you.

Luckily, criticism doesn't necessarily involve a bias. Quite the contrary. I simply compared GW2's gameplay videos with the promotional staged ones and noticed the evident difference.
The same difference that is easily seen in basically every game that uses the flycam trick in order to show their environments in the best light possible.

Seriously. It's a good example of utilizing art direction to create an aesthetically pleasing environment while using less than optimal graphics, which is what this thread is about. No reason to get upset about it, my good man.

Seriously, are you pulling out the "u mad?" argument? You seem to be the one upset because someone criticized your favourite upcoming kid on the block

Actually it's just a good example of utilizing a staged camera to hide flaws that are very evident in game, and to make the environment look more grand and epic then it actually is. A trick that's used not only by arenanet, but by a LOT of game developers out there.
Too bad that the impact with reality tends to be quite harsh as the hidden flaws are fully revealed as soon as the character walks into said environment, never being able to experience the angles and motion patterns displayed in the trailers and having to instead fully experience the flaws and shortcomings of the engine.

This is exacerbated even more when in those environment you start to see walking characters that look even worse than the environment (because too many of the already limited resources of the engine/hardware have been allocated to the environment, leaving too little for the characters), and as such seem to be artificially slapped into it, ruining the overall feel even more.

Mind you, it's indeed an example of good art direction, but of good art direction in trailer making. Not in game development.

Again.. Thank you tonka for trying to a voice of reason.

Voice that agrees with you != Voice of reason.

Ultimately, Aesthetics are subjective, graphical quality is not. You may like or not like a game's art direction, but graphical quality is an absolute value over which aesthetics can be built.