Just finished playing Half-Life 2 – The Lost Coast and I was impressed.
For those of you who may have been living in a cupboard somewhere sinister (or not), HL2 – The Lost Coast is what those in the know call a tech demo. Basically, it shows how gorgeous HDR or High Dynamic Range lighting looks. There are literally loads of websites out there that explain this in greater depth, but suffice it to say that people, rocks, water and buildings all look much more realistic with it running. I thought HDR looked great in Far Cry, but in HL2TLC it looks absolutely superb. The monastry at the end looks really nice with the light streaming through the window and the transition pieces where you move from very dark to very light work very well as you are dazzled by the changes in lighting. Even being in a dark corridor and turning on your torch makes you wince slightly which I can see being used by various developers to great effect.
Well done, Valve, please incorporate this in your future games. *big grin*