Beyond the graphical side of realism, there lies the issue of gameplay – and indeed the very way we play. Far from being a technical powerhouse akin to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the Wii continues to make strides with the mainstream audience, going so far as to sell itself on the idea of matching motions in the living room to those on-screen. It’s simple yet brilliant; you swing, your character swings – you run, your character runs. Whether you appreciate the console or not, it’s obvious Nintendo made the right call regarding its new target audience, who gain more enjoyment from swinging a stick to sub-par graphics than they do from playing the latest big-budget eye candy.

In the quest for a life-like experience, we’ve been seeing titles include elements removed from the main crux of the gameplay. Heavy Rain is a prime example of how a gripping story can be told through a combination of the dramatic and the mundane, involving tense moments that are contrasted with simple, everyday tasks such as drying your hair or opening a car door. Realism has also opened up a range of options in different genres; in GTA 4 you could replenish your health (somewhat ironically) by scoffing fast-food burgers, hire a cab from your tubby cousin Roman, then flip through radio stations or listen to the driver’s expletives along the way. Again, it’s to the developer’s credit that these touches add something to the game without detracting from the missions themselves, which often feature stunts that should never be attempted in real life.

That’s the very point of gaming to begin with – to escape to a world far removed from our own in which to be enthralled, challenged and at times, even moved – so for many of us, graphical realism comes in a close second to fresh, inspired gameplay mechanics that will push the medium forward. It’s too soon to tell what impact Natal will have on the 360 and its core audience but it’s a clear example of Microsoft taking an interest in the physical side of realism. The tech demo featuring ten-year-old Milo blew gamers away as much as it freaked them out (it’s that Uncanny Valley again) and while it’s unlikely to revolutionise interactivity given its reportedly stock responses, we at least expect it to break new ground in the realm of player recognition.

The industry seems to be in a good place at the moment, with many games pushing the boundaries of realism to the point of surpassing those FMV sequences everyone went crazy for in the mid-to-late nineties. This doesn’t mean gameplay has taken a knock however, as we probably have more quality titles in our collections than ever before. Expectations are rising, graphics are improving and yet we retain many of the conventions that make things easier for the player (where would Kratos be without his all-important double-jump, for example) in which case we can expect the industry to continue to learn from its failures, cash in on its successes and fulfil the demands of the consumer even if it takes a good many years to do so. If you want it, you can be damn sure that you’ll get it – so when you leave a showing of James Cameron’s Avatar thinking to yourself, ‘I wonder when games will look like that?’, then the future of gaming looks set to be very bright indeed.

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