Image clarity is greatly improved, and hair and fur crafts are much less of a problem. Moving on to the improved hardware of the previous generation, the Xbox One X is a real surprise, with a massive increase in picture quality – as you’d expect from a dynamic resolution range of 1440p to 1890p. Due to the game’s temporary anti-aliasing, the lower the resolution, the lower the sharpness of the image, but it’s still a good looking game: only the hair and fur elements really get affected.

Reducing resolution and frame rate is another obvious way Guardians of the Galaxy can resize: So the base PS4 renders with a dynamic resolution range of about 900 pixels to 972 pixels, while Xbox One point is up to 720p (DRS is a possibility here, but all counts up to 720p, oddly enough). It’s 30 frames per second and that’s its terrain, similar to the Xbox Series S. There are obviously changes from the current console experience – so the option to choose between a 30fps quality mode and a 60fps performance alternative is out of the question. All of this begs the question: How do previous generation machines deal with the game? In a world where PS5 and Series X struggle to maintain 1080p60 in performance mode, can any PS4 or Xbox One deliver a good experience?

The game itself is simply fantastic and a highlight of 2021 - but it’s also clear that Dawn Engine requires console hardware. Guardians of the Galaxy made a big impression after our tests on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Ps4 not updating in rest mode