What 10 Great Video Games Look Like Without Visual Effects

2. Monster Hunter: World

Remember those live-action storyboards for Devil May Cry 5? Now, times that insanity by one million, swap out a reference for the actual motion-capture performance, and you have an idea of how crazy the pre-vis cutscenes were for Monster Hunter: World.

Obviously, there aren't any real beasts you can drag in to stick a motion capture suit on, and doing the same to a real life wild animal is just asking for trouble, so actors stepped in to play these roles, and perform opposite another 'monster' (that in reality is essentially just a pole with a duvet wrapped around it).

That's right, some of the most brutal moments of Monster Hunter: World were created by capturing dudes performing wrestling moves on a bedroll.

There's a bit of Andy Serkis or Benedict Cumberbatch to the performances as well, and the actors truly embody these terrifying beasts, contorting their bodies and growling to give an extremely demanding physical performance. Sure, you can laugh at how it looks before the visuals are added, but it's undeniably an impressive thing to commit to when you're surrounded by a crew.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.