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"That's proof that you're not the best," technical director Richard Parr told Eurogamer. "It means you're out of ideas."

Meanwhile, senior engineer Alex Fry said, "You always find new ways to do things, the constraints lift. Not just with a new console generation but with every game you do."

"Whether it's a sequel or whether it's a new game, you learn to do things differently... better. The constraints go away because you learn. While it's nice to say you've maxed something out, there's not really any point."

However, the Xbox 360 is now approaching its fourth anniversary, and the PlayStation 3 its third. While neither system may have reached their limits, this is usually the point when the devs have completely mastered the hardware, and used it to churn out their best work. This holiday season should be interesting.