So far I found most purely normal/depth map based effects disappointing: Yes, they kook amazing when you look at the object frontally and sufficiently far away.

So far I found most purely normal/depth map based effects disappointing: Yes, they kook amazing when you look at the object frontally and sufficiently far away. But especially if you look from the side, the effect falls flat because occlusion and silhouettes are still following the model, not the textures. Not sure if this has changed in recent years though.