Best Looking Games

Blisterman

What games out there, do you think look the best? I'm not talking about technically best graphics, just ones which impressed you with how good they looked. For example, the Metal Slug series. It's nearly 15 years old, but even now, I love the graphics and animation in it.

Retr0gamer

I'd take Odin Sphere, Okami, Gradius V and The legend of zelda: Wind Waker graphically over any Unreal 3 powered pixel shaded next gen game.

There's some really gorgeous looking 2D games on the Sega Saturn that have really stood the test of time. Princess Crown would be one, which just happens to be the precursor to Odin Sphere. Layer Section is an incredible looking game and cleverly uses sprite scaling and rotation to create some gorgeous 3D effects. Astral is a very underrated and beautiful looking platformer.

I also love the later Neo Geo games. The hand drawn backgrounds and gorgeously animated sprites will never look stale, it's a pity they weren't in a higher resolution.

Even old 16-bit games still look gorgeous. Chrono Trigger, Rocket Knight Adventures, Gunstar Heroes and Ranger X would be a few off the top of my head.

papajimsmooth

I think Bioshock is the best looking game ive seen. I love the posters and animation throughout the game and the old sixties movies that play that show describe the new powers you get are really cool.

seraphimvc

love those Artistic style graphic,simply overpower than any 3D engine...Okami ftw!many 2D games still look really good!probably of using Jap fabulous anime technique:D speaking of that,the graphic design of western games are seriously tasteless,generally speaking...

while for 3D games,strangely i found those high end engine graphic doesnt click (FPS etc.) well,mainly because they are pursuing the simulation of reality ,they show their flaw more obvious.God of war/MGS on ps2 always make my eyes feel happy:)so far only GT5 the only game i have seen on next gen 'shock' me!

i guess the more work you put on the graphic(no the engine itself) like on texture,cleverly using the visual effect ,fixing the polygons etc makes them look really good

L31mr0d

I think most of the recent DX10 games look stunning. In order of how much they impressed me

Assassins Creed
Gears of War
Lost Planet
Crysis
Call Of Juarez

Some older games that still look pretty amazing now:

FarCry
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from butcher bay
Condemned
Half Life 2

Mr.Nice Guy

Metal Gear Solid 2 blew me away when I first saw it.

I think I'm right in saying that when it was shown as a trailer at E3 there were grown men crying over it.

CiDeRmAn

Knight LOre knocked my socks off, crap at it but loved to look.
Driver really turned my head at the time as did Gran Turismo, given what we had been playing up to that point, GT simply rewrote the rules for everyone.
Bioshock is the cats pjs alright, and I still enjoy seeing Quake, love the whole HP Lovecraft thing, the big white fecker with the lightning bolts, excellent.

vivadeadponies

http://www.vibribbon.com/

kaimera

+1 Assassins Creed. Gorgeous.

Gears imo is savage looking. Suits the game to a t.

krudler

if we're going for sheer graphical bells and whistles then Gears and Assassins Creed are well up there, but artistically Shadow of the Collossus, ICO,Okami, Ikaruga, God of War and Bioshock are amazing, the graphics dont overshadow the games yet you cant imagine them looking any different, ill take lovingly animated and well drawn sprites over bipmapp flipflopped mega shaded first person shooter graphics any day

CiDeRmAn

Ico, I was very taken by that game, the scene with the windmill, or the scene with the giant lenses that had to be aligned, incredible.
I remember being up and outside my house, I live in rural North Co. Dublin, and hearing the birds and the summer sunlight, I swear it brought me right back to tha game, certainly the most atmospheric game I've ever played, as well as visually arresting.

Metroid Prime was another great one, the fact that here was a game played from the 1st person yet the areas were not made up of discrete shapes, rather the areas were organic and beautiful, simply fanatastic.

Retr0gamer

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Metroid Prime was another great one, the fact that here was a game played from the 1st person yet the areas were not made up of discrete shapes, rather the areas were organic and beautiful, simply fanatastic.

Yep it really is a fantastic looking game. If you compare it to the likes of Halo it pisses on it from a great height. Most FPS games seem to be constructed from the same areas and textures repeated over and over. Ever single area in the Metroid Prime games is completely different and modelled beautifully. Most other FPS games usually feel like they have been lazily put together in a level editor in places. MP feels like an organic world.

I also have to mention Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Absolutely gorgeous art design and the use of bloom effects gave the game a great dream like feeling.

thelordofcheese

Another vote for Wind Waker, anyone who thinks that game doesn't look good should just tear out their eyes and flush them. You're clearly not using them properly.

I'd also nominate Viewtiful Joe as i loved the style of it

Maximilian

I always thought Oblivion was a beautiful looking game.

MiCr0

max payne 2 was very stylish

Vyse

Jet set radio.