Ever had a case of graphics awe?

[Pegghead]

Hello escapist, Pegghead here if your left eye is focused on a game of crysis in the corner of the room.

Recently I've been playing through Halo Reach (Great game btw imo lol) and, as I finished the campaign in split-screen multiplayer it's only now I notice just how...impressive the game looks when not compressed to a quarter of the screen. While I believe that graphics come third to gameplay and plot/story (Gameplay being first, the combination of plot and story being second) there have been a few cases where my first thought when playing a game is just how beautiful it looks. I'm not simply talking about how "realistic" everything looks I'm simply referring to a visual feast in the eye of the beholder.

So escapist, what games have given you a case of graphics awe? Be it a pixel delight, a cell shade feast, a picture perfect realism, a realisation of universe through colour and design or anything else.

 

[Vrach]

Assassin's Creed was one of the rare games where I was (recently) really wowed by the graphics. There are plenty of other fantastic graphic examples, but they just didn't give me that "holy shit, niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice" feeling. Oh, Oblivion did before that, when it came out, seems funny when you think about it now, doesn't it?

Crysis was great too, but didn't have the effect on me. Few possible reasons are not being turned up to ultimate max (not a big deal though), but I think it was partly the hype and mostly the fact it's an FPS. It just seems a bit of a waste to put a graphics engine up for an FPS like that, it would do much better in a Battlefield-style game if you wanna FPS it or a full open world game (I know Crysis supposedly is, but you know what I mean, Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 etc.)

There was this one preview of a next-gen graphics engine being developed, but I can't for the life of me find the link to it.. it was quite breathtaking.

 

[CrashBang]

I love a good case of graphics awe. I think it shows love and attention that's been put into the game and it helps immediately immerse me into the stunning world
My most recent case of graphics awe was when I first started playing Limbo yesterday. Seriously, it's such a pretty game! Everything from the film noir feel, the flickering corners of the screen to the fluid motion of the character and the physics. It really is an artistically beautiful game
Other games which have had that effect on me would be Bioshock (fairly obviously) and Fallout 3 (not the most graphically impressive game per se, but the atmosphere upon first leaving the vault is jaw-dropping)

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

Even if it makes it as laggy as hell, I love turning up Crysis all the way. I also thought Gears of War 2 was great.

 

[hittite]

Spoiler

Yep.

 

[RowdyRodimus]

Honestly, the day my friend brought home the TRU Dreamcast display unit before they were to be put in the store and we were able to play Sonic Adventure, NFL 2K and Power Stone almost a month before the launch date. When Sonic actually left footprints that stayed in the sand, I was in awe. (You have to remember this was 1999 and we were seeing that 128-bit beast for the first time)

 

[Azaraxzealot]

when i FIRST saw Gears of War (this was when i still owned JUST an xbox original) i couldn't STOP looking, the graphics then (compared to the games i WAS playing, like NFL Street and Halo 2) just made me drool

 

[jmroutson1988]

Forza 3 was a big one for me. everything was so detailed. Halo reach. Im not a halo fan but, wow... love how everything looks.

 

[MrShowerHead]

Oblivion, stepping out of the dungeon for the first time was quite amazing......

 

[Vrach]

Oh oh - and... XIII. It wasn't exactly breathtaking but it did gave me a feeling of "fuck man, that looks awesome". I'm all for realistic graphics and have nothing against it, but to pull off originality that well (I saw nothing like it before) was just 'hats off'.

 

[The_Deleted]

Oblivion, stepping out of the dungeon for the first time was quite amazing......

Ninja'd.
Yeah, one of the first games I got for my PS3. Absolutely stunning...

 

[T-Bone24]

Several times in Mass Effect 2 I stopped and didn't want to leave with how good it all looked.

Also, every rejuvenation sequence in Okami sends shivers down my spine (the good kind) because of how good they look, also the music, but to get that kind of quality out of old hardware is astounding!

 

[The_Deleted]

I have played Halo Reach, Mass Effect 2, and Lost Planet 2 on an HDTV.

It made me happy.

Since getting the new HDTV I've gone back to a few... certainly makes a difference.

 

[Skorpyo]

When I first stepped out of the vault in Fallout 3, not only was it breathtaking, but I realised that I had dreamed of a game this vast since I was 5.

Looked something like this:

 

[Nimzar]

Oblivion, stepping out of the dungeon for the first time was quite amazing......

Yep... I think that is one of the most memorable moments in gaming history (back when Oblivion was NEW).

 

[thenumberthirteen]

First time I played Oblivion and looked up at the (Astronomically impossible) night sky. My breath was also taken away a few times playing Uncharted 2.

 

[Gigaguy64]

As soon as i started playing Metroid Prime i had to make sure it was a Gamecube i was playing it on.
Bioshock also made me go WOW.

 

[C95J]

Oblivion, stepping out of the dungeon for the first time was quite amazing......

exactly what was on my mind.

Or when in the tunnels of Metro 2033
Or the whole of Just Cause 2

 

[The_Deleted]

When I first stepped out of the vault in Fallout 3, not only was it breathtaking, but I realised that I had dreamed of a game this vast since I was 5.

Looked something like this:

Again: Fucking YES!!!