When did you last get your 'Wow factor' from video games?

[Fonejackerjon]

When was the last time you were blown away by a video game experience or graphics? For me the last time it was Uncharted 2 for PS3 it was soooo beautiful. The xbox one and PS4 havent once delivered that wow factor at all, its been a very incremental generation.


So when was it for you???

 

[skywolfblue]

I've been wow'ed by a lot of PS4 games. I guess I'm easily impressed.

I was really blown away by the size and beauty of the environments in DA: Inquisition.

I was wowed by the lighting in Uncharted 4, also there was very little of the pop-in that made 360 games so annoying.

I just got the Rise of the Tomb Raider, and I am really blown away by how tracks through the deep snow are actually realistic, and if characters fall over they leave an imprint in the snow.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

The Witcher 3 easily. And then Hearts of Stone and then Blood and Wine.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

The first time you get to Columbia from the Lighthouse. When the sweet music comes in and the robot lady goes "Hallelujah"

It was then I knew this was gonna be a great game. and it was.

 

[Lufia Erim]

Battlefield 1. In mutiplayer when you see that blimp come crashing down man holy shit.

 

[sanquin]

The last time is The Last Guardian. The technology and coding behind Trico is...just incredible. Before that, Witcher 3. Witcher 3 was the first game since Mass Effect 1 that managed to totally engross me into it's world.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I very much agree that this generation has been awful and the games have been so homogeneous. Dishonored 2 is the 1st game I've played this gen that I'd rate an 8/10 or higher. Sorry Witcher 3 but your combat is not very good.

It wasn't until just last month that I've been wowed by a game from this generation. The level design in Dishonored 2's Clockwork Mansion and A Crack in Time are just amazing. Although I'll say that I don't think the better hardware of this generation made it possible either. The Last Guardian has also wowed me, Trico is so amazing to just look at (the animations are ridiculous good) and the way you and Trico interact with the environment is amazing as well. I'm willing to think that Trico could not have been done on PS3 either from the development issues to just how big Trico is. Trico is like having a pet colossus interact and follow you around all game, it's something that I don't think has ever been done in a game.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn.

I saw what the first FF14 was and I wasn't too impressed with how FF11 looked, so I wasn't about to hold my breath for FF14's attempted remake.

Boy was I ever wowed by what FF14: ARR became. The first time I fought Odin out in the Black Shroud, I had nerdgasms upon nerdgasms.

 

[Borty The Bort]

Rainbow Six Siege. Using Pulse, I planted a C4 to the wall, hoping someone would walk past it and not notice, since people seemingly forget that it a plantable weapon and not just another type of grenade. I went into the adjacent room,used the heartbeat sensor and a minute later, someone walked into the room. I casually pressed the "detonate" button, and to be honest, that was the first time in my entire life that a video game made me feel like a total badass.

 

[Hawki]

Um, relatively often? Working backwards of games I've played this year:

-Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (Pandemonium Fortress as a whole - design and atmosphere is brilliant - the 'soul orb' in the background just before Malthael is beautiful to look at)

-Gears of War 4 (one that comes to mind is where the characters go back up the mine shaft via pulley hooks. It's glorious, over the top, fun, and I can't help but enjoy it, as silly as it is)

-Doom 3 (whole feeling of being on a Martian base, how Hell is handled, how Hell spills over onto Mars, etc.)

-Super Metroid (probably the feeling of first arriving on Zebes)

-Xenoblade Chronicles (stepping onto Gaur Plain for the first time and seeing Mechonis in the background would be the first of many "wow" moments that run through the game)

Maybe I'm easily impressed, but there you go

 

[BrawlMan]

Bayonetta 2 - The fact that Platinum could run all of the crazy shit in this game on weaker hardware is a testament itself. Then again, they were working closely with Nintendo.

Doom (2016) - The King has returned. Nothing further. Never has Hell looked so glorious.

Wolfenstein: TNO - A true 90s old-school shooter mixed with some new elements without being condesening or overbearing. Plus, it felt like playing a pulp novel in video game form.

Uncharted 4 - I don't care much for the game story nor have I played it, but visually, I'll give Naughty Dog props for the effort they put in.

Devil May Cry 4 - A game released in 2008 that still looks good now is an achievement. A lot of early 7th gen HD games have aged poorly, looking either too glossy, character models stiff and rigged by today's standards, and the ultimate early sin of making everything BROWN. It's too bad the environments are lazily recycled though.

Mad World - I have yet to see a video game do black n white in a video game so beautifully. Once again, Platinum was able to do this all on the weakest hardware. The cel-shading just adds all of the extra layer. And speaking of cel-shading...

A lot of games from 99 or the early 2000s that used them. Jet Set Radio, Viewtiful Joe, Gungrave, and Killer 7, all still look amazing and have barely aged at all visuals and aesthetics alone.

 

[Zhukov]

Battlefield 1.

I was in a building as an assault class with a friendly support and a couple of others. I was making life miserable for a nearby enemy landship tank. I was whittling away at him with my anti-tank weapons while the support kept me topped up.

After several failed attempts to blast us out the enemy tank driver got thoroughly sick of my shit and just rammed his tank straight through the building.

Desperately fleeing through room after room as the tank came through the walls and everything collapsed around me was pretty awesome. Eventually got out by vaulting through a second story window.

 

[Hawki]

Never has Hell looked so glorious.

Or so brown.

(Yeah, I'll be honest, I prefer the Doom 3 Hell, and maybe even the Hell of the previous games.)

 

[Maximum Bert]

If we are just talking graphics I would say the only games that come to mind are FFVII, Soul Calibur and that is probably it. There have been plenty of games that have impressed me with their graphical fidelity but only these 2 have wowed me.

 

[BrawlMan]

Never has Hell looked so glorious.

Or so brown.

(Yeah, I'll be honest, I prefer the Doom 3 Hell, and maybe even the Hell of the previous games.)

To be fair, there is red in Hell, just not enough. Hell had more orange going for it than brown in Doom 4. Doom 3 and Doom 64 does have the advantage of making hell the creepiest and disturbing. The only flaw in Doom 3 is that you're not in Hell very long, but when you make it, the dimension captivates you.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Hm...graphics have never really wowed me. I mean, I notice them and think, 'That looks nice,' but never on the level that some of your describe, so that kills a lot of games for me.

Honestly, the last time I remember being floored by a game was play The Last of Us. I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I even enjoyed the multiplayer (because it let me play as a pure support character). That game just hit all the right notes with me in a way that games don't usually do.

Also, honorable mention to Spec Ops: The Line, but that was a different type of wow moment. That was more of a, "Wow, I need to turn the game off and stop for a while or I'm going to be sick" type of wow. Yes, I am one of the people who ended up being blindsided by everything in that game.

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

Yesterday. Mirror's Edge on PC. The original. Looks freaking good. Still. How'd dey due dat

Uhh...





The Witcher 3. I have never been THAT immersed in a game world before. Like, honestly, they put a lot of effort and detail into that game, I'm astounded, even the you do think the world in between towns is boring.


Nekopara Vol.1 because the cat girls get out their brea-


Wolfenstein The New Order, because I didn't expect to like it. I ended up loving it. It's fun as hell to play, and the narrative was far more engaging than I would have ever expected it to be. I actually think it's still slightly better than DOOM 2016, if only because it had slightly more variety.


Overwatch, simply because (almost) everything looks and feels very polished. It looks gorgeous on any graphical settings, it's easy to run, a great selection of characters for just about anyone, and at least so far, there's something new about the game every month or so.

 

[chrissx2]

Crysis 1 when it comes to gfx and a bit of gameplay. Divinity Original Sin amazed me with the turn-based combat system and Tyranny with the fact that they still make games like this. Also Brutal DooM by showing how modded 22years old game can be much more fun than 90% of modern fps's

 

[Fox12]

I'm so jaded now that I'm hardly ever impressed anymore : /

I guess Dark Souls 1. That was one of the most incredible gaming experiences of my life. It sort of sneaks up on you, though. It doesn't necessarily look that remarkable when you start. At some point it just sort of "clicks" for you or it doesn't.

Also, Undertale. That game was incredible. It was much more complex then I'd realized even on my first play through. What an amazing game.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Persona 5. That game oozes style and the story is amazing. It lasted for so long too, over 150 hours and it never got stale, it only got better and better. It outvalues the average AAA game dozens of times over and sets a new bar all other rpgs will be judged by