Post beautiful games (visually)

Blue Dragon for the X-Box 360 is stunning.

The original Shantae. Sure, it may be 8-bit, but the fluidity of the animation they achieved, not to mention the bright eye-popping colors they pulled off (sometimes by forcibly welding sprites together in weird ways) are pretty bloomin' impessive for a GBC game.

Red Dead Redemption. Beautifully rendered doesn't even begin to describe it. It's one of the few games where you can stand on a hill, look out to the horizon and the rich, wondrous wild blue yonder on it's way, and think: hey, I can go everywhere my eye can see.

The fuck-

No mention of Gran Turismo till now? FOR SHAME, TVTROPES.

Just look at this and try not to jizz at the sheer detail Kazunori-dono and his team have put forth.

It's been said, but Super Mario Galaxy is really pretty. Negative Space Wedgies are always nice to look at.

Also, No More Heroes, Team Fortress 2 and Twilight Princess because they all have really distinct styles that stand out well, and they all prove that cartoony games don't have to be childish.

edited 28th Sep '10 6:14:44 AM by onFyre

Several memories come to mind:

- One day I was randomly sent in the mail, a VHS demo for Donkey Kong Country. I wasn't subscribed to Nintendo Power or anything, so I don't know why I got this. It was basically a behind-the-scenes look at the game, and I remember watching it over and over being blown away by the graphics. I also remember having the same thought for Mario RPG (which I still prefer over the true 3D in Mario 64)

- I used to watch the intro cinematic for Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness randomly when playing the game because it looked so awesome.

- Playing Gran Turismo on Playstation, I thought the graphics were amazingly photo-realistic at the time.

I also remember having the same thought for Mario RPG (which I still prefer over the true 3D in Mario 64)

Yeah, Super Mario RPG is a great looking game. I like how it's colorful without relying too much on the bright primary colors as some other Mario games do. The environments are lush and easy on the eye.

No love for World Of Warcraft?

I mean, just look at The Skywall.

Another video for your viewing pleasure.

Say what you will about the game, the visuals are gorgeous.

edited 28th Sep '10 8:26:53 AM by Bioelectricclam

What, no Elder Scrolls? Especially Oblivion, which is just...wow. Even now, after six years it can still measure up with the current rpgs.

I thought that Just Cause 2, whilst it did have some rough edges, could be stonkingly beautiful at times. Especially the sunsets and sunrises.

Also: Lost Winds.

So it really likes its bloom. It's also vibrantly colorful, cutely chunky, lush, and the bloom actually helps give it a wonderful "painterly" feeling that really fits with the ultra-soothing soundtrack.

For a 3DO/Sega CD era game, this is some truly imressive stuff. Especially that first boss.

Wow, that's actually a pretty clever use of prerendered graphics.

Also, Riven. It took 10 years for games to look as photorealistic as it does.

edited 5th Oct '10 5:04:02 AM by dovert

And speaking of photorealism...

Sure, it's just a Flash title. But Samarost's "driftwood collage" bacgrounds are striking and visually arresting. They draw you into to the game's weird little world.

X-Blades. Although everything else about the game will make you want to rip someone's brain out with your bare hands and eat it.