History VisualEffectsOfAwesome / VideoGames

-->-- Opening text from ''Red Zone'', running on the Sega Genesis

* ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' looks fairly good on its own, and then you get the flares and [[FlareGun flare guns]]. Dramatic, awesomely flickering red light? Check. Amazing-looking smoke? Check. BulletTime if you pull one out while surrounded by mooks? Check. And, above all, safety (because LightIsGood and DarkIsEvil are literal)? Check.

* ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' is full of this. Creator/RemedyEntertainment's trademark of incorporating live-action video into the game no longer even seems all that jarring compared to the cinematics, and there's remarkable attention to detail regarding the textures and even the smallest items of bric-a-brac scattered around, but what really tops it off is the destruction physics, which avert CriticalExistenceFailure ''hard''. Desks, rather than falling over or exploding into splinters when shot, actually break in the place where they were hit, pillars erupt satisfyingly into splinters of concrete, revealing the support beams inside, and fire extinguishers explode, violently spraying foam everywhere. The end of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F74LLDhAhhI the gameplay trailer]] showcases this and the game's raytracing capabilities by showing the player telekinetically picking up a running film projector, which continues to accurately project the film across the environment, and then hurling it at a bookshelf, scattering books and papers everywhere in spectacular fashion.
* In 2023, Russian artist Alexey Savvon created [[https://www.nexusmods.com/maxpayne3/mods/84 the Sam Lake Mod]] for ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3''. Sam Lake is the writer of the first two ''Max Payne'' games and is well-known for giving the titular character his likeness in the first installment, due to that game's lack of budget, and for many fans, despite Remedy recasting Max's likeness in the second game with Timothy Gibbs and Rockstar modeling Max's appearance in ''3'' after his longtime voice actor Creator/JamesMcCaffrey, Lake is commonly considered ''the'' face of Max Payne. As [[https://alexsavvy.artstation.com/projects/49z1L4 this breakdown]] shows, the mod is not only a face-swap or even head-swap- which proved to be a challenge all on its own due to the absence of photos and video footage where Lake has a completely neutral expression -but a full replacement of Max's entire character model with a detailed recreation of Lake's likeness and body, fully rigged so that all of the body and facial animations still work as intended. What's more, Max sports almost a hundred skins, including clothing and injuries, and fourteen different hairstyles over the course of this game, and Savvon altered all of these so that they would be a proper fit for Lake's slimmer frame and features, on top of recreating Max's original leather jacket and gaudy shirt combo from the first game for this game. [[https://twitter.com/SamLakeRMD/status/1683864006233137152 The results are so impressive that Sam Lake himself commended Savvon's work.]]

* In 2023, Russian artist Alexey Savvon created [[https://www.nexusmods.com/maxpayne3/mods/84 the Sam Lake Mod]] for ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3''. Sam Lake is the writer of the first two ''Max Payne'' games and is well-known for giving the titular character his likeness in the first installment, due to that game's lack of budget, and for many fans, despite Remedy recasting Max's likeness in the second game with Timothy Gibbs and Rockstar modeling Max's appearance in ''3'' after his longtime voice actor Creator/JamesMcCaffrey, Lake is commonly considered ''the'' face of Max Payne. As [[https://alexsavvy.artstation.com/projects/49z1L4 this breakdown]] shows, the mod is not only a face-swap or even head-swap- which Savvon found difficult all on its own due to the difficulty of hunting down photo references where Lake has a completely neutral expression -but a full replacement of Max's entire character model with a detailed recreation of Lake's likeness and body, fully rigged so that all of the body and facial animations still work as intended. What's more, Max sports almost a hundred skins and fourteen different hairstyles over the course of this game, and Savvon altered all of these so that they would be a proper fit for Lake's slimmer frame and features, on top of recreating Max's original leather jacket and gaudy shirt combo from the first game for this game. [[https://twitter.com/SamLakeRMD/status/1683864006233137152 The results are so impressive that Sam Lake himself commended Savvoy's work.]]

** With the leap to the VideoGame/NintendoDS came ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'', which manages to exceed the originals in graphical quality. Say what you will about the [[ItsEasySoItSucks game]][[ItsTheSameNowItSucks play]], but this game really pushes the DS.

* ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' is full of this. Creator/RemedyEntertainment's trademark of incorporating live-action video into the game no longer even seems all that jarring compared to the cinematics, and there's remarkable attention to detail regarding the textures and even the smallest items of bric-a-brac scattered around, but what really tops it off is the destruction physics, which avert CriticalExistenceFailure ''hard''. Desks, rather than falling over or exploding into splinters when shot, actually break in the place where they were hit, pillars erupt satisfyingly into splinters of concrete, revealing the support beams inside, and fire extinguishers explode, violently spraying foam everywhere.

* The [[''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'' Bendy series]] has an absolutely ''jawdropping'' hand-drawn cartoon look. The sketch lines have such a natural feel you could easily assume they were drawn in pencil, your jaw will drop to the floor when you learn they were actually drawn with ''a mouse''. The lighting sells the look even more with it's highly exaggerated depiction where supernaturally bright spotlights leave everything else in shadow.

* The UsefulNotes/{{NES}} could deliver surprisingly impressive effects in the right hands.

** ''[[VideoGame/BatmanSunsoft Batman: Return of the Joker]]'' is a true hardware pusher that has large, detailed and fluid animation combined with parallax scrolling. It could easily be passed off as an early UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis title.
** The video game adaptation of ''Film/{{Willow}}'' has such an impressive number of sprites on-screen and such vivid sprites and use of color, that people have favorably compared it to the graphics of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' on UsefulNotes/{{SNES}}! (The main issue was that, to cram all that graphical data onto a NES cart, the corner cut for the game as a whole was [[CutAndPasteEnvironments variety in individual screens]].)

* You'd think the UsefulNotes/GameBoy, which had hardware that was primitive even for its time and was stuck with a meager palette of four shades of gray, wouldn't have much to offer in the visuals department, but you'd be surprised!

* The UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor had some showstopper titles too.

* The UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance was a powerful handheld, basically a portable UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo, and many games took advantage of this.
** Some of the most ambitious titles attempted 3D style sprites or even went the extra mile and did games with real time 3D. ''Kill Switch'' (a third person cover shooter), ''ATV Thunder Ridge Riders'', ''VideoGame/Driv3r'', ''Star X'', ''VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall Jr.'', ''Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam'' and ''[[Franchise/{{Asterix}} Asterix & Obelix XXL]]'' (a 3D platformer that comes close to looking like a portable UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 game) are the best examples of this.
* The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis in general, with or without add-ons, was a respectable powerhouse in of itself. Its flagship ''Franchise/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}}'' games are its most famous examples, but there are many other technical showcases for the console.

** ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' was another showcase title done entirely in 3D. And thanks to the Sega Virtua Processor chip, it has models and a smooth framerate that even put the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} showcase ''Star Fox'' to shame. The UsefulNotes/Sega32X port, ''Virtua Racing Deluxe'', made it look even better.

** ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobin'' employs 3D backgrounds that are so convincing at points it feels like you're playing an early UsefulNotes/PlayStation game!

* The UsefulNotes/SegaCD may have squandered a lot of its potential on dated and grainy FMV games, but in the right hands the add-on could deliver an incredible visual experience.

** The UsefulNotes/SegaCD was capable of sprite scaling, rotation and Mode 7 and was more than keen to show it off. The ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' tie-in games and the shoot-em-up ''Soul Star'' have some of the most immersive and impressive use of them.

* The UsefulNotes/Sega32X add-on is not a well regarded piece of hardware, but it did achieve some impressive visuals in its best games.
** The port of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' actually looks superior to its UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} counterpart.

** Games like ''VideoGame/{{Tempo}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Kolibri}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix Knuckles' Chaotix]]'' tried hard to show off the fact that the 32X could display 32,000 colors with no on-screen limit. Even if the results tended to look garish, it was a big technical step up from what either the [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]] or UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} could do with their color palette restrictions.
* The Creator/{{Sega}} UsefulNotes/GameGear was no slounch in the sprite department either since its basically a portable and souped up UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem.
** ''Arena: Maze of Death'' is an impressive isometric shooter game with spritework and a color palette so impressive that it could easily be passed off as a UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis title at a glance.

* The UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem was likewise a powerful piece of hardware that consistently delivered the goods and then some.

* ''VideoGame/{{Recca}}'', an ''UsefulNotes/{{NES}}'' game released only in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} until the [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS 3DS]] UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole, features extremely fast-paced space shooter action as well as trippy, almost polygonal background effects.

* After years of using the standard IW engine to growing mockery and dated results, Infinity Ward decided to rebuild it from scratch for ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'', allowing for more advanced lighting, improved physics, ray tracing, and advanced photogrammetry [[labelnote:note]]The technique of using photographic images to obtain reliable distances and data for an object.[[/labelnote]]. The end result has thus been praised as one of the best looking FPS games ever, even years after its initial release and not being a UsefulNotes/PS5 and UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS game. Special mention goes to the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeAnimation weapon reload animations]], which many have touted as being some of the ''[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome best in the history of the FPS genre.]]''

*** On a related note, by now we have to admit that Square Enix has a "squeeze the console like a melon" policy that simply ''can't'' go unmentioned. There's ''a reason''[[note]] other than {{pride}}, [[WordOfGod as Square themselves confirmed in retrospect]][[/note]] they wanted [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation to use [=CDs=] instead of cartridges]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII as soon as possible]]. Since then, they managed to [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI pull off beautifully-looking Final Fantasy-ised portrayals of Disney characters as summons]], [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories stick Full-Motion-Videos into a Game Boy Advance]], [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII create a mind-blowing town in eternal sunset]], [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 faithfully recreating said town in handheld format]]... and so on. Really, after the latest title of mind-boggingly good graphics, after leaving fans wondering how they could possibly ever top themselves off, they show people exactly how it's done. [[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Two]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep games]] even require data to be installed on the console in order to make load times faster - ''as the console's power gets squeezed that much.''
*** Even in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, they had this policy of graphics hardware abuse. Pop in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' for the UsefulNotes/{{NES}} or ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' for the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} sometime. The monster graphics were ''stunning'' for the time.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' was the first test of what a ''Final Fantasy'' game could look like on the UsefulNotes/{{PS2}}'s graphics engine, as well as the first test on how a ''Final Fantasy'' series would look rendered in fully real time 3D, and it passed with flying colors. To this day, it still looks impressive, even as the [=PS2=]'s infrastructure looks outdated. Any scene where Sin is displaying its full power is a technological marvel and the Aeons are nothing short of gorgeous. The FMV scenes are also stunning.

** They actually topped themselves with ''VideoGame/BeyondTwoSouls''. You might be forgiven for mistaking the game for a UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 title rather than a UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 one.

*** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' brings the Mario franchise to high definition, and it looks gorgeous as a result. The later stages of the game really show how beautiful the game can look, and it definitely showed how well HD graphics could look on the UsefulNotes/WiiU.

*** The graphics for ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' were inspired by Post-Impressionist artist [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Cézanne Paul Cézanne]]. It really shows, especially if you look at something at a distance - it all looks like something from a water-colour painting. ''Skyward Sword'' took the best parts of the styles previous two games, blending into the best-looking game possible on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'s outdated hardware with a hugely colorful, detailed world reminiscent of those paintings.
*** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' had gorgeous anime-styled CelShaded art that really pushed the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube to its limits, with its dazzling water, fire, particle, and distortion effects, as well as its impressive rope bridge and cloth physics engine. One cutscene features a gigantic tower rising from the ocean, complete with drying patches of water. And it's all rendered in real-time. The scene is especially impressive at sunrise or sunset.

* One of the main draws to the original ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis was that the graphics looked ''incredible'', with the genius use of parallax scrolling and vibrant colors really showing off the console. Indeed, the ''Franchise/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}}'' franchise as a whole is generally known for having great graphics with a majority of their games, given that the series was made to look visually stunning from day one.
** All four (or three, counting ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' as one game) of the main Sonic games on the Sega Genesis had ''astoundingly'' well-drawn sprites that look great even into contemporary times. Some even had a pseudo-3D effect to them, like the trees in the GreenHillZone or the indentations in the checkered soil. It was even more impressive that the Sega Genesis was able to draw these complex sprites very quickly, showing off the console's power. ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' shows the peak of the graphical capabilities of the Genesis-extraordinary pixel art, amazing parallax scrolling on the backgrounds, and loads of tiny cosmetic details to the graphics that aren't even necessary for building the game. There's also ''VideoGame/SonicCD'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaCD, with dreamlike environments that range from bright, colorful, and cheery to dark, grim, and spoiled.

** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', ''especially'' the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3[=/=]UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} versions. [[PlatformGame Day]] [[UnexpectedGameplayChange or]] [[BeatEmUp night]], the Hedgehog Engine has ''really'' done this game some justice, a huge improvement from the rather bland visuals of the [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog previous]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 titles]]. Even ''Eggmanland'' looks amazing.

** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' seemed to be a turning point in graphics when it came to Sonic games. Following ''Unleashed'' was ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', a UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} game which looks better than a lot of games look on the UsefulNotes/Xbox360. Following ''Colors'' was ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', which used the same graphics engine as ''Unleashed'', and looks incredible as well (despite actually being ''scaled down'' in some areas). The re-imagining of the original GreenHillZone now includes huge backdrops full of amazing scenery; of particular note are the massive waterfalls and the underground river in Modern Sonic's level. The graphics become even more eye-popping on the PC version.

* ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'' used a lot of cool tricks in several levels that you wouldn't believe would be possible on the UsefulNotes/{{NES}}.

*** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/XBox360 versions push their respective consoles to their absolute limits. While there are some instances of texture loading problems and the game freezing, the fact that Rockstar gave gamers a game that can pass off as an early next-gen looking title on almost 10 year old hardware is an amazing feat nevertheless.

** It's easy to miss in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'' because you're busy dealing with the level's hazards, but the background in Lockjaw's Locker is actually a fully 3D ship deck that changes your angle of view depending on your vertical position in the level. This was pulled off on the Super Nintendo, but it wouldn't look out of place in a UsefulNotes/PlayStation 1 game.

* Pick a Creator/CyberConnect2 game from the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 era onwards: Any of them will qualify, especially after [=CyberConnect2=] formed the studio Sensible Art Innovation, which they used not only for movie making, but utilizing it as part of their current console generation cutscene maker. With the power of the unreal Engine, ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' by [=CyberConnect2=] takes the engine to its limits to get really awesome visuals. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRF9kXwkaHQ Here's an example]].

* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX_P0Q4ploQ Xexex]]'' had gorgeous rendered graphics and pulled off other amazing graphical feats such as warping and zooming back in 1991. The graphics were so ahead of their time, it was impossible to port this game to the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis or the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem without a severe downgrade.

*** Once the game came out, everyone was impressed that the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 [=PS4=]]] graphics shown in previews weren't dolled-up for E3 but actual in-game renders. The early trailers amazed people to the point that they believed the actual gameplay was '''still only cutscenes'''. ''Knight'' doesn't even ''have'' any pre-rendered cutscenes - ''everything'' uses the in-game engine. Rain in particular looks great, but the real kicker is seeing it land on Batman - the moving textures and the effect of the rain dripping and sliding off him looks fantastic. Some glitches show rain landing inside of buildings, but still has the same wetting effect, showing that the rain itself has physics.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' makes full use of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4's available graphics output and gives us a seamless experience in a Victorian-era city. Surges of electricity and the flow of the action never looked more realistic. And ''great'' care was taken to avert NoFlowInCGI, with even the Hunter's Garb found early on sporting a [[BadassLongcoat long tail]], [[BadassCape a flowing shoulder cloak]], a loose belt ''and'' a swinging pocket watch. One of the most impressive technical feats of the game is how moving past [=NPCs=] at close distance will cause ''their'' clothes to flutter dynamically.

* ''VideoGame/{{Driveclub}}'', a racing game for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, has awe-inspiring visuals. From the distant landscapes to the cars to the water effects in rain, the game is highly praised for being an absolute pinnacle of console video game graphics.

* The ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' games feature absolutely beautiful lighting and shading with dynamic shadows to the point that the original game released on the UsefulNotes/{{GameCube}} as a launch title in ''2001'' still holds up incredibly well. ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' continues the trend on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS with its gorgeous animation style and varied environments but ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3'' absolutely smashes it with Luigi being extremely well-detailed from the polyester of his shirt to the stitches in his hat. The crowning achievement is just how fluid the animation is and Luigi's overall expressiveness, with many claiming it to be one of the best-looking games on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, with its animation in particular being on par with a Creator/{{Pixar}} film.

* The ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series. If there's anything Konami does best, creating impressive graphics may certainly be it. Thanks to Kojima's meticulous eye for detail, these games still look good despite their age. The HD remastering of [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2 MGS2]], [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 MGS3]], and [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Peace Walker]], give new appreciation for the visuals in these games. [=MGS3=] really pushed the limits of the [=PS2=], and its HD remastered version can give some games from this generation a run for their money.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', despite using RealIsBrown, manages to look very pretty, pretty enough to make the game of the best looking out there currently.

* ''VideoGameMasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode''. The parts of the game set in the real world of Kanai Ward already have fluid animation for each character, and stunning environment designs and atmospheres. However, the Mystery Labyrinth is an absolutely ''crazy'' burst of colors and unique animations to accompany the EldritchLocation aesthetic, with the Mystery Phantoms and RDM sequences, as well as the various locations in general, having a psychedelic effect applied to them that encompasses the overall surreality of the Labyrinth and its mysterious, distorted abnormality.

* One of the main draws to the original ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis was that the graphics looked ''incredible'', with the genius use of parallax scrolling and vibrant colors really showing off the console. Indeed, the ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]'' franchise as a whole is generally known for having great graphics with a majority of their games, given that the series was made to look visually stunning from day one.

** ''VideoGame/ViceProjectDoom'' on the NES has a train stage with a whopping 8 layers of parallax scrolling in the background. Keep in the mind, the NES did not have that by default, and it had to be done in-software!

** The ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry Donkey Kong Land]]'' trilogy successfully managed to transition the fluid, pre rendered 3D sprites of the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' games onto the handheld.

** The remake of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' for the system surpasses even the example set by the ''Land'' trilogy.

** ''VideoGame/Sonic3DBlast'' pushed the graphical capabilities of the Sega Genesis to their limit. It even features a FullMotionVideo opening, unheard of for cartridge titles of the time. [[UpdatedRerelease The Saturn version]] of the game looks great as well, with nicely-done 3D models replacing the pre-rendered sprites of the original, and being further spiffed up with atmospheric lighting/fog effects.

** The homebrew scene has showcased the system's ability to run a port of ''Star Fox'' (and without any chips!), display 512 different colors at once independently of palettes (or even around 1500 if shadow and highlight mode is used), and render Mode 7-esque effects.

* The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis in general, with or without add-ons, was a respectable powerhouse in of itself. Its flagship ''Franchise/{{Sonic}}'' games are its most famous examples, but there are many other technical showcases for the console.

** ''Res Q'' has bonus stages done entirely in real time 3D akin to the original ''VideoGame/StarFox'', and ''VideoGame/HardDrivin'' and ''Star Cruiser'' are done in real time 3D as well. Bear in mind that both of these were achieved in-software, with no enhancement chips or add-ons.

** It's easy to take it for granted now, but ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' was a stunning showcase title for the Nintendo 64. Expansive, colorful worlds, clever mixing of sprites with 3D environments and characters, fun animation, crisp anti aliased character models, cool particle effects (i.e. jumping into a painting) all running on an oil smooth framerate. Even though the low polygon presentation looks very dated now, the appealing cartoon art still allows it to stand tall in this day and age. The Nintendo DS remake only took the presentation even further, and without compromising the cartoon charm of the original game!

*** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' brings the Mario franchise to high definition, and it looks gorgeous as a result. The later stages of the game really show how beautiful the game can look, and it's definitely one of the best-looking games on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii U}} console.
*** Not to mention it showed how well HD processes on the Wii U for games like this.

** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' seemed to be a turning point in graphics when it came to Sonic games. Following ''Unleashed'' was ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', a ''UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'' game which looks better than a lot of games look on the [[UsefulNotes/Xbox360 360]]. Following ''Colors'' was ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', which used the same graphics engine as ''Unleashed'', and looks incredible as well (despite actually being ''scaled down'' in some areas). The re-imagining of the original GreenHillZone now includes huge backdrops full of amazing scenery; of particular note are the massive waterfalls and the underground river in Modern Sonic's level. The graphics become even more eye-popping on the PC version.

*** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'' takes everything that ''Brawl'' did and IMPROVED upon it. Lucina has her birthmark on her eye, a detail that the creator himself admitted NO ONE WILL SEE, but had to include anyway. The crowning gem, however, HAS to be Orbital Gate Assault and The Great Cave Offensive. You can see individual threads on character clothing and the color palette is gorgeous. Special mention goes to the particle effects, which make all the animations appear MUCH smoother and the actions given MUCH more impact, as well as the colored trails from when you send a character flying, and the badass red lightning appears when you land a killing blow. It all makes the game look incredibly awesome. Specific examples include:

*** The ''VideoGame/{{Pilotwings}}'' stage in the [=WiiU=] version is undiluted beauty. The characters battle atop a plane, starting at a landing strip and then taking off, flying around a beautifully rendered landscape while gorgeous music plays. And the Midgar stage, as showcased in the Cloud Strife DLC trailer, looks INCREDIBLE, and has some fans asking for a [=WiiU=] port of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''!

** The [=WiiU=] sequel ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze Tropical Freeze]]'' is no slouch in the graphics department either-like the aforementioned ''Mario 3D World'' example, ''Tropical Freeze'' shows a great job at showcasing the ''DKC'' franchise in high definition. One particular graphical enhancement touted in the game's reveal and by the developer was the Kong family's fur, [[http://1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/tropicalfreeze.jpg which now looks so detailed, it looks downright lifelike.]]

* When ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' first came out, many reviews insulted the sprite graphics; 3D models were becoming the norm. Indeed, a still shot of the game looks pretty mediocre by today's standards with the limited technology making it very pixelated. However, a still image misses the most important thing about Street Fighter III's graphics: The movement. Most sprite-based fighting games have very choppy movement because easy individual frame requires a ton of work, so only the ending post and start-up are given frames. Street Fighter III has ''tons'' of sprites for each character, more than any other fighting game at the time. This made all the movements and actions of the game, including ones as simple as ''breathing'', incredibly smooth and complete looking, to the point that some retroactively consider its spritework the best in any fighting game. The sheer effort put into making all those sprites deserves a round of applause alone. There is also the game's endboss, Gill, who takes full advantage of the [=CPS3=] hardware to avert having [[AmbidextrouseSprite Ambidextrous Sprites]]: his body is red on his right side and blue on his left, and those colors remain consistently on the correct sides of his body, regardless of the direction he is facing.

** The game ''Red Zone'' is one of the shining examples of just how powerful the hardware was on it's own when pushed to its limits. The intro actually ''brags'' about all of the games technical achievements and how they were all achieved ''without'' add-ons or enhancement chips. It has smooth scaling and rotation for both sprites and backgrounds and for the time amazing 3D vector objects, all while maintaining an oil smooth framerate. It even has an '''FMV opening''', something that even Creator/{{Sega}} themselves thought was impossible to achieve on the console!

* The way Middle-Earth is presented in ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'' is a lot of the time breathtaking, especially Moria. From entering through the Hollin Gate and all the way to the East Gate, you can really see why Moria was considered the grandest of the Dwarvish halls. One could only imagine what it would look like before it's fall.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' was the first test of what a ''Final Fantasy'' game could look like on the UsefulNotes/{{PS2}}'s graphics engine, as well as the first test on how a ''Final Fantasy'' series would look rendered in fully real time 3D, and it passed with flying colors. To this day, it still looks impressive, even as the [=PS2=]'s infrastructure looks outdated. Any scene where Sin is displaying it's full power is a technological marvel and the Aeons are nothing short of gorgeous. The FMV scenes are also stunning.

** And you can't mention VideoGame/OdinSphere without mentioning it's SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade''.

* Pick a Creator/CyberConnect2 game from the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 era onwards: Any of them will qualify, especially after [=CyberConnect2=] formed the studio Sensible Art Innovation, which they used not only for movie making, but utilizing it as part of their current console generation cutscene maker. With the power of the unreal Engine, ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' by [=CyberConnect2=] takes the engine to it's limits to get really awesome visuals. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRF9kXwkaHQ Here's an example]].

* In the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series, the ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' remake has amazing graphics. VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 still looks good today too, despite it's age.
** The REmake still holds it's own, even in the current gen.

** And prior to ''Burst Limit'', ''[[VideoGame/DragonBallZBudokai Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3]]'' was considered at the time the number one ''Dragon Ball'' game in the visual department. It's safe to say that that {{Dimps}} have a damn good record when it comes to visuals in ''Dragon Ball'' games.

*** The graphics for ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' were inspired by Post-Impressionist artist [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_C%C3%A9zanne Paul Cézanne]]. It really shows, especially if you look at something at a distance - it all looks like something from a water-colour painting. ''Skyward Sword'' took the best parts of the styles previous two games, blending into the best-looking game possible on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'s outdated hardware with a hugely colorful, detailed world reminiscent of those paintings.

* So maybe the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' Xtreme subseries is just a [[ExcusePlot blatant excuse]] to show [[ActionGirl the girls of DOA]] in [[{{Stripperiffic}} the skimpiest bikinis known to man]], but all [[ADateWithRosiePalms "playing with one hand"]] jokes aside, it features some pretty amazing visual effects... Yes, other than the physics-defying breasts. Just consider that whatever girl you chose is rendered in real time in whatever ridiculous outfit you chose, plus the [[JigglePhysics jiggling]] of her hair, clothes and... [[MaleGaze Other aspects]].

** With ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', it's gotten to the point where [[http://www.dualshockers.com/2015/02/05/final-fantasy-xv-screenshots-compare-the-sexy-cidney-in-real-time-vs-pre-rendered-and-more/ you can't even tell at first glance if a render is pre-rendered CG or rendered in real time.]] They've gotten visual effects down ''that good''.

** The Super Abilities and the backgrounds in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDream Land''.

*** The Final Smashes. They already looked amazing in ''Brawl'', but here, they're even better. Many characters got theirs updated, such as Kirby, who now pulls out a Super Copy Ability (previously mentioned on this page!), which looked amazing in its source game, and now it's in HD. Ness and Lucas's Starstorm covers the entire screen in enormous, firey stars. Ryu's perfectly replicates the style of the combos in Street Fighter. But the most stellar example has to be Mega Man's, which features every incarnation of Mega Man appearing for a split-second and then teaming up with him to shoot an enormous laser. Despite only showing up for a few moments, each incarnation is as detailed as any of the fighters, even though you could blink and miss them!

* Butter Building's numerous rotating towers in ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'', an ''NES game''.
** And ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn''. People argue it looks better than ''VideoGame/GodOfWar3''! Other games, like ''[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Super Star Ultra]]'', have beautiful looking sprites, and games like ''[[VideoGame/KirbyCanvasCurse Canvas Curse]]'' have cool looking backgrounds. Kirby games are always beautiful, graphically.

** ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad''. The final world. The space-y background looks like a gosh-darn '''''painting.'''''
** The Super Copy Abilities and the backgrounds in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDream Land''.
*** And the level in [[spoiler:Dangerous Dinner]] where Kirby is dodging '''miniature stars'''.

* Creator/SNKPlaymore really deserve a section all to themselves. With them commonly being declared as the kings of sprite based games before the age of fighting games such as ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' or ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', is it any surprise that Creator/ArcSystemWorks was first formed from former SNK employees?