In/Fidelity

[Neon Ignition]

Pro has revived conversations about maximising available power in consoles (and PC's) to deliver higher quality levels of visuals. The focus of any such discussion is commonly based on the various frame rate capabilities, texture qualities, resolution support, ray tracing etc and pushing the technical envelope further and further.


On the opposite end of the scale, games can be lauded for how strong they look whilst not being technical showcases in the slightest. Art style alone and the execution of the camera work can create great looking and beloved visuals that don't require powerful systems to deliver.


This thread puts forward a simple question, maybe with a simple answer but maybe not.

What game is the best looking game you feel has been made to date?
But the criteria is a title that balances the ability to both artistically and technologically be a peak example of gaming

[MartyG]

Alan Wake 2.

[wakka]

Wind Waker is probably an obvious pick but I think it's a very valid one. It was an extraordinary looking game then and it's lost little almost twenty five years on. It remains incredibly influential, too.

I'd also call out MGS1 and MGS2.

MGS1 is one of those games that's actually a real masterclass in minimalism. They do an awful lot with low resolution textures (some of those pixels are as big as Snake's head) and shaky, warping polys.

MGS2, and I'm really thinking of the tanker here, felt like an absolute quantum leap forward at the time. The rain, the swaying of the boat, the shadows of the guards on gantries and in corridors. The atmosphere, much like in the first game, is really remarkable.

[Atticus]

Super Mario Odyssey

[dataDave]

CP2077. It’s not even close.

[eastyy]

Guilty Gear XRD and strive and Dragon ball fighter z, ( I will lump all them together as they share a style and same developers) to get the anime look down in 3d was just amazing and i can say the same with Hifi rush to

On topic though i think a great art style can never age, I was playing Dark cloud 2 : dark chronicle and with its art style and then up rezzed it still looks great

[wheelaa]

Doom (1993)

[huxley]

Ico PS2

[fishbowlhead]

MGS2 on PS2, hasn’t aged a day and still has more interaction with the game world than probably anything else to date.

[Neon Ignition]

Alan Wake 2 can look absolutely lovely at times, it's great when it really goes for the stylings rather than just straight forward sections.
Guilty Gear Xrd is expertly done as well

Funnily enough I couldn't back Mario Odyssey, it looks nice but it lacks the same awe of Galaxy and the consistency of most entries. Luigi's Mansion 3 is the one I'd opt for in its place

[Asura]

Oooooh, there's a tough one.

Journey rates very highly for me. As does Sea of Thieves. In both cases it's because they had a clear premise, a strong visual style, and they execute upon it extremely well. I agree with what wakka said above; Metal Gear Solid (the original) was definitely the best looking game on PS1 (closest follower was, IMO, Vagrant Story) because it had an extremely strong visual style which honestly holds up pretty well today. This is interesting when games like Shenmue, which, it seems, did so much less despite having so much more, appear to have aged a great deal more.

For more modern stuff, I think Street Fighter 6 honestly looks incredible, as do Dragonball Fighter Z and whatever the latest Guilty Gear is now. Like they're running in two opposite directions but both are visually fantastic.

I also have a soft-spot for videogames that are, at their core, videogames. Like they're not trying to be movies, even if they have a very cinematic presentation. I like games where characters can do inexplicable videogame things like double-jumping. Although this is a gameplay design thing, it has an effect on visuals too, because sometimes games pushing for a cinematic look will shy away from those things.

If you narrow it down to genre or type, maybe it'd be easier.

If you want classic 2D, I've always felt that the Metal Slug games, Third Strike and some of SNK's high-end output are the apex of that artform.

I thought Stellar Blade looked fantastic when I played it a few months back, but I don't know if it's "up there". But if you're talking about games that have sexy women in prominent roles with the goal of being "adult entertainment" in that way, it's probably on top.

Actually there's a thought.

Spider-Man 2 takes some beating, and might be my number-1, despite the fact I haven't played that much of it. It's stylised, it's bright, it's videogamey and colourful - but it's also epic in scope. Although parts of it are very linear, even the non-linear bits look amazing and it's just a joy to behold as you're web-swinging around New York.

[wakka]

I love the way they do the faces in MGS1. The eyes, in particular, they're not even drawn in, just an extremely low resolution gradient shadow. Really great idea.

This is interesting when games like Shenmue, which, it seems, did so much less despite having so much more, appear to have aged a great deal more.

I'm actually surprised to hear you call out Shenmue because for me that's actually a game that still looks so good. There is such a solidity and realism to its world.

[hudson]

Mario Odyssey baffles me today. It just looks so much like the best game on the system that is has me disbelieving that it exists. Nothing else on the system has come close.

[QualityChimp]

Thought this In/Fidelity thread would be about Dave Grohl.

[Asura]

I'm actually surprised to hear you call out Shenmue because for me that's actually a game that still looks so good. There is such a solidity and realism to its world.

I know, it's strange. I think it's because despite the clear technological leaps between Metal Gear Solid and Shenmue, I find MGS's characters much more expressive and natural-feeling, whereas characters in Shenmue can feel kinda robotic. The somewhat stilted voice acting of the English dub probably contributes to that.

I like Shenmue's environments (I mean, who couldn't, they're so effectively realised).

Thought this In/Fidelity thread would be about Dave Grohl.

Not gonna lie, I thought it was going to be a thread about this/celebrities, sparked by that.

Mario Odyssey baffles me today. It just looks so much like the best game on the system that is has me disbelieving that it exists. Nothing else on the system has come close.

Oh! I forgot. One of the games I consider to be among the best-looking ever made - Mario Kart 8.