Speaking with Guerrilla Games’ Director Herman Hulst, Naughty Dog game director Neil Druckmann praised Horizon Zero Dawn as a new benchmark in graphics. Coming from the creative mind behind what is arguably one of the most gorgeous console games ever made, Uncharted 4, that is some pretty hefty praise.
While we’d suggest Uncharted 4 still rules the roost when it comes to fine details like motion and facial capture, Horizon certainly does strike a wonderful balance between sublime aesthetic and a large sandbox. Perhaps with the exception of CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3, we have seen precious few large open world games managing to simultaneously achieve top notch visuals, as well as a dense and expansive map.
With that in mind, we’re taking a look at 10 upcoming games that have the potential to set a whole new benchmark when it comes to breathtaking visuals.
Detroit Become Human
David Cage’s hotly anticipated new narrative-driven adventure game looks stunningly gorgeous in the gameplay demonstrations we’ve seen so far. Famously, Detroit actually started life as a technology demonstration on PS3; Kara, a sentient droid first appeared in a showcase for Sony’s third console, which provided an insight into her piece by piece construction.
Now soon to debut on PS4, Kara and the rest of Detroit’s dystopian locale are even more beautiful to behold. You can even see the pores on the characters’ faces when the camera gets up close. The story will no doubt be at the heart of the game, but we can’t wait to dive in to uncover this visual treat.
God of War
Kratos is back in a long-awaited debut on the PS4. We’ve seen remasters of the Greek God slayer on Sony’s current console, but God of War marks a new beginning for the franchise. The Norse mythology is different, the close-up third person camera angle is more personal, and the graphics have taken a tremendous leap forward.
Sony Santa Monica, as a first party Sony studio, has always produced slick-looking games for PlayStation, but God of War 4 will become the cream of its crop. From the gameplay presentation, grizzly bearded Kratos is set to give Nathan Drake a run for his money in the aesthetics department.
Spider-Man
Marvel is such a huge noise in pop culture these days that it was only a matter of time before one of the characters hit the current generation of consoles in their own adventure. What nobody saw coming was Insomniac Games taking one on as PS4 exclusive, and boy did Spidey look good vaulting through New York! The mean streets of the big smoke looked near photorealistic in its E3 trailer reveal, complete with the ambient smoke rising from drain shafts and moody particle effects. The action sequences, too, were a dazzling spectacle, and it looks as though Insomniac Games has drawn from its experience animating the Ratchet and Clank series to produce something special.
Fingers crossed Insomniac’s Spider-Man is able to replicate the successes of other acclaimed licensed games such as Rocksteady’s Batman series. Only time will tell whether its gameplay is up to scratch, but for now, we can at least drool over that trailer on repeat!
Red Dead Redemption 2
Ok, we’ve only seen a 60-second teaser trailer, but that was easily enough time to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking wild west scenery of Red Dead Redemption 2. The locomotive in motion, the swinging bar doors, the gorgeous lighting over the rugged desert locale; Red Dead Redemption 2 is sure to become Rockstar’s most beautiful game to date.
This is, after all, the developer’s first project made specifically for the current generation, and considering that GTA V still holds up as one of the prettiest open world games, we’ve got high hopes for Red Dead Redemption 2’s visuals.
Cuphead
Cuphead might seem like a slightly odd choice for games that set a new standard in graphics but hear us out. While the other games here spend a multi-million dollar budget on striving for photorealism, Cuphead’s artists painstakingly hand drew each individual frame, emulating vintage 1930s cartoons to produce a vibrant and endearing stylized aesthetic.
We would argue that Cuphead is every bit as striking as the other games here and that its design choice sets a new bar for games that take a more artsy approach to visuals. Years from now, as next generation titles edge ever closer to photorealism and make today’s best lookers seem dated, Cuphead’s timeless aesthetic won’t have any concerns about showings its age.
Star Wars Battlefront 2
The first Star Wars Battlefront might have ruffled a few feathers due to a lack of single-player content and the absence of space battles, but its beauty was certainly not in question. Running at a gorgeous 60 fps, the Frostbite engine rendered beautiful replications of iconic maps such as Hoth. In the midst of some of Battlefront’s most heated battles, graphical nuances such as the explosion effects, reflections off the ice, and blaster shots zipping past, it’s hard to think of a prettier FPS experience on console.
The recently announced Star Wars Battlefront 2 takes that stunning aesthetic and fleshes the experience out by adding the missing content that was such a sore spot for fans. We’re getting a full single player campaign and space battles return! We can’t wait to see the Frostbite engine in dynamic cut-scenes to bring to life characters from our favorite intergalactic franchise. The tiny lights on the surface of the Death Star, moss on rocks, and even the way light reflects off the armor of a Storm Trooper. It all looks better than ever in the reveal trailer.
Plus, there is the prospect of the epic space battles, both in frenetic multiplayer action and potentially in the form of spectacular set pieces in the single-player campaign.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Uncharted 4’s standalone expansion, The Lost Legacy, is surely destined to become the prettiest game on PS4. Using the same code as the base game, The Lost Legacy was always going to at least equal Uncharted 4, but this time a PS4 Pro patch won’t be an afterthought. Indeed, we already know the stunning gameplay reveal trailer at E3 was running on PS4 Pro hardware.
Expect smoother framerates, sharper textures, and even more of that incredible motion capture detail that the series has become a leader in. It’s not just the motion capture and character models, though. Take a look at the insane amount of detail on that amulet in Chloe’s hands. The Lost Legacy is shaping up to be another stunning title from Naughty Dog.
Prey
A funky ’80s retro musical score, System Shock meets Thief style gameplay, and some mesmerizingly pretty visuals, Prey looks like one seriously awesome shooter. Arkane Studios has already demonstrated its ability to imagine crazy locations, dripping with ambiance in the Dishonored series, and Prey is packing a similarly slick aesthetic charm. This time it is a science-fiction dystopian space punk mashup that oozes cool.
But where Dishonored’s worlds were bleak, rather macabre affairs, Prey’s space setting looks far much more vibrant, with brightly-lit rooms and a more saturated, colorful aesthetic. The weaponry and special abilities are more flamboyant, too, with unique animations like the wicked gloo-gun, freezing enemies in a sticky foam that not only looks satisfying to use but creates some eye-popping effects.
The Last Of Us Part II
Having declared Horizon Zero Dawn was now the benchmark for graphics in video games, Neil Druckmann also pledged that he and the Naughty Dog team would strive to beat it, and you wouldn’t bet against them. Indeed, the game already looks well on its way to becoming one of the best looking games ever made. In its E3 trailer reveal, Ellie might as well have been a real person, such was the sophistication of the animations bringing her to life.
To many, The Last Of Us remains Naughty Dog’s crowning achievement, so we’re expecting all the stops to pulled out for the sequel, both with regards to gameplay and overall production quality. The original game, as a swan song title for the PS3, probably ended up as the console’s best-looking title, and given Part II’s likely far-flung release date, the best may once again be saved for last on PS4, too.
Published: Apr 21, 2017 02:06 pm