What are the best looking games you've played from each generation?

Sega/SNES: I admit, I barely remember the graphics of most games that came out during that era, but I remember Donkey Kong being pretty good, X-men as well. Ohh, and there's Mortal Kombat 3 Ultimate.. woah, we're up to Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate now.. I'm old alright..

PS1/N64: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy 8. I would say Final Fantasy 8 was really up there for me at the time as far as graphics goes. FF7 was great, but FF8 was another level. I'm going with that pick!

PS2/Xbox/Gamecube: I remember RE4 and RE Remake were fantastic on the Gamecube. Really blew me away. Enough to make me go and get a Gamecube.

PS3/360/Wii: MGS 4 for sure.. that game looks good even by today's standards, insane how future proof this game is lol. I just wish for that Remaster :(

PS4/X1/Wii U: Going with Uncharted 4. May have a recency bias due to the remaster, but this game just looks incredible. Tons of detail and color. Ghost of Tsushima and Last of Us 2 are up there too, but aesthetically, I feel like Uncharted really nailed the details and design.

PS5/XSX/Switch: lol, not sure why I'm even considering Nintendo games at this point. Ratchet and Clank for sure. The Pixar comparisons are just spot on. I'm thinking Horizon will dethrone this soon! Maybe even GT7 too.

What about you, SW? What are the best looking games you've played from each generation?

Zelda every gen. Sony games though, all graphics no details. Graphics are gimmicks.

I don't know about the games, but what i do know is that they're alway on a Playstation. Sony are the only ones who put effort into their games. PC is all about cheap indie titles. Microsoft tries real hard, but is permanently failing (just look at Infinite). Nintendo hasn't even discovered motion capture yet, so lets not even talk about them.

@mesome713: Thanks for showing us how much better looking Horizons is again. 🤣

@vfighter: If you like graphical gimmicks with extreme lacking of detail…your welcome mate.

@mesome713: I don't think there is anyone that you've convinced that BoTW is better looking than Horizon. I don't even think you believe it yourself 🤣

Ah, a graphics thread. Haven't had one of these in a while.

8 - Phantasy Star

16 - Street Fighter II: Turbo/Super

32 - Vagrant Story

64 - Donno

128 - Shenmoo?

PS2 - Metal Gear Solid 2, possibly 3

PS3/Xbla - Donno

4/5 - Donno

@SolidGame_basic: You’d be surprised how many smart people are out there. Not everyone falls for Sonys all looks no substance.

@SolidGame_basic: lmao 🤣. I skipped the first 5 sections because I could see what was coming in the last one. You didn't disappoint at all with your ratchet and clank shtick. Bro, ratchet and clank will never be better looking than halo or forza horizon 5. 12tflop > 9 tflop.

Gen 5 - Tekken 3, Final Fantasy 8 and 9

Gen 6 - Final Fantasy 12 - The graphics and detail were ahead of its time.

Gen 7 -

Gen 8 -

SNES : Donkey Kong Country

Genesis : Sonic 2

PSX: Really, all games looked rubbish. 3D was at an early stage. But there were some good 2D lookers like Xmen.

Dreamcast : Virtua Fighter 3

Xbox: Splinter Cell

XBOX360: GTA5

PS4: Uncharted 4

Consoles:

• Gen 1 - Color TV Racing 112 - Nintendo Color TV Game
• Gen 2 - Turbo - ColecoVision
• Gen 3 - Road Rash - Sega Master System
• Gen 4 - Metal Head - Sega 32X
• Gen 5 - World Driver Championship - Nintendo 64
• Gen 6 - Ninja Gaiden Black - Xbox
• Gen 7 - The Last of Us - PlayStation 3
• Gen 8 - Ghost of Tsushima - PlayStation 4
• Gen 9 - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - PlayStation 5

Arcades and PC:

1. 1971-1976 - Fonz - Arcade (Sega Fonz)
2. 1976-1983 - Tropical Angel - Arcade (Irem M52)
3. 1983-1987 - After Burner II - Arcade (Sega X Board)
4. 1987-1993 - Daytona USA - Arcade (Sega Model 2)
5. 1993-1998 - Fighting Vipers 2 - Arcade (Sega Model 3 Step 2.0)
6. 1998-2005 - Virtua Fighter 5 - Arcade (Sega Lindbergh)
7. 2005-2012 - Far Cry 3 - PC
8. 2012-2019 - Metro: Exodus - PC
9. 2020-2021 - Microsoft Flight Simulator - PC

Not necessarily best looking, but most technically impressive considering graphics, stuff on screen, level of polish and the systems it was running on:

3rd gen: R-Type - Master System 2

4th gen: Streets of Rage 2 - Megadrive

5th gen: Quake 2 - PS1

6th gen: Halo CE - Xbox

7th gen: TESV Skyrim - 360

8th gen: RDR2 - PS4

9th gen: Ratchet & Clank - PS5

Halo Infinite hasn't really been praised for its graphics at all. Forza Horizon 5 looks like a slightly shinier Forza Horizon 4 with more vegetation.

@mesome713: This is my favorite video. It shows how lacking the ps5 games truly are

@SolidGame_basic: I've been praising infinite graphics from the beginning. And Ratchet and clank looks like Astros playground with a bit more grass here and there.

@blaznwiipspman1: nice try 🙃

5th gen - n64 mario bros, or donkey kong

6th gen - xbox og halo ce

7th gen - xbox 360 gears of War 3

8th gen - ps4 uncharted 4

9th gen xbox series x forza horizons 5 nothing else comes close, except for halo infinite and MSFS20

Is everything alright with your eyes? Like wtf are these graphics? Dragon Age Inquisition looked better🤣

@hardwenzen: still clowning with doctored low bandwidth 480p YouTube still screen shots. At the same time hyping elden ring graphics 🤢 🤮, the game that looks like it came from the ps3 days. You lost all credibility a long time ago when you decided to bash resident evil village and the rest of the RE Series. Ratchet and clank looks like Astros playground.

Sega/SNES: Donkey Kong Country, Starfox, Super Mario World

PS1/N64: Wipeout, Waveracer 64, Resident Evil 2

PS2/Xbox/Gamecube: Resident Evil 4, Silent Hill 2 & 3, Metal Gear Solid 2&3

PS3/360/Wii: I didn't own any of these consoles I was playing PC only at this time so it's Crysis, F.E.A.R.& Mirror's Edge

PS4/X1/Wii U: Detroit Become Human, TLOU2, Red Dead Redemption 2

Elden Ring might not be technically impressive, but who says that its visuals are good? Have you seen me praising it visuals? On the other hand, you lems are always praising Infinite visuals, and that thing looks like a launch Xbone game.

Two lists, the first one for graphics that looks good and the second one for games that have the style that have an original visual aspect.

• SNES: Donkey Kong Country : It looked awesome, like the characters and trees, pooped out of the screen like those books.
• PS1: Parasite Eve 2: Til this date it is amazing to see how detailed it is, plus the videos are really good looking.
• PS2: Metal Gear Solid 3: Everything looked so real by the time.
• PS3: Metal Gear Solid 4: Once again, everything looked so real and was full of details.
• PS4: The last of Us 2: Full of details and those loading times.

1. SNES: Yoshi's Island: It was like a drawing of a little kid come to life.
2. PS1: Parappa the Rapper: In a time when everyone wanted to be 3D; it was kinda refreshing to see these 2D characters.
3. PS2: Odin Sphere/Okami: They are like paintings in which you play.
4. PS3: Valkyria Chronicles: Once again, it is like some book coming out to live.
5. PS4: Dragon Ball FighterZ: My all time wet dream, a game that looks exactly if not better than the original source.

• Gen 3: Super Mario Bros. 3
• Gen 4: Donkey Kong Country 2
• Gen 5: Half-Life
• Gen 6: Resident Evil 4
• Gen 7: Bayonetta
• Gen 8: Control
• Gen 9: don't know yet

ooooooooooooooooooo best looking. I don't care

Would agree there. Arguably the most faithful adaptation to date as well.

Arc System has always had strong visual direction, but the attention to detail in FighterZ is through the roof.

Capcom releasing Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite around the same time was suicide.

The actual gameplay of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite wasn't bad either, but when become a meme about how bad you fucked up Chun Li's face, not the best sign of effort.

The above is for technical real-time graphics.

To add...

Pre-rendered CGI:

1. 1971-1976 - N/A
2. 1976-1983 - Interstellar Laser Fantasy - Arcade (Laserdisc)
3. 1983-1987 - Starfighters - MSX (Laserdisc)
4. Gen 4 - Silpheed - Sega CD (CD‑ROM)
5. Gen 5 - Final Fantasy VIII - PlayStation (CD‑ROM)
6. Gen 6 - Final Fantasy X - PlayStation 2 (DVD)
7. Gen 7 - Final Fantasy XIII - PlayStation 3 (Blu‑ray)
8. Gen 8 - Final Fantasy VII Remake - PlayStation 4
9. Gen 9 - Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade - PlayStation 5

Art design:

• Gen 1 - Color TV Racing 112 - Nintendo Color TV Game
• Gen 2 - Donkey Kong - ColecoVision
• Gen 3 - Phantasy Star - Sega Master System
• Gen 4 - Yoshi's Island - Super Nintendo Entertainment System
• Gen 5 - SaGa Frontier 2 - PlayStation
• Gen 6 - Okami - PlayStation 2
• Gen 7 - Muramasa: The Demon Blade - Wii
• Gen 8 - Dragon Ball FighterZ - PlayStation 4, Xbox One
• Gen 9 - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - PlayStation 5

Capcom dropped the ball hard with MvCI. They were trying too hard to chase the MCU audience, abandoning the comic book art style of MvC 1-3 that MvC fans loved. That's where DBFZ triumphed, by staying true to the original source material, combined with the Guilty Gear Xrd engine.

PS1 - FF7, Legacy of kain: Soul Reaver, Aliens Ressurection.

PS2 - RE4, FF10, FF12 and Kingdom Hearts 2

PS3/PSP - MGS4, FF13, Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, Crisis Core FF7.

PS4/VITA - FF7 Remake, MHW, Bloodborne, Uncharted 4, MGSV, Tearaway.

PS5 - Demons Souls.

Somehow all games I chosen each gen bar PS5 gen includes FF7 related products or featurings. FF7 Remake part 2 surely gonna change that!

PS1: I was too young lol, I thought Tekken 3 looked realistic as ****. Same with Syphon Filter

PS2: God of War II / Half Life 2 for PC

PS3: The Last of Us / Crysis for PC

PS4: The Last of US 2 / Star Citizen for PC.

PS5: Ratchet & Clank / Still Ratchet & Clank. Maybe Cyberpunk or the new Dying Light. in any case it will change soon.

Gen 1 - NA

Gen 2 - Jungle Hunt (2600), Moon Patrol (2600)

Gen 3 - R-Type (sms), Phantasy Star (sms), Wonderboy III: The Dragons Trap (sms)

Gen 4 - Super Metroid (snes), TMNT: Turtles in Time (snes), Super Monaco GP (Genesis), Virtua Racing (32x)

Gen 5 - MGS (PS1), Tekken 4 (PS1), Parasite Eve II (PS1), Zelda OoT (N64), X-Men vs Street Fighter (Saturn)

Gen 6 - Resident Evil Remake (GameCube), Zelda Wind Waker (GameCube), Gran Turismo 4 (PS2), God of War 2 (PS2), Chronicles of Riddick (Xbox)

Gen 7 - God of Was Ascension (ps3), Uncharted 2 (ps3), MGS4 (ps3), Killzone 2/3 (ps3)

Gen 8 - God of War (ps4), Horizon Zero Dawn (ps4), Uncharted 4 (ps4)

Gen 9 - NA

i know right. in that case astroplay room beats anything on xbox and it came free on the ps5 lol. xbox fans try so hard to put down the ps5 that it blinds them and say forza forza forza. it looks great but so does 100% of car games. or use halo which does not even come close to ratchet and clank, hzd2 or demon soul remake, ghost, last of us 2

but the game industry knows it and so does the internet.

Good thread.

4th Gen: Probably one of the Donkey Kong Country games.

5th Gen: Perfect Dark or Conkers Bad Fur Day. A game that looked so good, I remember a gaming publication saying it could get away with looking like an early PS2 game.

6th Gen: Ninja Gaiden Black. Graphics still hold up when you play it on the Xbox 360, X1, or Xbox Series consoles because of the higher res.

7th Gen: I'm not sure tbh. I'd agree MGS4 for the PS3, but the Xbox 360 hardware allowed for some good consistency through out the gen, so many games were able to look as good as each other.

8th Gen: Don't know I skipped this gen. I thought FH3 was really nice.

Too early to do this gen imo.

listen man, repeat after me. There is nothing on the ps5 that looks better than halo or forza on xbox series x. Nothing. This is a simple reason for it, and that is 12tflops. 12 tflops > 9 tflops. OK I will give you, sony overclocked their gpu to 10.28 tflops. Either way 12 tflops > 10.28tflops. You think astros, or ratchet looks best, that is your opinion. End of the day, nobody cares about your opinion.

@blaznwiipspman1: If you're gonna be a full time troll you gotta have vareity and not be stupid about it...I'm just saying you're cut out for it.

Says the guy who claims not to be a shill.😂

@vfighter: lol, you cows are delusional 🤣. I'm just speaking the facts, but to you it sounds like trolling. Nothing on ps5 looks better than halo or forza.

If I were trolling, there are plenty of lemmings on this board who would call me out and say I'm wrong. But you see, nobody disagreed. Only you cows have this wierd fetishism over ratchet.

@Pedro: it was a joke. Ratchet and clank blows astroplayroom graphics out of the water. Because Ratchet and clank looks better than all Xbox games. Forza is close really close but it a car game and car games are easy show of graphic games. They been doing forever to show off graphics of a console around launch. Sony been doing with gt forever to. Astrobots for vr was more impressive than playroom.

@blaznwiipspman1: lol other Xbox fans would call you out. How about the internet? Halo a game that's been talked about for over a year. It's been said that it doesn't look much better than the last showing. Please I hope you don't walk around saying halo is best looking game. Heck hzd2 ps4 version looks better. Forza looks great. But please don't say halo. Gears 5 looks better than halo.

@blaznwiipspman1: Again if you're gonna troll you gotta be smart about it, yapping on and on about how Halo is the best looking game is the opposite of trolling smartly. 🤭

Cows having meltdowns in their own thread😂

• Gen 1: Pong of course
• Gen 2: Donkey Kong
• Gen 3: Super Mario Bros
• Gen 4: Donkey Kong Country
• Gen 5: Forza Motorsport 1
• Gen 6: Gears of War 3
• Gen 7: Halo 5
• Gen 8: Microsoft Flight Simulator/Forza Horizon 5 tied

Way too many gens ... only going to go with the most recent one, FF VII Remake on PS4 is one of the nicest looking games ever.

Odin Sphere is a beautiful game that is really fun to play. Thanks for reminding me about it, I might fire it up again.