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GamingBolt: 15 BEST Graphics of 2021

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


As we move deeper into the new generation of console gaming and developers starting focusing more on the newer hardware, the technical and visual quality of games we get is going to improve radically in the coming years- there's no better example of that than the recent The Matrix Awakens UE tech demo, which turned out to be an absolute stunner.

But even though we're not quite at that point yet, 2021 still gave us a number of games that impressed us on a visual front. Here, we're going to talk about the ones that stood out the most, before then picking an ultimate winner from that group.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:52 THE ASCENT
1:17 TALES OF ARISE
1:57 THE MEDIUM
2:31 IT TAKES TWO
3:09 BRIGHT MEMORY: INFINITE
3:41 MARVEL'S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
4:18 LITTLE NIGHTMARES
5:05 MONSTER HUNTER RISE
5:43 KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS
6:18 F1 2021
6:53 RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE
7:38 FORZA HORIZON 5
8:17 RETURNAL
8:53 BATTLEFIELD 2042
9:27 GUILTY GEAR STRIVE
10:05 RATCHET AND CLANK: RIFT APART
10:39 FORZA
 
RE:Village was not a great looking game. The game looks incredibly bland to me. I enjoyed it a lot, but it's not very pretty. I even thought RE:7 and the remakes looked better visually.

Edit: Little Nightmares 2 on the other hand blew me away with it's visuals. You wouldn't expect such a game to look that good, but it looks reeeaaaaallllly good.
 
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rofif

Can’t Git Gud
RE7 remake looks amazing 4k on ps5.
So does Death Stranding DC on ps5.

But for new games, Returnal, ratchet

edit: FINAL FANTASY 7 of course !
 
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EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
This is the start of a generation you have to understand that, developers will have the ability to surpass these games.
 

gow3isben

Member
It has fantastic art direction.

It is just another monster hunter game in art style nothing unique. Don’t get me wrong MH W is a top tier game one of my favorites I logged 150-200 hrs in it but come on even that had graphics multiple PS3 games were comparable to and it blows rise out the water
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Jesus. Returnal looks like an average PS4 game.

Apparently it's pushing some particle effects that are supposed to be impressive.

But yeah, I look at it and it looks like a mid-gen PS4 game running at a high frame rate.

But that's just me.

edit: The Medium is also just an average last-gen looking game with a two world gimmick, the visuals themselves are just OK at best.

edit 2: I would have been fine with either Forza or R&C winning as those are the two best looking games of the year, glad they got this right.

edit 3: TF are people hating on Village for. It's a 4K/60 FPS game with RT and pushes fairly good visuals while also being scalable for cross-gen.
 
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Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Time to raise our standards. Ratchet is the only truly impressive game on the list. Point blank.
 
I saw this a few months back, its no big deal for me, but... I don't know why you are so impressed


Don't know why you'd need the plants to react to you. How much time do you spend running through plants? It's a waste of time and resources to do that. However, in a game like Forbidden West, it makes more sense to make the plants react to the player since you spend most of your time hanging around vegitation.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
Its pretty telling that graphics wont be a big a leap as prior gens when people think a cross gen game looks as good or better then current gen exclusives.
 

ckaneo

Member
I agree that Ratchet and Clank so far is the only game that looks next gen to me personally. I dont get the hype around Forza graphically. Not that it looks bad, but it doesnt look like anything I havent seen before but maybe I'm wrong. Someone help me out
 

ZywyPL

Banned
I saw this a few months back, its no big deal for me, but... I don't know why you are so impressed



For a next-gen-only title it does put it in a bad light a bit when the upcoming cross-gen Horizon if full of interactive foliage, and it all has to run on Jaguar CPU mind you.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Gameplay and fun are always the most important factors, but today we wanted to celebrate great graphics in 2021 games for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S/One, and beyond.

10 Hitman 3

Platform : PC PS4 PS5 Xbox One XSX|S Stadia Switch

Release Date : 20 January 2021



9 Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Platform : PC PS4 PS5

Release Date : September 21, 2021



8 Far Cry 6

Platform : PC PS4 PS5 Xbox One XSX|S Stadia Luna

Release Date : October 7, 2021



7 Guardians of the galaxy

Platform : PC PS4 PS5 Xbox One XSX|S Switch

Release date : October 26, 2021



6 The Ascent

Platform : PC Xbox One XSX|S

Release date : 29 July 2021



5 Bright Memory Infinite

Platform : PC PS5 XSX|S

Release Date : November 11, 2021



4 Resident Evil Village

Platform : PC PS4 PS5 Xbox One XSX|S Stadia

Release Date : May 7, 2021



3 Forza Horizon 5

Platform : PC Xbox One XSX|S

Release date : 9 November 2021



2 Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Platform : PS5

Release Date : June 11, 2021



1 RIDE 4

Platform : PS5 XSX|S

Release Date : January 21, 2021
 
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