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[Edellus]

I've been blown away regularly. RE:2 (the gore looks , RE:8 (in VR even more so), FFXVI (eikon battles look CGI), Horizon Forbidden West (impressive all the time), Spiderman 2 (that travel speed + raytracing), FF7:Remake (looks better than the movie in most areas), Ratchet and Clank, Stray, etc.

Graphics alone sure do impress me, but what does most of the work for me is art work and ambiance, I guess. That's why I think From Software games, for example, despite being behind graphically in some areas, their image is so impressive. That's also why I think I'm unimpressed by most realistic shooters.

I hope I will still get these feelings with games for a long time.

 

[jonnyp]

Yeah, I haven't been blown away by anything this generation.

Death Stranding 2 impressed me but didn't blow me away.

 

[Dusktildawn48]

I'm still blown away when I think about Elden Ring.

 

[FIREKNIGHT2029]

I get blown away all the time. Maybe it's 'cos I also game in VR a lot. A lot to be blown away by in the VR space.


Playing GT7 or Microsoft Flight Sim or even Elite Dangerous in VR constantly blows me away. Even with regular flatscreen games I still get blown away. Playing CP2077 maxed out with path tracing and mods is incredible, same with playing Star Citizen or even games like Horizon Forbidden West can leave me with my jaw on the floor a lot.

 

[ComputerBlue]

Same, the last time something did that to me was probably Hogwarts castle, in and around it, exploring it in Hogwarts Legacy. But that was only because I love the universe and they did such a good job with it, had it been another game and not with that IP, I doubt it would’ve had that effect on me and I’m not even sure if it really blew me away.

 

[M1chl]

I know that many gifs in this thread, however Elden Ring totally blew me away

 

[AJUMP23]

RDR2 was that last game that really wowed me.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Astrobot Rescue Mission VR.


If that doesn't do the trick, what else.

 

[NahaNago]

Same, the last time something did that to me was probably Hogwarts castle, in and around it, exploring it in Hogwarts Legacy. But that was only because I love the universe and they did such a good job with it, had it been another game and not with that IP, I doubt it would’ve had that effect on me and I’m not even sure if it really blew me away.

This was a good reminder cause the last game before hogwarts was either infamous second son or the order 1886. Hogwats castle was amazing to explore at the start and 1886 was good for a while. The visuals of infamous second son with all of that neon light and the traversal(?) blew me away.

I really wish they had increased the size and mystery of hogwarts. Hogwarts and its grounds should have been like 4 times bigger.

 

[E-Cat]

What you are really missing is the feeling of youth. And you can never get that back

 

[Markio128]

The detail in the environment and characters in HFW blew me away, as did the visuals in the Demon’s Souls remake. The opening scene in R&C made my jaw drop. Certain times on MS Flight Sim I was astounded. Then GT7 VR literally blew my tiny mind. Cyberpunk also impressed the hell out of me following the PS5 patch. I was also blown away by the giant‘s house level in GOW:R - the sense of scale was awesome.

In terms of scope, ER was/is mind blowing.

Honestly, it hasn’t been as bad as some make out this gen. And I think it’s probably safe to say that the best is yet to come. No doubt Hellblade 2 will look spectacular, as will Death Stranding 2.

 

[Danknugz]

probably when my friend got a pentium PC back in the 90s and my dad still had a 486. I remember he was able to run doom full screen at what seemed like 60 fps (it was probably more like 30 fps at the time but it looked so smooth and at full screen just totally blew my mind, cause to get that speed i would need to run in a tiny window)

 

[Xdrive05]

For me, Half-Life 2 was the last time something truly mind-blowing was on the horizon. That was 20 years ago. Everything since then has been incremental over the previous mildly interesting “next game to pay attention to”.

Nothing since then has felt like a truly generational advance over what exists currently.

 

[KXVXII9X]

I really miss being blown away too but anytime there is a new exciting way to play games people instantly write it off as being a gimmick instead of waiting for it to mature and evolve.

VR definitely blew me away but not many people are into it and developers find it risky to make games for. I also liked the ideas of the DS and Wii.

I was also blown away by the Nintendo Switch concept. BG3 and Zelda TotK blew me away in terms of interactivity. I also loved the AI in The Last Guardian with Trico but it seemed to cause more frustrations for players since it didn't control like people expected since it was built to have more autonomy.

Gameplay and controller inputs haven't really evolved since the PS3 era. I'm also waiting for animations, physics and interactivity, and AI behavior to catch up. Photorealism no longer is a main selling point to me and I'd rather the industry have more compelling art direction.

 

[Inuteu]

I remmember this feeling when I played the darkness on my Xbox 360 around 2007 or 2006 I think

now those graphics look very dated

funny how the brain works

 

[Akuji]

Its the most expensive and BY FAR most complex aspect to do right but if this is not about graphics but Overall experience.

Been building my home theatre for 4 years and have reached like 90÷ of the setup, not sure if i dis hit 90÷ of sound, will see when the final calibration is done in like abother year.

Returnal was insane, have shown it to people not even in gaming, nobody could believe it.
Literally hearing if an enemy is left or left and behind a wall, a bit higher up.
Everything. Whatever they have done witj the Sound enginge, hopefully this will Happen more and more.

 

[adamsapple]

Wait until you get married

Then you'll get blown away on your birthdays and on special occasions only.

 

[yamaci17]

cyberpunk phantom liberty has blown me away

final stretch of that DLC is something else

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Recently, BG 3 did it for me

I felt "damn, I'm playing one of the GOATS, right?". I knew pretty early on.

Last time before that was in 2020 with FF VII and TLOU II

I think I would have been really impressed with TOTK if it wasnt for BOTW. Everything felt similar.

Have you played Rebirth yet, because it's like Remake but on steroids with how they've recreated the world. The cutscenes and character model details and animation is also mindblowing. Double the polygon count for the main character models over Remake. It's impressive considering you have all the main characters generally always present to render on screen.

I just did a segment towards the end of the game yesterday and the art direction and way they presented the story was nuts.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Yet, people are complaining about Hellblade 2 because they focused on graphics and storytelling.

 

[Self_Destructive]

If you guys miss being blown away... then get used to 30fps again.

 

[Efren is G.O.A.T.]

Then you'll get blown away on your birthdays and on special occasions only.

And that's always a guarantee.

 

[Celcius]

FF7 Remake blew me away
I hope Rebirth does as well (waiting on the PC version)

Also, Unicorn Overlord is 2D but it's art blew me away as well. One of the best looking 2D games I've ever seen... maybe the best.

 

[Bond007]

Agree.
But we were kids and impressionable. And balls deep in great eras of growth.
We seen it all at this point. Its gonna be harder

 

[MiguelItUp]

Same. But it's just the generation we're in. Those feelings will surely come again, but who's to tell when? I absolutely miss being blown away by physics engines, graphics, and more so just overall details and unique, fun, innovative gameplay.

I love when I do get even the smallest bit excited these days, because it feels so few and far between.

 

[UltimaKilo]

I have been blown away plenty of times: Xenoblade series this gen, BotW, TotK, Ratchet and Clank. Art style and music is more important than graphics.

 

[ReBurn]

The last time I had a jaw dropping experience was when I bought my first HDTV. Having been playing in SD two hours before, when I saw that smooth high res image I was really blown away. I don't think I've been blown away by a specific game since the PS2/OG Xbox days. GTA III, Shadow of the Colossus, JSRF, Ninja Gaiden...so many great experiences.

 

[Euler007]

You can get jaded as you get older, but you don't have to. I was blown away most weekends renting NES games as an 8 year old, then most SNES games, and was blown away by FFXVI and FF7 rebirth.

It's like sex, I remember 19 year old friends acting like they did everything and it's boring now, and yet my last time is always the best time as a 44 year old married guy.

 

[Lambogenie]

Bayonetta 2. Nailed every boss. Except the last boss, weirdly.

Meanwhile FFXVI is just kinda boring.

 

[Bond007]

I still get blown away.
Just not how you think...

 

[Flabagast]

The last time I was blown away was seeing junon for the first time in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and then walking under it. The time before that was the boss battles in FF16.

Agree on both points.

First seeing Upper Junon was super impressive and gave a real sense of awe, and FF16 does indeed have incredible visual scenes in spades


Besides FF I agree that Cyberpunk has been the last truly impressive game with a giant sense of scale

 

[RyRy93]

Haven’t been blown away by anything since RDR2 either, I’ve played plenty of great games but nothing that has made me question how the game is even technically possible.

Not since RDR2 has a game blew away everything else before it. Before that BOTW, I loved Elden Ring but it’s just a great Fromsoft game with diluted level design.

I think only Rockstar, Nintendo or possibly CDPR can make something that special technically.

 

[panda-zebra]

VR.

gt7vr

GT7 in VR

Quest 3

VR

Astrobot demo on the OG PSVR

Quest 3

VR

RE:8 (in VR even more so)

A lot to be blown away by in the VR space.

Astrobot Rescue Mission VR.

GT7 VR literally blew my tiny mind

VR definitely blew me away

Anyone who says modern gaming is boring, going nowhere and doesn't have the wow factor of yesteryear, yet insists on ignoring VR and dismissing it as not ready or whatever, well they only have themselves to blame. Life is short, get up off your arses, pop on a headset and go places (seated options also available).

Improvements have been incremental for a while now. Wipeout HD Fury, running in 1080p on a PS3, was the last time I thought, "how the hell did they pull that off?"

...and then a generation later when we actually got to *be there* and experience it in true first person.

 

[rm082e]

Thinking back, I would say:

• FF6 for scale of the story. That was a "Wow, games can be as impactful as books and movies" moment for me.
• FF7 for new tech. That was a real leap at the time over the SNES.
• SotN for the level of detail and creativity in design. "What do you mean I only played half the game?!?!?"
• FFX was my first PS2 game. Seeing the transition between the in-engine cut scenes to gameplay when you do that first battle with Auron was shocking. The PS2 felt like a lightyear leap over the PS1.
• Shadow of the Colossus - 'nuff said.
• Halo: CE - Flawless Cowboy. The scale of the ring world was crazy. Also the bokeh effect when I zoomed in with the Pistol was beautiful.
• Uncharted 2 because it had good graphics, fun gameplay, and great acting. We typically didn't see all three in the same game back then. That game was a "total package".
• Bioshock - similar to SotN, it was the attention to detail, creativity, and beautiful artwork.
• Dark Souls for making a game that huge with no map. It was shocking that I managed to build the map in my head by playing it.
• The PC in general when I got back into it in 2011. Seeing games run on an SSD at 1080p/60fps with 3 second load times was an "OMG..." experience. Skyrim and Dishonored stick out in particular.
• Demon's Souls Remake, just because I spent so much time with the original. Seeing the same game look cutting edge was odd, and glorious.
• Dead Space Remake - Same thing and Demon's Souls. Dead Space is one of my favorites I replay yearly, and seeing it look that good was amazing.
• Elden Ring is just jaw dropping all the way around, but the scale of the world is constantly awe inspiring. It deserves every ounce of praise.
• The Last of Us 1 and 2 - I just got to these recently with the remakes. I was shocked by how intense the narrative affected me. I got more out of those games than almost any TV series or novel.

At least for me, I think moving to the PC as my primary platform back in 2011 mostly ended being "blown away" by graphics and scale because it's constant iteration, not stagnation for years on end, then a big leap. Cyberpunk is a recent example. Sure, it's very pretty from a technical perspective, but it's not really doing anything that I haven't seen before. It's just very high quality. Good, but not "blown away".

 

[Loomy]

I haven't seen anything that impresses me on my PS5.

Forbidden West is one of the most photoreal looking games ever made.

 

[pachura]

...and then a generation later when we actually got to *be there* and experience it in true first person.

OMG, Wipeout for PSVR was instapuke for me

 

[Spukc]

Then you'll get blown away on your birthdays and on special occasions only.

Can your partner send my partner some tips?

 

[hemo memo]

PC blowed me away real good.

 

[rm082e]

Anyone who says modern gaming is boring, going nowhere and doesn't have the wow factor of yesteryear, yet insists on ignoring VR and dismissing it as not ready or whatever, well they only have themselves to blame. Life is short, get up off your arses, pop on a headset and go places (seated options also available).

I tried. It did nothing for me personally. It's a neat toy, but in no way did it replace regular gaming. I'm happy for the VR enthusiasts that they have something they enjoy so much. That enjoyment is not universal though.

 

[ComputerBlue]

This was a good reminder cause the last game before hogwarts was either infamous second son or the order 1886. Hogwats castle was amazing to explore at the start and 1886 was good for a while. The visuals of infamous second son with all of that neon light and the traversal(?) blew me away.

I really wish they had increased the size and mystery of hogwarts. Hogwarts and its grounds should have been like 4 times bigger.

They already started early work on a sequel so hopefully the next one will center around the castle a lot more.

 

[Alan Wake]

Hi fi Rush's graphics are what I've always dreamt of as a kid. So full of color and personality and style. I find a really good art design much more impressive than graphical fidelity, but this game has both

Have you played Bomb Rush Cyberfunk?

 

[ChiefDada]

Tbh, the frequency of me being "blown away" has only increased with each generation, and this gen continues the trend. The problem is tech is advancing at such a fast rate of pace, I feel like I'm constantly looking for the next wow moment more than I did in the past. So even though the frequency increased of being wowed has increased, my appetize for better visuals and experiences in general has grown out of control. It's also nice that different games shine in different areas.

Some standouts this gen:

1. Spider-Man 2 (best open world visuals)
2. FFXVI (hero models and stunning shadow rendering)
3. TLOU Pt 1 (cutscenes)
4. Jedi Survivor (cutscenes)
5. Cyberpunk (Some PT shots)

 

[Buggy Loop]

Half Life Alyx is the last game I recall truely blowing me away for the experience. So good. The problem with it is that now I wait for the game that will outdo HL:A in VR and that contender hasn't come so far, so that's depressing a bit.

 

[Trunx81]

The first time I got blown away was playing Moon Buggy on the Commodore 16. First video game I ever played.
Second time was Turrican 2 on the C64, especially with that music
Third time was AlttP on the SNES. Coming from 8bit, this was a huge step forward. The rain. The sound. The music.
Wolfenstein, Doom, Tomb Raider, Rogue Squadron, Half Life, Quake .. it’s impressive how far we have come nowadays in gaming.

I think the last time I was really blown away was The Last of us on PS4 for its compelling story. Graphics don’t whooo me anymore, as I noticed while playing the Horizon games. It has to be a concept that ties together. Cinematic experience + Gameplay, not just one or the other.

Forget it, what am I talking? I was even blown away by Witcher 3 on the Switch. Especially when I put my Game Boy Pocket beside it for comparison of how far tech has come.

 

[RavageX]

Thank you Capcom

This made me laugh out loud.

Though somewhere....someone is offended.

 

[RavageX]

Oh to answer the original question. I did find Red Dead 2 impressive, I still do.

Sometimes I'm caught by small things, swinging through NY in Spiderman gave me that cool feeling, cool scenery in Assassin's Creed Origins and Odessey(sp) would catch me from time to time.

Grand turismo in VR always makes me smile, a few other VR games do the same. Dragon's Dogma 2 isn't so much a wow, but sometimes a few epic random fights, or sometimes when the sun catches things just right...

Final Fantasy 7 remakes have not done any of this for me believe it or not, but they do make me revisit a great time in my life as far as gaming goes with the original.

As far as graphical/cutscenes...hardly ever anymore. It has to be MORE. So many companies through out a quick CGI trailer and people are wowed.
I need more than that.

 

[ShirAhava]

I haven't been blown away since fall 2007

Quad Core PC Q6600
GeForce 8800 GT

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Not so much by how a game looks but how a game made me feel while playing, I was pretty blown away with BOTW when it came out because of its boundless freedom only for Nintendo to raise the bar with TOTK.

The Demons souls remake was pretty special looking.

Pretty much this.

Just recently I was blown away by FF VII Rebirth and Helldivers 2.

I think most Gaffers are way too nostalgic and forgot how to enjoy the moment.

 

[Caffeine]

elden ring is legit the only game that has given me this feeling with all the differing landscapes. you thought the last area was bad ass this one is even more bad ass, or wait you can go there wtf.

 

[IAmRei]

Im still getting blown away withh lot of games, in artstyle and gameplay.

im not caring the graphic because everything will be left to dated someday. But with correct artstyle, game could be timeless. I even sometimes still blown away with old game i never play before and its kind of oldiest.

In 2008 i discover secret of mana 3 snes, translated rom of course, and it amazed me, how come this game artstyle is so beautiful, for example. And in 2016 i played dragons dogma for first time, and i was blown away with lot of gameplay complexity at the time they released. Not counting the sky lighting is so perfect for me to say, kind of similar treatment with mgs 5 environment feels albeit with more limited graphic. Im also late to play genji ps2, and it makes me feel nostalgic to see ps2 "photorealistic" feels other than gran turismo or ps2 reel fishing. Yakuza games also comes in my mind when talking about artstyle, its timeless for me. Not only the graphic but also the gameplay and the characters. I also like stalker more than fall out. Far cry 2 is my best far cry although i mostly played 3 for easier replayibility. The game might be dated for most, but for me, its memorable because the presentation is damn so fine.

There are lot of creativity with limitation, and if the devs are smart, they can bypass weakness into strenght. But again, it might be because im not expecting much into graphic.