Aesthetics Showcase

Science fantasy needs a comeback big time. I miss the experimental phase of video games where devs took chances and made cool things instead of checking boxes for suits and boards and shareholders.

Shame the gameplay is so uneven. I mean, did anyone actually attempt to drive a car in first person? I mean, literally anyone?

How about some glorious Bannerlord screenshots? This and Warband are two of my top four games of all time and it's so easy to immerse completely in being a mercenary or warlord. I can't wait until the mod scene ages more, but Shokuho is an amazing start.

That said, fuck the loading times. I mean seriously.

Star Trek Online is easily the most underappreciated “mainstream” MMO of the last fifteen years--even better, it’s gorgeous to look at. ...well, not from a technical standpoint, I mean the engine was outdated when the game launched in the late 2000s, but artistically it never gets old traveling to new planets and stations to see a unique tileset.

Besides being an extremely good looter shooter, The Division 2 is also a visual masterpiece. The level of detail in every single location is unparalleled in games even though we’re almost four years on from its launch. Most games (and therefore developers) take visual clutter for granted and instead opt to shove massive textures in our faces, but Massive Entertainment opts to cram each area with maximum clutter and only sacrifices the bare minimum in terms of fidelity.

Everyone knows Assassin’s Creed peaked with Odyssey; I’m certain some disagree, but it has the best combination of characters, locations, visuals, and gameplay. Ancient Greece is beautifully rendered with incredible attention to detail and a world with an almost offensive amount of content to explore.

I finally got around to making a video with the new PC I picked up...almost a year ago. What better way to experience ray tracing than with the most aesthetically exceptional video game ever produced.

More good shit from 2077 I captured during my journey. And speaking of Journey, I made an aesthetics video on Japantown which I’ll link when it’s through uploading.

I’m only a couple hours into Resident Evil Village, but these environmental designs are sometimes so good I just have to sit and stare. I’ll definitely be posting more.

If you’re able to ignore endless zeitgeist pandering and take the world for what it is, Horizon Zero Dawn has spectacular aesthetics, particularly in costumes and environments. Like other console-ized open world action games of the last ten years, the gameplay is whatever, but there are some amazing things to see out there.

And the grapevine says a big update will be announced next month, so there might be more reason to jump in and enjoy the sights soon.

The environmental designs are top-class--vivid, and full of color--and they really serve to compliment an Avatar-inspired sci-fi tale. Total recommend if only for the eye candy.

I recently bought back into Elder Scrolls Online in order to catch up with the DLC, and some of the sights to see around the world are breathtaking. Unironically.

I briefly reinstalled Black Desert recently and was determined to follow the main quest--at least until the level requirement outpaced my own. I noticed significant changes from the last time I attempted the feat, and it took me to a few places around the world I’d never been. Unfortunately, like most times I give BDO another shot, eventually it turned into a job rather than a game. Such a shame because even after all these years it’s one of the most beautiful experiences you can have, MMO or otherwise. The attention to detail on the smallest props blows my mind.