Top 10 most visually impressive games of the decade (2000-2009)

VGArabia: You need more than amazing graphics in order to make a great game. But at the same time, no one can deny the fact that great visuals do make a good game even better. As we march into the next decade, games are getting prettier and the demand for better graphics are becoming stronger. I have constructed a list of the best looking games of the decade with choosing one game for each year.

[immortal84]

good job.

[-Alpha]

First of all, it's on the PC and unless some people are still trying to convince themselves that the PS3 can do better graphics, it's without a doubt that Crysis is the best game.

Considering how OLD it is and how photo-realistic the game is, it's no doubt that it's better than UC2.

The list stupidly gave no good justifying reason as to why UC2 was #1.
It's absolutely ridiculous to make a list and not give justifiable reasons.

Crysis is the best looking game this gen.

Technically, it's true.

If one wants to make some subjective argument on art then that is debatable, but UC2 is not the best looking game.

UC2 WILL be outdone by UC3 and future games, while Crysis STILL hasn't been topped.

I don't care if people don't agree with me, but how anyone can justify a list that gives such a shallow and cheap justification is beyond me.

"It’s boils down to this: Uncharted 2 is the best looking game of the decade. Want a prove? Go and play the game. Seriously."

Seriously? That's your proof? Ugh.

[Mr Tretton]

You done crying about it? You do that a lot you know.

[-Alpha]

Well considering the fact that you didn't actually make a relevant point addressing what I said, and since you are here just to make worthless remarks that don't pertain to the topic, then you should probably check out the open zone

[DAVID BRENT]

list was going well until they forgot to put kz2 in either first or second place

[Darkeyes]

Alpha... Crysis is the best looking game, but when you see the feat achieved by ND on a hardware that has limitations, then you can see the leap UC2 is over Crysis.... Try playing Crysis with PS3 spec PC and see how the game chokes the GPU to death... I doubt it will even run it on medium settings with decent frame rates...

No KZ2 in the list baffles me... It should be in the Top 3 along with UC2 and Crysis.

[toaster]

A list about the most visually impressive games without putting Crysis at #1 is insane. Crysis is years ahead of Uncharted 2. Sure UC2 is the best on consoles, but the list is talking all platforms, so Crysis would top UC2.

MGS4 is amazing too. The PS2 version of RE4 is the best looking but I preferred the GameCube controls.

[rhood022]

^^^^
Toaster,

Except UC 2 IS NOT ranked above Crysis. The list isn't ranking from least impressive to most impressive. It's ranking visually impressive games by the year.

It just happens to be in a 10-1 format.

Crysis is the most impressive game of 2007 (it just happens to be numbered as 3)

UC 2 is the most impressive game of 2009.

[EvilTwin]

EDIT: rhood beat me to it on the reactions to the list (it's easy to miss if you're just looking by rank, but it's a countdown by year).

And honestly, it's hard to argue with the order they're in, anyways. Regarding the UC2 vs. Crysis debate, I'd say art style matters as much as how photo-realistic the graphics are. That's how the games on the list from earlier in the decade still look so good (and why lots of people were so wowed by UC2). "Realistic" games can age badly without a great art style behind them.

I was playing Prime last night, and I can't believe how well that game has aged. Over 7 years later, and it's still remarkably beautiful.

(That said, even in a list of "realistic" games, I wish there was room for a game like Okami. You can't really argue with the author's choice for 2006, but Okami is going to age better than a lot of realistic games.)

[toaster]

Ahh my mistake. Didn't realize that. I think a lot of people over looked the fact that the list is going by best graphics of that year.

[shadow2797]

The list is by year, not by visual fidelity. They are not saying Crysis looks worse than MGS4. Look closely, they picked the best looking games for each year. Hence the absence of Killzone 2.

Now calm down.

Edit: Turns out I was late to the party. Haha.

[ryano23277]

best 10 looking games are very easily in the last 3 years

Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, Crysis, MGS4, Far Cry 2, Fight Night 4, Batman, AC2, R&C A crack in time, Pacific Rift

thats 11 and I've missed XX amount of games that look good.

[Timesplitter14]

Too many top 10's 'round these places...

What's next? Top 10 decades?

[SilentNegotiator]

Always tossing gasoline on comments sections to try to avoid flamewars.
Good job as always, tool.

This list is missing Killzone 2.
It should have the God of War 3 demo on there, too :)

[shutupandplay]

"UC2 WILL be outdone by UC3 and future games, while Crysis STILL hasn't been topped."
I feel bad for the person who is still playing crysis when UC3 comes out, simply because of the graphics. Talk about living in denial.

[Hisiru]

Resident Evil 4 at 5° but NO KILLZONE 2 at 3° or something like that? No Killzone 2 on the list?

lol

[Insomnia_84]

God Of War 3 will %&*@#$ all this games in the @55 and will leave them begging for more but Kratos will say no and Killzone 3 will come and give them some more with The Last Guardian watching.

It will be a graphical Orgy.

lol

(omg wtf did I just write??lol)

[littletad]

Said the ps2 version of RE4 was better on the ps2. That is false. The gamecube was superior, in almost every way, except the extra content. And since this is a visual list, the gamecube version gets the honors.

And I'm not sure what's the big idea about Crysis. Isn't this a console list?

[-Alpha]

Why don't you at least try offering a rational relevant response instead of making baseless assumptions?

[Karsghul]

Trade Prince of Persia for Shadow of the Colossus and you have a respectable list.

[mikeslemonade]

PC gaming doesn't count. No one cares about PC. Me and millions of other people what PC gaming to die.

[champ21]

@mikelemonade

becareful what you wish mike, if pc gaming were to die. So will your next gen consoles :P

we cant expect sony or microsoft to come up with next gen gpus can we?

they will need to pick up the left overs from the pc.

[SilentNegotiator]

I'm not "assuming" anything. I'm SAYING you go into every comments section and weep about PS3 fanboys (Often one of the first posts, too), and cause needless flamewars.

[kornbeaner]

I think part of the reason why Crysis is #3 is that nobody really knows what it looks like. With UC2 and MGS4 it is played on a standard system where a developer can try to squeeze out the best possible graphics, but with Crysis you needed a ridiculous rig at launch and even the top of the line rig couldn't handle Crysis at its max setting. Of course I'm talking about a rig at launch I'm pretty sure now people could build a high end rig and see what all the fuss is all about but I think Crysis missed its chance to be known as a "BEST GRAPHICS OF ALL TIME" game because in order to play that game at max awe-inspiring settings gamers had to wait a good 2 years before GPU's and CPU's that can handle those setting were available and by that time the novelty of wanting to see the best graphics available had already passed.

[flirt_games]

And what reason did you give for putting crysis in #1 (according to you)?
Technically and artistically uncharted 2 is the best game across all platforms inside price range USD 300.
Sure, you can do sh!tty coding and get a very very impressing looking scene, but you will need a huge $2000 pc to run. If you think this is impressive achievment, then you are an idiot.

[blaziliuz12]

hey alpha male,immortal84 was just saying that he liked the choices and then u bash him??wat a douchebag..

[ColdFire]

@mikeslemonade

As other have said, if PC gaming died then consoles would be screwed, as no one would be developing next gen GPU's and CPU's.

As for the whole Crysis debate, firstly the list is by year, so it is not saying UC2 is better than Crysis. Anyone who can play UC2 and then Crysis at anyway near high graphics, and come out saying UC2 has better technical graphics is making a joke of themselves. However, Crysis does require a good PC to play it, ($2000, where did you come of with that, half it and your getting closer), so UC2 is a good example of getting very good graphics from a weak system.

[Christopher]

1. No clue what people see in Gears of War. I've played the game and it's pretty subpar in comparison to many games that came out in 2006/2007. Even GameSpy put Resistance and Genji: Days of the Blade above Gears of War for graphics in 2006.

2. Kind of wondering why Killzone 2 wasn't even mentioned, though I do understand it was a look at the last decade, so perhaps it would have seemed redundant alongside Crysis and Uncharted 2.

[sikbeta]

The GC version was Amazing but even with PS2 version not being on par, I enjoyed both, such a great game

And about Crysis, well the game is a Graphical Beast, so is always in the lists

@Alpha-Male22

"some people are still trying to convince themselves that the PS3 can do better graphics"

WTH are you talking about, how said that?

Why is always a dude trying to Compare a Fully Upgradeable PC vs a Console, cuz is so Fair to that right?

PCs always have the Graphics Edge, but is Amazing what Consoles can do without being upgradeable

Stop with the "Almighty PC versus Consoles" cuz is starting to get old

[thewolf5]

@ Alpha-Male22
First, it's in order by year and that statement at the end is his opinion, just like my opinion is that Killzone 2 is graphically better. But I don't know that because I haven't played Uncharted 2's single player and neither have I played crysis, but common sense tells me "gee, a computer game that requires you to buy a damn nice graphics card (or a whole new computer, depending on your situation) sure isn't as impressive as the game that looks about the same and works on the $300 home gaming-console/multimedia machine." The whole article is about impressiveness, it's in the title.

[zeeshan]

The author must have been drunk when he wrote this article. I mean there is no Killzone 2 there in that list. EPIC FAIL of an article!

[hatchimatchi]

yes crysis does look more realistic than uncharted2, but with uncharted2 you don't have to have a monster pc rig in order to play it at max settings. Don't give me the spiel either on how a great pc rig is cheap. I don't have the time nor do I care to go track down parts for cheap and make it myself.

[-Alpha]

Impressive graphics is not based on the subjectivity of having a capable machine to run it.

Objectively, you are all admitting Crysis is most impressive. Yet, you hide behind the excuse that UC2 is impressive because it runs on the PS3.

That doesn't make UC2 more impressive than Crysis in terms of graphics. This has nothing to do with whether you can run a machine or not-- Crysis is the most impressive looking game as it looks much more impressive than Uncharted 2. So why are you people bringing in the standard/capabilities of a machine?

What if I didn't have HD? UC2 would like garbage, but would I merit the impressiveness of UC2 with the knowledge that I have HD-limitations?

If not then why disregard a capable computer that can run Crysis?

A person above said Uncharted 2 has better animations-- now that is a solid reason and I appreciate that response, but regardless of it, I don't understand how UC2 is #1 because the writer failed to even give a valid reason.

People here love bashing guys like HHG and talk about "Gaming Journalism" yet when a list like this sucks off to UC2 fans nobody gives a crap about validation or reasoning. I've stated two things: UC2 does not look as impressive as Crysis, and the writer gives no reason as to why UC2 looks better.

[hatchimatchi]

you realize you're getting upset over an article from vgARABIA....

You think that this site has an audience outside of n4g?

I highly doubt it.

Crysis is the best looking game out, there's no denying that. Does it really matter though?

[IaMs12]

You guys need to open your freaking eyes and read! It says that its picking the top visual game for each year throughout the decade. SO if KZ2 would be on the list then UC2 would not be and so on. Jeez...

[thesummerofgeorge]

You seem to be missing, or ignoring the fact that it's not counting down to the best, it's counting the best for each year of the decade to the present.

[Prototype]

If you look at the list its dated per year, so in a sense I can see why Uncharted 2 is on there over Killzone 2, however an "honorable mentions" list would be nice next to the top games each year.

Also on the whole Crysis/UC 2 argument here's how I see it:

Crysis is considered a benchmark game like Doom 3 was, yes it's a game and yes it is fun to some people however I see it more as a stress test on a lot of pc's to see what it can handle. Also Crysis does require a setup that can play it effectively.

Uncharted 2 is more of showing what the PS3 can currently do when companies put in time and effort. All that's required is a PS3 and maybe internet for online, thats it. Killzone 2 started it, Uncharted 2 perfected it.

[kornbeaner]

Your response doesn't add up. Maybe you missed the part where I Said "People don't know what it looks like" At launch I saw the graphics, it looked impressive but most of videos out there weren't in HD so from what I remember the game looked the same as Uncharted 2 does now. Not only did I not have a capable Machine of running this game at max settings but so did most of the World. Did you know when they showed Crysis at E3 for the first time, they had a ridiculous rig that was built for nothing more then to show crysis at full max setting. The rumor amongst the industry was that the rig was running OC'd Dual cores, 8gb's of Ram and had one of the first rigs to run a Quad SLI chipset. So tell me how can anybody Judge the game on something almost nobody saw. I guess I can bow down and say "O' your right Crysis is the best graphical Game ever" even though I have only seen a brief glimpse of game at MAX setting while I and much of the gaming World has Seen the great graphics in UC2 thanks to HD video on websites and Television. Yes I know with out HD UC2 will look Meh, but most of the world is covered in HD now so missing out on UC2 graphics is hard to do. Unfortunately the same can't be said about the world when Crysis released, HD was still ways away, most video for the game looked alright. Crysis is being Judge on a matter of Circumstance is it fair? No, but thats the way it is.

[hardcore1912]

the best looking game on earth, no game can match it.

[alaa]

It's hard to choose between those games.

[bnaked]

crysis is photorealistic, but Uncharted 2 is more beautyful, has much better art-design.. Uncharted 2 wins..

[kraze07]

UC2 may have better art design, but the photo-realism of Crysis alone blows UC2 out of the water.

[t850]

Crysis on very high settings is insane.

means while uc2 gets outdone by any of the multiplats on the pc.

Tombraider underworld, Assassins creed (pc versions) easily out do uncharted.

[blaziliuz12]

guys the list is based on the year when it was released not the top ten best looking graphics of all time.

[kraze07]

We know that. I think hardcore was just pointing out a fact.

[bnaked]

@t850

they match Uncharted 2 technically, but not visually.

[Christopher]

Having played both of the games you mention on the PC and the PS3... the only thing they do better is run higher textures on a newer machine, neither of them touch Uncharted 2 on a technical standpoint in regards to lighting, draw distance, particle effects, and physics; and this is with the latest PC technology implemented.

What the PS3 and 360 do with 4+ year-old technology compared to any PC today is freaking remarkable.

[t850]

all it takes to max out the games i mentioned on pc is a 3yr old 8800gtx which released with the ps3. ps3 was obselete when it released sad isnt it?

Uncharted is just 1 game and yea i see uncharted running assissns creed running at max looks alot better then uncharted. the 8800gtx pretty much sweeps the floor with the ps3 in any multiplat.

so no its not the cutting edge on pc.

there are so many multiplates released, game for game the older tech on pc beats the ps3. no contest.

infact even ign in their head to head uses the same 8800gtx till date, with pc winning just about every head to head.

so yea unless you just wanna be playing 1 uncharted all this gen which would be sad, id say you look at the wider picture.

[Christopher]

When you're talking textures, you are correct.

But, we're talking overall processing, especially in regards to lighting/particle effects, physics, ai, and the such. You'd need a good quad core to equal the processing power of the cell processors. This has kind of been proven in many tests over the last few years where the cell processor has been proven to be much faster at these type of processes.

Graphics isn't just textures, it's a whole lot more and it involves a lot about the environment. Uncharted 2 has so much detail in comparison to other games it's ridiculous. The thing is that this is possible on PCs from the last year or two, but the problem is that PC games are just developed with some enhancement through texture quality/resolution and DirectX, but not through programming that would be expected throughout all of the versions since it's rare for a PC game to not also be available on one or more of the consoles.

Go run around and interact with the environment in the city of Uncharted 2. See how everything reacts to the helicopter flying overhead, shooting at you, you shooting at them, and so on. The level of detail they took with really making the environment come alive just isn't seen in games because of the time it takes to go into that detail. Naughty Dog delivered on that unlike anyone else so far, not because they are the only ones that can but because they are the only ones who have.

[mfwahwah]

No game can match it? That's a pretty vague statement. I'll assume that you're implying that Crysis 2 won't even look better than Crysis.

And actually, I think Chess is the best looking game. The pieces look SO lifelike in my hands, it's unbelievable.

[ATi_Elite]

Crysis is not the best looking game on earth, here let me spell it out for you..

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky or Stalker Call of Pripyat have better graphics than Crysis Uncharted 2 Crysis Warhead Resident Evil 4 Killzone 2.

Crysis does just one thing well but Stalker does DAY, NIGHT, Weather, above ground, below ground, the list goes on because it does so much in an OPEN SAND BOX NON LINEAR Environment.

[Yi-Long]

... for instance, Rallisport Challenge 2 should be on this list, as it's a game that looks amazing even TODAY, with gorgeous trackdesign and lighting.

Apart from that title, I'm more about the 'style' and 'design' instead of how 'realistic' and how many poly's a game has.

[alaa]

Rallisport Challenge 2 was released on the same year Far Cry, Riddick, and Ninja Gaiden were released. So, the game had a lot of competition.

Also, there are many games in the list that have amazing artistic design.

[Yi-Long]

... and I own and have played those 3 games you mentioned, and was indeed impressed with all 3 of them. Far Cry at the time was amazing, Ninja Gaiden Black was a brilliant game and looked very good as well (although some levels were a bit 'boring', as far as design goes), and Riddick was an amazing looking shooter with great lighting and textures.

So I absolutely agree there were great looking games among the competion.

However Rallisport Challenge 2 still impresses today, it's silky smooth, no slow-down, no hiccups, hardly any pop-in, and like I said, the trackdesign and lighting were just amazing, and still are. It's pretty much the perfect game (although I would have liked a Japan-stage in there). It's just a drop-dead-gorgeous masterpiece both in design and execution.

[DigitalAnalog]

But where the heck is God of War II?

-End statement

[alaa]

God of War 2 released on the same year Crysis was released. Do you see the competition?

[Pandam0bile]

Good list but I, personally, would have put Half-Life 2 on that list over Far Cry :)

[hardcore1912]

Far Cry was more impressive graphically than HL 2. No offense though, both games are great.

[Cosquae]

I would have been inclined to add the PC versions of Oblivion and Doom 3 to that list. Despite their flaws, at the time they were graphically ahead of anything else.

[Clarence Callahan]

lol, look at this, the first guy says he prefers HL2 over FC2, and he gets a lot of disaggrees, and now the second guy says he prefers FC2 over HL2 and it's still not good.
(i hate fanboys)

[TooTall19]

The end of the decade isn't until 2010 is over...

[alaa]

It's about the best looking games of the past decade (2000-2009)

A decade is a period of ten years.

[Pandam0bile]

No, 2010 is the start of a new decade.

2000 wasn't part of the 90's now was it.

[Elwenil]

So by that theory we started at year Zero AD?

[Mr Logic]

Yes. Just like I am 20, but am living the 21st year of my life.

[Elwenil]

Perhaps, but you start as Zero. You measure your life in years past. Time is ongoing and is measured by the present as there was no year "0 AD". We started the calendar with 1, while our lives start at nothing.

Actually I can see both sides of it, but I've always enjoyed discussing that bit of theory, just like the age old color/perception theory. ;D

[ravinash]

We probably didn't start counting the years in the current format until about 300 - 400AD. that was about when christianity had taken over the roman empire. We wouldn't has started counting the years from when Christ was one year old would we.

[lovestospoodge]

What does this have to do with whether 360 or PS3 is better without any real evidence backing it up?!?!

no but seriously 2000-2009 is a span of ten years

(jan 1, 2000 - jan 1, 2010 = 3653 days = ten years

[BigKev45]

Too Tall is too dumb. HAHA.

[mfwahwah]

You guys are still using AD? Geeze, get with the times, it's CE now.

[chidori666]

heres killzone 2 one of most visually impressive graphics the decade?????

mothefuc****

[Shadow Man]

Crysis

[toaster]

" killzone 2 one of most visually impressive graphics the decade?????"

read: "one of the most"
Didn't say that KZ2 IS, but one of.

[InFAMOUS1]

WOW!!!!! Seriously.. If you look at the list you will see it is counted down PER YEAR.. So Uncharted2 would have to be removed to add KZ2.. So dont say remove Gears and put in KZ2 cuz KZ2 is a 09' game... I agree with this list, except 2005 should of went to God of War...

[Barragan]

im playing uncharted 2 on a 480p normal tv and still 98% of the game i am still in doubt that im actually playing it, are pc fans serious uncharted 2s ingame engine could be crysis's opening cutscene and commenter number 1 its obvious that ps3 is the better graphics maker over pc, ps3 is the only PLATFORM this gen pushing cgi level visuals in realtime this gen and has 5 or 6 cgi developers working on it, pc none i honestly believe if you no matter how much a pc fanboy you are say a pc game including crysis and crysis warhead no matter what settings and what cards looks better than uncharted 2 your likely to tell me that oprah looks better than beyonce thats how bad your eyes are

[Godem]

... What?

[specialguest]

That's a pretty bold statement. I'll have to disagree.

[toaster]

Crysis on medium will still obliterate UC2.

[Barragan]

like i said uncharted 2 and killzone 2 are so much more impressive visually than any settings of crysis and warhead that the ingame engines of the two could be the opening scene of crysis and warhead ya heard

[toaster]

OMG man, are you kidding? CryEngine 2 makes consoles cry. Hell even Source engine still looks better than most console games.

Here's a short list of PC games that would still kill consoles:
Company of Heroes
Half Life 2
Crysis
Shattered Horizon

The consoles hardware limits can't compete with the power of some PC's. Even some stock PC's can beat out a console game in graphics.

Uncharted 2 is an amazing example of the power of consoles but Crysis is in a league of it's own.

[Marceles]

If you haven't experienced Crysis, please find a PC now to play it on. The game is so underrated it isn't even funny. The game got great scores but was ignored because of the PC recommendations, but everyone that has actually played Crysis without a doubt can say that's the best looking game they've ever seen. It's amazing what Uncharted 2 has done also, but without anyone saying "buh buh Uncharted is on a console and Crysis is on PC, so technically speaking blah blah...", Crysis IS the best looking game ever. Console or not, there's no game that has equalled it yet. "Buh buh Killzone 2 uses 350 light sources in one level", come on with the tech specs...no one would notice any of that until a developer said something.

[Dacapn]

"Visually Impressive" is not just about the amount of polygons on the screen. As photorealistic as Crysis looks, its shamefully dated animation takes you out of that real world experience. UC2 is not photorealistic, but is more believable than Crysis. Same with KZ2.

KZ2 and UC2 can pass for movies. The same can't be said for Crysis.

[common s3nse]

its embarrassing how pc fans come defend this game against uncharted 2s visual prowless especially when its original trailer still doesnt look better than uncharted 2 i mean the crysis trailer from 2006 the infamous rainforest gameplay, that the current crysis on its highest settings still doesnt match get out crysis is trash graphics compared to even uncharted 1 visually 100% agree

[Pandam0bile]

Lol, you guys are cute.

Uncharted 2 doesn't hold a candle to Crysis on high settings, let alone the very-high and ultra high (cvars) specs.

After reading through a bunch of Barragan's comments, I was fairly certain that he was just a troll, because I didn't think anybody could possibly be so stupid, but I guess some people just are that stupid.

[r0adrunner]

will hold up the crysis banner til death, and graphically that game has been dead uncharted and ratchet and clank future tools of destruction already wiped it out its nothing to uncharted 2

[kraze07]

This guy must have 3 other accounts because I doubt anyone in their right mind would agree with him.

[kaveti6616]

Alright Barragan

What about Shattered Horizon?

[Arnon]

lol@Barragan and his multiaccount failure. When you make accounts, you're not supposed to give it away that all the people who are agreeing with you, are you, yourself.

Barragan
r0adrunner
unl3ashed
common s3nse

Oh, and lol@PS3 Graphics.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[unl3ashed]

ive never seen barragan before this morning, just get over it only pc fans think crysis looks the best, why did you post a video of a game that looks just what it is A GAME, ps3 brings cgi quality in realtime ps3s best looking games could be crysis's opening cutscene

[Arnon]

You even sound like him.

Also, why would you comment about being a multiaccount trying to convince us you're not, when your account was created only 47 minutes ago, along with the 2 other accounts "r0adrunner" and "common s3nse", and all 3 of the accounts commented on the same article, agreeing with Barragan? Hell, even all 3 names have a resemblance.

You make 3 other accounts just so it would look like people are agreeing with you. Ouch... that's pretty sad, Barragan.

Here you go:

http://www.pcgames.de/scree...

http://www.pcgames.de/scree...

I expect a response of "Crysis only looks good in screenshots", since that's what Barragan believes.

[ATi_Elite]

But WOW You just said in your opening sentence why the PC is better.

"Your playing Uncharted 2 at 480p
Uncharted was rendered at 720p NATIVE 30 frames per second

I can run Crysis at 1920 X 1080p Hi DEF 46 frames per second NATIVE.

True 1080p is double the pixel rate of 720p
720p is the limit for any high graphics PS3 game.
Ps3 can run games at 1080p but they won't look good like Killzone 2 or Uncharted 2. The PS3 lacks the RAW power of a High end GPU

Crysis running MAXXED out at 2560 X 1400 Crushes PS3 back to ATARI Level.

Oprah is a BILLIONAIRE!!! Beyonce is a MILLIONAIRE So yes Oprah looks way better than Beyonce.

[Mr Tretton]

I think Uncharted 2's graphics are starting to get a bit overrated. There are so many games that are better with many effects that U2 does not do well.

[ryano23277]

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

[Godem]

Prince of Persia.. really? I think that should be replaced with one of these very deserving titles:

Halflife 2, killzone, god of war, shadow of the colossus, conkers bad fur day, doom 3 and dead space.

[Relientk77]

Uncharted 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Killzone 2
Prince of Persia (2008), it has beautiful graphics
Crysis

[ryano23277]

you have 4 amazing looking games

but then you put the Prince in their, of course your opinion. But I just didn't like the PoP graphics at all (hate Borderlands too)

But then at the same time, I like alot of games graphically better than Gears.

[Xakep]

Pshh no Okami, Jet Set Radio, or Steel Battalion? What!?

[Barragan]

second the only way uncharted 2 is overrated in any way is if you compare it with wall e and thats not by a whole lot and dont confuse my opening header, what i mean is its "limited" if you consider its power by ram which is not how ps3 works with pc you have ram and that determines its power but with ps3 it has 512 mb rambus but on that same gpu it has 1.8tflops processing power and then you have the ever expansive cell that really is a second gpu that stretches out rsx to endless heights thats why guerilla games said they could easily squeese out 3 or 4 more killzones out of ps3 this gen

[Pandam0bile]

There are single GPU's that can output 3 teraFLOPS, what's your point?

[r0adrunner]

thats doesnt mean it will work like cell and rsx together

[t850]

R0ad Runner seems to be one of barragan's accounts.

Dont mind Barragan, hes a ps3 fanboy who believes ps3 is some supercomputer from the future. Which is why he gets all butthurt when there is nothing on the ps3 which can out do even multiplats on the pc, let alone crysis.

[unl3ashed]

let alone the best ps3 exclusives

[Arnon]

lol@Barragan. You can stop trying so hard, especially with the 3 other accounts you made JUST for this article.

[i_like_ff7]

Aww common no killzone 2 ?

[rhood022]

If you look at the list, it isn't counting down from the least visually impressive to the most impressive.

It's showing the most graphically impressive game of the years 2000-2009. It's just doing it in a 10-1 format.

For example:

10. Shenmue (2000)
9. MGS 2 (2001)
8. Metroid (2002)

See the pattern?

EDIT:

@below

You're right. My mistake. I've played so many great games the end of last year into the end of this year that they've run together.

[ryano23277]

Crysis was in the 2007 category
MGS4 won 2008
and Killzone 2 was released this year and competes with numerous great looking games of 2009 - Uncharted 2 being the superior.

@ above - yeah you quickly forget the good looking games and when they actually hit.

Remember how good Resident Evil 5 looked/looks

[bjornbear]

didn't see that...ehe =D

KZ2 got knocked off by U2, makes sense...however some would disagree, its down to taste level really

[Whoooop]

Is it just me or Gears isn't as great looking as it was made out to be?? Talking about this generation of course.

I understand that when the game was released it was impressive to see such visuals, but I played Gears for the first time about one month ago and MY GOD does it look bad.

Characters suits look good (only thing I could say looked nice), but overall graphics were pretty bad.

Does the sequel looks better?? I can notice that it has more color and cooler looking set pieces, but the first at least this far in this generation, looks nothing like it was praised to be visually.

Am I the only one? I'm not trolling here.

[ryano23277]

I played it at the start of the year - before Killzone 2, Resident Evil 5 and I can't say it was a let down because I never expected anything from the game.

Later found out that this was regarded as the one of the premier 360 titles.

May have looked good in 2006, but so did Shadow of the Colossus (according to people) but when I tried to play that I just didn't like the graphics at all - This year on my BC PS3.

Must have been this time period where people thought average looking games looked good.

[mfwahwah]

Don't compare Gears with what you play now. Compare it with what you played BEFORE it came out. Gears impressed the Hell out of me when I first saw it.

[unrealgamer58]

you need more than a top ten list for a decade

[Barragan]

the game with zero art and all real world enviornments is the game pc fans hail as best looking game of the generation how sad, i have never once seen anything in that game that looks like "theres no way thats realtime" but plenty of ps3 games have done that to me

pc just cant do ps3 graphics just that simple

[led1090]

Dude do you have like a problem with the pc or something?? Or are you just being ignorant? Both games are different with different settings. You cannot compare art style cause the developers wanted to put different environments for the respective games. You seriously need to play crysis at the highest resolutions to see why the likes of you are 20:1 in the minority. I agree UC2 is more visually impressive than crysis. But crysis is a 2 year old game. And these days the term 'best graphics' becomes obsolete very fast. So a game 2 years old still making a stand and being high on everyones list is something. And if you still don't open your mind and accept this, then i guess you just WANT to be ignorant. Ohk then live in your bubble, but just keep it to yourself. Just don't be like the character whose nickname you have adopted. We all know how that ended:p

[mfwahwah]

"pc just cant do ps3 graphics just that simple"

Got a good laugh from this haha.

[nogolis]

While I won't argue with "some" of his choices he probably needs to brush up on his English, pronunciation and delivery.

"Want a prove? Go play it."

Sure thing, man.

[Barragan]

that equals pc fan logic

[dkblackhawk50]

Hell no, Avatar the movie tops all CGI

[Shadow Man]

And it looks better than crysis and killzone2 combined!!!

I want to watch avatar again maaaannnnn...

[emk2004]

on a technical lvl crysis is ahead of uc2 and its graphics are photo realistic its a joke for it not to be on top. ps3 cant do pc graphics its that simple.

[Whoooop]

Still Uncharted 2 proves that genious art direction and the PS3's "not to shabby" tech power, can make a console game look as good in motion as many PC games this generation...

Scratching some unreachable tech that consoles are/will suffer from of course.

[bjornbear]

who cares?

[bjornbear]

EDIT:didn't realize it was by year, so KZ2 got knocked off by U2, thought otherwise xD

[baodeus]

c'mon, crisis behind MGS4? Man u guys must be blind. What are u guys smoking. Remove MGs4 and replace it with KZ2 and here is the list:

10. Shenmue
9. NG
8. Prince of persia
7. Panza Dragoon Orta
6. Shadow of colossus
5. Gear of War
4. UC2
3. RE5
2. KZ2
1. Crysis

[darkequitus]

At least read the article properly. It is a year by year countdown to 2010 not a ranking list. Good grief.

[mfwahwah]

We may be blind, but at least we can tell time and read.

[Barragan]

the draw the line somewhere thereafter and say oh no it doesnt look better than that, since the games ive named along with other ps3 games have reached the cgi level of visuals ingame so that IS pc fans logic

[toaster]

Obvious fanboy is obvious.

[Pandam0bile]

Lol you're an idiot.

Find some gameplay screenshots of Uncharted 2 and I'll dig through my Crysis screenshot folder and we can compare. What-say?

[champ21]

Barragan works for sony.

@above

i wonder why someone would disagree to comparing screen shots. Afterall if according to Barragan crysis is inferior then there shouldnt be any hesitation to compare screenshots.

[AliTheBrit19]

Lol I can see this list annoying PS3 Fanboys

I wonder why xD

[Sunny_D]

Why would it? The top 2 games in the list are Ps3 exclusives... dumbnuts.

[Obama]

Replace gears with killzone2 then we got a pretty good list.

[devilhunterx]

Where is your XB2 EXCLUSIVE now?

[DevastationEve]

The list is in order by year. KillZone 2 did not come out in the same year as either Gears or Gears 2.

Vote NObama 2012, get a guy in the White House who can actually read.

[Pandam0bile]

People don't understand that this is a countdown through out the years showing the best graphics of each year. Not a 10-1 scale.

[VanHalen]

Pretty accurate except i would find room for Assassins Creed2 somewhere.

[spunnups]

Notable Snubs:

PS3: Killzone 2, Ratchet and Clank FTOD, Maybe even Burnout Paradise

X360: Bioshock

Xbox: Halo

PS2: Shadow of the Colossus and Twisted Metal Black

Going Way Back, Games That Wowed Me Graphically:

StarFox 64) , Mario 64, Waverace, Zelda: Ocarina of Time

SNES: Donkey Kong Country (Most Wowing experience probably ever

PS1: FF7

Genesis: MK3, Road Rash

[nnotdead]

not enough PC games and no Killzone.

[TABSF]

fanboy article Crysis warhead should of been 1st with crysis being 2nd.

[mfwahwah]

And you should complete first grade, then second.

Maybe you'll learn how to read properly after that.

[kraze07]

Why is it that whenever someone writes about top games they always make a top ten list? There isn't a rule saying all lists have to be top ten.

[ZBlacktt]

With MGS4, it had a more realistic look than UC2. Where UC2 had a more brighter cartoonish look. Yet, both just epic in each games intent. What you are missing from your list is really the #3 game. Which is Killzone 2.

[champ21]

Top 10 best looking games for the decade here goes:

1. Crysis warhead
2. Crysis
3. Farcry 2 (pc version)
4. Assassins Creed (pc version)
5. Resident evil 5 (pc version)
6. uncharted 2

rest of the spots would probably be taken up by PC multiplats to many games to fill up this list.

[Cosquae]

Add Empire:Total War to your list... great looking PC game in combat mode ;)

[champ21]

oh yea total war was awesome.

so many games on the PC. Its hard to make a top 10. Which is why i mentioned rest of the spots would be reserved for PC games.

The higher resolutions, textures and AA. Ensure even multiplats on the pc beat out top console exclusives.

[mfwahwah]

Wait, your top 10 list only has 6 games. What gives?

[yamzilla]

it's small little tiny maps of linear scripted (albeit hollywood style beautiful) gameplay. It is ridiculously sexy and I will admit as a dedicated PC gamer I called my brother up and said "Dude...the PS3 just pumped out a game that beats CRYSIS!!!" After playing the whole game I will say it is artistically more pleasing...but not nearly as expansive...the multiplayer ...while fun... pales in comparison to crysis, particle physics go to crysis, terrain mapping-crysis, replayability-crysis, honestly I'm tired of writing. Crysis wins in all areas... a freaking technical marvel from 2007...yet to be surpassed...that is all....

[Karum]

Crysis on it's highest settings would top that list.

Can't believe Killzone 2 isn't in that list because it along with Crysis and Uncharted 2 completes the top 3 of most graphically impressive games of all time nvm the last decade.

Other than that the list is solid.

[ajay_solidsnake]

C'mon...KILLOWNED !!!!

[Xtremist]

2001: MAX PAYNE
2002: SPLINTER CELL
2004: HALF LIFE 2
--------------------------

P.S: The true raw power of RSX is 250GigaFlop and not 1.8 TeraFlop(lol).
For comparison the raw power of ATI 4870 is 1.2 TeraFlops (almost 5 times more powerfull than RSX) and the raw power of 5870 2.7 TeraFlops (almost 11 times more powerfull).

[gtamike123]

The PS3 Cell is used for graphics aswell as the RSX graphics card, this is rare for CPUs to do this. But really shows with games like Killzone 2, Uncharted 2 and MGS4, what they can do graphically. A nice boost in graphics with the PS3 Cell cores helping the RSX graphics card with some ingame rendering tasks.

[champ21]

the cell is like an ant compared to a true gpu. it can off load only so much. Its more a marketing tool then anything else.

think about it. if the cell was so powerful then they would have gone as per their original design and implemented 2 cells in the ps3 instead of a gpu. It was obvious the cell was no match to a true gpu which is why sony took help from nvidia.

Hence even if you add the cell to the rsx it still doesnt change the overall picture much.

also if the cell was so good then sony wouldnt be consiering to drop it completely from the ps4. PS4 will probably use more like a pc like architecture.

The gpu is the component which makes the real difference, cell is just a marketing tool.

[gtamike123]

Replace this
http://img685.imageshack.us...
with Killzone 2

And replace Metroid Prime with the game called Black

[AlkalineGreg]

Uncharted 2 is THE best game so far this gen, from the moment I first booted it up, I couldn't turn the thing off! Congrats to Naughty Dog on making one of my favourite games of all time. Just hurry the hell up and make Uncharted 3! Looking forward to the movie as well.

[ps3ftwin]

uncharted series has been good. calling it the best game in the gen is unfair.

[AlkalineGreg]

Unfair on who? It's MY opinion...

[mfwahwah]

I'd argue that Demon's Souls is a HUGE contender for best game of the generation, so far. That game goes back to the roots, but with modern flair.

[theunknown]

Why the 10-1 style if this is by year? =/

[mfwahwah]

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

That's ten years, that's why.

[Pumbli]

Sad to see how many have forgotten how good Oblivion looked when it was released.

[sigfredod]

Big Fail list

[sigfredod]

Big Fail List! sorry double post

[Meryl]

They should replace Gears with Killzone 2. Apart from that thy got #1 right yes visually Crysis looks better, but when you take into account Hardware Restrictions, you will find U2 is the superior game.

[divideby0]

I agree with most...BUT to include Gears of War and NOT include Kilzone...is a frigging joke...seriously...Gears is good, but KZ blows the crap out of it...you have to be blind not to agree.

and FarCry on xbox...that is another joke...PC version is what they are talking about,,not the xbox version..

[Akagi]

I got Metroid Prime on day 1 of release, and I remember not being impressed by it...

[BLADE_X8]

WITH SO MANY GREAT LOOKING GAMES OF THE DECADE, SOMETHING WAS GOING TO BE LEFT OUT.

I Won't cry about: Killzone 2, Mario Galaxy, Fifa 10, or COD 4: Modern Warfare, but maybe there should have been a top 20 list.

[remanutd55]

wheres Killzone 2 ? i still think its a tied between Killzone 2 , Metal Gear and Uncharted 2 for the best looking game on the ps3

[Risque]

It's silly to put Crysis or any PC title in with console games. PC games simply look better: console hardware would have been barely equal to a mid-range gaming PC back when they were released. If you have a rig that can run new games at max settings, they will look better than the best console title. That's just how it is.

[unl3ashed]

nes and snes and n64 cartrige games are console games

[BigKev45]

Seriously, Mega Man 9 was the most impressive looking game this decade.

[Mr_Luke]

Good list, i agree (less or more) with many of those

[RageKage14]

Where is Okami?

[razielsonofkain]

C'mon. Far Cry?? Where's Doom 3. It still stands as a graphical champion even in todays standards. Id Software are graphical Geniuses.

[massapeal]

the list is ok but here my list 1.MGS4 2.UC2 3.GOW2 4.Crysis 5.RE4 6.KILLZONE2 7.SPLINTERCELL DA 8.GOD OF WAR2 2 9.GEAR OF WAR1 10.Shenmue WHAT DO U PEOPLE THINK....

[BigKev45]

How about GTA IV for the amount of detail & scope in the game (Graphically)?

[hoops]

No Killzone 2????
Crysis not rated ahead of Uncharted 2 and Crysis Warhead not rated number 1???

This list fails right there.

[unl3ashed]

thats why so the list stands right there

[Tehdaza]

Warhead's opening wasn't CG. It was a video, but it was ingame graphics. Anyone who's played Crysis or seen Crysis on the highest setting could tell you that. In fact, because it's a video, the supposed 'CG' opening looks worse than actual gameplay.

Stop trying so hard, Barragan.

[Cuts2TheBone]

You need to get a life seriously. I feel bad this is the highlight of your bad. posting huge massive articles to prove your point. You must have no job.

[Figboy]

how many PC owners can go out, pick up Crysis, an run it the way it's meant to be run?

to actually enjoy Crysis the way it's meant to be enjoyed (that is, maximum specs), you need a pretty monster PC. certainly more than a $300 console.

now, on the flip side, how many PS3 owners can go out, pick up Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and run it the way it's meant to be run?

100% of them.

that, to me, is what puts Uncharted 2 above Crysis.

it's no denying that Crysis is visually the best looking game out there. it's also limited by the first person perspective (ie, it doesn't have to render your player character in such maximum detail 100% of the time like in Uncharted 2).

PC people live in a bubble in which they think that everyone has the same exact uber setup that they do, and that they can run every game ever released on the PC at max settings.

the reason why people buy consoles is because they don't have to worry about those sorts of things.

there is a GUARANTEE that when Uncharted 3 hits in two or three years, EVERY PS3 owner will be able to run it at max settings.

can the same be said for Crysis 2? or will you have to upgrade to the latest video card (which, in some cases, can cost as much as a console itself), or your processor, in order to do the same.

Uncharted 2 gets as much praise as it does because NOBODY thought we'd get such graphical fidelity from a console game, ESPECIALLY a Playstation 3 game, this generation.

Uncharted 2 is, without a doubt, the best looking console game this generation thus far.

and it rivals the majority of PC games out there outside of Crysis.

instead of trying to downplay Uncharted 2 for what it's done for console graphics (well, PS3 graphics, at least), why not give it credit where it's due.

Crysis has come out. it's received it's praise and worship. it's Uncharted 2's time to shine (and by association, the Playstation 3). that is, until the next PS3 exclusive comes out that bests it (possibly GoW3, possibly The Last Guardian, possibly an unrevealed title, who knows).

[hoops]

Actually a GPU under $150 will play Crysis at high levels now.

"it doesn't have to render your player character in such maximum detail 100% of the time like in Uncharted 2"

The charecter is always rendered at the highest level in Crysis dependant on your graphic settings. Just look around the enviroment when you look at other charecters on screen.

[ATi_Elite]

All games are made on Computers (PC) console games are then optimized to take advantage of the consoles hardware, most don't, some do, then the special ones push the limits of that hardware (Gears of War KillZone 2 etc).

Pc games are made then get optimized to run on the TRILLIONS of possible CONFIGURATIONS. Low specs and Recommended specs are given.

But it's up to the PC owner and his/her equipment to get the game to run at the same or higher FRAME RATE and QUALITY level that the developer made it.

PC graphics will always surpass Consoles because:

Consoles can only do what the hardware will allow!!

PC's can do what the developer ENVISIONED and DREAMED OF!!!
(Just gonna co$t a kidney or your soul)

[Shadowolf]

Not to discredit this interestingly thought out list however, by not listing KILLZONE 2 on this list is a grave error. I like how the list gives credit to some last gen games but not listing KILLZONE 2 really makes this list look pretty bad. Just a suggestion, what happened to games like:

Gear Of War 2
God Of War II
Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)
Devil May Cry (Original)
....Just to name a few. Again I agree with some games on the list but wow, no KILLZONE 2 is pretty crazy!

[CARRIERHASARRIVED]

No Doom 3? WHAT THA FUUUUHHH?!

Seriously, Doom 3 and KZ2 need to be on there! I also found that The Bouncer looked ridiculously good at launch.

[Justin_bristoe]

FAIL

[Platinum_k]

awesome choices

[TheTeam06]

Get one of those games out immediately and replace it with Killzone 2. Don't we forget easily...

[Swan]

Please read the First paragraph again

"I have constructed a list of the best looking games of the decade with choosing one game for each year"

Thats the reason why so many great looking games are not listed.

[gersh]

I'm surprised Ico or Shadow of the Colossus isn't on this list. Oh well.

[ATi_Elite]

BEST GRAPHICS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL YEAR!!!

The year the game was released, so Uncharted 2 is the best graphics winner for 2009 and Crysis is the winner for 2007.

No Killzone 2? Beacuse it was released in 2009. Uncharted 2 or killzone 2 is a toss up. Ps3 was winning Best Graphics in 2009 no matter what Unless you count the European release of Stalker Call of Pripyat.

I only disagree with 2001

ICO PS2 ties MGS 2 PS2

2004
Half Life 2 PC
Doom 3 PC
Ninja Gaiden Xbox
had better graphics than Far Cry and Doom 3 required a graphics card upgrade like Crysis.

2008
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky PC better graphics than MGS4 or Crysis Warhead

WOW no Exclusive XBOX or XBOX360 games.

Best Graphics of all time: Should be a game where the environment changes, Day, night, weather, and multiple effects and various locations, different colors, blow up walls, destroy buildings, realistic explosions, lighting, water, physics, facial expressions, fabrics, metals, etc.

5 out of 10 titles are PC
All these games, winners and runner ups, were made on a PC.

Great List!1

[Toman85]

Crysis on low will obliterate 360 games easy ;)
Much UC2 hate in here... I personally have not been blown away with 360 graphics yet, and 360 has been out in 4 years

But PS3 have shocked me with MGS 4, Little Big Planet, Killzone 2, Ratchet And Clank and of course Uncharted 2 :D. I had no idea what PS3 is capable of. But now Im a beliver, PS3 does everything!

And its not the hardware in the PS3 is holding PS3 back, its the developers minds actually holding PS3 back. They must think about their engine how it will run on a PS3 with SPU's in motion, cross transferring, stabilize framerate and so on.

[undercovrr]

ur a tool....period. U fail to understand the concept of this list, which is listing the visually impressive games each year. I agree, crysis still has the best graphics, but what's the point of putting in first place for 3 years in a row...

[ATi_Elite]

Who are these people that keep saying Crysis or any other game looks better than AVATAR The Movie?!!!

Avatar runs on million dollar NEXT NEXT NEXT GENERATION computer technology that only HOLLYWOOD AND JAMES CAMERON could afford.

The software, programming techniques is all proprietary and top secret until they can find away to sell it to other movie studios.

AVATAR IS the best CGI SPecial EFFECTS movie ever made. It crushes STAR WARS 1 2 3 CGi to gravel.

[bunfighterii]

PC games always look better than console games, because consoles have 5-10 year lifecycles while new graphics cards and stuff are always coming out for PC's.

Personally I haven't gamed on my PC since Medieval 2: Total War came out, because I got sick of having to pay for upgrades to my PC every year to run the latest games. PS3 offers comparable graphics and its way cheaper.

[kraze07]

If you were upgrading your pc every single year then you were wasting money.