20 Graphically Insane Games to Look Forward to in 2012

Reith writes: "Games get more daring and intelligent each year, and I don't just mean in terms of AI and technical innovations. Having written a series of features already on what to expect from 2012, I approached this particular feature with a sense of dread, expecting nothing more than coining a list of highly similar games where graphics become more of a contest than a method of expression. 2012 is lifting my spirits though, as my research has reminded me of the wealth of intriguing and visually original titles that await us in new year. Here's 20 of them for your perusal. "

[Fishy Fingers]

Quite the dramatised headline, certainly not what we've come to expect from GamingBolt.

[Karooo]

Every site has its unique style lol.

[blaaah]

A list like this one can't be called complete without including Diablo III

[CYBERSNAKE]

The headline might as well be '20 Games to Look Forward to in 2012'

Most of those games hardly qualify as 'graphically insane'.

[Darkfocus]

Diablo 3 has shitty graphics...Well the Beta does at least..I'm in it...also my avatar is the games launch shortcut so it's not like I'm not a fan it's an extremely well made game...the graphics are shit though...

[Joule]

What do you mean not to expect? These guys suck, I never click their links.

[TenSteps]

He meant it as sarcasm dummy. Unless it's not, or unless your post is sarcasm to his sarcasm then I'm the dummy. Maybe this post is sarcasm to your sarcasm about his sarcasm. But then who's the dummy?

Long story short medium possibility I could be the dummy.

[NeXXXuS]

I never click any links lol. I always look at the comments on here before I try to click on anything :P

[Sunhammer]

PS3 exclusives always making lists.

*hugs PS3* Who's a good girl? You're a good girl. Oh, oh yeah...

[ATi_Elite]

Stalker 2
Metro Last Light
Arma III
TERA
X: Rebirth
Planetside 2
Firefall
Smite
Super Monday Night Combat
Doom 4
Carrier Command:Gaea Mission
Sniper Ghost Warrior 2
Guild Wars 2
Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
End of Nations
BF2143
Warface
Mechwarrior Online
Project C.A.R.S.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
GTR 3
Microsoft flight 2012
Inversion

[raytraceme]

lol those games blow anything on the xbox. Fortunately ps3 has artstyle worked out for its games that they are more desirable to look at. I do think that metro last light might be the best looking game technically next year though. PC > ALL

[DFresh]

You forgot Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Tribes: Ascend.
:P

[hiredhelp]

Syndicate:)

[Orpheus]

ALl the games in the list will piss in front of Metro Last Light PC version ..... oh i forgot .... Planetside 2 also

[Orpheus]

Fooooooour disagreeeeees lolz ..... n4g is filled with kids ... naaaah it was my bad ..... ps3 got unlimited power and Xbox360 games can be optimized soo much that it can harness 200% power of that toy ... lol the first machine on planet that works at over 100% efficiency lolz LMAO =)) =))

[_Aarix_]

Dude, get over yourself

[RyuCloudStrife]

hmmm and you say n4g is filled with kids

[NeXXXuS]

You do know that disagrees don't take away your bubbles, right? It just means that people don't agree with what you're saying. Keep comments to yourself about how some people don't like what your opinion is.

[paddystan]

Have you never heard of a game called The Last of Us by the edge-breaking Sony owned developer Naughty Dog? Or have you lived under a rock since VGA?

[annus]

Have you seen Metro: 2033 on PC max? And I mean in person, not some youtube compressed video. As awesome as The Last of Us will be, it won't be anything compared to the new Metro when it comes out. 2033 looked amazing and I'm sure the new one will top 2033 by a fair margin.

[Rivitur]

Gotta agree with Annus Metro: 2033 was beatiful on pc however Last light look way better and 4a showed it on a moderate pc. It will be interesting to see which game looks better on PS3 though...

[paddystan]

Yes, I have seen it, and I have Metro 2033 on my gaming PC. But where did you read something like "I don't think Metro: Last Light look good", because I really think it looks way better than The Last of Us.

[BlmThug]

Its a damn trailer. You havent even seen any actual gameplay. You Fanboys are so gullible, they show a trailer and boom you say its going to be one of the best graphically insane games of 2012.

[xX-StolenSoul-Xx]

I'm most looking forward to GTA 5 on that list.

[RXL]

i don't understand why you got a disagree...

is the person that disagreed with what you said, trying to say themselves that you aren't looking forward to gta5?...how do they know you, better than yourself?..is this you from the future?..warning you not to get your hopes up?..

i must know who disagreed and why?!..

[vortis]

They disagreed because GTA V doesn't belong on the list.

It doesn't even look better than GTA IV iCEnhanced. How can a new game be graphically insane when it doesn't look better than its predecessor?

[RXL]

i keep forgetting about the graphically insane part...

but as a rebuttal..for the sake of it..

it hasn't come out yet..so how can you judge a game that has only a trailer?

[vortis]

Dude, the trailer was all in-engine and if it has to run on the 360/PS3 it won't look better than what we seen. If you play GTA IV on the 360/PS3 and play it on PC you'll know exactly what I'm talking about in regards to the graphics fidelity issue that GTA V will face.

The hardware is more than six years old and games are being held back to accomodate the old GPUs and limited amounts of half-gigabyte RAM. It doesn't matter if it's a trailer or not, technically you CANNOT have an open-world more detailed and graphically rich than what we seen in GTA IV if they plan to keep using Euphoria (which they will) and if it plans to keep running on RAGE (which it does) and they plan to add MORE gameplay mechanics.

Graphically insane? Not by a long-shot. A decent looking open-world action game for the consoles? Definitely.

[Matrix2k]

graphically insane is not artistically insane

and usually graphically insane games end up being the most generic and dull

ninikuni
borderlands 2
ff 13
sly

3/4 are japanese games. They rule art style
out of all those these are the most artistically unique

[D3mons0ul]

The list mentions artistic quality too. What are you getting at?

[Matrix2k]

its implying it plays second fiddle. It doesnt

The amount of polygons you an push on a screen is irrelevant

[megalonagyix]

WTF? Where is Metro? The first one still looks better then every game on that list.

[Sidewinder-]

INSANE!!!

not.

[2late]

The lack of Metro makes that list worthless

[FATAL1TY]

The Last of Us - best graphics 2012

[WrAiTh Sp3cTr3]

Lol

[vortis]

You must not own a PC, eh?

[Chnswdchldrn]

how only 2 of those 20 games are "graphically insane", Far cry 3 and GTA 5

I laugh if anyone thinks the other games on that list are graphically insane. I really do.

[corroios]

graphically insane GTA5 on the PS3 or Xbox 360... in an open world game.... Yeah right. Thats another franchise that lives of its name...

[vortis]

I know right? This whole board is filled with so many console fanboys thinking the consoles will still have graphically insane games in 2012.

Hard Reset looks better than any console game released this year and that was made by an indie dev. Heck, QUBE looks better than the console versions of Portal 2 and that was made by a few students.

That list is fail because just about any PC exclusive in 2012 will make all the console games look like last-gen...oh wait, they already are.

[corroios]

I think its impossible for a game to blow me away graphically, because the PS3 and Xbox360 have reach theirs limits. But in gameplay and story there is always place to improve.

[vortis]

I think the PS3 and 360 need to let the graphics tide go away for good for the rest of the gen. Big budget games should focus entirely on pushing boundaries gameplay-wise.

I'd rather play a game with an insane amount of guys running around on the screen than have a game look gorgeous but only have two or three competent AI working.

The biggest problem the consoles face now is competing with the PC ports, which are now so far ahead graphically it's just not even compare-worthy.

I'd like to see more games like Red Dead Redemption, The Ballad of Gay Tony or the Lost and Damned -- where story and gameplay takes precedence over graphics. I'd also like to see more character driven stories like Fight Night Champion and Heavy Rain.

I hope Naughty Dog doesn't go all-out on the graphics for The Last of Us, because I'd rather have a deep gameplay experience rather than semi-deep graphics with a mediocre gameplay experience.

[kingPoS]

I'm looking forward to Devil May Cry HD Collection & Starhawk. They may not have crazy insane graphics or what ever...but I don't care! I want them still.

Uhggg I've still got a backlog of unfinished games...and music unlimited & netflix cuts into that O_o

[solar]

The only thing here i find insane is this article.

[TheMutator]

im just wanna se how Halo 4 looks like!!!

[kaveti6616]

Hopefully not like Halo Reach.

[WiiStation_360]

I'd say, they killed the dinos in reach. =(

[FATAL1TY]

Official best graphics awards

MGS4 (2008)
Uncharted 2 (2009 Naughty Dog)
God of War 3 (2010)
Uncharted 3 (2011 Naughty Dog)
Next: The Last of us (2012 Naughty Dog)

^_^

[KeiserSosay4788]

"Official best graphics awards, for Consoles"

FIXED

[FATAL1TY]

haha idiot

* VGA awards *

[Bladesfist]

Yes and he said for consoles... VGA awards are terrible. Both Witcher 2 or Metro 2033 look better than all of those games

[Voxelman]

The VGAs are a joke
ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS & SCIENCES is much more "official"

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering 2008
LittleBigPlanet

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering 2009
Uncharted 2

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering 2010
Heavy Rain

At least that award is voted on by people that know what they are talking about, even they also seem to ignore the fact PC games exist.

There is also the BAFTAs

Artistic Achievement

2008 WINNER: LITTLE BIG PLANET

2009 WINNER: Flower

2010 WINNER: God of War III

Just because the VGAs are on TV doesn't make em official.

[Hicken]

I still think PC games are left out because the graphical fidelity of a game on PC is subject to the hardware of the individual. As such, the same PC game can look like a PS2 game, or it can look far better than even the reasonable expectations of the next generation of consoles.

When you think of it that way, The Witcher 2 CAN be the best-looking game out there. Or it can look pretty average. Depends on your machine.

On the other hand, Uncharted 2, for example, will look just as amazing on every PS3 out there.

[PS4OUR]

why do PC guys always discourage the console owners. We get it. PC smacks the consoles into next week when it comes to graphics but FFS!! stop reminding the world about it. Its pathetic and makes the PC crowd look very immature.

[-EvoAnubis-]

Well, hell, they need to do SOMETHING to justify the insane amount of money they spent on their rigs. If it makes them feel better about themselves, I say have at it. I'll be chilling and playing games on my 60" HDTV while chilling on my couch vis my PS3.

[death2smoochie]

And you paid how much for that 60" TV? Over $1400? Then the cost of the PS3 to go with it?

Hmmm....For $1000 I can build a PC rig that has two Nvidia mid range cards running in SLI or AMD cards running games like BF3 and others at maximum.
For another $400 I can buy three 24" 1080P monitors and run eyefinity or Nvidia's three monitor setup for panoramic view gaming at resolutions that your PS3 could NEVER EVER achieve...

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

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

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

And the three monitor setup with that PC gaming rig is actually cheaper than your 60" HDTV with your PS3. Lets not even factor in the cost of console games being $60...when the same PC game is cheaper.

Average Cost of a 60" HDTV ($1200+)

http://www.nextag.com/60-lc...

Cost of a PS3 ($250 NOW)

Cost of gaming PC running in crossfire: $1061.52

http://www.extreme-pc.ca/cu...

Cost of three 24" monitors: $387

http://www.nextag.com/serv/...

Total price give or take: $1448.52

The cost of your setup is slightly more than that PC rig and that PC rig hands the PS3 its ass.
So that's an INSANE cost when YOUR PS3 setup cost more?
Go at it...as you say....

Moreover I can play those same PC games on a 60" HDTV or ANY HDTV using a PS3, or Xbox360 or even a Wii controller If I want to...CHILLING ON MY COUCH...And if I had the money, I could hook up three or more 60" HDTV's to play games.

Can your PS3 or Xbox360 do that? Hell it barley does 720p and above 30 fps using real anti-aliasing for...

And the added bonus is I don't pay $60 for most of the very same games on consoles that are on the PC.

[-EvoAnubis-]

To answer your question, my 60" cost me $450. Add the cost of the PS3, and now you've got $700. So, no, my setup isn't slightly more expensive than the PC setup. In fact, the PC setup is more than double my cost.

Besides, my earlier comment wasn't against PC gamers in general, but simply the fanboys that seem to always pop up running their mouths about how much better PC gaming is than console gaming when no one asked.

Nice work on that write up, but sorry man; I'm not a PC gamer, so I didn't care enough to click on any of the links you provided. Sounds like a sweet setup, though.

[Voxelman]

The same reason console fanboys swarm articles like these http://n4g.com/news/725962/... http://n4g.com/news/508062/... http://n4g.com/news/653067/...

And the same reason that PS3 fanboys go on and on about how PS3 exclusives look better than anything and leave all other games in the dust etc. Or fanboys going on about how their console of choice has more/better/more popular exclusives.

Fanboys will always do everything they can to make their platform seem better and graphics is something that can easily be shown on the internet.

Also it's pretty annoying seeing console fanboys going on about how their console has the best graphics when they actually often look pretty poor when compared to a game running on a good PC, if console fanboys are going to do it why shouldn't the fanboys with the best graphics? Sure it's childish but that's all fanboyism really.

But hey what do I know I love Dungeons of Dreadmor and that game is ugly as shit.

[Bladesfist]

Agreed. Console gamers seem to always preach about how their console is the best but as soon as a pc gamer steps in he is labeled a troll or told its unfair or childish to compare :S

[urwifeminder]

Looking forward to see whats coming on pc next year as consoles are showing their age and graphics are looking un impressive as compared to DX11 games i started this gen in 2005 ive seen all im going to see.

[RedDead2067]

Why do people get excited over "The Last of Us" trailer?

The trailer is a cutscene.

It is not gameplay footage. Cutscenes are easy to make in high-res, or made to look 'graphically insane'.

[RedDead2067]

Just remember the 'Dead Island' cutscene trailer.

Then the real game looks like crap.

[cedaridge]

Have to disagree with u. TLOU trailer was made from a ps3 system and its made by ND (enough said). if u look at the uncharted games u will come to see The Last of Us graphics will be close to Uncharted, just different styles. psn: cedaridge / xbl: cedaridge

[TheLastGuardian]

Twisted Metal looks better graphically than most of those games.

[cedaridge]

ps3 and xbox 360 graphics is Becoming DATED but in a good way. Im feelin "The Last of Us" but the Graphics Level of this game will not be that much improve from Uncharted games. just mean Developers our comfortable with ps3/360 and u should not be gettin CRAZY lookin ps3 ports. psn: cedaridge / xbl: cedaridge