The most beautiful games (any systems)

[SegaTecToy]

What are, in your opinion, the most beautiful games? It's not only about eye candy, but design, art direction and the effort put into a game to make it great, too. My choices are:

Atari 2600 - H.E.R.O., Pitfall, most activision games
NES - Castlevania, SMB 3
SNES - Bahamut Lagoon, FF III, Valken
N64 - Starfox 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time
GC - Viewtiful Joe, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 0, Mario Sunshine
SMS - R-Type, Golvelius
Genesis - Gunstar Heroes, Sonic Series
Saturn - Panzer Dragoon series, Nights
Dreamcast - Shenmue, Ikaruga, Skies of Arcadia
Xbox - Panzer Dragoon Orta, Halo 2 (not yet released but looks great)
PS - Star Ocean, FF9

[Jasoco]

Pop 'n' Twinbee
Fantasy Zone (For an NES game, even the SMS one too.)

Super Mario All-Stars had some pretty nice sprites at the time. Or so I thought so. A lot nicer than Mario Worlds I'll say.

Yoshi's Island had a nice artistic design.

Aladdin for the SNES was nicer looking than the Genesis one.

Beyond Good and Evil is really nice looking.

I agree with Star Fox 64.

Ikaruga and Shenmue yes.

[Azazel]

Super Tempo

[downfall]

NES - Dragon's Lair sucks, but it has great graphics. Also the third Batman (Return of the Joker.. or Revenge.. something like that) game just rocks any other NES game. It looks like some sort of early SNES or Genesis graphics.

SNES - Yoshi's Island blows everything else out of the water here I think. The style and everything is perfect for that game, and having just recently played it again, it gets my vote. Not because of the recent playing, but because the graphics really did make me say "wow, these rock".

N64 - I'm not really sure. There's not one standout game in my mind. That's not to say that they all had bad graphics or anything. Turok 2 was very pretty though, especially in that widescreen mode with the expansion pack.

Gamecube/PS2/Xbox - If Resident Evil 4 is half as pretty as the pictures look, then we're in for a treat. I'm kinda hesitant to rank any of these systems though, because none of them have come close to their potential if you ask me.

GBA - Mario vs. Donkey Kong is pretty sweet here. Prince of Persia also has some smooth animation as well. Don't think GBA's potential has been reached yet either though.

That's all for now.

[Jasoco]

"Adventures of Batman and Robin" on the SNES is a nice cartoon style.

"Yoshi's Story" for the N64 kicks ass.

"Paper Mario" and "Paper Mario 2" have really kick-ass graphics in a paper-y sort of way.

"Pikmin" just looks plain beautiful.

"Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles", "Tales of "Symphonia"... the list goes on.

[fishsandwich]

Princess Crown for the Sega Saturn is a gorgeous 2-D game. It's got a lot of Japanese text, but its basicly a side-scroller with some fighting elements.

Fish Sandwich

[ubersaurus]

SMS-Zillion
N64-The Zelda games, Perfect Dark, Starfox 64
PS1-Chrono Cross, R-Type Delta, metal Gear Solid
PS2-R-Type Final, Rez

[Dahne]

I just got Beyond GOod and Evil, and that scene near the beginning, as you're looking for animals to take pictures of, and the sun is coming up, with the bit of music in the background...daaaaamn.

MGS2 also had some gorgeous scenes, like when you first see Fortune.

[-hellvin-]

Im gonna throw in a vote for Astal on the Sega Saturn.

Quite sexy.

[Pantechnicon]

A few more

2600 - Missile Command. I like the way the colors of the playfield change as the levels increase. There's something about that particular color pattern that increases the sense of tension of the game.

Jaguar - Tempest 2000. For a special treat, try playing the game with that great techno music shut off. You'd be amazed at how much being able to actually hear the sound effects enhances the overall gameplay.

NES - Crystalis. Hard to put into words. I just like everything about how this one is put together.

[Crush Crawfish]

Chrono Trigger is beauty incarnate.

[boatofcar]

Let's see some pics of these games! I haven't seen many of them before.


Chrono Trigger, the most beautiful game ever created. I still remember being in awe of the courtroom scene.

http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rpgworld/ct/ct24.jpg

Super Mario Sunshine-like it or not, the graphics are wonderful.

http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/mariosunshine_082002_4.jpg

And Zelda, OOT. The first 3d game I didn't immediately think, "Blocky."

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/zelda/z5/graphics/screen/z5-001.jpg

[Dahne]

In the Sands of Time, when you're climbing up the towers outside near the end of the game at dawn or sunset (can't remember which, it was pretty near dawn IRL when I played that part :) )

Suikoden II has some beautiful character designs.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Princess Crown

Have to agree with you and hellvin there. Both princess crown and astal were truely beautiful games.

[Querjek]

See my custom member title.


Oh, and Super Mario Sunshine is a close second.

[MarioAllStar2600]

Well you have to love how the waterfall splashes in Pitfall 2 for the 2600. That is cool.

Soul Caliber 2 has awsome character designs. I think best in any fighting game ever.

[FantasiaWHT]

Hasn't been mentioned yet, this one I think of as the most beautiful of all time-

Valkyrie Profile for the Playstation.

Most gorgeous hand drawn art I've seen in a video game. And so much of it!

Character animations were beautiful too.

[RetroYoungen]

Kirby's Adventure (NES). Such a beautiful title, well animated, bright and beautiful colors and fun, cool lookin' little enemies. Just beautiful. Controllable art.

Rocket Knight Adventures (Genny). I would say this game is simply easy on the eyes. Fun level design, well-detailed Sparkster and enemies, and imaginative bosses that are also fun to look at.

Lunar Legend (GBA). All of the Lunar titles were beautiful, but I'll pick this one for now. Large, detailed sprites, the backgrounds obviously were worked on to perfection, and the characters were likeable (which makes it easier to enjoy the character design).

[Ninja Blacksox]

I'll get some groans for this one.

"The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker"

I'm sorry. That is the most visually well-put together game I've ever played. I'm very sad to see cel-shaded Link go.

Hey.

I'm partial to supremely cute stuff.

Maybe I liked it because of the sudden change from "solemn Link" to "expressive Link." Seeing him smile was such a treat.

Yes, there was too much sailing.

Yes, the game was too short.

Yes, the game was too easy.

But as far as looks go, I don't think it can be beat.

As far as the total package goes, my vote has to go to "Metroid Prime." That game has ambiance in spades. Sound, level design, mood... All perfect. Just a really well-put together game. Can't wait for "Echoes."

As far as non-current stuff goes...

The final level in "Kid Icarus" is beautiful. But a lot of that is due to the music. Thank you, Hip Tanaka.

"Paper Mario" is excellent.

"Final Fantasy VII" looked like nothing else upon its release.

I dunno. There's a lot.

-A Boy

[Jasoco]

I'll get some groans for this one.

"The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker"

I'm sorry. That is the most visually well-put together game I've ever played. I'm very sad to see cel-shaded Link go.

Hey.

I'm partial to supremely cute stuff.

Maybe I liked it because of the sudden change from "solemn Link" to "expressive Link." Seeing him smile was such a treat.

Yes, there was too much sailing.

Yes, the game was too short.

Yes, the game was too easy.

But as far as looks go, I don't think it can be beat.I'm TIRED of people complaining about this game. A lot of people were looking for a huge realistic Zelda game. What they got was something totally new. And I LOVED IT. Since the first screens showed up in magazines, people bashed the hell out of it. I got so sick of hearing people complain about it. I bought it used, because I put off buying it due to everyone's complaints. When I finally got it, I was amazed. It is simply BEAUTIFULLY constructed. BEAUTIFULLY created. There isn't an ugly spot at all. It is simply one of the most beautiful games I have ever played.

Yes, you are right. It does seem short. Only due to the small number of actual dungeons.

People say the Ganon battle was one hit. FUCKING HELL. It was NOT one hit. GANNON was the entire Puppet thing BEFORE the outside part. Did everyone SLEEP through that? THAT was the BATTLE! And it was one HELL of a battle too! Some people just don't get it. Sure, it didn't look like Gannon, but it WAS Gannon. Get used to it. I played that battle again just for the hell of it. It was that good. Using the waters reflection to see where he was. That was unique. I loved it.

Link's expressions were a treat. And watching his little head follow something important and his eyes, oh, his eyes. The best part. How they'd follow stuff around.

Sailing. Sailing.. was NOT THAT BAD. It makes the game seem more real. Big and open wide. It was unique and hell, I loved it. I never knew what I'd find out on the ocean. The passage of time, rain, weather on the open seas. The barrels that would pop up and give you Rupees. The only thing I hated was trying to get the Claw to sink to the right spot. So many times did I have to retry and move a millimeter to try and find the damn chest.

I sincerely hope they have the guts to make sequel to it in the SAME STYLE. I do not believe for a SECOND that the new "Realistic Zelda" is the sequel to Wind Waker. Not for a SECOND. It has nothing in common aside from, oh, look.. Link's in it. Nope. A real sequel will be Cel Shaded. So they'd better damn well not name the realistic one "Wind Waker 2" because I'd be pissed.

[link1110]

Tengai Makyou: Daishi no Mokushiroku for Saturn. Best 2d graphics ever. It was overshadowed by graphics juggernaut Final Fantasy 7 (It came out 2 weeks before in Japan) But in my opinion, the graphics here are 50 times better. Have a look.

http://www.w4jdh.net/~advanced/tm4a.jpg
Just walking up some stairs.
http://www.w4jdh.net/~advanced/tm4b.jpg
"Your chance of winning against me is zero." Every main character has a portrait like this on the screen when they talk. They're animated, too.
http://www.w4jdh.net/~advanced/tm4c.jpg
This is a special attack in battle. It's fully animated in the game itself.
http://www.w4jdh.net/~advanced/tm4d.jpg
Here's what a battle scene looks like.

[Dahne]

I admit, I love the look and vibrant colors of cel-shading. I spent a lot of the brief time I played Wild ARMs 3 slightly shifting the female character around to see the pattern on her dress move.

[Nz17]

I'm only going to those that haven't been mentioned yet or deserve a seconding.

Dreamcast
Soul Calibur - early title but held up well even with the last releases
Sierra Sports Maximum Pool - simple, but so elegent and relaxing
Skies of Arcadia - there were countless times where I was just admiring the beauty and detail put into every scene

PlayStation
Klonoa - the absolute best melding I've ever seen of prerendered CGI characters and 3D backgrounds -- stunning
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 - all aspects of this game were so cohesive and they provided a real feeling of racing these cool cars in the warm summer nights' wind
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - a game so fantastic in every way I had to purchase a copy for a friend simply because any gamer who hasn't played this is doing a disservice to him/herself. The entire game was like playing inside a beautiful mural.
Bust-A-Groove - though there is little more to the visuals than the character models dancing on colorful backgrounds, the graphics techniques were so well done that I could swear this was a Dreamcast game at times
Parappa the Rapper & Um Jammer Lammy - Rodney Greenblat's simplistic, stylistic artwork is without peers
Einhander - though undeniably a PlayStation game, the whole thing is very cohesive and presents a quite believable futuristic wasted Earth

NES
Yoshi's Cookie - a simple, fun puzzle game with graphics that make the casual observer think it's an SNES game
Ninja Gaiden - all three had 'cinemas' unbelievably good for the NES

SNES & Genesis & SEGA CD
Rocket Knight Adventures, Sparkster - this game and it's sequel as so great looking that I feeling like I'm in a well-animated cartoon
Snatcher - I know in my heart that those animated cutscenes were all done with sprites, but man, did they look so very, very sweet

PC
Grim Fandango - an Aztec inspired design dashed with Mexican and film noir influences an artful game make. This seeped atmosphere.

[FOXXX]

PSX - Vagrant Story
SNES - Prince Of Persia 2
N64 - Perfect Dark
TG16 - China Warrior
Gameboy - Gargoyles Quest
Coleco - Front line
X-Box - Prince Of persia
Game Boy Color - Prince Of Persia
NES - Solar Jet Man, Little Nemo, Golgo 13 (Aladdin Deck games aswell)
Genesis-Aladin
Saturn-Guardian Heroes
Dream Cast - Sword Of The Bezerker, Sea Man
3DO - Nothing

[Nz17]

I admit, I love the look and vibrant colors of cel-shading. I spent a lot of the brief time I played Wild ARMs 3 slightly shifting the female character around to see the pattern on her dress move.

And on that note, how in the world did I forget to mention Jet Grind Radio? @_@

Also, the look of Space Channel 5 was fab-u-lous. Too bad the sequel was so blaugh.

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, I can't say Shadow Dancer on the SMS (or any other console, since they all used the same art) has the best package design, but the game IMO takes Golvelius and wipes the room with it.

[The_EniGma]

I'd say for the pc its HL GEN3 pack everything in that is gold also Age of empies 2/conquerors are beautfiul games
UT2K3 is good for graphics but gameplay it Lacks

As for the PS2 is GTA:Vcity or Half life lol

[FantasiaWHT]

Giving some props for the PC genre here...

Stronghold.

Most beautiful 2D I've ever seen on the PC! Extremely detailed, and huuuuuuuuge amount of different pretty tasks they had all the "generic" castle residents doing was awesome. You could be entertained for hours just watching your little guys running around :) And finding the ghost for the first time was very very cool

[EnemyZero]

DC - JSF, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia
Saturn - Astal, Guardian Heroes
N64 - Zelda : OOT
GC - Mario Sunshine
PSone - FF7

[dreamcaster]

NES: Solstice.

Sega Master System: R-Type, Fantasy Zone.

Sega Mega Drive: Sonic the Hedgehog (series), Gunstar Heroes, Quackshot.

Sega Game Gear: Sonic the Hedgehog

Super NES: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Metroid, Stunt Race FX, Donkey Kong Country, Axelay.

Sega Mega CD: Silpheed.

Sega Saturn: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, NiGHTS into Dreams.

Sony PlayStation: Ridge Racer Type 4, Guilty Gear, Final Fantasy VIII, Speed Freaks, R-Type Delta.

Nintendo 64: Lylat Wars/StarFox 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Sega Dreamcast: Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Daytona USA 2001, Dead or Alive 2, Shenmue.

SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color: Samurai Shodown 2

Sony PlayStation 2: Gran Turismo 3 A-spec, Auto Modellista, Fantavision, Guilty Gear X.

Game Boy Advance: Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

Microsoft Xbox: Panzer Dragoon Orta, RalliSport Challenge, Halo, Need for Speed Underground.

Nintendo GameCube: Wave Race: Blue Storm, Star Wars: Rogue Leader, Soul Calibur II.

[AB Positive]

I'll second JGR and Ikaruga... two of the most visually stunning games on the dreamcast. Take Ikaruga, put it on a VGA monitor and turn the monitor sideways. Go to "Vertical" mode. You'll weep at it's beauty.

-AG

[soniko_karuto]

nes: little nemo

snes: evolution (not remember the name, the one where you start as a fish)

Genny: sonic 1 and streets of rage 2

Saturn: nights

n64: mario 64

gba: tactics ogre

psx: lunar

tgcd: cosmic fantasy

sega cd: lunar

32x: colibri

dreamcast: shenmue and SA2.

gamecube: ikaruga.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

snes: evolution (not remember the name, the one where you start as a fish)

E.V.O

[kai123]

Metroid Prime has some very pretty graphics. X_x

[emumuumuucowgomoo]

Rygar has a really pretty sunset and good music.

I'll admit, the mountain climbing scene in FF3 was pretty.

In DKC1, some of the levels featured a jungle pyramid, with rays of sunlight peeking through the trees. Yum.

DOOM had a certain beauty to it, for its time.

Can't forget Soul Caliber or Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore.


And while I know it didn't exactly fall under the header of console gaming, back when goatse.cx was still up, there was a certain beauty in the "game" of getting the weak and squeamish to click on the links.

That is all.

[AlexKidd]

Here's the first few that come to mind:

Kirby's Adventure(nes)
Castlevania:SotN(psx)
Soul Calibur 2(cube)
Astal(saturn)
Ikaruga(cube) and Radiant Silvergun(saturn)
Chrono Trigger(snes)
Lords of Thunder(turbo duo)

[§ Gideon §]

I'll get some groans for this one.

"The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker"
... not from me, you won't.

Most of you guys are doing it by system, so I'll throw my opinions in that way too--but I'm only listing games that jump out at me and say "beauty"!
DS - Kirby
GC - Wind Waker
N64 - Ocarina of Time, Paper Mario
Jaguar - Tempest 2K
PC - Myst
Virtual Boy - *chortle*
SNES - Yoshi's Island
Game Gear - Fantasy Zone
Arcade - The Last Blade, anyone?

[chicnstu]

I'll have to say that Baten Kaitos for GameCube is very beautiful from the screenshots I've seen.

Ikaruga has some nice visuals too.

Insomniac did a good job on Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando and Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal looks too.

[AlexKidd]

I'll have to say that Baten Kaitos for GameCube is very beautiful from the screenshots I've seen.

Ikaruga has some nice visuals too.

Insomniac did a good job on Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando and Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal looks too.

I forgot about baten kaitos. I'd say that's actually the best looking game on the cube in my opinion. Very beautiful game.

[§ Gideon §]

I forgot about that one, too. I've never seen it in motion, but it's gorgeous from the screen shots.

[pixelsnpolygons]

Shenmue II - (and Shenmue) - Dreamcast. Simply breathtaking.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Game Boy (non-color version)

I put this here because to this day I think it is one of the most beautiful games ever created and it achieves this in black and white, archaic sound technology and limited space. With everything going against it it was as engrossing and emotional as anything achieved on higher spec systems.

[Speedy_NES]

NES - Batman: Return of the Joker (as well as most of the Codemasters games like Ultimate Stuntman, they all look like early SNES titles).
N64 - Rogue Squadron
SNES - Chrono Trigger
Dreamcast - Soul Calibur
Xbox - so many games (Crimson Skies, Quantum Redshift, etc)

-Speedy

[smokehouse]

Hey, I’ll cast another vote for Windwaker, that game is nothing short of brilliance when it comes to gameplay and the overall presentation. I’ll also cast a vote for Castlevania SotN on the PS1. Here’s some others that hasn’t been mentioned yet:

Mega Man 8 (PS1)- This game is full of vibrant colors, huge sprites and it has tons of animation to be found everywhere. Truly a top of the line 2D title.

Actraiser 2 (SNES)- Every hand drawn sprite is well done, the game isn’t too fun though.

TMNT IV: Turtles in time (SNES)- For being such an old game, this title has really stood the test of time.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo (3DO)- Still on of the best SFII games made for an early system.

[tylerwillis]

Shenmue, Soul Calibur, Skies of Arcadia - Dreamcast
LOTR: Third Age - XBOX
Legend of Mana - PS1
Tales of Symphonia - GC

[Lothars]

Well i've I had to list games that just made me say wow that is beautiful

Prince of Persia Sands of Time

Final Fantasy III - especially when the world turns in to the world of ruin

Chrono Trigger - some amazing beautiful scenes in that game

Legend of Zelda Links Awakening is an amazing feat for when it was released

also Legend of Zelda A link to the past - great design

Super Mario RPG - Interesting places and just a nice looking game.

I like the atmosphere in Ninja Gaiden for the xbox it really was beautiful
as was Tenchu

Final Fantasy X - the one scene when they are interrupting the wedding and come flying down on the airship, I thought that was wow.

I am positive i am missing some but if i think i will post again

[RJ]

Rayman (Jaguar) AFA visuals go. Man, that game gets hard toward the end. & I like the level setups in Evolution: Dino Dudes (Jaguar).

The Myst games are pretty too.

[Anthony1]

Here are my pics:



Genesis = Sonic 3, Beyond Oasis, Castle of Illusion, Flashback

SNES = Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, NBA Live 95, Link to the Past, Yoshi's Island, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy 3, Chrono Trigger

Sega CD = Popful Mail, Sonic CD, Ecco the Dolphin, Lunar: Eternal Blue,

3DO = Out of this World

Atari Jaguar = Cybermorph, Trevor McFurr, Rayman

Sega 32X = Kolibri

Saturn = Astal, Clockwork Knight, Legend of Oasis, Panzer Dragoon, Shining Wisdom, Rayman,

Playstation = Assault Rigs, Symphony of the Night, Fear Effect, Gran Turismo, Grandia, Heart of Darkness, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, Legend of Mana, Metal Gear Solid, NBA Live '96, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Rayman, Tail of the Sun, Viewpoint, Wipeout,


N64 = Super Mario 64, WaveRace 64, Yoshi's Story,

[diskoboy]

My choices are:

Tron series (whay has no one mentioned Tron yet?)
Yar's Revenge
Robotron: 2084 (still has the coolest explosions and particle effects of any video game)
Jet Set/Grind Radio (Future, as well)
Rez (pure bliss)
Panzer Dragoon (any version - but the Xbox version is pure eye candy)
Far Cry (hey... it's pretty.)
Tempest (as minimalist as the art was gamewise - but hands down the best arcade cabinet artwork EVER!)
Ninja Gaiden (Xbox version)
Halo 1 & 2
Half Life 2 (1 was good, but from an artistic standpoint, HL2 was much better)
Doom 3 (truly dark and creepy)
City of Heroes
Warcraft 3/World of Warcraft
Jade Empire (great artwork. even though I despise the game)
Grand Theft Auto (from GTA 3 and up)

[UnInformer]

CHRONO TRIGGER and CHRONO CROSS-Character designs are great on both games, and how about the the backgrounds and the world map on those games, especially Cross? Beautiful. Coolest world map ever.

FINAL FANTASY X-I thought most of the character designs on this were pretty lame, but the world of Spira was wonderfully designed. From the dark and gloomy ruins to the gorgeous jungles and beaches, great visuals.

I am a huge fan of Cel Shading. If I had to pick one example that really stuck out to me, it would have to be SLY COOPER. It is the only example I can think of offhand where the cel shading enhanced not only the visuals but the gameplay. When you combine the graphic style with the plot and characters it feels like playing a cartoon, I loved it.

KIRBY"S ADVENTURE-It is still suprising to me at times that this is an NES game. Very smooth and not nearly as pixelated as most of the rest of the NES library.

[UnInformer]

snes: evolution (not remember the name, the one where you start as a fish)

E.V.O
And the subtitle is "Search for Eden," if you are intereted.

[legov8]

Nintendo 64-Stunt Racer 64
GameCube-Paper Mario TTYD

[Biff_McFresh]

A few that come to mind:

Zelda: tOoT
Shenmue I and II
Skies Of Arcadia
Legend Of Dragoon
FFVI-X
SaGa Frontier 2
Silent Hill 2
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Super Mario RPG

and many others...