In 2022, the time has finally come: in November, major hardware manufacturers Sony and Microsoft released their new flagship gaming consoles. Since then, the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X have not only brought us a host of new games, but also presented them in unprecedented graphical splendour. Dafabet online is peppered with some visual treats. Especially as PC players can also look forward to some real delicacies, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator. In our issue, we present the ten most beautiful games of the last twelve months. Have a good time!
Cyberpunk 2077
We had to wait seven long years. And then we were put on the back burner again with three short, unexpected postponements. On December 10, the agony finally came to an end, with Cyberpunk 2077 reaching the PC and consoles . And what can we say: the test of patience was indeed worth it! In terms of gaming, the latest coup from the creators of The Witcher has a lot to offer. So much so that even we’ve only been able to explore a small part of the game world so far. But what we have seen so far leaves no doubt: CD Projekt’s role-playing game is also a real treat graphically. ray tracing and Super Sampling 2.0 provide stunning visuals. Whether it’s daylight or the neon light of an advertising screen: Night City sparkles with life and detail. It feels like a real city – a violent, dystopian, nightmarish city unlike any other video game. Oh, and the game also features the gorgeous Keanu Reeves! So the “graphic highlight” stamp is probably irrefutable.
Eternal Doom
Eternal Doom offers you brutal action in a class of its own: here you don’t care about the flashy facial expressions and gestures of the main characters, vast, life-filled open worlds and other trinkets that no one needs anyway. Instead, Executioner of Doom simply pumps up the lead of one demon after another and looks pretty cool at that. Balergy from id Software is based on the all-new id Tech 7 engine for the first time. And that, in turn, brings a fluid and almost hypnotic thunderstorm effect to the screen: while you send monsters back to hell, blood, lead and rags just fly across the terrain. The bombastic explosions add to the effect. Add to this the fantastically animated, repulsive enemies and the infernal, it’s a shooter-pack of a special class. The few ugly grey interiors no longer matter.
Remake of Final Fantasy 7
Relaunching a RPG classic such as Final Fantasy is indeed a challenge. Because, on the one hand, you have to make the game fit for the 21st century. On the other hand, you don’t want to change too much so as not to annoy fans. Square Enix is balancing with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but well made, new and old players get their money’s worth here. It also has to do with the fact that the developers stay very close to the original, but give it a new lustre: seeing the fantasy world around Midgar and its iconic locations in modern form is a real experience – thanks to the fantastic and detailed design. The city seems lively, with people going about their daily business or chatting to each other. The protagonists do quite well, too. You can almost count the skin pores of Tifa, Cloud and co as they engage in spectacular battles with wax scorpions and other upgraded enemies.
Murderer’s Creed Valhalla
You can say what you like about Ubisoft and its Assassin’s Creed series : always the same! A boring story! Too little stealth gameplay in the style of the beginning of the series! However, you can’t deny that the developers just understand how to create a beautiful, authentic and lively game world. This is also true of the latest Assassin’s Creed Valhalla spin-off.Again masterfully done. The trip to Norway and northern England is as atmospheric as ever and conveys a truly convincing Viking feel. Whether you’re cruising the country’s rivers and lakes in your longboat, storming an enemy castle with a battering ram or just meditatively piling a few stones on top of each other, Valhalla always looks really good. So good, in fact, that sometimes you’re just busy admiring the scenery instead of devoting yourself to the main quest.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Well, by all accounts, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an appealing game to launch. The action-adventure game shows what the next-gen consoles are capable of. Compared to its already splendid predecessor from 2018, several improvements await you: the viewing range has been increased, the environments are much clearer and more detailed. By default, Spider-Man spins around the screen at a steady 60fps. In 4K mode, however, you get full graphical splendour – with beautiful lighting, colour and particle effects. The snow flurries in wintry New York are even more atmospheric, with ray tracing creating even more gorgeous reflections.
The Ghost of Tsushima
The best graphics from the Far East are Ghost of Tsushima. The open-world adventure of the samurai Jin Sakai, who must defend his homeland from the Mongols, is a feast for the eyes. The characters are well-designed and move seamlessly through the game world. Details like dirt and blood clinging to your clothes add to the realism. The bright star of Ghost of Tsushima, however, is the island of Tsushima itself, It has been realised with great dedication, is full of diverse biomes – from vast rice fields to thick red maple forests and snow-capped peaks – and is simply teeming with life. The light and colour mood of the adventure is particularly impressive: when you’re competing in a field of red spider lilies rippling in the wind, it’s a landscape that will stay in your memory – especially if you also activate Kurosawa mode. The black and white filter and grain of the film adds to the atmosphere.
Ori and the will of the lights
Sometimes you don’t need much to make a good game – not the motion capture of Hollywood stars or a 3D scan of a real-life environment. Sometimes all it takes is an unusual artistic vision, which is then beautifully realized – as in the case of Ori and the Will of the Wisps.The adventure takes you back to the enchanted world of the woodland spirit of the same name, with whom you embark on a great rescue mission. Not only will you encounter numerous beautifully designed characters that might as well have come from a fairy tale book. You’ll also discover a diverse world with its dull forests, colourful oases, snowy peaks, dark caves and sandy deserts. Each area is beautifully decorated and replete with animated details. Beautiful lighting and new 3D backdrops bring the world of Ori to life and make it seem like it’s made of one piece. In short: Will of the Wisps is one of the most beautiful platformers of all time, with which to compete in the future.
Souls of a Demon
Can an 11-year-old PS3 game look good today? Yes, it can! When it’s re-released by remake specialists Bluepoint Games. After the studio already put a new coat of paint on Shadow of the Colossus, From Software released Demon’s Souls this year.Benefited from a general optical overhaul. And let me tell you one thing: it really worked! Demon’s Soul for PS5 is the most beautiful game in the Soulsborne family to date, with lots of detail, crisp textures and stunning particle effects. The game world of Boletaria shines in a new light, and its inhabitants can also look forward to a transformation: thanks to the new editor, your characters no longer look like ugly bridge trolls. Enemies like Vanguard are even scarier. Well, the question of whether such richness and brightness of colour still fits into the dull original RPG concept is no doubt open to debate. There’s no doubt that this is one of the most beautiful games of the year.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Up until now, we’ve only seen the beautiful places our earth has to offer in BBC documentaries. In 2022, however, things have changed dramatically: Microsoft Flight Simulator has sent us out into the world to admire it from above from our aircraft. Aircraft, of course, are also an elementary part of modelling. Accordingly, the various licensed models from Airbus, Boeing and Co. convey the feel of an authentic pilot, both from the outside and from the cockpit. But the real star is the world. With 3D photogrammetry, Flight Simulator lets you admire replicas of world-famous cities and landmarks, such as New York or the Grand Canyon. The lighting mood and weather effects are based on real-time data, giving you a realistic view – as long as your internet is cooperating. As all environmental details are streamed, the quality of your connection depends on your gameplay.
