Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
The Call of Duty series have been receiving constant bad rap because of the very few changes between each installment, a throwaway single player campaign and heavily scripted scenes, which give the player very little choice. One thing is for sure though, they don't shy away from giving us new and amazing graphics each year. Those scripted scenes, the locales in which the action is taking place, the general physics and motion, the lighting are all atmospheric and top notch. We also got Kevin Spacey as an added bonus in the game, so in the end it is a very cool title to look at and play.
Far Cry 4
The transition from the African savannah in Far Cry 2 to a tropical jungle island in Far Cry 3 was good enough. In Far Cry 4 the designers moved one step further by introducing us to something completely new - the Himalayan mountains with their very own unique look and game mechanics to go with. The game is very beautiful, seamlessly integrating green pastures and snowy mountain tops, deep, and fresh water, and small villages. The animals also add to the overall awe with elephants running around like it is not cold at all. Who cares though, it is masterfully crafted and this is the only important thing.
Alien: Isolation
The game might be a bit controversial but its graphics is certainly not. The engine, which was built from scratch, captures the atmosphere of the first Alien movie perfectly. Dark and desolate corridors will make you hide and look around in anticipation, while the discreet sounds will warn you of danger. Alien: Isolation can and will scare you, especially if you are playing it in the dark. Which might be the best advice actually, considering how it'll be much easier to see everything if you are sit down in a dark room, your eyes adjusted to the darkness and ready.
Assassin's Creed Unity
The Assassin's Creed games get more and more ambitious with each new installment. This time you can explore Paris during the French Revolution and it is a marvelous experience! Ubisoft say that they basically remade the whole rendering engine and it shows. The intricate architecture and scores of people walking the streets will certainly take your breath away as you are prowling the roofs, and doing assassin stuffs.
Child of Light
Every once in a while a game like this pops up. A very artistic game, which depends more on unique hand drawn graphics than a powerful and expensive engine. Child of Light is this thing. It's beautiful aesthetics can captivate the player and its story, and combat system will keep you wanting to go forward, and enjoy the next amazing set piece. It is a small game, which kind of went unnoticed but definitely deserves to be given a chance.
Grand Theft Auto V
It is bigger, richer and more vile than its predecessors. It is filled with not only a whole city and its surrounding towns but also constant cut scenes for every major quest you and your gang members undertake. The characters are different enough and each part of the enormous map feels new, and filled with things to explore. While Grand Theft Auto V is definitely not the most beautiful and polished game on the market, its sheer scope and homogenous enormity put it as one of the biggest achievements in gaming history.
Forza Horizon 2
The Forza games are known for their graphics and this offering is no different. The car models, weather effects, tracks are all beautiful, but special attention must be paid to the very realistic atmosphere you'll notice while driving. Light is refracted through the drops of moisture, which creates a beautiful effect. Unfortunately you will need to stop driving at max speeds to appreciate it fully.
Bloodborne
Bloodborne is the spiritual successor of Dark Souls and Demon Souls, which gives it this sweet hardcore difficulty many gamers enjoy. Its graphics is not the most beautifully rendered in the world, this is for sure, but what it manages to create is an outstanding living and breathing world, which will suck you right in. The game is modeled around gothic horror and it shows with its architecture, monsters, and the main character himself, who can equip some delightfully badass clothes. Bloodborne is just another must have game we'll be spending hours upon hours dying in, but we wouldn't care either way.
Batman: Arkham Knight
Putting an end to the Arkham trilogy, Arkham Knight gives us one of the biggest and most beautiful worlds to explore in a Batman game thanks to the modified Unreal Engine 3 Rocksteady have been using. The Batmobile is the biggest attraction, which by default means that the map will be bigger and richer when it comes to enemies, puzzles, and random encounters. The water/rain effects deserve a special mention. They make everything shiny, which gives even more detail and visibility to the already great environment(the game is set entirely during the night, a tradition in the series). Batman himself gets some new costumes and improved look, ready to punch, kick, and scare bad guys into complete submission. A worthy ending to a great series.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
This might just be the most beautiful game ever created, not even exaggerating. If you disagree with this opinion, you can at least agree that The Witcher 3 is the best looking open world game on the market, it is not even remotely close to its competitors. The attention to detail inside the gigantic map you are free to travel through is staggering. That big city you have to explore in the middle of your adventure? It is only a small part of the map! The variety, of course, includes enemies, quests and activities, which reach a new all time high in the genre. CD Project definitely outdid themselves and even if Gerald's story is over, this rich and carefully crafted world is still there for them to keep building upon.
