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Games with atmosphere so pretty, you stop playing and just take it all in.

K

kami_sama

Member
spiel said:
Mirror's Edge, in its quieter moments. I stick around to soak up my surroundings and the sounds of the city.
Click to expand...

YES. That's my jam. I try to replay the game to bathe in the white and neon colors of the buildings, and at the same time remember how well the game has aged.
Compared to it, the new one, has a much more muddied aesthetic. I liked my time with it, but it won't age as well and the desire to replay it is a lot smaller.
 
M

majik13

Member
Took so many screenshots in zelda BoTW

And HZD

And Farpoint looks amazing in VR

Edit: Bloodborne and The Last Guardian
 
W

Wink

Member
Baten Kaitos comes to mind. Practically every screen you enter is a feast for the eyes that begs to be taken in.
 
K

krang

Member
Markitron said:
Alien Isolation.

There were times when I would just stop and look out at Sevastopol station for what seemed like minutes.

This was probably my favourite part:
alienisolation3.jpg
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Yeah, this. The xenomorph got in the way of my sightseeing! (I hear there's a mod for the PC that gets rid of it, for just that reason)

Also, FH2 and 3. Especially the latter with HDR.

5496d9fbfc2ecaa590bbbf49a6e1a08b.jpg
 
I

IdreamofHIME

Member
There's very few games I play that I don't stop every so often and just 'take a knee' as Kyle Bosman says.

I stated on Atari and ZX Spectrum. Today's graphics blow me away when I think about how far we've come.
 
S

Syf

Banned
WoW still stops me in my tracks sometimes. A more cartoony style but the high fantasy art is on point. The use of color is gorgeous, and the variety of environments second to none. Love this world.

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S

Samikaze

Member
The STALKER games probably have more screenshots than any other game in my Steam library.

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And who can forget the horrifying Blowouts?
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S

StrategyFan

Member
one time i just followed a NPC around for an hour in GTA 5

the stereo 3D and higher-end graphics options on pc make it fairly immersive

i was mostly curious about how far they decided to go with the detail because it's one of the most expensive games ever
 
G

Geido

Member
Horizon Zero Dawn is an obvious one. Walking through the city remains at night, looking up at that big moon. Incredible.

Another one that springs to mind is Uncharted 1. Going around a random corner and finding a goddamn submarine. Afterwards you climb up a rock wall and you get this great view of the jungle.
 
Acquiescence

Acquiescence

Member
Mirror's Edge
Uncharted 4
The Last Guardian
ICO
Broken Sword 1 and 2 (dat hand-drawn art)
Both Gravity Rush games
Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX and X

All these that had me stopping to appreciate the environments/scenery on a regular basis. Some really picturesque sites to gawp at in these games.

ZombiePlatypus said:
This game's one of the reasons I can't wait to eventually get a PS4.
Click to expand...

If you haven't yet, make sure you play the first one before going into the sequel. Not only is it more accessible, but there are loads of story beats and references you'll be missing out on without knowledge of earlier events.
 
Flintty

Flintty

Member
SeriuzBiznus said:
In the first Halo game, the level "343 Guilty Spark", I remember playing as a kid, dropping into that rainforest and just pausing out of sheer awe.

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I scrolled way to far to see this. Definitely Halo CE, it was stunning! The first mission on Halo and Silent Cartogropher both felt like huge living environments.

BotW for current games. Breathtaking.

Edit: I think The Division deserves a mention. That game looks fucking incredible and the various lighting on offer for various weather situations and times of day is just sexy as hell.
 
sublimit

sublimit

Banned
I do that in almost all the games i play to be honest.Even back in the PS1 days.

It's one of the best things this medium has to offer over other entertainment formats.
 
B

bennibop

Member
the-order-1886-012814-1.jpg


I know its a divisive game, but I spent so much time just looking at the environments and fine details of the Order 1886.
 
S

Soldiussnaku

Member
Skyrim has veenu go to game for this for years. However that has been unsurped by HZD, and for massive, massiveopen world games, NMS has been wonderful at being able to take it all in at your own pace. The recent update has done wonders for the game.
 
M

Mephala

Member
Gravity Rush 2
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Bloodborne

All already mentioned so I'll swing by the OT and grab some gifs of

Hollow Knight!
Probably my GOTY at the moment.

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kraspkibble

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
GTA V. i just can't get tired of that map. i try walk often so i can take everything in. you'd be amazed at how much detail you miss out on if you're just speeding by in a car.

Bloodborne. It's dark and creepy but I love it. Whenever I could just stand there and take it all in then I would.

The Witcher 3. Just amazing. In particular the Skellige/Toussaint maps.
 
G

Gaplanet

Member
Battlefield 1, Souls games, Skyrim, Halos, everything in this little gem of a game Inside. Of course Ori, the water area called Thornfelt Swamp is just something you have to wonder.
 
C

Creaking

He touched the black heart of a mod
Why has nobody posted any actual screens from Horizon Zero Dawn yet? I took like 10 pictures during my play session today, and I use the share button sparingly on most occasions. The whole game is a visual treat, and the atmosphere is otherworldly.

I'd post my screens, but I haven't uploaded them anywhere, and I'm in bed... so... uh... yeah.
 
C

cosmicspooks

Member
Danjin44 said:
gravity-rush-2-pgw-1jpg-996e1e_mcjh.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah! The environment and vibe of the Gravity Rush games are really their strongest suit. Big part of the reason I actually loved the dumb side-quests in 2--they were an excuse to play around and interact with the city.

My other big pick would be Final Fantasy XII. Any game set in Ivalice really (it's easily my favorite fantasy world in anything ever), but XII is the best realization of it all.
 
T

Thud

Member
I like to pause and listen to the soundtrack while doing something else.

Recent example was Persona 5.
 
A

AppleSeason

Member
Alan Wake. When you get to play in a daily segment, it's almost granted that you wil spend some time looking around and rotating the camera. The lake, the mountains...


I'm not sure if I want to put Firewatch here, as half of the "game" is about enjoying the scenery.
 
S

SomTervo

Member
The Witcher 3

Uncharted 4 (the GOAT for this - frequently looks like a moving painting)

BotW to an extent. Mainly for the well designed vistas

Edit: horizon and Gravity Rush 2 excellent nominations
 
NekoFever

NekoFever

Member
The Fairyground in Ni No Kuni.

ni-no-kuni-4its46.jpg


It reminded me of Dotonbori in Osaka, and I later found out its name in the Japanese version is Dotonmori, so I assume it's deliberate. It's like that crossed with the town in Spirited Away.
 
R

Ronzilla29

Member
Matrix XII said:
Best example of this for me was Horizon Zero Dawn.

I also felt like this during Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3.
Click to expand...

I'm right there with you on all 3. HZD and Bloodborne by a large margin have the highest number of screenshots on my PS4 and Dark Souls 3 is easily the highest number of screenshots on my X1.
 
S

Sodding_Gamer

Member
All of these are great answers. I'll add in Omega from Mass Effect 2. When I first entered that area I thought the atmosphere was so dense and i just really enjoyed wandering around the dark underbelly of that place.
 
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