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

Ever play something where you just set the controller down and stop everything just to soak in the vibe? Now, I have a fairly low-range PC, and by all horsepower (and even some aesthetic measures) what it manages to put out would be considered ugly. But despite that, when playing FFXIV, I love just hanging around in Gridania/Central Shroud and not doing much.

Even with my PC's jaggy interpretation, this scenery:

ZZaJ4X1.jpg

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coupled with this music always just makes me feel good. I just love the mood and tone they've managed to create with the beautiful environments and music.

(Bonus Gridania art, just cause Iove this painting so much):


(Annnd I don't have a single good reason to share this one. I just love fat af Chocobos)


So, yeah, discuss and share current or other examples. :)
 
Where-To-Find-The-Doll-For-Boreal-Valley-In-Dark-Souls-3.jpg


Dark Souls 3. Goodness gracious. Definitely was not expecting this after the catacombs. Only one recently to do it for me, though I'm not exactly up on new releases.
 

SPCTRE

Member
The original Gothic, entering the Old Mine.

They managed to get "dark mine with the occasional torch" very, very right. (Important for atmosphere purposes not to play this part with tweaked Gamma settings.)
 
I agree with others picks in this thread but also like to add in AC:U and Syndicate. When you've climbed a huge building and the music kicks in.
 

bosseye

Member
No man's sky. It has the capacity to look a bit crappy at times of course, but the majority of the time the vistas you can see are just awe inspiring; bizarre flora scattered across weird terrain, multiple planets in the sky above, mad fauna and all glowing in these crazy glorious Sci fi colours. It's honestly beautiful.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
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
 

Squarehard

Member
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus

Both those games I can remember just stopping in the middle of nowhere, and chilling for a bit to take it all in.
 

TheFawz

Member
Mostly get that moment with 3rd person games, namely Red Dead, GTAV, Witcher3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda
 

Toni

Member
Horizon.

The best looking thing I have ever seen on consoles. Accompanied by the phenomenal orchastrated music.

It was my "this is next-gen" moment.

Astonishing achievement in a closed box by Guerilla Games.

We won't have something shaking things up like this again for quite a while.
 

OniBaka

Member
Where-To-Find-The-Doll-For-Boreal-Valley-In-Dark-Souls-3.jpg


Dark Souls 3. Goodness gracious. Definitely was not expecting this after the catacombs. Only one recently to do it for me, though I'm not exactly up on new releases.
Came to say this, very rarely I stop and take in the atmosphere but this was beautiful.
 

GoldStarz

Member
The Witness

honestly the aesthetics are pretty much the only reason to play once you get to the more obtuse and annoying puzzles
 
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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Skronk

Banned
Pretty stuff doesn't really do it for me but the first time I was in a forest in the Witcher looking for some kind of grave hag and the wind started blowing I had to stop for a second because of how realistic and spooky it felt.
 

The_Lump

Banned
Probably said a thousand times, but BoTW is the first game in a while where I've done this. A lot.

I've genuinely wasted hours just taking in the environment, watching wildlife and weather roll past, doing a bit of hunting and cooking. It's sublime.

Honestly by this point Zelda must be getting pretty pissed but I figure she's been there 100 years, she can wait a few months longer whilst I get my outdoors on.
 

spiel

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