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[Kolibri]

Shadow of The Colossus for me.

The vast emptyness and howling wind made me explore every single square inch of that map. Pure beauty and atmosphere.

 

[MugiwaraCole]

The Witcher 3 for sure.

Can't wait for the pro update.

Wait, what pro update???

 

[Linkark07]

Prince of Persia 2008.

 

[Funyarinpa]

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Was this only for wii u
Holy fucking shit

 

[Deleted member 1235]

Both zelda and surprisingly the Rayman legends demo did that to me recently.

Nidhogg 2 did it to me as well. But.... In a different way. (More eye rapey).

Nidhogg 2 is fucking ace, everyone buy it

 

[Bloodporne]

And one I'm currently playing:

Prey (PS4 shot)

This game conjures up some beautiful moments when combined with its incredibly atmospheric, and refreshingly quiet, sound design. While not a graphical powerhouse I guess, I really appreciate how organically these moments can happen.

 

[Dr.Acula]

Not in terms of graphically, but in terms of art design, Life is Strange frequently made me stop and check out the teenage bedrooms/dormrooms/hangouts, it was very nostalgic. Dontnod did an unbelievable job of capturing that 90s punk teen aesthetic.

 

[dracula_x]

Silent Hill 1 and 2

System Shock 2 also, Diablo 1 and original Resident Evil on PS1. I like dark themed games

 

[Boss Doggie]

Xenoblade X and Guild Wars 2 are mentioned.

I love Sleeping Dogs' Hong Kong

 

[purseowner]

The Fairyground in Ni No Kuni.

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.

I have good news for you. Similarly beautiful locales in II.

http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=246409496

 

[Dadasch]

Happens very rarely. I had that a couple of times in Bloodborne, because despite its kind of colorless nature, it can be really beautiful and soothing. Especially that Soundtrack in Hunter's Dream that switches to a version with vocals halfway through - after reaching a particular moment in the story - was such a special moment for me.

Other than that: Journey.

 

[Arkeband]

Horizon Zero Dawn had some really gorgeous shots, unfortunately only when you're standing still, as pop-in is a problem when moving anywhere.

 

[TheStig88]

Bioshock Infinite for sure, at least the first hour. The entrance into Columbia is seared into my mind. What an incredible moment, if only everything that came after was as good.

H:ZD as well. I was completely taken aback once I was finally let loose in the world. Spent at least an hour just strolling around. I can't wait to dive back in for the Frozen Wilds. Snowy areas are my jam.

Honorable mention to TERA Online, entirely forgettable for the most part, but for a brief shining moment, one tiny little area tucked away off the beaten path caught me completely off guard; the Heartwood. Took me right out of my quest grinding flow to stop and admire the scenery. Pretty much the high point of that game as I quit not long after.

 

[Teepo671]

Pretty much everywhere I went in Horizon: Zero Dawn

Toussaint in the witcher 3's blood and wine expansion was also drop dead gorgeous.

 

[Gaplanet]

I'm a big slut for the Cyberpunk genre, and recently I played Observer. And damn the atmosphere is soo good:

Also, it has Rutger Hauer.

Second this. Currently playing it and the atmosphere is just awesome. I can only wish for more cyberpunk games. I have high hopes for CDPR.

 

[Alien Bob]

Elite Dangerous https://youtu.be/fRCnCnjesCI

 

[edbrat]

Just Cause 2, actually thought it would be nice to go on holiday there.

 

[lefty1117]

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.

Thank you for this ... was going to say the same. I think especially since the Draenor xpac when they really doubled down on the hidden treasures, the amount of attention to detail in the environments and landscapes has really increased. And I already thought it had reached a peak with Pandaria! Legion is that much better. My friends laugh at me sometimes because we'll be questing and I stop to point out rolling hills or clouds...

I appreciate most of the games mentioned here ... BotW, RDR, FH3, TW3 are all recent highlights for me. Even GTAV on PC, especially with the Naturalvision Remastered mod ... wow! Can't wait for RDR2.

 

[Mentok]

I never really did this until BotW, now I find myself running around to random places looking for unique, beautiful sights.

 

[yyr]

I've done this in Super Metroid and Ori & the Blind Forest. Probably many other games too but those two stick out in my mind most.

edit: Scrolling through the thread, Shenmue and its sequel came to mind also.

 

[Melkezadek]

Witcher 3 no doubt.

One of the only games where I feel appropriate to RP walk.

 

[Loona]

Final Fantasy XI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iesY1XssACM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzrmwcSizIY

 

[shawnbuddy]

In Assasins Creed games I like to stop and look at the recreated cities. It's like virtual tourism.

 

[Pinky]

BotW for sure. I was constantly stopping to soak up the atmosphere. So good.

 

[Glix]

Been happening to me a bunch recently in Farpoint.

Mindblowing stuff.

 

[Funyarinpa]

Even though it's incredibly famous, getting to

Spoiler

Anor Londo

in Dark Souls is a magnificent, perfect moment. Holy fuck.

 

[Asriel]

Mass Effect Andromeda for me.

For as flawed the game may be otherwise, it has jaw dropping environments.

 

[Van Bur3n]

The Witcher 3 and many of the Souls games. But mostly The Witcher 3.

 

[BigEmil]

DMC

 

[Stealthcobra]

Damn you guys reminded me how many great games i have in my backlog

 

[khaaan]

Gridania is cool but ruined by the fucking Hobbit music

The soundtrack in all the FFXIV towns are GOAT and Gridania is the GOAT-est. I haven't checked out the expansion towns but they're probably great too.

 

[Whizkid7]

The first time I saw Eryth Sea at night in Xenoblade. That was a stop and stare and soak it in for several minutes. Xenoblade games in general have had most of those moments for me, only recently getting competition from Breath of the Wild.

 

[SugarDave]

The Witcher 3

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

 

[Blackie]

Witcher 3 and BotW are top of my personal list. Very interested in sampling Skyrim's landscape on Switch soon too

 

[h0tp0ck3t]

An amazing moment for the time.

First level of Unreal was a fairly typical Quake-style indoor environment, then you step outside the ship into this massive open world and the music kicks up at just the right moment. It did make me pause and admire the scenery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APJHtsKxbXM&T=6m25s

Came here to say this. I spent so much time just looking at the waterfalls lol

 

[adamsapple]

Horizon ZD is the current king of atmosphere. Witcher 3 was the top contender before this. Specifically Blood and Wine. But Horizon has easily trumped it for me.

I can't wait to see the how the world looks like in snow.

 

[hydruxo]

Horizon Zero Dawn, recently. I took hundreds of screenshots in and out of photomode because that game is so fucking gorgeous. Taking screens became part of the game for me, like I'd purposely run into a fight with a snapmaw so I could get a freeze frame shot of it lunging at me with the jungle in the background or something. The desert areas in particular in Horizon are just stunning.

 

[Skyline Owl]

Read Dead Redemption any time there is a thunderstorm. It is still the best I have ever heard in a video game.

The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine DLC.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Satorl Marsh at evening.

Nearly every non-cave area in Skyrim.

Walking around in first person just taking in the atmosphere around San Andreas in Grand Theft Auto 5 .

I'd also like to mention Farcry Primal. It had some really cool moments.

A few of my own screenshots:

 

[poodaddy]

This thread is about the Witcher 3. Honorable mention to Breath of the Wild and Horizon Zero Dawn. Although it may not come readily to mind, I'd say Doom 3 and Slain both fit these categories for just having metal as fuck imagery everywhere. I imagine Agony will have that distinction as well.

 

[Pastry]

I do it in BF1 a fair amount. On the Pro and my 4K tv it really is a beautiful game. Sometimes I'll just turn off the HUD and play like that so that I can enjoy the scenery and chaos without any obstruction.

 

[Netherscourge]

No Man's Sky

 

[Scoops312]

Most recently Hellblade had some great atmosphere, especially when you first met her boyfriend as the as the soft guitar came in.

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

Breath of the Wild, without a doubt. Just jaw-dropping.

 

[Ralemont]

It's not as impressive now as when it released, but my first time playing through Mass Effect 3 I stopped several times in awe of the environmental backdrops:

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

Farpoint VR was intense in this regard. Silly things you'd never really notice in most games really stand out in VR. But that landscape is pretty daunting, and it makes you feel tiny

 

[Neo_MG90]

For me it's The Witcher 3 without a doubt.

Many times I would calmly stroll through the map to appretiate that gorgeous world.

 

[BigEmil]

A lot of photomode trickery and manual touches in gifs etc which don't look like that in gameplay in here

 

[Osukaa]

I stopped playing for a long time when I entered the church zone in Xenogears, enojying the scenery and the incredible music...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN8pnf1AnUk

I did the exact same thing. I ended up buying the soundtrack and every time I listen to it this song gets repeated at least 3 times for me lol.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

I never really did this until BotW, now I find myself running around to random places looking for unique, beautiful sights.

I waste so much time doing this in BotW.

 

[Humdinger]

Horizon. I love just spending time in that world, because it's so beautiful.