The Timeless looking Videogames

 

 

 

Time is the ultimate yardstick for everything that exists which means something is truly and unquestioningly great when it can stand the test of time. And even in the rapidly evolving World of Videogame Visuals, there are three games that still stand out as some of the most graphically rich experiences even after close to a decade of their release, thereby proving that if made with enough Love and Care, some things can indeed transcend time. So without further ado, here are the timeless looking Videogames that hasn't aged at all and can still look better than most games released even in 2024. 

 

Oh and instead of writing in lengths about how phenomenal their visuals are, I'll just post lots of in-game screenshots and let the images do all the talking. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words.

 

However, before we get to the top 3, there's one game that deserves a spot in this list cause of how well it continues to look despite it's age and the fact that it can still hold up in the current-gen lineup of games fairly well.

4. Batman: Arkham Knight (Released in 2015): 

 

 

If there's ever a game that showcases just how much an engine could be polished and perfected beyond it's limits, it's Batman Arkham Knight. Running on the ageing Unreal Engine 3, Arkham Knight looks practically ageless and effortlessly holds it's own against a large number of titles even in the current-gen platforms. The technological wizardry that Rocksteady had managed to pull off to make it look this great is nothing short of awe-inspiring, proving that when sheer technical expertise and amazing Art Direction come together, the result can be something that's timeless. 

In fact, there were lots of moments while playing the game where I just stopped and thought--"I don't think Videogames need better graphics than this". When a game can make you think like this, you know it's beyond special. 

Alright, now let's get to the top 3, the Videogame visuals that have transcended Time itself.

 

 

Crysis 3 (Released in 2013): Back when Crysis was released in 2007, it instantly set a standard of visuals in Videogames that was so high and so far ahead of it's time that even after 10 years later, it was still unsurpassed in terms of sheer graphical fidelity and realism. Crysis 2 was a step backwards which was clearly a result of the game releasing simultaneously on the 7th gen Consoles along with the PC platform, and although the DX 11 patch did make it much better when it arrived later but still Crysis 2 couldn't quite reach the fabled heights of it's predecessor.  

 

The Cryengine excels at rendering fully Natural environments...

 

However, Crytek was well aware of this and made Crysis 3 specifically not just to surpass everything else that was being developed in that era but set a whole new bar for Visual fidelity in the Videogame industry for years to come----and the results speak for themselves even after more than a decade of it's release. 

In fact, Crysis 3 is such a tour-de-force of graphical richness that even the Remastered version of the game which came out in late 2021, couldn't do much to improve upon the visuals of the original, besides mostly adding some instances of Ray Traced Reflections and shadows along with higher-res textures. 

 

 

 

Quantum Break (2016):  

 

Photorealism...courtesy of the Northlight Engine.

 

 

At the time of it's release, Quantum Break was a Sleeper Hit in terms of visual realism but looking back, this time-bending third person shooter easily stands out as one of the most jaw-droppingly photorealistic Videogames ever made that hasn't really aged with time (pun intended). And although both Control and Alan Wake 2 (it's spiritual successors that were made from the same Northlight engine) has surpassed this game in terms of sheer graphical horsepower, Quantum Break is still a visual stunner to marvel at after more than 8 years of it's release, which makes it a fully worthy inclusion in this list.  

 

Northlight shines in rendering both indoor and outdoor environments with spectacular details...

 

For me, Quantum Break is one of the most cinematic looking videogames ever made where it's visual flourishes goes hand-in-hand with the game's unique narrative beats, so much so that they actually feel inseparable. At many instances, the game feels like you're playing a movie rather than a Videogame and this approach actually works in it's favor in more ways than one. 

 

 

 Need for Speed (2015):   

 

 

Even after nearly a decade of it's release, Need for Speed 2015 remains the most breathtakingly realistic videogame ever made, especially when it comes to the racing genre. And even in a world of post-Unreal Engine 5 games as well as titles such as Forza Horizon 5 which uses extensive Ray Tracing, NFS 2015 still remains untouchable when it comes to realistic depiction of night time in a Videogame, ever. Personally, I don't think the visuals of this game will ever be 'outdated' or seem 'old', but don't just take my words for it, see these screenshots for yourself. 

 

Seriously, how are these not 'real life'?

In fact, at the time of it's release, the devs themselves teased the graphical capabilities of what they've achieved in NFS 2015 with this image, also showing off the immense visual powerhouse that is Frostbite 3, the engine powering this game. 

For me, NFS 2015 remains the high yardstick of Visual standards that all other games (especially in the racing genre) are measured against and will possibly continue to be for a long time. But the fact that a game from 2015 is still unmatched in it's genre to this very day is in itself a testament to how much ahead of it's time it really was and that's why it more than deserves to be at the top of this (extremely short) list. 

And that's about it for this article, so let me know if you agree with this list or not in the comments section below.