3 Video Games That Pushed Their Consoles to the Absolute Edge and Still Look Great Today

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Certain video games have remained remarkably timeless, almost as if they were released recently, even in 2025. Like all forms of art, mediums change over time, and this can make older works feel dated. We’ve seen huge changes in movies and TV – the addition of color, CGI, and other advancements clearly show a film’s age. Video games, however, often reveal their age even more noticeably, primarily due to their graphics. The video game industry is still relatively new and is changing incredibly quickly, driven by new technologies and innovative approaches that constantly allow developers to improve and push boundaries.

Over the past ten years or so, it seems like the video game industry has reached a limit in how much graphics can realistically improve. While improvements in artistic style and finer details have helped some games stand out, developers are nearing the point of creating visuals that are almost indistinguishable from reality, sometimes to the point of feeling unnatural. This has even led to some criticism, with people saying certain games resemble movies or TV shows more than traditional video games. Because of this, we decided to highlight a few older games that really pushed the boundaries of their respective consoles and still look great today.

3) Ryse: Son of Rome

Ryse: Son of Rome is a launch title for the Xbox One that doesn’t get enough credit. While its gameplay wasn’t groundbreaking, it was absolutely stunning visually. This game was among the first announced for the Xbox One and served as a fantastic showcase for the console’s capabilities. Often, demos shown at events like E3 promise more than the final released game delivers, with noticeable downgrades. However, Ryse: Son of Rome truly lived up to the hype.

The game boasted a level of visual detail that was unprecedented in playable games at the time, truly feeling like a leap forward. It realistically depicted the brutality of sword combat, featured stunning lighting, and delivered a captivating, cinematic experience unlike anything else available. Even today, the game remains visually impressive and is worth experiencing on Xbox or PC, if only to appreciate its artistry.

2) Batman: Arkham Knight

As a gamer, I remember being blown away by Batman: Arkham Knight. It really showed what the new consoles could do. There was a four-year wait after Arkahm City, and that extra time – plus the jump to a new generation of hardware – let Rocksteady completely rebuild the game from scratch. They built this massive open world, and finally, *finally* we got to drive the Batmobile and just wreak havoc! Seriously, Gotham City looked incredible – the lighting and detail were unlike anything I’d ever seen in a game before.

A standout feature of Arkham Knight was definitely the rain. You could clearly see rainwater flowing down Batman’s suit and collecting in puddles on the ground. This detail greatly enhanced the feeling of being in the game, demonstrating how far Rocksteady had come from the confined setting of a spooky asylum to a sprawling city. Sadly, Arkham Knight also faced criticism due to problems with its initial release on PC, although these issues were eventually resolved. Even so, Batman: Arkham Knight continues to have performance difficulties on the Nintendo Switch, even though that console came out a few years after the game.

1) Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Naughty Dog consistently delivers high-quality, impressive video games. The studio continually surpasses its own achievements with each new release, and Uncharted 4 represented a particularly significant advancement. The world of Uncharted 4 feels meticulously designed, creating a remarkably realistic environment. You could easily spend time simply exploring Nathan Drake’s home, noticing all the small details, for example.

Naughty Dog brought its trademark cinematic style to the game’s visuals, using groundbreaking cinematography, vibrant lighting, and incredibly detailed facial animations – some of the best we’ve ever witnessed. The strong acting performances certainly helped, but Naughty Dog expertly captured every subtle detail and brought it to life in the game. It’s a remarkable achievement that redefined standards not only for the PS4 generation, but for all future PlayStation games.

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2025-10-03 22:49