Square Enix did not hold back with the remake trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 on the PlayStation ecosystem. The game developers took advantage of the impressive horsepower of the previous generation. They dialed it up to an eleven with the second chapter on the PlayStation 5 that could be easily mistaken for real life.
Modern triple-A video games are looking realistic now more than ever. They are a testament to the great leaps made with technology and innovation, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. Here are 5 great video games with the most realistic graphics in the current generation.
5. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
The gaming community was caught off guard when Sony Interactive Entertainment and Square Enix teamed up to announce a remake project nearly a decade ago. The developers decided to divide the original story into three separate games, and the directors are already all hands on deck for Final Fantasy 7 Part 3 with the composer, Nobuo Uematsu, to wrap up the trilogy.
The original game looked stellar on the PlayStation 4 and with the impressive horsepower of the PlayStation 5, Rebirth is extremely detailed and is pure eye candy. Players could spend hours tinkering with the in-game photo mode, capturing rare moments and sharing these works of art with the gaming community, and flexing the developers’ penchant for visual fidelity.
There is no telling whether the final part will be released during this generation but it is safe to bet that it will look magnificent. Square Enix did a fantastic job with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and has not missed yet and will not fumble now.
4. The Last of Us Part 2
No other studio has pushed the graphical limitations of each PlayStation console like Naughty Dog. The original The Last of Us was released near the end of the life cycle of the PlayStation 3 and many believed gaming had peaked then, 7 years later, the controversial sequel was a massive step up in almost every way imaginable, apart from the narrative.
The developers achieved great feats with the game engine and elevated the gaming experience by implementing a realistic gore and dismemberment feature. The transitions between gameplay and a cinematic are so seamless and smooth, that players couldn’t tell if it was them on the stick or if the cutscene was still going.
Naughty Dog made it better in the remaster with the DualSense capabilities and different graphics settings on the PlayStation 5 and was inspired to remake the original game from scratch. Perhaps Neil Druckmann’s next project will take the gaming community to uncharted territory with mind-numbing visuals.
3. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Developed with the impressive capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, Ninja Theory struck gold and nailed the visuals and graphics of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. The Xbox community had something to root for in the first-party title library and it is a work of art.
The game developers utilized the Xbox Series X to its full potential did not hold back using the superior horsepower, and gave the gaming community an unforgettable experience. Other players praise the game for its hyper-realistic visuals and the cinematic feel paired with an eerie touch of horror and the macabre.
2. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
The sequel may not have been released yet on the PlayStation 5, but the gaming community knows what to expect, especially after the first game’s impressive visuals and attention to detail. It is rare for video games to authentically capture the likeness of the real-life counterpart of the character but it was a walk in the park for Hideo Kojima.
Some players were skeptical about everything they saw in the first game and doubted it was all running natively on the PlayStation 4 Pro. Fortunately, Guerrilla Games lent its proprietary game engine called Decima to Kojima and the rest was history.
The gaming community expects to see Sony and Kojima Productions potentially design a limited edition PlayStation 5 Pro console celebrating the sequel’s release akin to the original game a generation ago. Some players expect to see the game perform even better than anticipated once Sony officially unveils the long-rumored Pro model in the coming months.
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
The gaming community had high expectations for Rockstar Games coming off the heels of Grand Theft Auto 5, and the studio released Red Dead Redemption 2 a few years later with great improvements to the visuals and graphics. The developers gave the community a glimpse into the future of gaming, not just visually but also in detail and realism.
The game was released near the tail end of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One era, and it challenged the hardware to the limit; fortunately, the current systems have backward compatibility features and players could take advantage of the vastly superior hardware architecture. However, players on the PC platform hope console players will experience the game with a next-gen graphical boost.
Rockstar Games has come a long way in the past 25 years and each project is always better than the predecessor. Hopefully, the long development for GTA 6 will be worth the wait and push the boundaries for what a modern triple-A and top-tier video game will look like in the current generation.
From Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to Red Dead Redemption 2, which of these visually stunning titles do you think is the most realistic game ever? Let us know in the comments section below!
