Digital Foundry's Best Game Graphics of 2022 - Another Great Year For State-of-the-Art Visuals!

[@4LOOR]

04:10 Dying Light 2 Stay Human 09:40 Need for Speed Unbound 13:40 Fortnite 18:20 A Plague Tale: Requiem 22:50 Warhammer 40,000: Darktide 27:00 The Last of Us Part I 32:20 Gran Turismo 7 37:50 Portal RTX 42:50 The Callisto Protocol 47:20 Horizon Forbidden West

[@YannMetalhead]

Thank you!

[@tradito]

@lucasgawor1059 your mother

[@Ben-ts7ut]

thank you! an hour long video on this is ridiculous lol

[@bushkilla7348]

​@@Ben-ts7utit really isn't if you've the attention spam to even care about why they chose what they did

[@andrzejkaraczan6219]

👍🙌

[@jimfalco8302]

The fact that horizon looks so good being an open world game is astonishing. They are outstanding developers.

[@maxmaxneolit]

Decima engine baby.

[@mash2481]

The reason it looks so good, is the large amount of fog that hides the draw distance, so things closer, look much better.

[@sonnieslim5973]

@@mash2481not even remotely true

[@SimplexPL]

@@mash2481 Stop trolling and come back when you actually played the game or at least saw videos.

[@greggski3710]

And let's remember it still runs on PS4. I switched to it from Plague Tale Requiem (found the gameplay to be boring for me) and was just astonished just how crazy good it looks on PS4 Pro.

[@bigbossgames8818]

Guerilla games getting the respect they deserve is very nice to see! They're one of the best developers in the world on a technical level!

[@macsmith2013]

Agreed. What I like about them is that they listened to criticism and went out of their way to improve the graphics, even though the game was perfectly playable from launch. Sony/Polyphony Digital could learn a lot from Guerilla in hkw they're treating Gran Turismo 7, where the graphics were DOWNgraded after launch, and all criticism is ignored.

[@lilquincy6292]

@@macsmith2013 gt7 looks great but the game doesn’t have ray tracing during gameplay

[@metroplex29]

Horizon Forbidden West is a visual masterpiece and a clear example that you DON'T ALWAYS NEED Ray tracing to make lighting in a game look amazing

[@charoleawood]

I think the problem comes from the fact that ray tracing is being slapped on top of rasterized lighting. When artists have worked hard to make their rasterized presentation look pleasing then raytracing passes are just iterative improvements. Right now consoles and most pc setups aren't powerful enough to present fully path traced lighting solutions without rasterization, but that's the ideal goal for the future of realtime rendering.

[@defiscanner1927]

word. It looks insane on PS4 Pro

[@metroplex29]

@@charoleawood facts.

[@George-um2vc]

RT is AMAZING when done right, but hardware is still not quite there to really take advantage of it, in the mean time games like HFW and A Plague Tale are very welcome!

[@kickassguy211]

I'd much rather prefer HDR over raytracing anyway

[@TheNerd]

I feel like Horizon Forbidden West greatly shows what can be achieved if you love what you do and you do it because you love it, not to maximize profits to the point that a game is a framework for montization. The greatest (graphics) achievement of Forbidden West, is the fact that they massively improved the post processing after launch (multiple times in different patches) which made the game look *WAAAAAAY* crispier and sharper to the point where you rarely see any ghosting artifacts which is mind boggling to me.

[@Dannyuh7]

Mind bottling

[@Serandi1987]

The Callisto Protocol beats any other game!

[@chazmcdaniels6173]

@@Dannyuh7 Mind-boggling occurs when a mind is overwhelmed; mind-bottling occurs when friends aren't kind enough to correct other friends on their improper use of common English phrases. Or the joke flew right on over me.

[@danielgomez7236]

So I was playing HFW on my standard PS4 (not PRO) and there was some kind of checkerboard/dithering artifacts and they completely fixed it, that's amazing.

[@mrX666-s9p]

@@Serandi1987 No it doesn't

[@MicaelWander]

They forgot to tell about HDR in HFW, how the game masterfully uses the higher color range, everything looks so colorful, it is very nice and certainly makes it look much better than the other games.

[@Adoooly1991]

My jaw was dropping the whole time I played HFW, what an amazing job they did with the world 👌

[@kjj367]

man horizon is just so damn impressive, i can’t give any excuse to other games , gotham knights for example; doesn’t look half as good as horizon yet the game has unstable 30fps , i know they r using RT but they should give us an option to turn it off for 60fps.

[@TheDravic]

The reason why they don't give you 60fps mode is because they completely failed to optimize CPU performance on either console or PC. Therefore they give you some very minor RT features to "justify" what is essentially a CPU bottleneck that has little to do with the RT itself.

[@r.daneel.90]

Gotham Nights doesn't even look as good as Arkham Knight. Shame of a game.

[@rgbforever4561]

Gotham knights looks worse than the Arkham series

[@borborkontri4837]

I'm happy they acknowledged that elden ring wasn't launched in a playable state. Game of the year for PC players

[@erheetrherh2659]

Good art direction is everything.

[@CroneRaven1810]

Horizon forbidden west is one of the very few games that I didn't want to use fast travel and take my time on foot to just look at the beautiful scenery and let it sink in. What a great game and looker. Well deserved. Happy holidays folks!

[@bass-tones]

What’s nutty to me about that game is for those who do use fast travel on PS5, it’s essentially instant no matter how far you’re traveling. What a technical marvel that game is.

[@magic_ohh]

Felt the same way, even flying felt wrong because so much beauty in the landscape was passed over too fast

[@BrianBaastrup]

Same for me. Whenever i wanna escape the world, I jump into horizon FW and just go for a walk and see where the wind takes me.

[@pse2020]

Same here. I also made the hud dynamic and was free roaming. I started flying and fast travel when i wanted to get the plat. I almost wish this game had no story and just put you in the world to experience it.

[@ryo-kai8587]

Agreed! Still waiting for Forbidden West to come to PC, but even while replaying Zero Dawn, I'm barely using fast travel at all because traversing the breathtaking environments is such a huge part of the experience.

[@matternicuss]

Alex is spot on about the importance of lighting. This is also true in the traditional art world. Especially painting. A painting can have insanely detailed textures and shading, but if the lighting isn’t right you’ll notice it immediately. Meanwhile, a painting with more impressionist texture work and rendering but with super realistic lighting will look MUCH more convincing overall.

[@abramjessiah]

To drive home this point even more, I've been playing path traced quake 1. The only update is the lighting, no texture or material work, and yet it feels completely new and provides a very engaging and different experience to any other version of quake 1. I think once Nvidia remix is out we are going to see a raytrace revolution.

[@RicochetForce]

Lighting is EVERYTHING. I love that gif that goes around where a light sources lights a woman's face from different angles, colors, and intensities and she looks VERY different on a regular basis.

[@RicochetForce]

@@abramjessiah Oh, not just Nvidia RTX. As RT capable graphics cards proliferate we're going to see old classics remade and relaunched with definitive RT versions.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

There's nothing more important in graphics than lighting. MGS V, and Zelda BoTW prove this. Poor textures and geometry but still look gorgeous all thanks to the lighting. Also Metro Exodus. Though it has amazing shaders and the textures aren't bad by any means, it's RTGI is what makes it one of the best looking games ever Oh wait, much better examples of why lighting is so important are Minecraft and Quake 2 RTX. Especially minecraft. that game looks straight up bad without RT, but with it it looks incredible.

[@matternicuss]

@@HugoStiglitz88 Yep! Doom 3’s visuals hold up pretty well thanks to its incredible lighting.

[@MrSiloterio]

I'm a PC player but easy agree on Horizon Forbidden West. The fidelity of that game is just the best this year by far.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

You also gotta see Demons souls remake. ImO thats the only game that looks better

[@NexGenTek]

@@HugoStiglitz88 no not even close

[@artyomwazowsky2132]

​@@HugoStiglitz88 not even close to hfw

[@repodog6191]

@@HugoStiglitz88 Good looking game also but not close to HFW !

[@robertkorth2911]

@@HugoStiglitz88 not even close!

[@KayJune]

Horizon Forbidden West! Absolutely astonishing looking game, it’s genuinely one of the most alive games I’ve ever had the pleasure to explore.

[@RicochetForce]

Yup, if it wasn't the UI and compass you can legitimately get lost in its biomes.

[@quasi-intellecual3790]

@@RicochetForce You can turn it off.

[@MsUltraBob]

Horizon Forbidden West was the best looking game I played this year. Still surprised that it also run on last gen machines. God of War Ragnarok also looks great but not as impressive as Horizon.

[@Melodicspade3]

Ya i was a bit disappointed they didnt push god of war further on the ps5. Definitely felt more held back by the ps4 than horizon

[@Foggy_2806]

@@Melodicspade3 Just wait until both developers ditch those cross gen shackles. We will be in for a visual treat.

[@akkibajaj705]

God of war was a better game overall. So it was a good balance

[@valdal7679]

I totally agree best looking game for me this year is Horizon forbidden west, graphics are unreal

[@manuelmetallica]

Who asked you?

[@IceDemonPT]

It's incredible how Plague Tale always finds a way to creep into these "best game", "best graphics" or "best narrative" videos and yet its probably one of the most underplayed games of the year. Deserves so much more recognition.

[@mb7290]

I absolutely loved Innocence and had such high expectations for Requiem, I was kinda worried it wouldn't meet them. It did. Best game I've played this year.

[@sampson3121]

Is it true you guys never did an actual graphics video for Driveclub? All I see is framerate tests. Such a beautiful looking game, even by today's standards..

[@MemeCastGuy69]

Underplayed? Hmm I thought launching in Game Pass really gave it a big push. For it being a budget title from an indie studio... It has been getting it's praises and I know everyone on my Xbox friends list was binge playing it!

[@mb7290]

@@MemeCastGuy69 I've not seen any stats but people don't seem to be talking about it as much as say Elden Ring or God of War. I've not played either of them, but surely Requiem is good enough to be spoken about as much.

[@Case_]

Sorry to be that guy, but IMO, If anything, it's talked about way too much as if it's some incredible game. It absolutely belongs in discussions about best graphics, no question there, you can make a solid(ish) point for including it when discussing something like best story or best narrative, but as an actual game...nah, I really don't get why the Plague Tale series is considered so amazing. Both of these are essentially glorified walking simulators (or interactive movies, if you will) where you walk through pretty areas and repeat a handful of pretty basic gameplay mechanics over and over.

[@雪鷹魚英語培訓的領航]

Love how you guys influence the industry for the better!

[@ajsingh4545]

Yeah influence developers to obssess over graphics instead of focusing on fresh game play ideas and innovation. Great idea.

[@ShamirQushairi]

@@ajsingh4545 Why not both? It doesn't have to be just graphics or just gameplay improvements.

[@gamingjay141]

@@ShamirQushairi Dude probably salty he can't play games with great graphics AND great gameplay.

[@ShamirQushairi]

@@gamingjay141 Or maybe just couldn't walk & chew gum at the same time

[@ajsingh4545]

@@gamingjay141 I knew I was going to attract dumb comments like this. Keep em coming

[@pool842]

Agree with horizon 100 percent I still boot it up to run around and take pictures it's crazy

[@xizor1d]

HFW is so beautiful! It's my favorite looking game this year as well.

[@shingod700]

It's my favorite game of this year period, I just wish it was also released on PC, I could crank up the graphics and FPS to the moon.

[@cube2fox]

It's highly impressive of course, especially the animations and the extreme geometric detail. But judging from the footage, sometimes the lighting seemed exaggerated. As in 50:26 for example, but also other things in John's review. A lot of things getting a massive red glow from the sun. Also the shadow color and brightness looks slightly off at times. If you look at e.g. at RDR2, the lighting looks more muted and less glowy, and overall much more realistic. RDR2 also did things like the distant air haze and blurriness more realistically. The Horizon FW characters and clothes also often look strangely clean and overly brightly lit (particularly visible in dialogues) as if they were actors dressed up for a stage play in their brand new costumes. Several other games succeed in making their characters look more gritty and overall more grounded. Due to the lighting, HZ:FW looks "hyperrealistic" at times, while other games on the list manage to look simply realistic. (The new Fortnite, despite very different engine technology, also seems to suffer from exaggerated lighting, although it is not much of an issue given its cartoonish art style.)

[@mappybc6097]

@@shingod700 Matter of time.

[@mappybc6097]

@Trurl It's an intentional effect called Hero Lighting. Along is always surrounded by a literal halo of light, and that has the unfortunate side effect you noted.

[@cube2fox]

@@mappybc6097 Yeah I thought this is might be one issue. I'm not a fan of hero lighting in single player games which aren't even very dark. And the overly clean/kempt looking characters/costumes could be an artistic modelling rather than technical (lighting) issue. But as I said, the general lighting of the environment also often looks off.

[@dav2-094]

The Decima Engine is nuts, I can't wait to play DS2

[@mrbobo86]

DS2 is UE5

[@dav2-094]

@@mrbobo86 Death Stranding's sequel is using the Decima Engine. I imagine your confusion comes from them crediting Metahuman at the end. Metahuman was an independant company specialized in character rendering before Epic bought it and created their "Metahuman" creator. The engine the game is using is the Decima Engine from Guerrilla

[@gerboog]

@@dav2-094 wait... When did they stop using the Fox Engine ?

[@dav2-094]

@@gerboog When he left Konami in 2015. Konami owns the Fox Engine

[@jose131991]

@@dav2-094 boy been living under a rock has he

[@IronicSonic83]

Currently playing Horizon Forbidden West and I'm impressed so far. It is visually stunnning. And so much fun than the first game, at least the initial hours. I loved Portal RTX, Fortnite, GT7 and A Plague Tale Requiem as well

[@kronosleblu888]

I agree with everything you said until "so much more fun than zero dawn". But I guess you are still in the initial hours. Story wise is the area the game fails in. But yes visually forbidden west was the best looking game this year.

[@s3rv3r3rror8]

@@kronosleblu888 What do you mean? If you think the 1st one was fun than this is more fun, it improved in every aspect! Way better side missions, more diverse robots. Flying, underwater swiminging gliding you name it this game has it. The story is subjective tho. Personally i liked the 1st one better but that tends to happen with sequels and it's not like the 2nd had a garbage story. The 1st was mindblowing because of the twists and mistery finding out what Zero dawn actually was! And the 2nd was just a very good sci-fi story.

[@NPCLiam]

Currently in the midst as well. Absolutely phenomenal game! It’s so hard to stick to any questing cause exploring is so dang enjoyable.

[@fireice2585]

@@s3rv3r3rror8 their battles are tiresome, the battle speed is way too fast with way too complicated button presses for attacks. And they still kept that terrible L3 button for run as default. My fingers got tire in just half an hour of game play. There's a reason why everyone uses the spike thrower instead of bow as their primary weapons. Their side quest are way too many and repetitive. It's a good game if you're only running around checking out the views but It's not fun as a game

[@s3rv3r3rror8]

@@fireice2585 I had zero issues with the "complex" button presses. So that's subjective. And what you said about the side mission being repetetive is false, the side mission where always unique and felt more like mini stories on their own. So i don't know what you mean by repetetive🤷🏽‍♂️

[@InnerFire6213]

Forbidden west is so mesmerizing. The animation, facial expression, machine details, and world designs are so beautiful not to mention it runs as smooth as butter with that big open world too. Every time i enter a cauldron in the game the details are just surreal they put so much work into places that are not looked at much. Doesn't even need RT to look that amazing if you have really good developers to work on it.

[@vgnvideogameninja2930]

Ray Tracing is mostly overrated af. For example in the Witcher 3 current gen version it doesn't look any better with ray tracing enabled. Subtle differences, sure, but better, no.

[@thesprawl2361]

The cauldrons were my highlights. There's an early one that is just mind-boggling, an incredible collision of blue toned light, blinding white and deep blacks, all burnishing the most stunningly detailed sci-fi machinery I've ever seen in _anything;_ game, film, whatever. Like 'the real' in the Matrix, only playable and much more impressive. Those sections melted my face.

[@thanos2715]

Exactly. Same could be said about GOWR. The game looks absolutely insane but runs like butter on PS5

[@sheyarjames4904]

HZD is the only game where I spent so much time on photo mode taking screen shots of the different vistas the game offered, can't wait to do the same with HFW.

[@highmm2696]

Last of us Part 1 takes it for me. As much flack as it got for being not needed or a money grab, there's no denying how good it looks

[@louisfinnus4274]

No game has more detailed characters than TLOU part 1

[@ajaakola2]

good thing that came about this was the pc port

[@XenogearsPS]

It looked like part 2 though. Not that it's a bad thing. Part 2 Santa Barbara is still fresh in my memory that area was beautiful.

[@quasi-intellecual3790]

@@XenogearsPS If you look at in game character models tlou part 1 looks miles better. Nevertheless, I hope they make a free ps5 upgrade for tlou2.

[@peterjordansonthe2nd731]

@@XenogearsPS I just recently finished TLOU Part 2 - it was really awesome. I don't understand why it got so much hate, other than for the way the story went

[@Adym23]

Dont forget that Kojima Production supporting the enhancement of Decima Engine

[@DeadlyHeadley]

TLOU Pt. 1 was my first foray into the series and I was absolutely blown away. Really happy this made the list!

[@flockelocke2297]

No way that Horizon FW has better graphics than The Last of Us Part 1 Remake. Objects are much more detailed and better crafted than in an open world game. Open world is much copy paste stuff and open world games doesn't have the attention to detail and individual unique crafted locations like some high quality more linear games and some things are almost cheap in direct comparison. Part 1 Remake looks maybe too normal for people and Horizon has the landscapes and is so colorful like if you are on holiday. Ratchet and Clank RA from 2021 also has better graphics than Horizon FW. There are areas where God of War Ragnarok also has better graphics than Horizon FW. I don't want to say Horizon has bad graphics and it looks absolutely crazy for open world and the image quality is pretty sick with crispness but if a game is more crisp than another doesn't mean it has better graphics.

[@joeperez6451]

I’m so happy to see HFW get recognition, I *love* that game and they world.

[@shandilesmanahidayat7131]

Yeah I think this gorgeus game is very underated.

[@ARIXANDRE]

When John gave the prize to Ace Combat 7 a couple years ago, I knew this was the only awards I could stand by.

[@captainthunderbolt7541]

Ace Combat is like the perfect intersection between realistic graphics and stylised graphics.

[@ThunderingRoar]

@@captainthunderbolt7541 pretty sure he gave it an award for his best/most enjoyable game and not for graphics. The airplane models in that game look very last gen

[@DribbleP]

If horizon didn't win i would of been shocked i still spend alot of time just exploring and looking at all the crazy detail

[@Starfey]

Same here, just stunning and so underrated

[@Nate24193]

Just want to say thanks for creating such great, in depth content! Top of the industry! Appreciate you guys!

[@edinalewis4704]

So glad to see HFW get some much deserved appreciation. Absolutely my game of the year!!

[@Chopper153]

If you didn't play better games

[@edinalewis4704]

@@Chopper153 there weren’t any better games that year. That’s what that means.

[@samiboy1368]

I waited so long for the best graphics, this is my game awards😍

[@mattpetrin]

Thats exactly it!!

[@AP-Design]

A well-deserved win by Guerrilla, which is all the more nice to see when they got overshadowed pretty fast by the critical success of Elden Ring. It's hard to overstate just how good HFW looks. Many times I go back to the game because I enjoy getting lost in the beautiful world and seeing what new sights I fall into next, even after having trekked through the whole map countless times. The studio blew me away with their water rendering on Killzone 2 and they did it all over again with HFW.

[@carlosdonizetti9573]

Man its incredible how Forbidden West is a cross gen game... Just imagine what guerrilla is gonna give is in the next game !!!

[@stanislavkimov2779]

Even less attractive women and less masculine men?

[@arturius9715]

@@stanislavkimov2779 huh?

[@csl110]

@@arturius9715 expect his comment to be upvoted. Gamers are the lowest class of art consumers.

[@alucardme87]

@@arturius9715 because some gamers play game using the part below the belly, not the brain

[@arturius9715]

@@alucardme87 ah I see 😄

[@LionNirvana]

Finally some justice for this nearly perfect looking game. I am deeply annoyed with TGA for not giving a single prize for this game, not even graphic and art direction. There is no other game so well crafted and produced than this, in technical and artistic terms.

[@Vincornelis]

Also sound design which should have been Horizon as well (or Plague Tale.)

[@CrystronHalq]

Art Direction is not graphics. Graphics is a totally different thing. Thats why it didnt won that. Elden Ring and Scorn when it comes to art far surpasses Horizon.

[@LionNirvana]

@@CrystronHalq I said graphic AND art direction. In art direction, I think just witcher can beat this game, but Its a tough fight.

[@CrystronHalq]

@@LionNirvana there is no prize for graphics AND art direction. Its either visuals or art.

[@LionNirvana]

@@CrystronHalq You still don't understand, I'm talking about these two elements separately, that this is the best produced game in these terms regardless of the TGA awards. Now, about the TGA, I found it SUPER unfair that he didn't win any awards, especially art direction. Get it?

[@angrywhalewatcher]

Forbidden West was an amazing looking game. The cauldrons were optional but the detail was off the charts and such a contrast with the above ground visuals.

[@anmolagrawal5358]

*Timestamps* - _Runners Up_ 01:22 The Witcher 3 : Complete Edition 04:19 Dying Light 2 09:45 Need for Speed : Unbound 13:46 Fortnite 18:24 A Plague Tale : Requiem 22:55 Warhammer 40,000: Darktide 27:08 The Last of Us Part I 32:51 Grand Turismo 7 __________________________________________ - _Top 3_ 37:51 Portal RTX 43:00 The Callisto Protocol 47:20 Horizon : Forbidden West __________________________________________

[@TheFallenJ]

Doing the lords work

[@Teremei]

Thanks for some content during this very slow period! Can't wait to view! Horizon Forbidden West was lovely, it looked incredible, but was also fun to play. I kept heading to side quests and couldn't stop!

[@mrsasshole]

Loved Forbidden West. Cannot wait for the expansion in a few months.

[@TempleofShaolin]

Horizon is just graphically insane

[@JohniTzBack]

1:25 the witcher 3 4:20 dying light 2 9:45 need for speed unbound 13:50 fortnite 18:25 a plague tale requiem 23:00 warhammer 40000 27:20 the last of us 32:53 gran turismo 7 37:30 weird west 37:50 portal rtx 43:00 the callisto protocol 47:20 horizon forbitten west

[@kraenk12]

GoW Ragnarök was snubbed!

[@VishisTV]

Forbidden West was my GOTY not strictly because of graphics but the decima engine is so impressive to me.

[@VishisTV]

@TheOriginalF The gameplay wasnt meh. It literally has more viable playstyles than elden ring. Yeah the hardest mode isnt that hard when you know how to play and youre properly geared. Just like every other game out there.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

It's my goty by a mile too

[@subjectivereviews]

Same here

[@bobby_c07]

@@VishisTV it definitely does not have more play styles than Elden Ring, or any Souls game for that matter. No idea why you'd make that claim.

[@ardasevmis7583]

@TheOriginalF Difficulty is easy on ultra hard? It definitely is not. I finished the game on ultra hard on my first pt and it was extremely hard,especially at the beginning

[@rezaghasemi7651]

Forbidden west is and will be one of the best looking games of this gen .

[@frankvandermerwe1487]

I love to see HFW getting some well deserved respect and love. People were panning it when it released, but it's one hell of a great game imo (besides flaws). Merry Christmas!

[@HugoStiglitz88]

it's one of the best games ever, PERIOD

[@RDR911]

I'm honestly just LOOKING FORWARD to when games later in this generation start to match or exceed that level of quality. We're FINALLY at a period where we can really mimic the *density* of real world nature.

[@burntpotato7116]

@@HugoStiglitz88 no.

[@Serandi1987]

No, The Callisto Protocol

[@franzusgutlus54]

Crazy detail I discovered in HFW recently: when you look at an animal in the photo Mode their pupils start becoming bright, if you hit the right angle. Because at this angle light enters their eyes and reflects back out so it looks bright 🤯

[@MrWonderstuff]

Well deserved for H:FW. Stunning achievment.

[@caro1015]

glad GT7 made it to the list. while it may not be as eye-catching as other games in the list are, PD dedication to realism for GT7's visuals can't be ignored. it's kind of a double edged sword though. the lighting sometimes can look bland, because real life sometimes look bland (especially in day time). the tracks look sterile, because that's how they look in real life too in their best conditions. other racing games like Forza and GRID opted to add more details that don't really exist in the real tracks to make them look more visually appealing, which has its own charm, but I'm glad that PD decided to recreate these tracks as faithful as they can visually. and yeah, their car models and materials is still the best in class, they look great even without RT reflections. it's one of those games that you can show some gameplay of to people who aren't into games to fool them into thinking that it's real life footage.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

No, it's more eye catching than most of the lidt. No other game does better lighting or hdr and nothing is more important than lighting when it comes to graphics. Also gt7 has the best shaders too Horizon looks better overall but there are times where gt7 is unbeatable even by horizon. Thats truly eye popping

[@ricepony33]

I’ve worked in racing for 20 years and GT7 doesn’t capture what real tracks and real race cars looks like. Way too clean! Real tracks have significantly more wear and tear and cars almost always have some damage, tire marks and windshield pitting etc. A realism layer would transform the experience.

[@caro1015]

@@ricepony33 i do agree, they're too clean. I'm still not sure whether it is intentional from PD part (most race cars irl have wear and tear too, but they're practically spotless in the game. i wonder if they're approaching tracks in the same way) or there's just more work to be done in that area. hence i said "in their best conditions." which is fine for most tracks, but tracks like willow springs just looks weird without all the debris and sand on the asphalt. their motion blur solution doesn't help either. most tracks do have some wear and tear if you look at them closely with the photo mode, but all those details are lost thanks to the motion blur, it is realistic, but you get the idea. compared to other big budget, non hardcore sims offerings though, GT7 tracks are still up there.

[@caro1015]

@@HugoStiglitz88 as much as i love GT7 visuals, i don't think it's as "visually impressive" or eye catching as most games in this list. which is the point, because that's not what polyphony is aiming for with the game's visuals. it's like comparing a really detailed fantasy artwork to a hyper realistic painting of an apple. horizon always looks movie-like to me, certain elements like the weather effects and the lighting is more exaggerated to make sure that they never look dull. it's a visually impressive game, but i don't think it's as realistic looking as GT7, especially considering their lackluster car models and materials. they're still recycling models from Forza Motorsport 2, and from the FM8 trailer, it seems like they still haven't figured out how to make decent looking materials. the shot where they bragged that the game has RT reflections with the GTR is funny to me, because that's not how reflections on cars should look at all. yet they're bragging about it.

[@gerboog]

@@ricepony33 obviously they don't want to implement shit looking stuff in the game to scare off even more players.

[@MurCurieux]

HFW was an amazing game, particularly in the technical aspects of the game. Hard to live up to HZD story, but still great. I will am excited to see the development in the 3rd installment.

[@MisterReen]

Horizon 2 is so stunning. Can’t wait for the ps5 only dlc and what they can achieve further with this engine.

[@TheBean87]

There’s going to be ps5 only dlc?

[@Amhoj1]

@@TheBean87 yep. They dropped ps4 for the dlc. Only ps5 👍

[@TheBean87]

Well I guess that won’t anger many people…

[@Amhoj1]

@@TheBean87 thats just how it is. They need to drop old gen

[@TheBean87]

@@Amhoj1I agree, but for dlc… kinda sketchy since the game was made for ps4.

[@padmakarkottuvada3612]

Flying around the map on sunwing in HFW is just incredible. I hope Ubisoft's upcoming avatar gives me the same vibe.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

I hope its not filled with radio towers to climb lmao.

[@padmakarkottuvada3612]

@@JudeTheKZbinPoopersubscribe that’s one thing I’m worried about Ubisoft has a habit of it.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

@@padmakarkottuvada3612 yeah you always have to unfog the map as you play which is just annoying and pointless.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

I love the radio tower thing. Climbing is fun

[@padmakarkottuvada3612]

@@HugoStiglitz88 I agree but it's too repetitive.

[@YeOldeMachina]

That Decima engine man. I love it.

[@YeOldeMachina]

@@wizzenberry Yeah, Sony has some unbelievably talented studios. Squeezing every drop out of the hardware

[@HugoStiglitz88]

@NPC hahaha you're awesome man. So many pc gamers with amazing pcs like you have would never admit something like that because they somehow feel insecure about it LMFAO Thanks for being a giga Chad PC gamer, its different developers and conditions so it's not like your pc doesn't destroy ps5, but atm horizon is the best looking game until pc gets something with that kind of talent behind it

[@daysgone3950]

Just bought Forbidden West for the holiday as a fan of DF. The music is also so good. They really put a lot of love into this game. The series deserves a remaster to align the graphics after the trilogy is out like TLOU.

[@defiscanner1927]

The music is the worst aspect of the game. They really need to find a better composer.

[@IronMan-jj2fd]

Wish it launched on PC too ! Only then I can play it.

[@Darth-Shadow]

@@defiscanner1927 lmao what a clown take

[@defiscanner1927]

@@Darth-Shadow The music doesn't fit the tone at all. The are some areas in the game were it matches the atmosphere of the place but the main theme is terrible.

[@Darth-Shadow]

@@defiscanner1927 that's not true at all. The music is just like HZD, but more grander. If you don't like it, then the series isn't for you. The music composition is objectively great otherwise. Clown

[@samhblackmore]

I love the part where Alex talks about the feeling of being immersed in a game's graphics. From Portal RTX back to Halo Combat Evolved, that moment when something new comes out which you've never seen before. I remember when I was younger just wondering around in Halo CE looking at the grass and telling my friends "you can see individual blades of grass!" (of course, just a texture, not physically simulated as they are these days) but just marvelling at the technology is almost more fun than playing the game itself sometimes

[@HAL1138]

At the top 3 mark I was surprised Horizon didn’t make the list. Didn’t think DF would have appreciated the incredible visuals as much as I did to name it #1

[@yomamasohot6411]

Didn't make the list? Did you not watch the video?

[@vigilant_1934]

@@yomamasohot6411 Read their second sentence. I also was waiting for Horizon to be named on the list and when they got to number 2 I wasn't sure they would mention it. I didn't expect it to get the number 1 spot either. I remember how crazy good the teaser video for the game was in summer 2021. It looked amazing.

[@Harvester88]

Car games were one of those that every time I see them, I felt like it just couldn't get any better because it already looked so good. But they keep adding that new layer of visual immersion. Kudos to Gran Turismo.

[@Schizm1]

I'm much more a "artstyle > pure tech" guy but tbh Callisto Protocol is just freakin amazing. It also helps that I loved the game!

[@2tyme205]

Exactly Callisto has great graphics I’m loving that game on my ps5

[@Lloyal23]

Such a great discussion. I love seeing what’s technically pushing the envelope and it’s interesting the two “no-brainer” GOTYs weren’t here because Elden Ring and GoW aren’t technically pushing the level. Glad to see HFW is getting some flowers because the details are really incredible.

[@arturmagomedov02]

Wise choice to place Horizon Forbidden West on number one. No other game deserved it more, what a shame though that it got overshadowed so much. I hope the PS5 only DLC will bring the hype back and the attention which it deserved.

[@George-um2vc]

Imagine if the PC versions gets RT in a few years :o

[@midnitekreapa8372]

Horizon is beautiful. The boss fight scenes with the cobra and mammoth bots. Also when you go up to the highest Mountain and use the glider thing. Amazing!!! 👌

[@HuGiv5]

Callisto at 4K30 on PS5 BLEW ME AWAY!

[@HugoStiglitz88]

Same, horizon looks better but callisto looks shockingly good

[@Rendani]

I'd say Callisto looks better but Horizon runs better and looks great so it wins.

[@WH250398]

Horizon Forbidden West, after the anti alliasing got patched, is the best looking game I have ever seen.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

It was before the patch, you just had to be smart enough to use the fidelity mode

[@WH250398]

@@HugoStiglitz88 No way I was going to 30 fps.

[@yoteca]

Man, I'm so glad I found this channel all these years ago. Endless source of quality and entertainment. Thank you DF, wishing you a fantastic 2023 and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us !

[@Zinfidel1]

DF talked almost exclusively about visuals in Horizon Forbidden West but Guerrilla put the same effort into updating every aspect of the gameplay. It really feels like they created a list of all complaints with Zero Dawn and systematically fixed everything... _then_ improved upon it more. Exploration is far more meaningful, skill trees greatly expanded, self-contained puzzles in the world, so much loot, customizable character through weapons and armor type, useful collectibles, better dialog and NPC conversations, vastly improved cutscenes, etc. So much better than ZD which remains my only Platinum Trophy.

[@HelloMyNameIsZON3]

Forbidden West looked amazing and I can't wait to play the dlc and the vr game

[@vangazon]

HZD was my very first PS4 game and now HFW is my first PS5 game. Both games blew my mind the same way GOW 2 did back on PS2.

[@atoshiol]

49:36 I'm cheering for that goat to push through

[@albie21121]

Horizon's time in the spotlight here, photobombed by goat simulator

[@jose131991]

Lol saw that too 😅

[@KrissFliss]

Doom 3 with RTX would be realy cool!

[@xpgx1]

*Uhh, yes please =)* What a hellish idea. I bet there are a lot of players who want to be reminded what true sadism feels like in terms of game / level design >)

[@CraaaaaabPeople]

Yes plz.

[@jubayerwasidraiyan5874]

@@xpgx1 The main game wasn't like that but the resurrection of evil expansion? oof man

[@SSNebula]

I'd love it but wouldn't love it on my SX or PS5... can you imagine the impact that RT will have on console? RT has ruined a lot of games to be fair! Only W with RT will be on a PC. I don't want 30FPS in any scenario and anyone who wants 30 certainly ain't had 60/120FPS. I would prefer 720p at 120 over 4K30 with RT.

[@v1kt0u5]

And Half-Life 1&2 even cooler ;D

[@maxxwalker3965]

Finally Forbidden West getting some much deserved recognition

[@Hermes4ndMind]

Great conversation between Mr "FOUNDRY" and Mr "THE YEAR 2022"!

[@sechan436]

This is easily the best tech / game channel ❤

[@HardRockCafe-qt5ey]

My Game of the year is Elden Ring but Horizon FW is the best looking game of year for me. Incredible what Guerrilla can do.

[@zeus1117]

DF is about technical stuff. They don't rate games as of gameplay.

[@captainthunderbolt7541]

Well... Horizon is the best looking game from a technical perspective, leagues ahead of Elden Ring. I would say Elden Ring looks better from an artistic perspective tho, as some of the locations just look like paintings come to life - and being able to see the giant tree from basically anywhere is a powerful visual motif.

[@HardRockCafe-qt5ey]

@@captainthunderbolt7541 agree

[@thepeasant269]

@@captainthunderbolt7541 u hit the nail in the head with those statements, so true

[@user-qw2kr8xz7z]

I completed TLOU on every PS console since it first came out. The remake was expensive but wow - so beautiful

[@dickdanson]

Any excuse to replay that game is worth it

[@TempleofShaolin]

Yeah the remake immersion/graphics is really phenomenal. Naughty dogs first true ps5 game with an updated engine will blow ppl away

[@user-qw2kr8xz7z]

@Dan yeah man it's a beautiful game and story. LOU2 is the best game ever made though. I think Naughty Dog are the Jewel in the crown for Sony

[@user-qw2kr8xz7z]

@B Bland I agree brother. And tbh I don't think they utilised the tech as much as they could of as it essentially is a PS3 game. Imagine LOU3 😳

[@dickdanson]

@R love both but yeah, nothing really comes close to part 2. Just a masterpiece of storytelling, it exceeded what i thought video games were capable of

[@AnonNA-qv9eo]

Horizon’s engine improvements make me so excited for Death Stranding 2! Also, I would love another Killzone game, shadowfall was great

[@cynical8330]

I'm so excited to play TLOU on PC in March. I played TLOU Remastered for so many hours when I had a PS4 and I can't wait to finally play it again. It's like video game comfort food to me.

[@MystRavn]

Delighted to see Horizon fw take the win! Absolutely stunning game, I loved every minute of, unfathomably missing from the Geff's. Can't wait to jump back in when the dlc drops next year. Thanks for all the coverage, df team. Refreshing to watch quality yt content! (Love the fact that this video has frame-rate issues 🤣) Happy holidays! ⛄

[@FoxUnitNell]

It's be more impressive than what the frozen wilds was to horizon zero dawn because the blazing shores is ps5 only.

[@divertiti]

It won only because Calisto Protocol had performance issues, but still impressive non the less

[@HugoStiglitz88]

@@divertiti it only won because it looks ten times better than Calisto. Not to mention Callisto had ZERO performance issues on PS5. Not our problem that you played on a different platform

[@soundthatyoucansee123]

Beautiful graphics but everything else was middling. Uninteresting characters, story, and fetch quest design. The skill progression and gear grind was also just terrible. It's like they looked at Ubisoft's open world design philosophy and thought, "let's do that!" Plus Aloy ruins every puzzle and immersion during exploration due to her constant inane talking. It is pretty but it feels wasted on such a safe, cookie-cutter game.

[@marouanefellaini1044]

@@soundthatyoucansee123 This game success and recognition is such a mystery to me. It has every bearing of typical Ubisoft game - vast, beautifully crafted open world with endless repetitive quests that are resembling of a chore, hundreds of icons on the map that give you anxiety attacks, character levelling up that is just there to make you feel like progressing but doesn't even matter and writing that makes you questioning your life choices of spending time and money on something so childish and uninspiring. Yet Ubisoft game gets 6-7 rating while this gets 9s across the board. It's so weird. Horizon is one of the few Sony games that I don't like even though I've platinumed the first one. But it sure felt like a work. The gamer in me likes impressive graphics and what seems like a fun time to play. And I'm still trying to fight the urge to not be tempted by these beautiful worlds and just see what they really are. Relying on my experience and not just what I see. I think I'm finally getting there.

[@realforest]

I agree with Horizon Forbidden West as the best looking game of FY2022. You need amazing artwork, tech, and performance to have a game look great. Guerrilla Games reminds me of the great developers from 10+ years ago, just pushing the boundaries of everything they can while making the game itself amazing.

[@Zackasaur1917]

Much love to Horizon: Forbidden West, God of War: Ragnarok, The Last of Us Part I, Gran Turismo 7, and The Callisto Protocol. All stunning and fantastic across the board.

[@kraenk12]

GoW got snubbed here.

[@Zackasaur1917]

@@kraenk12 Yeah, it definitely belongs.

[@unknowngizmo]

Horizon was everything I wanted in a sequel, such a great game. Calisto's atmosphere/sound/lighting was just insane.

[@dimaz3]

Honestly none of these games impress me like battlefield 1 or Battlefront 2 did. They didn't have all the fancy rtx blah blah but the photometry they used was unreal. I honestly haven't gave a shit about rtx except in metro exodus..where it was actually a big difference and heck even ran well somehow.

[@jesrees1]

Great video DF. Impressive to see an open world game like HFW take the top prize. It's a beautiful world and a fun one to hang in so will be interesting to see how they evolve it for the DLC and beyond.

[@flockelocke2297]

No way that Horizon FW has better graphics than The Last of Us Part 1 Remake. Objects are much more detailed and carefully crafted than in an open world game. It looks maybe too normal for people and Horizon has the landscapes and is so colorful. Ratchet and Clank RA from 2021 also has better graphics than Horizon FW.

[@weaverquest]

Loved this video. There is this general sentiment out there that graphics don't really matter for games and dismiss any kind of progress in this department (there isn't even an award for best graphics at game awards) but watching Digital Foundry makes you understand all the advanced stuff and realize most people fail to appreciate the ways they improves gaming experience.

[@John-996]

Yeah I call bullshit when people say that why else would by a new console. Pretty much everyone Wants better graphics better Ai, Better Physics and so on. when comes to open worlds making them more alive, reactive and interactive is also important. Elden Ring has some pretty good level design but feels dated in graphics In From themself said as much after demon souls.

[@GameslordXY]

Gameplay over graphics imo,but I do enjoy eyecandy oh so very,very much😍

[@no_misaki]

Of course they matter, it's just seen as a faux pas to imply that they're more relevant than gameplay. I'd argue it's appropriate that eye candy alone isn't rewarded because there is a staggering amount of good looking games at this point (especially in the PC space) that are poorly designed and not all that fun to play as a result.

[@RikoFlex67]

Game Awards are so criiiinge

[@Alex_Logan22]

Not just all that, but the amount of devs, money and work that goes into this aspect alone usually dwarves every other aspect of these big games. Dismissing it is weird when so much is dedicated to it and new hardware is released specifically for graphics. Art direction award at game awards should be changed to best looking game, with its description entailing both art direction and technical aspects combined.

[@alanlindsay8310]

Interested in seeing what Guerilla adds with the DLC being PS5 exclusive and not having to worry about doing a Scaled down version.

[@Vincornelis]

Yes Plague Tale getting well deserved mention and Forbidden West getting the well deserved No.1 spot.

[@esportsfan2118]

Deserved #1 for horizon. Will say though that it's performance mode from an image quality perspective certainly wasn't polished at launch, was bad enough to make be not to want to play the game at all until they fixed it. But credit to them for responding to the feedback and fixing the issues.

[@Investor9872]

Great job guys! No one does it better than the Digital Foundry team. Great news that the cross-gen is starting to come to an end. We need to do away with cross-gen support since it's going on year 3 now, and just concentrate on making games exclusively for the current PS5/XSX generations going forward.

[@MrJamesDiamond]

Lots of talk about the challenges of dynamic time of day.John can you do a DF Retro on Zelda Ocarina of Time on the N64 and explain how they done the real-time day/night transition that occurs out on Hyrule Field? Rose coloured glasses are on but I remember it looking so good!

[@marcoolivier2641]

I'm sorry to all the haters hut Horizon Forbidden West and The Callisto Protocol are the best looking games graphically this year.

[@adamdygnarowicz5127]

Such a great talk by you guys. Thank you.

[@ReginaldVannison7777]

Horizon Forbidden West is the best game of the year both graphically and musically! One can only imagine if it was made for next gen only.

[@jose131991]

Guess we’ll see what happens with that with the PS5 only DLC in April 🤷🏾😁

[@kraenk12]

The 3D Sound on PS5 is incredible!

[@phrozac]

100% Horizon Forbidden West! That game was overlooked to such a criminal extent this year I feel sorry for those guys. Zooming into characters in the photo mode, it's shocking to see the level of detail they put into them going so far as to add that tiny layer of peach fuzz on Aloy's skin. It's insane. And the epic vistas and massive robots! This game looks phenomenal. I'd love if Guerrilla went back to Killzone now that the tech has finally caught up with their graphical ambition.

[@mattpetrin]

This is it!! I've been eagerly awaiting this vid!! Thank you DF on an other fantastic year, keep up the avant-garde finess! This is absolutely my real game awards!

[@imthedrivingcrooner]

Love this vid but i’m waiting for their favorite games of the year list!

[@Dryvlyne]

I must say I'm quite surprised that God of War Ragnarok is not on this list. The texture detail and character models are amazing!

[@thesprawl2361]

Agreed. The dwarven kingdom is one of my highlights of the year. But it's a little inconsistent. There are levels, like the elven kingdom where the dark and light elves are still at war, which just don't look pleasing to the eye, and have garish elements that clash a little. Also, I think DF is more focused on whether a game pushes at technical boundaries, whether it does new things with new graphical techniques. And GOW probably doesn't do a lot of that, even though it frequently looks amazing. Personally I'd have put Sifu in, particularly for the art gallery level, but again DF don't seem interested in the artistic aspects of a game's appearance - they're more interested in its technical achievements. So something like(to use a really old example) Limbo might not get mentioned in a list like this even though it's gorgeous and artistically striking, simply because it's not doing anything technically demanding. Which to me is a shame.

[@flockelocke2297]

No way that Horizon FW has better graphics than The Last of Us Part 1 Remake. Objects are much more detailed and better crafted than in an open world game. Open world is much copy paste stuff and open world games doesn't have the attention to detail and individual unique crafted locations like some high quality more linear games and some things are almost cheap in direct comparison. It looks maybe too normal for people and Horizon has the landscapes and is so colorful. Ratchet and Clank RA from 2021 also has better graphics than Horizon FW. There are many areas where God of War Ragnarok also has better graphics than Horizon FW.

[@thesprawl2361]

@@flockelocke2297 Nah. Horizon is vastly more consistent visually than GOW Ragnarok. And Ratchet And Clank? LOL, I'm not going to bother addressing that. It's doing some interesting things behind the scenes with the SSD but I question your criteria for good graphics if you think Ratched And Clank looks better than the snowy mountains or the early cauldrons in FW. The cauldrons alone in FW are better looking than any of the best moments in the games you mentioned. And of course open world games have to use procedural stuff and reused assets in order to fill out the landscapes(so does TLOU btw, all games 'copypaste' assets.). The fact that FW is so much more enormous than TLOU's remake makes its jaw dropping visuals even more impressive, not less. You can afford to tailor and polish levels in a linear game much more than in an open world game. This stuff is all subjective of course, but no, not in a million years is the TLOU remake better looking than FW.

[@flockelocke2297]

@@thesprawl2361 you have no clue what you write about. Let's take for example a workbench in Horizon compared to a workbench in Part 1 Remake or Part 2 even without interacting with it or just some little objects (Desks, tables etc.). Open world games doesn't have this level of detail and graphics. I give you that Horizon has crazy foliage and beautiful landscapes and dude the cauldrons all are looking the same like the caves they are all copy paste stuff. I have and played these games on a 4k 144 hz monitor and I have the platinum trophy in both Horizon games. Horizon is for sure pretty impressive and there is probably no open world games out there with better graphics.

[@Djaermi]

I've only played Horizon Zero Dawn because I have a PC, but even that first installment just blew my mind from an aesthetic standpoint. Lots of games make me think "that looks realistic" or "that looks cool," but that game made me think "God, man, that place looks gorgeous." I chose to play a lot of that game in a stealthy manner not because I wasn't into the combat, but because it just felt amazing to exist in that world and slowly explore every meter of it. The vibrant environments, the behavior of the machines and creatures, the convincing lighting, the ambient sounds, and small details like the undulation of foliage and grass in the wind, all gave me a sense of calm that few things outside of actual nature have given me. I can't wait to play Forbidden West, and I really appreciate the way you guys break down all of the technical work and expertise that goes into a product that feels, to me, so pure and simple.

[@azzaprime7257]

Collisto Protocol is the best looking game iv ever seen. The devs really pushed realism to new heights.

[@gtibro6799]

These are facts

[@daniel_Keelh]

there a lot of games that looks better.

[@gtibro6799]

@@daniel_Keelh false

[@Rendani]

@@daniel_Keelh wrong

[@USM-Valor]

@@daniel_Keelh I mean you named so many, it is hard to argue with such a substantial list.

[@sdo1840]

Horizon, its not even a contest. Absolutely amazing game also

[@morpheus9394]

Thanks for a great video and Horizon is a deserved winner. Very beautiful game and a great game too. Happy holiday guys

[@darkowl9]

49:35 "So stupidly beautiful" -- said whilst a goat humps the river... hmm...

[@sympadm3742]

The only game award that actually matters. Any game on this list should be mighty proud

[@snakepond2716]

Requiem was just gorgeous to look at. I would stop the game just to look at some of the imaginary time to time.

[@Stacio88]

I'm now more excited for Death Stranding 2. If Forbidden west looks amazing this early in the PS5 life, DS2 is going to look amazing using the Decima Engine.

[@dragothica4925]

I'm surprised they didn't talk about the Machines in Horizon Forbidden West. Perhaps it was shortly mentioned but it's one of the most impressive visual features in the previous game and was probably greatly improved in the sequel. I've yet to play it but as seen in trailers, the machines look extraordinarily impressive yet they are barely mentioned in the video. Perhaps it's a given, thanks to overall visual upgrade?

[@asdf_asdf948]

They move very quickly in game especially in combat so it's hard to focus on how detailed and clean/sharp they are

[@jose131991]

@@asdf_asdf948 photo mode

[@Thediddler123]

Insane that God of War Ragnarok wasn't even mentioned in the video

[@gnawty4662]

DF - you guys are phenomenal ❤

[@ChrisOnPS4]

The Callisto Protocol is awesome!