SuperPhillip Central Best of 2016 Awards - Top Five Most Pleasing Visuals

Graphics usually take the backseat for me in importance when judging the overall quality of a game. However, that doesn't mean they don't serve a genuine purpose when examining a game. When I judge the visuals of a game, I'm not looking for the most impressive pushing of polygons or pixels; I'm looking at the games that have a desirable art style and use that art style well. These five games fit that bill rather nicely to show what I mean.

5) The Last Guardian (PS4)

Like something out of a children's storybook, The Last Guardian's visuals present a gorgeous display that assists the world to being a character as much as Trico and its young boy keeper are. Trico itself never fails to make me gaze at the creature in awe, much like the detailed world that I also saw myself stopping every bit of the way to take in. Performance problems aside on the OG PlayStation 4, The Last Guardian's visuals ultimately delight and help establish a wondrous setting for a wondrous adventure.

4) Final Fantasy XV (PS4, XB1)

The developers of Final Fantasy usually show mastery in getting a lot of the hardware each entry is placed on. Despite being a less than desirable game, Final Fantasy XIII is a true beauty. With ten years of planning, development, and stumbling points, it didn't seem like Final Fantasy XV would turn out well, especially starting out on the PS3. However, not only is the game superb, but so are the visuals. From the huge draw distance showcasing jaw-dropping vistas and tremendous views to the immaculate character and enemy models (and how about those food dishes!), Final Fantasy XV is a visual showcase on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, giving it the four spot on this top five countdown.

3) Paper Mario: Color Splash (Wii U)

Despite being weaker hardware compared to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the Wii U has shown many times that it can hang with the big boys, if not by visual fidelity then by style alone. Paper Mario: Color Splash is one such game that makes a case for how a game's art style can really bring out a healthy heaping of beauty. The paper characters look fantastic, and the environments made also of paper but also cardboard create a world that is both fun to explore and mighty pleasing to the eyes. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems may not have gone the desired direction with the gameplay, but visually, Paper Mario: Color Splash is a sight to behold.

2) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4)

There are few games that make me do double-takes upon seeing the visuals. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is one such game. From the amazingly lifelike visuals, showing realistic human models that don't delve too deeply into the uncanny valley, immensely detailed backgrounds and environments, and special effects that boost the visual splendor to magnificent levels, Uncharted 4 is an amazing achievement visually. Naughty Dog's graphical team really nailed the look of the game and mastered the PS4 hardware, making it all the more exciting to see how The Last of Us 2 turns out.

1) Ratchet & Clank (PS4)

Ratchet & Clank is the PlayStation 4 game that most impressed me this year, especially seeing it played on the PS4 Pro. I'll always take a fantastical world and characters over realism any day, and Ratchet & Clank's colorful visual style checks that box well. The game looks like the film of the same name only in interactive form. The different planets are truly marvels to look at and engage in, and the character models exude personality, charm, and push plenty of polygons. These reasons alone put Ratchet & Clank as the game with the most pleasing visuals for SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2016 Awards.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards - Top Five Most Pleasing Visuals

Generally in my reviews, I don't harp on graphics too much. They're important to an extent to get players invigorated and impressed with a given game, but they aren't the be-all, end-all. That said, 2015 was a year of beautiful visuals for gaming. This list of five is all about the ones that were most pleasing to me, and a good number of these might surprise you.

5) Splatoon (Wii U)

Nintendo is known for having bright, vivid, and colorful games for the most part. The publisher's games seldom steer away from the inviting aesthetic, and that is true with one of its new IP, Splatoon. The game is a treat for the eyes, especially when paint is flying every which way. Character models both friendly and villain are detailed and animated well, and everything has such a clean look to it. Splatoon is definitely a great looking game for the Wii U.

4) Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

A game which has graphics that saw me dropping my jaw on multiple occasions, Xenoblade Chronicles X's beauty is attributed to the immense and expansive areas of the game, each teeming with life, detail, and wonder. Each area is full of gorgeous things to look at, and the draw distance is absolutely incredible. Standing on the top of a vista overlooking the background is awe-inspiring. It amazes me how the Wii U is capable of such good looking games.

3) Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U)

One of my favorite games with terrific visuals is Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. While the game was a step back from its predecessor, the Nintendo DS's Kirby Canvas Curse, what this Wii U sequel exceeds over Canvas Curse is its absolutely superb claymation visual style. Everything is devised up of brilliantly rendered clay-- the characters, the environments, the backgrounds, the platforms, etc. It makes for a game that has an unforgettable art style, and visuals that do a lot to please the eye.

2) Ori and the Blind Forest (XONE)

We haven't encountered the Xbox One much during the Best of 2015 Awards, but this entry changes that. Ori and the Blind Forest, a downloadable game for the Xbox One, looks and plays wonderfully. If there was ever a case for poetry in motion, Ori and the Blind Forest is it. The game is rendered so brilliantly and vividly that it looks like an animated movie (and I'm talking about those superior hand-drawn ones, and not those CG ones) come to life. Truly, a sublime looking game.

1) Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

Like Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Yoshi's Woolly World uses a specific aesthetic to create its worlds and characters. While Kirby used a clay aesthetic, Yoshi's Woolly World delivers a wholly woolly and yarn-y visual design. The colors are rich and saturated, the worlds are inviting, even the castles, and the characters made up of everyday objects like yarn, fabric, and things like coin purses, make for a game that has my favorite visual design of 2015.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2014 Awards - Top Five Most Pleasing Visuals

You'll find with my second category, Most Pleasing Visuals, that I find both cartoon-like and realistic visuals appealing, perhaps the former more than the latter. These games on this top five list impress purely with their aesthetics, their performance, and their looks in general.

5) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U)

While not even the most visually pleasing Wii U game, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U astonishes with its smooth-as-silk frame-rate, appealing character models, and fast-paced action. Let's not forget the remarkable stages that are brimming with personality and charm. I'm awestruck at how much Masahiro Sakurai and his team managed to make the latest Smash Bros. look.

4) Infamous: Second Son (PS4)

Infamous: Second Son oozes with astounding beauty, what, with its amazing city to tool around in, impressive lighting and special effects, and the fantastic character models that animate splendidly. Second Son is one of the few original titles on a current gen system that absolutely looks phenomenal, and it's with all of the aforementioned reasons that the game impresses visually.

3) Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XONE)

Open world games amaze me with how they load the world around the player. Grand Theft Auto V on last gen platforms impressed greatly. Now, with Los Santos on the PS4 and Xbox One, the sensational city returns in gorgeous glory, feeling like a living, breathing city more than it had in the past thanks to its brilliant looking visuals, copious amounts of detail, and amazing polish.

2) The Last of Us: Remastered (PS4)

The original game on the PlayStation 3 was already a beaut to look at, so it makes total sense that the remastered version of The Last of Us on the PS4 looks mighty impressive, nay, stunning. The environments during the various seasons that the incredible models of Joel and Ellie push through are fantastic for the eyes, and the rest of the character models show the truly visceral world of The Last of Us: Remastered remarkably well.

1) Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Despite how realistic the last three games on this list look, I'm a sucker for color, and lots of it! This is where Mario Kart 8 comes in with its eye-popping color, beautiful tracks, and well animated characters. This is Nintendo in its HD finest, and it's why I choose Mario Kart 8 as the most pleasing to look at game, at least in my humble opinion.

Another top five list is in the works for today, so stick around!