The Best Looking Games of 2008

Sorry, Wii games. We know you're fun at parties, but Mario has been looking a lot better on the DS than he has on our big-screens lately. Let's get on with the games that made our eyes as happy (sometimes happier) than our thumbs.

1. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) MGS 4 made a point to take advantage of all that lovely storage space offered by Blu-ray. The gameplay graphics are nice and smooth, while the cut scene visuals were nothing short of incredible. It's a good thing too, since some of them were as long as a feature film. It also gets bonus points for fitting all of those pretty polygons on a single disc. Nothing ruins a game for a lazy gamer like having to get up.

2. Little Big Planet (PS3) Yet another visual victory for the PS3. The sheer amount of ambiance and texture on-screen is consistently impressive, right down to the dimpled hyde of the sack-skinned hero. Each environment is refreshingly unique and many of the enemies are just so darn cute that you can't wait to give them a good smashing. Overall, it's an impressive feat to fit so much eye candy into a side-scroller.

3. Far Cry 2 (PC) The debates, no matter how baseless, about whether or not Far Cry 2 could wrestle the PC beauty queen crown from the enormous head of Crysis started before the ball even dropped on 2008. When the dust cleared, we were left with an incredible-looking game, assuming, of course, that your box has enough silicon muscle to run it. If you're a little skeptical (and since this is the Internet, you certainly are) equip the flame thrower and torch everything for a couple of minutes. The resulting glow should be enough to justify its spot.

4. Fable 2 (Xbox 360) It seems a little out of the ordinary that the 360's first appearance comes in the form of an RPG, but the big, beautiful world of Fable II is really something to behold. Of course, you might get a little bored after the game makes you "behold" the same area 20 times when running around, but the initial wow-factor is certainly worth singling out.

5. Fallout 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) Assuming we don't all fall victim to bio-nuclear thermo-warfare, the year 2277 is bound to have some amazing looking things to see (and with any luck, most of it will be DRM-free). Fallout 3 paints a grim, but striking picture that's as stylish as it is nerve-wracking. Even the heads-up display has a certain amount of panache that makes slaying a Super Mutant seem a little more satisfying.
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