GamingBolt Game of the Year Awards 2013

Best Graphics

Now this was a tough one. What defines an excellent visual style? Is it the sheer detail provided to the game? Is it amazing realism? Is it a cinematic presentation that makes you feel as though you’re actually there? Could it be a grim and gritty style that models everything, including darkness, in its atmosphere with startling realism? Is it a game that makes the best use of limited resources? Or is it a game that encompasses all of these elements and uses it to immerse the gamer, never once calling attention to itself, but facilitating and encouraging gameplay all the same? It’s never easy to choose the better looking game, and there are bound to be disagreements on a purely aesthetic level alone. Even technically speaking, there are tons of games which go for simple graphics but still convey an amazing effect (Journey, anyone?). That being said, here are our nominees for Best Graphics of 2013.

Nominees:

– The Last of Us

– Grand Theft Auto V

– Crysis 3

– Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

– Ryse: Son of Rome

– Killzone: Shadow Fall

– Metro: Last Light

Winner: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

It doesn’t quite strike you when running through the streets of Havana or taking on naval ships during a brutal storm. But Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag strikes the right balance between aesthetic detail, all-out realism and technical brilliance. Whether it’s the custom AA solution or strong frame rate; whether it’s the detail in the floor-boards of the Jackdaw or the realistic rays peeping beyond the trees; or even when sneaking through foliage, individually shaded and shadowed, swaying with the wind, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag delivers the goods. The best part? Its visuals do nothing to overshadow the gameplay, merging with it perfectly to create a venerable smorgasbord for encouraging crazy antics. Can we say the same about Crysis 3 or Killzone: Shadow Fall? The fact that Black Flag looks so good across multiple platforms is an added bonus.