S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 made grand promises about its size and scope leading up to launch, and it makes good on those promises without a shadow of doubt. Even seeing the main story alone to completion requires a hefty time investment, but if you’re trying to experience every single thing the game has to offer, you’re easily going to clock in at least a hundred hours, if not more.

MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is exactly the sort of game for you if you like pouring endless hours into a single game. Like its 2020 predecessor, it lures you in with the promise of a large, authentically recreated digital twin of our planet and flight simulation mechanics, while this time, there’s an even greater amount of content and attention to detail in general to be impressed with. Chances are, if the game gets its hooks in you, you’re going to keep going back to it for some time to come.

LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH

A long Like a Dragon game? Who’d have thunk, eh? Of course, almost dauntingly long runtimes have been a key characteristic of Yakuza games for a long time now, but even by the series’ standards, Infinite Wealth is particularly beefy. Even the quickest of playthrough of this colossal RPG can easily take between 50-60 hours, but players who want to experience everything in the game are easily looking at over a hundred hours.

FINAL FANTASY 7 REBIRTH

“Epic” doesn’t begin to describe the scope of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Square Enix truly went all out with this game, as illustrated by just how much has been crammed into the experience. This is a massive open world RPG that – if, in addition to the main story, you’re also doing all of the side quests and every single side activity while taking the time to thoroughly explore each map – can keep you glued to your screen for upwards of even 150 hours.

PALWORLD

In its early access form, Palworld isn’t technically a “finished” game, but Pocketpair’s open world survival MMO is still a sizeable game. How sizeable exactly? Well, given its genre, it is designed around being highly replayabe, which gives it an inherent leg up in this area. Though a 30-40 hour playthrough is technically enough to get through the game’s critical path, Palworld has enough meat on its bones to keep you occupied for more than twice as long.

HELLDIVERS 2

The beauty of endlessly playable live service multiplayer games like Helldivers 2 (i.e. the good ones, which is admittedly a bit of a rare breed) is that you can play them almost infinitely. Not literally, maybe, but Arrowhead Game Studios’ co-op shooter is so incredibly well made and boasts such a strong core gameplay loop that many have already clocked an almost unreasonable amount of time into the game since it came out earlier this year.

ONCE HUMAN

Starry Studio’s open world multiplayer survival game Once Human is definitely a flawed piece, with issues such as some tedious mechanics, combat issues, rough storytelling, and more dragging it down. There is, however, plenty to enjoy here as well, and if that stuff does end up grabbing you, the good news for you is that Once Human has no shortage of content to get lost in.

THRONE AND LIBERTY

We’ve mentioned a few multiplayer-centric games here that find different ways to keep players coming back- but that is, of course, baked into the very DNA of an MMORPG. That is admittedly a genre with a historically low hit rate, and though Amazon Games’ Throne and Liberty is far from perfect, it does give players plenty of reasons to keep diving into its fantasy world. Grindiness may be an issue, but at least there’s plenty to do.

TEKKEN 8

A good fighting game has several tricks up its sleeve to keep players glued over a prolonged period of time, and Tekken 8 is one of the very best fighters out there, which means this is the sort of game that you can completely lose yourself to. You can technically see the game through to full completion in under 20 hours, but Tekken 8 delivers one of the most addictive and captivating fighting experiences out there, which means pouring in that amount of time multiple times over is very much conceivable.

DRAGON BALL: SPARKING! ZERO

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is a very different kind of fighting game from Tekken 8, but it, too, is not only good enough, but also substantial enough to keep players busy for long stretches. The core mechanics are immaculate, there’s plenty of content on offer, and the roster is stupidly crowded. Dragon Ball fans can spend days upon days just pitting an infinite combination of characters against each other.

RISE OF THE RONIN

Team Ninja’s open world debut did not go as well as many would have hoped, and Rise of the Ronin is certainly nowhere near as good as the Nioh games, but though it’s got its share of rough edges, it’s also undoubtedly a large game. It does suffer from rote and repetitive design, which means not everyone may have the patience for everything that the game encompasses, but given the fact that the combat and traversal mechanics always remain highly enjoyable at their core, spending close to a hundred hours playing Rise of the Ronin might have some appeal.

SATISFACTORY

Over five years in early access had assured many that Satisfactory would be good, and sure enough, it’s good. How good? Well, just its main story alone requires over a hundred hours, while a completionist run is going to take you roughly twice as long. And in spite of those daunting demands, this is still a game that those who’ve played it will heartily will recommend to you. That’s how good Satisfactory is.

DRAGON’S DOGMA 2

Sticking to the critical path to finish the main story will see you putting roughly 25-30 hours into Dragon’s Dogma 2, but honestly, that’s one of the worst possible ways to play this game. Capcom’s open world action RPG constantly begs players to go off the beaten path, mess around with its sandbox systems, follow your curiosity, and be distracted by the abundant optional content on offer. There’s lots to do in Dragon’s Dogma 2, the majority of which is a blast, to the extent that even a comprehensive 100-hour playthrough can pass by in a flash.

ELDEN RING: SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE

From Software has made it a habit of delivering expansive, action RPGs that can keep you busy for long, long stretches, and Elden Ring’s expansion Shadow of the Erdtree doesn’t buck that trend. From a lengthy critical path line to plentiful side content to a number of difficult to find secrets, Shadow of the Erdtree has no shortage of things to do- and thanks to its slick combat, engrossing boss fights, and eye-popping art style, you’re going to have an absolute blast as you’re doing all of it.

GRANBLUE FANTASY: RELINK

Simply playing through its main story is a solid enough way to get a taste of Granblue Fantasy: Relink, but Cygames’ action RPG is at its best when you truly dive into its co-op offerings, optional content, and its sizeable endgame. Repetitive quest design and grindy progression can be grating, but the game’s pros outweigh its cons, which is why so many of its players have happily sunk over a hundred hours into it.

#20. F1 24

We tend to include the F1 games in our annual lists of games with the best visuals pretty regularly, but that’s because the series has this department on lock. Like its predecessors, F1 24 is a beautiful game, touting stellar vehicle models with an impressive level of attention to detail, authentic lighting and weather effects lending new life to the courses, and more. Year after year, this series successfully delivers a realistic and comprehensive recreation of the real sport, and the presentation and visual fidelity play an important role in that.

#19. BODYCAM

Bodycam has a number of shortcomings in its current state that we’re hoping it will address over the course of its ongoing early access period, but one area where the game deserves all the props in the world is the way it looks. As its name suggests, its played from the first-person perspective of a bodycam on your character, and combines that with a hyper-realistic aesthetic that achieves quite a striking result. The game looks startlingly good at times, and we’re curious to see how it will continue to improve on the road to its full release.

#18. EMPIRE OF THE ANTS

Here’s another game coming from a small time that ended up surprising a great many people with its graphics. Empire of the Ants is a decidedly small-budget game, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from just looking at it. Sporting an impressive photorealistic style, the game transports players to a lush jungle where every single blade of grass, every leaf on the ground, every rock jutting out of the ground, and every single insect and critter that you lay your eyes on looks shockingly lifelike. Obviously, there are some rough edges here and there, but the overall result is nothing short of splendid.

#17. GRAY ZONE WARFARE

Indie studio Madfinger Games launched its multiplayer open world FPS Gray Zone Warfare in early access this year, and though there’s plenty of work for the developer to do to address feedback from the community, the game’s visuals are pretty much unanimously liked. There’s a good amount of rough edges that need sanding out, which is to be expected from a game of this size coming from a smaller team and still being in early access, but its open world map is also full of beautiful sights to see.

#16. DRAGON BALL: SPARKING! ZERO

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO brought the Budokai Tenkaichi series back with a bang this year, and though the list of things in the game worthy of praise is a long one, its graphics are high on it. As you’d expect from a Dragon Ball game, Sparking! ZERO relies more on its stylized art style than on pure visual fidelity, but one way or another, the effect it achieves instantly catches the eye. In motion, the game looks particularly amazing, and watching explosive, map-destroying fights between colossally powerful characters attacking each other with everything they’ve got never loses its charm.

#15. LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH

The Like a Dragon series has always straddled the line between high budget photorealism and mid budget stylization perfectly, and Infinite Wealth does the same, producing yet another Dragon Engine game that you can’t quite tear your eyes away from. Given the scope of the game, it’s not surprising that not everything looks spectacular- but a lot of things to do, and everything else looks at least a minimum level of good. Overall, Infinite Wealth brings its vibrant Hawaii setting to the screen spectacularly, and easily ranks as one of the year’s better-looking games.

#14. STELLAR BLADE

Stellar Blade took many by surprise for multiple reasons, but all of it could be boiled down to it coming from a relatively unknown studio with little to no AAA console experience. For it to turn out as well as it did was a pleasant surprise, then, as was the fact that it also ended up looking as gorgeous as it did. Stellar Blade touts some of the most impressive visuals we’ve seen in a PS5 exclusive game so far (especially if you play it on a PS5 Pro), with everything from the dilapidated post-apocalyptic environments and the excellently designed monsters you fight to the Eve’s slick combat animations looking pristine.

#13. DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD

Like pretty much everything else about the game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s graphics divided opinion, with many expressing their dislike of the new, more stylized art style. And though it is clearly a break from the more grimdark style past games used, we fall in the group that ultimately really likes what the game looks like. The Veilguard is a visual stunner in more ways than one, with a bevy of environments that are brimming with vistas that will take your breath away, not to mention some of the most impressive lighting we’ve seen in a game this year.

#12. STAR WARS OUTLAWS

Calling Star Wars Outlaws an uneven experience would be a huge understatement, but when the game is at its best, it’s really, really good- and in the graphics department, it’s definitely at its best. Yes, the game has its fair share of visual glitches and technical hiccups, but little of it detracts from just how stunning it looks more often than not. No matter where you find yourself in its open world multiplanetary setting, Outlaws finds ways to take your breath away with its sights and sounds. Coming from the studio behind The Division, that doesn’t come as a huge surprise.

#11. DRAGON’S DOGMA 2

Capcom has an admirable habit of cranking out a steady stream of AAA megatons that somehow all look spectacular. Dragon’s Dogma 2 was the company’s big centerpiece in 2024, and though it doesn’t look as good as, say, the best-looking Resident Evil games out there, it does look really, really good. From the detailed environments of its sprawling open world, to the incredibly lifelike (and vastly varied) roster of monster and creatures that you take on, to, of course, how oppressively impressive the game’s darkness feels, there’s a bevy of things in Dragon’s Dogma 2 that illustrate just how visually impressive it is.

#10. INDIANA JONES AND THE GREAT CIRCLE

It may have been a while since MachineGames’ last major full-fledged AAA release, but as a studio that has always delivered visually impressive games, it did not disappoint with its return to the spotlight in the final days of this year with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a game that impresses graphically in more ways than one. It crafts its period setting with great alpomb, lets players explore a vast and varied collection of beautiful and highly detailed locations, and of course, does it all while capturing that classic Indiana Jones aesthetic. It absolutely knocks the ball out of the park in this department.

#9. SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE LEAGUE

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was a disastrous game- there’s just no two ways about it. But even the most disastrous games tend to have at least some redeeming qualities, and so, too, did Suicide Squad. Chief among the few was how good it looked, an area where Rocksteady Studios as a developer has never disappointed in the past. The game obviously has crippling issues that make it an absolute drag to play even at the best of times, but visually, there’s a lot to be impressed with here, especially if it’s the game’s impressive cinematics you’re talking about.

#8. TEKKEN 8

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Tekken 8 one of the best-looking fighting games ever made. Coming earlier this year as one of the biggest current-gen exclusive Unreal Engine 5 games so far, Bandai Namco’s acclaimed fighter was promising to be absolutely astounding to look at in the lead up to release, and it unquestionably lived up to that promise. From the stages to the character models to the often explosive effects we see on the screen, Tekken 8 has no shortage of tricks up its sleeve to make you stop in your tracks and marvel at its beauty.

#7. WARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE 2

Space Marine 2 is without a doubt one of the most technically impressive games we’ve played in a long, long time. For starters, it looks excellent, with gorgeously detailed environments, well-crafted character models, and excellent enemy designs. But of course, what’s most impressive about it are the many sequences and moments where you find yourself facing overwhelmingly massive hordes of enemies, when literally hundreds upon hundreds of foes are on-screen together, all barreling in your direction while you stomp around and mow them down. The fact that the game accomplishes all of that without any significant issues with its performance just makes it that much more impressive. It’s truly something of a miracle.

#6. BLACK MYTH: WUKONG

For about four years prior to its launch, every time we saw more of Black Myth: Wukong, one thing that stood out above everything else was just how stunning it looked- something that stood out that much more given the fact that the game was coming from a lesser-known Chinese studio with a nonexistent AAA track record. When it launched in August, Black Myth was thankfully exactly as gorgeous as it was touted to be. Varied environments, spectacularly designed bosses, and some of the most breathtaking vistas we’ve seen in games all year all come together in what’s easily one of the best-looking games of this generation (even if it does have the odd technical rough edge).

#5. FINAL FANTASY 7 REBIRTH

There’s no end to the things about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth that we can praise endlessly, and its visual splendour is high on that list. Obviously, we can’t ignore the fact that the game does suffer from some graphical inconsistencies, especially when played on Performance Mode. Even at its worst, however, Rebirth has a knack of looking impressive, while at its best, it’s drop-dead gorgeous. Its staggeringly large world is crawling with beautiful sights that are begging to be sought out and taken in, while on a PS5 Pro in particular, it looks absolutely stunning with little to no caveats.

#4. SILENT HILL 2

Silent Hill 2’s remake sparked a good deal of skepticism from many, which, given developer Bloober Team’s spotty track record up to that point, was fair to understand, but the one area where even the game’s biggest skeptics knew it wouldn’t disappoint was its graphics. That’s a department that always shines in Bloober games, and sure enough, Silent Hill 2 is an absolute looker. The decrepit eponymous town and the horrors that it hide are brought to life in spectacular and terrifying fashion, while Silent Hill 2’s familiar cast of characters are given new life by the stellar fidelity that the game now boasts. And yes, the fog looks amazing.

#3. MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator took our collective breath away when it launched in 2020, and still stands as one of the best-looking games around on any platform. Appropriately enough, Microsoft Flight SImulator 2024 turned out to be somehow even more visually impressive. Marginally gains are definitely setting in, which is unavoidable, but at the end of the day, even the most jaded person can’t help but be floored by the stunning level of detail, authenticity, and photorealism with which Flight Sim 2024 brings its grand vision to life.

#2. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL

Much like its predecessors, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a little rough around the edges, and with its slate of technical issues and its deliberately punishing nature, it’s definitely not a game for everyone. But boy oh boy is it a visual delight. GSC Game World’s open world shooter is easily among the best-looking games to have been released this generation. It boasts a staggering level of detail and fidelity across a huge world with impressive consistency. The game deserves all the praise in the world for the lengths to which it goes to make its world feel authentic, and to immerse players in its deadly setting.

#1. SENUA’S SAGA: HELLBLADE 2

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 certainly has its critics, and there are many who argue that it doesn’t hold a candle to its predecessor in a lot of ways that really matter. One area where it unquestionably makes huge strides, however, is the graphics department. Ninja Theory as a studio has always prided itself on pushing the envelope with what it does on the technological side of things, and this time, with the financial backing of Microsoft, the developer really went all out. Whether it’s its dark and grimy setting or the incredibly lifelike characters and their facial movements, the stellar lighting and the rich atmosphere it helps create or the spectacular animations that allow even gameplay moments to look like gorgeously handcrafted cinematics- from its first moment to its last, Hellblade 2 remains a visual delight.

As expected, Broly from Dragon Ball Z: Broly, is included with his Super Saiyan and Legendary Super Saiyan forms. Cooler, alongside his Final and Metal forms, is also present alongside Frost, Lord Slug, Janemba, Super Garlic Jr., and more. From the Super side is Cabba with his normal and Super Saiyan 1 and 2 forms and Toppo in his God of Destruction form.

If that weren’t enough, Super Gogeta and Goku (Mini) from Dragon Ball DAIMA are also available – the latter is a pre-order bonus. There are 181 playable characters in the base roster, with over 20 additional fighters added via the Season Pass.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO launches on October 11th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Stay tuned for more details en route to its release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORNt0DOcabQ

As expected, Vegeta and Goku have their Super Saiyan 4 forms alongside their fusion, Gogeta, and its Super Saiyan 4 form. Syn Shenron and Omega Shenron are also present alongside Baby Vegeta, Super Baby 1 and 2, and Great Ape Baby. Players can also control GT versions of Goku and his Super Saiyan 1 and 3 forms, Uub (the good reincarnation of Majin Buu) and Majuub.

Of course, Pan – the daughter of Gohan and Videl – is also playable. Based on the end of the trailer, there are more reveals to come, potentially from the films. If you’re looking for Vegito Blue or the Dragon Ball Super version of Broly, perhaps they’ll be revealed soon enough.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO launches on October 11th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Check out the previous trailer, highlighting fighters from the Majin Buu saga.

Taking to Twitter, producer and host Geoff Keighley revealed that Gamescom Opening Night Live will feature “a new look” at Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO. Bandai Namco and Spike Chunsoft’s upcoming 3D arena fighter has already received its fair share of trailers in recent weeks, but with its launch set for October, it makes sense that marketing efforts are ramping up. 

Earlier this week, Bandai Namco unveiled Android Saga characters for the game’s roster, while a trailer prior to that revealed Saiyan and Namek Saga characters.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO launches on October 11 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Other titles confirmed for Gamescom ONL include Civilization 7, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Marvel Rivals, among others. The event will also feature new game announcements.

Among the many characters that this trailer confirms for Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO are the likes of Android 16, Android 17, Android 18, Android 19, multiple different forms of Cell, two different Super Saiyan forms for teen Gohan, Dr. Gero, Mecha Frieza, King Cold, and more. Check out the trailer below for more details. 

Last month, Bandai Namco released a similar trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, revealing a host of characters from the Saiyan and Namek sagas. You can check out the trailer through here.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO launches on October 11 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The game will also be present at Gamescom next week, so expect more information soon.

The Saiyan Saga saw Raditz arrive on Earth, followed by the Z-Fighters, including Piccolo, Chiaotzu, and more, preparing for the battle with Vegeta and Nappa. The Namek Saga ventures to the planet Namek, with the cast seeking its Dragon Balls. Unfortunately, Frieza and his soldiers, including Cui, Dodoria, and Zarbon (both forms), await alongside the Ginyu Force.

Unsurprisingly, players can also control Super Saiyan Goku and engage in the climactic battle for the planet’s fate against Frieza at full power. Overall, the roster looks quite hefty, and that doesn’t account for the 20 characters in the Season Pass DLC.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero launches on October 11th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Stay tuned for more details and reveals in the meantime.

In an update detailing the game’s UI, customization mechanics, and more, the company has also offered details on its controls. Specifically, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will offer players with options for two control styles, with a standard option being joined by Classic controls, which will be much more similar to the controls of the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi games.

Selecting the classic controls will also impact clash sequences and their QTEs. As per Bandai Namco, however, the new Standard control scheme is going to be the default one, and is the recommended way to play the game.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 11.

Episode Battle recreates famous battles from Dragon Ball Z and Super, with eight playable characters. They don’t all have the same amount of stages – Goku gets the most, starting with his fight against Raditz till the Tournament of Power. On the bright side, some cutscenes are viewable in first-person for increased immersion, and you can even make choices resulting in different outcomes.

Custom Battle involves several “original battles” with unique win conditions and event cutscenes. Of course, you can set up battles with pre- and post-battle cutscenes and then upload them. Players can also “edit existing content along with Bonus Battles to use as a base,” which is a plus.

Finally, there’s Local Multiplayer for split-screen action, though it’s only available in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber stage. Since it was originally meant for single-player, it seems there’s “a slight inconvenience during character selection.”

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO launches on October 11th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Pre-orders are live now, with the Digital Deluxe and Ultimate Editions granting three days of early access.

Alongside announcing the release date, Bandai Namco has also revealed that pre-order pages for the digital versions of the game have gone live on all platforms.

The game will be available in five editions: standard, Digital Deluxe, Digital Ultimate, Collector’s, and Premium Collector’s. While the standard edition of the game won’t include any extras, the Digital Deluxe Edition will include three days of early access, as well as the game’s Season Pass, which will bring more than 20 more characters to the game.

The Digital Ultimate Edition includes content from the Digital Deluxe Edition, along with the Ultimate Upgrade Pack, which includes the Goku (Super) costume with Power Pole, an emote voice set, a customisation item, and two player card backgrounds.

The Collector’s Edition of the game includes all of the content from previous editions, as well as an exclusive Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero diorama and metallic bookmark. The Premium Collector’s Edition, which will only be available through the Bandai Namco Store, includes all previous content, along with a steelbook case, and 4 exclusive cards from the Dragon Ball Super card game Fusion Worlds.

Players that are pre-ordering Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO will also get access to Gogeta, Gogeta Super Saiya, Gogeta Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, Broly, Broly Super Saiyan, and Super Saiyan Broly Full Power without having to unlock them through gameplay, along with an additional playable character that hasn’t yet been announced.