“I hope they go back to it, but I love those guys and just want them to make a game they feel nails the Gears experience everyone loves,” wrote McIntyre when asked about whether he was upset that the trilogy started with Gears of War 4 never got a conclusion. “That’d be awesome. And hey, if that leads back to the trilogy, happy days.”

“We did Gears 4 and 5, and there was a suggestion that maybe there would be a Gears 6,” he continued. “But the team wanted to try something new, as I understand it. And honestly, it looks great. Can’t wait to play.”

As for JD’s ultimate fate owing to the events of Gears 5, McIntyre proposed his own solution for how The Coalition can bring the character back for a potential Gears 6. It essentially involves the Swarm somehow having revived the character and controlling him, and eventually even bringing in his father and original trilogy protagonist Marcus Fenix joining the fight to save him.

“I have a solve for that regardless of what you choose,” he explained. Hoping that Del is canon, Marcus loses his mind and goes rogue, and you learn JD has kind of been revived and controlled by Swarm, his dad has to fight him. But somehow you save him. Not sure how yet. Or if it matters lol.”

JD was introduced as a new protagonist in Gears of War 4, which also revealed that he was the son of Marcus. Set over two decades after the events of Gears of War 3, Gears 4‘s story revolved around the rise of a Locust-like race known only as the Swarm, as well as the COG, serving as the secondary antagonist thanks to its desire to bring Outsiders back into the fold.

While the story’s resolution turns the crew into allies of the COG, Gears 5 offers a fun twist on the story. JD, ordering a Hammer of Dawn to fire on large Swarm creatures in the midst of an evacuation, accidentally triggers the death of many civilians. The role of protagonist for Gears 5 is played by Kait, who starts having visions related to the Locust.

The next mainline entry in the franchise, Gears of War: E-Day, is slated for release later this year. The story takes place before the events of the first game, putting players in the midst of the Locust attack on Sera. Players once more take on the roles of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as they fight their way through the invasion in the city of Kalona.

Gears 5

The Gears series was always at the forefront of modern rendering techniques, and Gears 5 is obviously no different in that regard. Released in 2019, Gears 5 continues to impress with its gorgeous level of detail present in every aspect of the presentation, including but not limited to the environment, characters, and the sheer spectacle of the firefights on offer.

The Order: 1886

Despite its frustrating overreliance on then-outdated QTEs, The Order: 1886 oozed style and atmosphere. It’s steampunk story set within a vampire-enriched Victorian London expressed deep imagination too. Perhaps its sky-high expectation was ultimately it’s undoing but there’s enough here to warrant a sequel. Interestingly, developer Ready at Dawn have since been acquired by Meta, and Sony themselves renewed the IP as recently as December 2021 – a VR sequel, then, surely isn’t out of the question.

]]> 606230 https://gamingbolt.com/top-15-xbox-series-x-games-with-stunning-graphics-2024-edition Fri, 08 Nov 2024 16:32:13 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=603096 Visuals are something that Xbox has always strove to be on top of, even going back to the original Xbox. Games like Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and Project Gotham Racing (two series that need to come back) showcased the PC-rivaling power of the console. Of course, Xbox has always had a very close relationship to its PC brethren going back to the Half-Life 2 and Morrowind Xbox ports. Now, in 2024, Xbox Series X/S is the platform bridging the PC gap with previous PC exclusives like Microsoft Flight Sim coming to console audiences. As we approach the mid-way point of the Xbox Series X’s life cycle, let’s explore its most graphically impressive games. Here are the top 15 Xbox Series X games with stunning graphics.

15. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

The most immediately stunning aspect of Space Marine 2 is the gobsmackingly large swarms of enemies. Tyranid swarms are brilliantly realized here, with dynamic animations and a good amount of rendering detail even from far distances. This is all thanks to the proprietary graphics engine that Saber Interactive uses, aptly named the Swarm Engine. Seeing a giant swarm of enemies coming at you from miles away has never felt more amazing; more broadly, the Warhammer 40K universe has never been so beautifully realized than with Space Marine 2.

Speaking recently during IGN’s Unlocked podcast, Fergusson – who has been the Diablo boss at Blizzard Entertainment since his departure from The Coalition in 2020 – revealed that while he was still in charge of the series at the studio, the rough outline that he had put in place for Gears 6 was for the series to head to a new planet rather than continuing to be set on Sera. 

“Gears 6 was to leave Sera,” he said (transcription via GamesRadar). “That was something we were building to. If you paid attention to the story in Gears 5, you come across the UIR [Union of Independent Republics] sort-of rocket technology. We were sort of laying the seeds and the groundwork that in taking over that UIR territory, we’ve adopted their space program. So what I wanted to do with Gears 6 is take you off Sera to encounter what that could mean to the rest of the galaxy or, at least, the rest of the solar system. Not that you’d be hopping [between planets], but… it was old, Russian-era, sputnik-type tech, so we weren’t going to start Mass Effect-ing this. It was really about, ‘let’s get you to a new place to encounter what this looks like.'”

Of course, with the next Gears game set to be a prequel, it remains to be seen whether that’s still what The Coalition intends to do with the franchise with its next numbered entry- though clearly, we’re going to have to wait quite a while to find out.

Gears of War: E-Day is in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC. A release date hasn’t been announced, but reports have claimed the game is targeting a 2025 launch. 

UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END (PC)

Naughty Dog as a developer and Uncharted as a franchise are synonymous with pushing the boundaries of gaming visuals, and Uncharted 4 remains one of the finest examples of that. In particular, the game’s gorgeous graphics stand out when played on a powerful enough PC, shining a spotlight on everything from the beautifully rendered environments to the bevy of nuances and detail in every frame of the game, whether it’s cutscenes you’re talking about or actual gameplay.

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN (PC)

Detroit: Become Human can sometimes be a sloppy narrative experience, but purely from a visuals perspective, it deserves nothing but praise. Quantic Dream as a developer has always relied first and foremost on solid acting performances, and Detroit: Become Human’s stellar graphics and animations help strengthen that specific aspect of the experience in a way that is still rare to see in games.

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 (PC)

It’s hard to believe, even now, that Red Dead Redemption 2 achieves the level of technical brilliance it does at the scale it achieves it at, to the point where it almost feels like incomprehensible wizardry. From the gorgeous and lovingly crafted environments of its massive open world to the little details and flourishes that truly help sell the game’s vision of a dying American Frontier, this is a game that never runs out of ways to impress you with how it looks.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

Being over a decade and a half old at this point, you’d think that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots would have lost a lot of its visual luster (as so many other games from that era have). The fact that it still looks great, then, should tell you just how ahead of its time it was when it first came out. And that’s without a single re-release, remaster, or port of any kind since its original launch in 2008. Yes, MGS4 can look even more incredible when emulated on a PC, but even the original PS3 version is still a treat for the eyes.

ALAN WAKE 2 (PC)

One of the more recent releases in this group, and also one of the most astounding. Alan Wake 2’s visual identity is unlike any other game you’ll ever play, and while it does obviously deserve credit for having conventionally impressive visuals – what with its crisply detailed environments, its impressive lighting, or even its incredibly detailed character faces and animations – what it deserves even more praise for is how effectively it gets really weird with all of it, from the surreal environments of the Dark Place to the live action sequences that are intermingled with gameplay so well you can’t help but do a double take each time they show up.

HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST + BURNING SHORES (PS5)

For as long as Guerrilla has operated, it has been putting out games that end up nabbing a place in lists such as this one. Obviously then, Horizon Forbidden West makes it in here with tremendous merit. Though it’s no slouch on the PS4, on PS5 in particular, it proudly boasts a level of artistic creativity and technical brilliance that the vast, vast majority of games can only ever dream of. Its PS5 exclusive expansion, Burning Shores, only takes that even further.

RATCHET AND CLANK: RIFT APART (PS5)

Ratchet and Clank games have frequently been called playable Pixar movies, and while there’s always been at least a touch of hyperbole to that, no instalment has ever come as close to actually looking that good as the astoundingly beautiful Rift Apart. The obsessively detailed character models, the colourful and vibrant environments that never fail to pop on the screen, the spectacular animations that are so filled with joyful personality- all of it is an absolute joy to behold.

DEATH STRANDING (PC)

The very definition of a game that is unlikely to appeal to everyone who plays it, the one aspect of Death Stranding that you’re probably never going to hear criticism for is how it looks. Its vision of a desolate, isolated, post-apocalyptic America is brought to life in stunning fashion not only through cutting edge technology, but also some of the most visually striking art design we’ve ever seen in a game. Kojima Productions’ games always have a knack for doing that, but Death Stranding is the one game that exhibits that better than most.

KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS (PC)

If ever you needed proof that you don’t need a massive AAA budget and dev team to make graphical stunners, this would be it. Kena: Bridge of Spirits flies in the face of that notion with its picturesque, fairy tale visual aesthetic, which serves as a perfect blend between technical prowess and gorgeous art design. Throughout its dozen-hour runtime, the game never runs out of beautiful things to proudly display.

GEARS 5 + HIVEBUSTERS (XBOX SERIES X)

When Gears 5 came out, it was already one of the best-looking games we’d ever played (and still is), and somehow, its Xbox Series X upgrade made it remarkably more impressive. From its icy environments to its desolate deserts to the war-torn cities that it places you in, the game never runs out of steam on the visual front. Its expansion Hivebusters in particular is breathtaking to behold, and paints an exciting picture of things to come in the future.

GOD OF WAR (PC)

God of War has been held up as one of gaming’s highest watermarks in various respects in the five-plus years since its release. Its visuals especially are an area that gets that sort of recognition, and though there’s plenty of evidence to back that even in its original PS4 release, on a suitably equipped PC, the game’s technical prowess comes into even clearer focus. No matter how many times you watch Kratos’ muscles rippling as he beheads a monster with a violet swing of an axe, no matter how many times you behold the sheer scale of the World Serpent as he towers over you, it’s hard not to be impressed by what God of War achieves.

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 (PS5)

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s visual strengths can be easy to overlook (or even entirely miss) given the sheer speed at which you’re constantly moving in the game, but taking even a second to pause and pay attention to what the game’s showing you is enough to appreciate just how good it looks. Its New York is denser and more alive than ever before, its environments are filled with tiny details that many might not even notice, its character models are excellently built (the many Spidey suits in particular deserve special praise), and it all comes together to create a cohesive aesthetic for the game that gives it a distinctly authentic Spider-Man feel.

HALF-LIFE: ALYX

By their very nature, VR games often have to make cutbacks with their visuals to be able to do what they have to do as virtual reality experiences, but Half-Life: Alyx very much wants to have its cake and it too. And it does that in convincing fashion. Whether it’s the oppressive exteriors of City 17 you’re looking at or the claustrophobic environments of the game’s panic-inducing horror-esque sections, Half-Life: Alyx never fails to look incredible. Thanks to its nature as a VR game, in fact, it looks incredible in a way that basically no other game out there does.

A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM (PC)

Here’s another example of a game that manages to produce astounding visuals without having been built on a AAA budget, or by a AAA team. Though not exactly a tiny indie production, A Plague Tale: Requiem’s graphics still punch above its weight in consistently surprising ways. As a story-focused game, it is, of course, more reliant on those elements than it would be otherwise, and it is exactly because of its strengths in those areas that its compelling narrative is able to stand as tall as it does.

GHOST OF TSUSHIMA DIRECTOR’S CUT (PS5)

Ghost of Tsushima will forever remain one of the best-looking games of all time. We can say that without a shadow of doubt, because it has the sort of timeless aesthetic that can take your breath away no matter how old the game may be, or even how many times you yourself may have played it. The art design does a lot of the heavy lifting here, obviously, but even on a technical level, the game is no slouch (to say the least), something that’s doubly true when speaking about the PS5 Director’s Cut release in particular.

Armored Core 6 

FromSoftware has done an excellent job with Armored Core 6 and made this entry a glorious comeback for the long-running series. Taking place on the planet of Rubicon 3, Armored Core 6 tasks players to partake in increasingly tough battles against different kinds of mechs. There’s just a distinct sense of power fantasy that comes from controlling a heavily armed mech, and the developer’s signature difficulty makes sure that this power fantasy always feels earned.

Street Fighter 6 

Street Fighter 6 adds plenty of new elements to this long-running fighting franchise including but not limited to a full-fledged open-world, and it gets all the better for it. The core fighting mechanics are extremely solid, and it’s a lot of fun to experiment with different characters and find out what catches your fancy. Street Fighter 6 has a really high skill ceiling, and it makes climbing to the top ranks really fun with its selection of diverse game modes.

Mortal Kombat 1 2023 

Mortal Kombat 1 2023 is an excellent new fighter that’s easy to pick up but difficult to master. There’s just a vast list of combos available for each of the dozens of characters, and mastering each of these moves lists one by one is a consistently enjoyable experience. The combat really kicks into high gear on higher difficulties, where you must study your opponent’s moves and quickly devise a strategy to defeat them all in a matter of seconds – and that is something that will keep you coming back for more.

Dead Space Remake

Dead Space Remake is a faithful recreation of the 2008 horror classic, and developer EA Motive has done a job of cleaning up its many rough edges. What we get as a result is a modern first-person shooter that’s every bit as addictive as it is scary. Sure, the encounters are not as frequent as other action horror games – but Dead Space Remake offers plenty of player freedom with its selection of different weapons, abilities, and dismemberment mechanics which makes it all so endearing in the first place.

Hi-Fi Rush 

Tango Gameworks surprised us all with the recently released Hi-Fi Rush, which is easily one of the most well-designed games in recent memory. The entirety of the game world moves to the beat, and you must keep in time with the rhythm as you dish out damage to your foes. It’s a simple gameplay loop that manages to be extremely satisfying due to its rhythmic nature, and it’s made all the better through the use of catchy tunes among others.

Final Fantasy 16 

Final Fantasy 16 features over-the-top, fast-paced, hack-and-slash combat, which makes the resulting experience nothing short of extraordinary. The combat feels extremely polished and fast-paced, and using your abilities and weapons in creative ways not only looks really flashy but also provides a distinct sense of power fantasy. Add to that some amazing Eikon fights, and Final Fantasy 16 becomes a really addictive game.

Batman Arkham Knight

Batman Arkham Knight might just be the end of the Arkham games as we know, and it wouldn’t be an understatement that Batman went down in style. There are a few rough edges here and there, but Arkham Knight nails the rhythmic combat that the series is known for. The parry timings are generously large, the moves really flow into one another, and there are plenty of combat challenges for players to test their mettle.

Ghostrunner 2 

Ghostrunner 2 excellently builds upon what came before in new and interesting ways, and what we get is a sequel that is bigger and better than the original in almost every conceivable way. The one-hit one-kill mechanic is utilized to the fullest extent, and players are expected to do a meticulous ballet of wall slides, slashes, and slides to clear out large rooms of enemies. Ghostrunner 2 has a really high skill ceiling, which is what motivates you to go back and do it all over again – and that is what makes it all so intrinsically addictive in the first place.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus 

MachineGames’ delivered an excellent shooter with Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, which smartly marries the chaotic shooting of 90s first-person-shooters with modern gameplay conveniences and open-ended design. The New Colossus really embraces the chaos with dozens upon dozens of enemies filling the arena at any given point and the ability to dual wield any weapon type, and that makes the experience really fun and replayable.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is an excellent sequel that does a fantastic job of taking what worked in the original and ramping it up to eleven. Everything from the traversal to the story and the combat has been improved in significant ways, which makes it all the more addictive. Parker and Miles both have different movesets and special abilities and chaining them together to create a flurry of hard-hitting combos delivers a power fantasy like no other. Add to that plenty of combat challenges, and Spider-Man 2 becomes a really fun action game. 

Soulstice 

Soulstice is in many ways a glorious throwback to hack-and-slash classics like Onimusha, and it does a really good job of simulating that flashy combat design that made those games so great in the first place. Soulstice’s unique mechanic of controlling two conjoined characters also adds a fresh twist to the experience.

Lies of P

Lies of P tells the story of Pinocchio in a rather unique fashion thanks to its dark fantasy setting, but it’s an experience that has plenty to love as well. The combat draws heavy influence from Bloodborne, so it naturally revolves around striking a careful balance between aggressive strikes and calculative dodges. It also infuses some of its own mechanics like attachable prosthetic tools and customizable weapons into the mix, which makes it feel unique in a way. It obviously has a learning curve to it, but once you really get to grips with the systems – Lies of P becomes a really captivating experience.

Elden Ring

FromSoftware knocked it out of the park with Elden Ring, and it truly feels like an amalgamation of the developer’s best works to date. The combat system is still about managing stamina and carefully dishing out damage to your opponents, but what makes it so addictive is the sheer variety of weapons on offer. You can be a master sorcerer with a buffet of spells under your belt or you could be tank dual-wielding heavy swords. The challenging enemies and compelling NG+ options make it really difficult for players, which is what makes Elden Ring so much more addictive. 

Wild Hearts

Wild Hearts might have looked like a Monster Hunter ripoff at first glance, but the game was able to legitimize its existence upon launch with its fun gameplay and unique set of crafting ideas. The Kemono battles offer a diverse set of challenges to overcome, and you can use your knowledge of the Karakuri technology to craft interesting solutions to these challenges. The progression loop and the general smooth-flowing gameplay loop makes it all really addictive, and fans of Monster Hunter should definitely check this one out.

Gears 5

Gears 5 puts players in the shoes of Kait Diaz as she embarks on a grand quest to find the origin of the Locusts, and it’s a journey that’s punctuated with some really amazing firefights. The cover-based third-person shooting has been refined to an immaculate sheen and everything from the feedback to the balance and intensity are on point – which makes it all such an amazing experience. 

Back 4 Blood

Turtle Rock Studios’ Back 4 Blood is a glorious tribute to Valve’s Left 4 Dead series, and while it definitely has a few flaws – that doesn’t detract from the fact that it is a really fun time with friends. There are plenty of enemy types and the encounters do a good job of mixing things up on a consistent basis, which makes it a consistently enjoyable experience that’s even better with friends. 

Forza Horizon 4 In Winter Season

Playground Games has established its reputation as a developer with a penchant for delivering games that consistently hit a high level of visual fidelity, and its premier franchise Forza Horizon is emblematic of those very strengths. Right from the environments to the car models and weather effects, Forza Horizon impresses with its striking attention to detail. Take for instance Forza Horizon 4, where seasonal changes can dramatically impact the visual and gameplay feel of the experience by a significant margin. The snow rendering is a particular highlight in this game, which not only looks great with proper terrain deformation when skirting along snow but can also cause your car to slip and slide in a realistic fashion – which adds a level of mechanical tension to the gameplay proceedings.

Red Dead Redemption 2

It’s incredible to revisit Red Dead Redemption 2, especially in light of the greedy re-release of the first game. The attention to detail, visuals, presentation, pacing and characterization are still on another level after all these years. The Van der Linde gang’s agonizing fall was a compelling story, told from the perspective of Arthur Morgan, an incredible protagonist. That’s without experiencing all of the activities and stories the world offered when you weren’t skipping baths for several days or committing dishonorable acts.