Of course, fancy visual styles are not the only part of a game that makes it special. But they certainly do help immerse players into the worlds that they see on their screens. With that being said, it’s time to dive into ten moments from our time with current-gen experiences that have stood out enough to make us put down our controllers and gape in awe at what we were witnessing.

#10. Horizon Forbidden West’s Stunning World

From the very first frame of Aloy’s latest adventure, it was obvious that this was a world that was designed with a lot of care and attention. The Decima engine powered a world in which the flora, fauna, weather, and terrain all came together to create an experience that was sure to catch the eye and showcase the PS5’s graphical prowess in all its glory.

And don’t even get us started on the machines! The Tremortusk blew us away when we found one in the wild, while the Thunderjaw’s deadly ferocity was all the more resplendent with its next-gen makeover when compared to Zero Dawn.

Guerilla Games’ smart use of its opening credits to showcase the new world it had created for Aloy to explore was a display of sheer creativity and attention to detail that continues to be among our most memorable moments in recent years – it helps that it was made even better by a somber, haunting melody to accompany the montage of what the Forbidden West was set to offer.

#9. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’s Madagascar Set Piece

Nate and Sam’s adventures found a new lease of life when Uncharted 4 was remastered for the PlayStation 5 as part of Naughty Dog’s Legacy of Thieves collection. The studio certainly knows its way around a grand set piece, but the sequence but Nate and Sam’s desperate attempts to shake off an entire convoy of armed vehicles while on a motorcycle is one that we could replay over and over again.

With the improved graphics and a buttery smooth framerate courtesy of next-gen hardware, this chase sequence was an incredible showcase of what next-gen hardware could do even on older games. Every busy street, muddy road, or exploding vehicle was rendered in perfect detail while the tension of the chase added to the scene instead of being a distraction.

The flames from Nate’s crashed vehicle seemed all the more dangerous on next-gen systems, while Naughty Dog’s penchant for charming banter between its characters despite overwhelming odds made this sequence one that we will talk about for a long time to come.

#8. Ride 5 On A Rainy Day

Although we recommended that owners of the previous game give this one a pass, that does not take away from the fact that Ride 5 was an absolutely stunning addition to the next-gen lineup. It can be hard for any studio to truly nail down a first-person point of view considering the amount of detail that it would need to include in order to create an immersive and authentic experience.

Thankfully, Milestone s.r.l. was up to the task, crafting a motorcycle racing simulator that was perhaps easier on the eyes that it was on our hands considering its steep learning curve. However, taking a bike out for a spin was a treat, especially when the game’s excellent visuals and weather systems came into play.

Riding out in the rain with the game’s first-person view enabled gave us enough reasons to stop and take in the sights, racing be damned. Drops of rain bounced off our helmets, droplets impacting visibility, while the track shimmered with reflections just like a wet road would in real life. It continues to mesmerize us anytime we decide to hop on a fast bike and get to a race on its authentically designed tracks.

#7. Enter the Sandman in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

As if taking control of not one but two webslingers wasn’t enough, Insomniac Games’ new and improved take on New York City was an absolutely stunning sight to see in the early moments of Peter Parker and Miles Morales’ new adventure.

Taking on the Sandman meant that the Spider-Men would need to make each swing and leap count, and the game did not hesitate to showcase its incredible particle physics and ray-traced reflections at every turn. It was almost too good to be true, making us marvel at how far next-gen systems could raise the bar for visual flair and graphical fidelity in modern gaming.

It was on par with Uncharted 4’s bike chase, and perhaps even more thrilling considering that we were in control of actual superheroes in a game that truly made us feel like them as early as its opening sequence.

#6. Aiming For the Sky In Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2024

Honestly, this list would be incomplete if we didn’t include Microsoft Flight Simulator 24’s breathtaking visuals that brought a lot of technical wizardry to the table in an experience that would thrill even the most seasoned pilots while completely baffling newcomers with its level of detail and realistic take on what piloting aircraft would feel like.

Microsoft’s extensive attempts to establish authenticity certainly paid off with a level of detail that had us wanting to stay up in the clouds for as long as we could, admiring the world below us in a way that no other flight sim has managed to replicate in the years since its release.

For anyone looking to show off their next-gen setup, this game is definitely one that can do it justice.

#5. Akira Kurosawa’s Magic in Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut

Despite Ghost of Tsushima making its debut on last-gen hardware, Sucker Punch’s rendition of Tsushima Island contrasted the poignant and desperate tale of Jin Sakai with a beautiful world that was worth every drop of blood that the honorable samurai shed for it. Perhaps it was even worth his gradual abandonment of honor and tradition in favor of tactics that brought the Mongol army to its knees.

We dived back into Tsushima with glee when the Director’s Cut was released, and leaping on to Nobu (as we will always remember him) to rush through a field of flowers was even more breathtaking considering the PS5’s buttery smooth framerate and penchant for enhancing last-gen experiences.

Ghost of Tsushima continues to be among our favorite art styles and is a visual treat for anyone looking to experience Jin’s adventures for the first time, or perhaps dive back in for another bout with Kotun Khan’s forces.

#4. The Crushing Darkness of Hellblade: Senua’s Saga’s Opening

Ninja Theory’s follow up to the innovative and harrowing experience it brought its players with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice showcased a new level of visual fidelity and even more ambition than its predecessor in terms of how it aimed to present Senua’s declining mental state and her determination to bring justice to the Northmen who wronged her.

While every other entry on this list had us staring with excitement and wonder at our screens, this one brought deep blacks and incredible moonlit reflections to an opening sequence in which the sea and night created an atmosphere that was so oppressive it gave us the shivers despite us being safe and sound in our coziest chairs.

Senua’s struggles against the violent tides that sank her ships and her subsequent, desperate attempt to get to safety as the opening credits played out were a benchmark for how next-gen hardware could be used to bring realistic visuals to life in modern gaming. It helps that the game’s incredible audio design and a poignant narrative worked in tandem with its graphical grandeur to bring an experience that we wouldn’t hesitate to dive into again, chills and all.

#3. Death Stranding 2’s Introduction to Sam and Lou

We all knew Hideo Kojima’s latest masterpiece was going to make it to this list. But the manner in which it did continues to astound us. After a brief recap of events in the first game presented largely in black and white, grand and sweeping vistas that showcased the Decima Engine at its finest worked well with Kojima’s cinematic chops, creating an opening sequence that brought us back to Sam and Lou as they rested atop a mountain.

Taking control of Sam as he attempted to navigate the treacherous terrain to reach his new hidden home was nothing short of extraordinary, showcasing the size and scope of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach right off the bat while allowing Kojima to introduce aerial cameras and an honestly astounding level of detail to the world he created for his players.

It will continue to be an opening sequence that has us smiling each and every time, not just for the nostalgia it brings but for the immense beauty and spectacle of it all.

#2. The Dimensional Rifts in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

With our titular heroes being sucked into a journey that literally takes them across the space-time continuum thanks to Dr. Nefarious’ attempt to take control of the Dimensionator, Insomniac’s take on Dimensional Rifts in this vibrant title earns it another place on this list.

The worlds between worlds shine with colors that pop out at players while innovative puzzles ground their visual flair in a solid gameplay loop that made us slack-jawed at just how far next-gen hardware had taken one of our favorite franchises.

Rift Apart is the perfect blend of light-hearted humor, charm, and graphical flair, making each Rift we tackled a very memorable experience.

#1. The Matrix Awakens and Its “Unreal” Showcase

Epic Games gave us one of the most authentic recreations of The Matrix when it utilized the power of Unreal Engine 5 to showcase just what it could do given the right tools. The city that the demo took place in, along with faithful recreations of chase sequences had us wondering if we were simply watching footage from the original movies instead of a digitally recreated version of those events.

The demo blurred the lines between the real world and video games in a way that only Death Stranding 2 has managed to imitate with success. It is what keeps us very optimistic that next-gen gaming hardware is only getting started with what it can eventually bring to the table.

And that wraps up our picks for moments in recent years that had us stunned at what next-gen hardware could bring to life. Here’s to many more of those moments, and a whole lot of fun to be had as we bring them to you!

As mentioned previously, The Matrix’s many sci-fi concepts and its digitized world made it the perfect candidate for a video game. Unsurprisingly, the writer-director duo also thought the same – and even pitched a game to Shiny Entertainment way before the first movie even came out. But since the studio wasn’t interested in pursuing licensed video games at the time and because the Wachowskis couldn’t really explain the movie’s concept properly without visual effects and whatnot, Shiny Entertainment turned the project down. But once The Matrix was released on the big screen, the studio became really excited to create a game based on this property.

And as fate would have it, the Wachowskis would once again go on to pitch another Matrix game to Shiny Entertainment and this time – the studio readily agreed to make the game. However, Enter The Matrix would have to meet a rigid deadline coinciding with the release of The Matrix Reloaded – which made development and production cycles really challenging for the team. While the team somehow managed to push through all these obstacles and released Enter The Matrix in May 2003, the end product was anything but spectacular.

With a rating of 62 on Metacritic, Enter The Matrix felt like a rushed product by all means with a litany of issues in the visuals, gameplay, and technical stability department. And while the game did add story elements to the movies, many fans felt disappointed with the game since the game saw players controlling Niobe or Ghost instead of Neo, the protagonist of the movies. But like most licensed video game properties of the time, the underwhelming critical response did very little to affect the sales of the game, and Enter The Matrix has reportedly sold more than 5 million units in its lifetime.

Shiny Entertainment would once again get a shot at developing another game based on the franchise, and The Matrix: Path of Neo was released in 2005. Remedying the criticisms of its previous work, The Matrix: Path of Neo would see players controlling Keanu Reeves’ character Thomas Anderson in some of the most iconic moments of the trilogy. With a relatively easier work schedule and a broader amount of material available to draw inspiration from, The Matrix: Path of Neo was a much better and well-rounded experience. 

Sure, it wasn’t anything extraordinary, but Shiny Entertainment did a great job at capturing the spirit of the movies by letting players experience all these amazing sequences from The Matrix trilogy. And unlike the movie where Neo sacrifices his life for the greater good at the end, The Matrix: Path of Neo sees Neo surviving the final battle against Mecha Smith all while Queen’s “We Are The Champions” plays in the background. Hell, the Wachowski siblings even make an appearance in their 8-bit video game form before introducing this alternate ending to the trilogy. 

The Matrix: Path of Neo’s critical reception fared better than Enter The Matrix, with the highest Metacritic score being 73 for the Xbox version. But because there wasn’t any accompanying movie release to speak of, the game didn’t perform so well on the commercial front even though public sales figures aren’t known.

During the same year as Path of Neo, Monolith Productions also released The Matrix Online – an MMORPG set in the universe of the movies. The developer and Wachowskis had high hopes from the game, as they described it as the continuation of the movies. The Matrix Online had a few neat ideas of its own, such as how its classes worked and how pursuing missions for a particular organization would affect the player’s trust with the other two, and so on. Unfortunately or not for The Matrix Online, it was released at a time when the MMORPG market was becoming increasingly saturated – and not a lot of players subscribed to this live-service title. While Monolith Productions handed out the reins to Sony Interactive Entertainment who continued to churn out content for the game for a couple of years – The Matrix Online was finally shut down in 2009 due to low subscriber numbers.

Looking at the big picture, we can deduce what actually went wrong with the series. Enter The Matrix was a one hit wonder, solely on account of it being a licensed game that released alongside one of the most anticipated movies at the time. Its follow-up was a decent attempt at reimagining the franchise’s greatest moments in video game form, but because of the absence of an accompanying release – the game presumably failed to succeed on the commercial front. In a similar vein, The Matrix Online was a decent product, but came at a time when the market was already oversaturated with competitors all vying for the attention of subscribers. With two consecutive commerical and critical failures and no follow-up movie to The Matrix Trilogy, interest for a game based on the property slowly and steadily waned down to the point when no one started caring about a new Matrix game.

Jump to the current scenario, and The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 demo has once again re-ignited the flames of hope in the hearts of devoted fans across the globe. Considering the massive fandom garnered by this free-to-download tech demo and the recently released The Matrix Resurrections movie, logic would suggest that a full-fledged game on the property could be in the works. But practically speaking, there’s not even a flying mention of a Matrix game being in development anywhere – let alone leaks or detailed reports on the matter. Hell, even the demo itself will have been delisted from storefronts by the time this feature goes live. As such, it seems really unlikely that we are going to see a Matrix game any time in the future.

That’s a shame, because there’s no shortage of talent in the industry that would make for a great game based on this property. I’d personally like to see Remedy Entertainment take on such a project, especially after the amazing combat options and the ominous atmosphere the developer delivered in Control. Kojima Productions might also be a great fit for the idea, since Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty also deals with similar ideas of being trapped in a virtual world and Kojima is a master of sending the player down a never-ending rabbit hole of conspiracies and revelations which is also a recurring theme for the movies. While we could go on and on all day about similarly promising developers and ideas for a Matrix game, but it seems that the cold hard truth is that there’s most likely not going to be one – at least for the foreseeable future. 

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The official website has revealed that the demo will only be available in respective digital storefronts until July 9th. Those who download now can still access it past that date. If you’ve already claimed the demo, then you can re-download it later without any issues.

The Matrix Awakens demo is available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Created by Epic Games and Gears 5 developer The Coalition, it’s very impressive with 17,000 simulated vehicles on the road and 7,000 buildings, each consisting of millions of polygons. This is on top of the 35,000 pedestrians created with MetaHuman.

The demo has been received fairly well and also used in several independent projects and remakes – check out some of them here. For a more in-depth analysis of the demo, head here.

Please note that most of these fan projects are just concept demonstrations, and are not to be mistaken for upcoming releases of the same. Also, this feature is part 2 of the series – so do check out the first part in the description below. With that out of the way, let’s begin:

Halo

Created by developer Infinite Forges, this is a fan-remake of a section of Zeta Halo where Halo Infinite is set against. While the level itself doesn’t have much in the name of interactivity and combat situations, it looks absolutely gorgeous on a visual level. Highly detailed reflections, picturesque lighting, life-like foliage and terrain all combine to create a level that’s an absolute feast for the eyes to gorge on. The level is free to download on Itch.io, but interested fans would need a pretty beefy rig to run this project in high graphics details.

Metal Gear Solid 2 E3 2000 Showcase

Konami’s Metal Gear Solid burst onto the seams in 1998, and immediately wowed gamers with its twisted yet engaging plotlines, tactical espionage action, and of course – the memorable boss fights. Fans waited with bated breath for a good look at its sequel, and Konami delivered it with Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty during its E3 2000 presentation. Gamers across the globe were stunned by the sheer graphical powerhouse that was MGS2. From the massive scale of the Big Shell to at the time realistic facial models of characters to the rain-soaked environments, there was no shortage of impressive graphics in the trailer which finally ends with the much-anticipated 2001 release date.

Senua’ Saga: Hellblade 2

Developer Ninja Theory delivered one of the best single-player experiences of recent memory in the form of 2017’s Hellblade: Senua’s Saga which masterfully tells the tale of Senua – a patient of psychosis. Its follow-up, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is showing a similar promise, although the protagonist looks much more prepared to face the larger-than-life threats that lie in her way. Ninja Theory’s latest trailer highlights some great utilization of Epic’s latest technology, with impressive cloth physics, spot-on facial capture, volumetric lighting, photogrammetry, and so much more. Of course, the dark and dreary art style is the driving factor for this impressive visual presentation, but having a strong engine to work with definitely eases things up to an extent. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is currently in development for Xbox Series consoles and PC with an unconfirmed release date at this point.

Lighting

The Matrix Awakens has some impressive lighting technologies running under the hood, with the biggest one being, of course, Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen global illumination system. There are no additional sources of light except athe sun and some emissive materials on the sky meshes. The demo showcases plenty of ray-traced reflections for the use of indirect reflections – from the bodies of cars reflecting themselves as well as the surroundings on their glossy interiors to the pristine reflections of the world on mirrors and water puddles on the ground.

There’s also the use of volumetric fog and smoke, which can be seen in plenty during the car chase sequence. The sky model also seems to be utilizing some sort of photogrammetry as can be easily done through the use of Unreal Engine 5’s archives, which are all wrapped around some really dense and high-quality meshes. It’s a really ambitious setup of modern rendering techniques being used to such a degree, the likes of which were previously reserved only for pre-rendered in-engine or cinematic footage.

Character Models

The Matrix Awakens has a ton of character models, which are supremely detailed with gargantuan polygon counts. The skin has a high-quality mesh, and even the rather dull-looking lifeless NPCs that are created from the MetaHuman toolbox are a significant margin above what current-gen games have been offering up until now. Of course, the main characters like Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (played by Carrie-Anne Moss) are stars of the show and appropriately have some really great detailing including but not limited to the seemingly geometric rendering of individual strands of Keanu’s beard.

The hair physics also looks much more realistic, and there’s a lot more attention to detail in the facial animation department as well with spot-on motion capture and skin meshes reacting to the facial animation in a very realistic fashion. The materials on the clothes also have their own impressive physics and have their own high poly counts textures and meshes as they fly around – especially during the bullet-time sequence at the starting of the demo. The full-body animation gives it all away in the starting sequence, else it’s almost impossible for an uninformed person to distinguish whether the characters – at least the main ones – are animated or not.

Environments And Streaming Technology

The Matrix Awakens is set against the backdrop of the world of The Matrix, which is a huge city filled with a ton of buildings, and it dwarfs many open-worlds that have been released in recent times. The buildings have some impressive visuals, with high-polygon count surfaces made even more palatable and believable through the use of Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite technology. This same level of fidelity can be seen in the plenty of roads as well, all of which have small reflective puddles that coalesce to form a richly detailed terrain that’s also incredibly realistic. The terrain also reacts to bullet impact, as loads of debris fly all over the screen – as seen in the car chase sequence.

Car models, which again are plenty in number, are also highly detailed with exquisitely-modeled interiors and exteriors. While The Matrix Awakens is a tech demo, by all means, it is rendering a huge open-world without any form of loading screens. The Nanite technology also offers an infinite level of detail scaling with pop-in, which especially shines in this case. Of course, the vast memory pool of current-gen consoles and the tight integration between the SSD and other components provide a lot of help in this case – but what’s here is still really impressive. 

Destruction And Other Physics

Unreal Engine 5 has a highly reactive destruction system, which is referred to as the Chaos Engine. It shines brightly in the case of The Matrix Awakens as well, as both cars and other buildings are detailed physics objects that systematically destruct based on the direction and the severity of the impact. The car destruction works beautifully during the car chase sequence, as shooting the tires sends the high-speed cars flying out at great speeds – although it needs to be mentioned that’s more of a set-piece than an actual demonstration of the system. You can drive around the city in a variety of cars, which can be rammed into other cars on the roads and side-paths – which to be honest, isn’t the best demonstration of the physics system as it can cause some hilarious accidents with cars floating around roads like weightless objects.

Post-Processing

The Matrix Awakens has a pretty robust post-processing pipeline, with heavy use of per-object motion blur and depth of field effects being used in plenty. There’s also heavy use of volumetric effects and alpha particles in the presentation as well, as sparks and dust particles fly all over the screen when a car takes a sharp turn, or an explosion takes place. The demo also relies heavily on the use of Temporal Super Sampling to create a pristine-looking image to maintain performance levels.

Performance And Conclusion

Using a bevy of highly-taxing modern visual effects alongside a huge open-world free of loading is, as you might imagine, not easy on the CPU and GPU of even the current-gen consoles, even with the higher TFLOPs and SSDs. Much like what fans would expect from a movie, the game is locked at 24 frames a second and can even go lower if the scenario puts too much stress on the engine as well as the hardware. This can be seen while driving around the city in a vehicle – with performance levels starting to dip below the target as soon as you hit, say, 80 mph when there are some cars around.

In conclusion, The Matrix Awakens is a great showcase for the power of current-gen hardware and the possibilities it presents us for the future. The litany of visual effects and modern rendering techniques come together beautifully to create a virtual reality that isn’t far from the reality we live in. It’s certainly not perfect or consumer-ready for that matter – and it shouldn’t be, for it is ultimately a tech demo. If you have managed to get your hands on a PS5 and Xbox Series X, for the asking price of nothing – it’s definitely worth a try.

The Coalition have been Unreal Engine experts for quite a while, and earlier this year, made the announcement that it was going to make the shift from UE4 to Unreal Engine 5 (which launched in early access some months back) for its future projects. In the aforementioned Xbox Wire post, it was revealed that while the demo itself was created by Epic Games, The Coalition was responsible for “helping to refine and optimize their vision” on the Xbox Series X/S.

“A primary focus for them was on memory and performance optimizations to fully take advantage of both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S,” the post explains. “Because the experience features an incredibly large and dense world with a staggering amount of content, the first step was working on memory optimization. In that area, they worked with Epic to ensure the assets in the demo were set up to fully leverage virtual texture streaming and nanite wherever possible and tuned internal memory systems, especially on Xbox Series S, to ensure it all fit in the memory.

“On the performance optimizations side, the teams made some threading improvements to improve utilization of the CPU cores. They also made some Xbox Raytracing optimizations, resulting in performance wins of about 0.5ms. Finally, they enabled Vertical Sync tuning to ensure a stable FPS throughout the experience.”

This isn’t the first time that The Coalition and Epic Games have collaborated for Unreal Engine 5-related work, having showcased a tech demo for the engine at GDC in July this year.

As for what projects we can expect from The Coalition in the future, while Gears 6 is said to be in the works, it’s been suggested that the developer is working on a new IP as it’s next project, which, according to rumours, is going to be more experimental in nature.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a technical showcase without some raw figures. Epic Games has released a number of stats (via Digital Foundry) and confirmed that city as being 4,138 km wide and 4.968 km long with a surface of 15.79 km2 and14.519 km long perimeter. There are 45,073 parked cars with 38,146 being drivable (and destructible) 17,000 simulated traffic vehicles on the road (also destructible); and much more.

But perhaps most impressive is that there are 7,000 buildings made up of “hundreds” of assets, with each potentially having up to millions of polygons. This results in billions of polygons for just the buildings and doesn’t include the 35,000 MetaHuman pedestrians that have been simulated. It’s pretty crazy overall.

Check out the full list of stats for the demo below:

• The city is 4,138 km wide and 4.968 km long, slightly larger than the size of downtown Los Angeles
• The city surface is 15.79 km2
• The city perimeter is 14.519 km long
• There are 260 km of roads in the city
• There are 512 km of sidewalk in the city
• There are 1,248 intersections in the city
• There are 45,073 parked cars, of which 38,146 are drivable and destructible
• There are 17,000 simulated traffic vehicles on the road that are destructible
• 7,000 buildings
• 27,848 lamp posts on the street side only
• 12,422 sewer holes
• Almost 10 million unique and duplicated assets were created to make the city
• The entire world is lit by only the sun, sky and emissive materials on meshes. No light sources were placed for the tens of thousands of street lights and headlights. In night mode, nearly all lighting comes from the millions of emissive building windows
• 35,000 simulated MetaHuman pedestrians
• Average polygon count? 7000k buildings made of 1000s of assets and each asset could be up to millions of polygons so we have several billions of polygons to make up just the buildings of the city