While style is typically more impactful than substance (what you "do" in a game is more impactful than what you "see"), there is no denying that some Dev Studios have put some amazing artistic effort in to their game worlds.
With so many VR Titles released over multiple platforms in recent years, it is possible to have missed out on certain visual gems.
For those of you who have encountered something in VR that is purely visually stunning (regardless of your GPU power), feel free to share it here.
I'll go first, with recommendations in two categories:
Best overall visuals in the VR App.
Best scene in a VR App.
I would recommend, as the best scene in a VR APP, Albino Lullaby. There is a free-fall experience that lasts for over 2 minutes and, imo, is absolutely breaktaking and remains unrivaled.
Watching it in 2D won't do it justice, but here is the flat gameplay footage of that free-fall scene:
The best visuals overall goes to ioMoon. To-date, I have not encountered another VR App that has both the grandeur and uniqueness of the world of ioMoon. It has one of the most stunning space sequences as well as the most beautifully intense alien world.
Really, it depends. For some apps (which I am NOT mentioning the name of), I want it as realistic as possible. With others, a cell shaded art style works **bleep** well. Some games do wonders with cartoony graphics, while others are amazing with a plastic/clay asthetic. Still others can get a lot of milage out of low poly graphics. It really just depends on the game, it's genre, and if the game it's self is well made.
I've played a few games with incredible graphics, super realistic, but the actual game play was so bad i quit almost immediately. With others the graphics were basic or sub-par, but the game play is amazingly good. Kartong is a good example of that.
Lo, a quest! I seek the threads of my future in the seeds of the past.
Some games do wonders with cartoony graphics, while others are amazing with a plastic/clay asthetic. Still others can get a lot of milage out of low poly graphics. It really just depends on the game, it's genre, and if the game it's self is well made.
Well said. Completely agree with all of that. I really appreciate it when Dev Studios take the time to create unique assets that result in unique worlds and encounters. There are so many standard assets that get regurgitated and re-used that the moment I find myself in a virtual world that is nothing like what I have seen before... I can't help but slow things down so I can take it all in.
There are great games with great graphics... yet are simply not "unique."
On example is Robinson's The Journey. I absolutely love that game! I was obsessed with getting every achievement. However, not matter how much I enjoyed the game while dedicated many hours per day to completing it... at the end of the day I have to admit that just about every visual is something I have seen before. It doesn't take away from the hard work put in to the games ability to create a compelling experience! But what usually drives me on to the next experience is that hope of finding something truly "unique."
The idea of encountering uniqueness is something I am always chasing. I created a thread on this forum about Book Recommendations. And in my first post, I go on about how most stories are a regurgitation of things I have already read. Especially when it comes to the manner in which a story ends.
Whether is it novels, music, film, video games, or VR Experiences... I am always looking for that unique thing.
Using store bought assets is convenient, especially if you don't have the artistic talent to make your own assets, or the money to pay someone to make custom assets for you. But yeah, it can be tiresome to see 50 games that all use the exact same wall and prop assets.
Lo, a quest! I seek the threads of my future in the seeds of the past.
