Although graphics don’t always matter, and good gameplay elements can sometimes be superior, they still are an important factor that usually grabs ones attention in the first place. If a title isn’t visually appealing or doesn’t look interesting at first glance, it can be also harder to sell. Annually dozens of games come out, trying to amaze us and shock us. This year was no exception. In fact, choosing a winner for this category proved to be quite a challenge.

From Killzone 3 and RAGE to Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Uncharted 3. From Batman: Arkham City and Battlefield 3 to  Crysis 2 and L.A. Noire. From The Witcher 2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution to Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Mortal Kombat. You get the point – it wasn’t easy.

All of the mentioned titles represent one of the best, if not the best, technical marvels of today’s gaming. With high-resolution textures, special lighting and particle effects, realistic expressions and animations and what not. Without further ado, I present to you the winner of this year’s Best Graphics category:

Battlefield 3

Although EA’s so called ‘Call of Duty killer’ isn’t perfect gameplay-wise, it definitely manages to stun, shock and surprise visually. Ever since the first screenshots and trailers have been released, the title literally wowed players all around the world, making them think this was some kind of marketing trick. People were speculating and doubting that a game could look this realistic. They were curious and always wanted to see more. The ‘Fault Line’ gameplay trailer has surpassed more than 10,000,000 views and proved to be a hit. It created a momentum of excitement that only graduated as we approached launch. None of that wouldn’t be possible, hadn’t it been for Frostbite 2 – the engine that holds it all together. Battlefield 3 simply raised the bar. It gives us a sneak peak of what to expect in terms of next-gen consoles and hardware in general. It’s future-proof. However, it comes at a high price. To fully experience and appreciate this game, you’ll need a really powerful system to satisfy its needs. Think ‘Crysis 1’. It’s hungry, but it’s worth it 😉