Crytek went so overboard on the Crysis tech it created a whole blushing system, implemented nose shadows, and sent devs to photograph leaves in Haiti to get the translucency right...

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

Technology peaked with crysis for games and avatar for movies.

The first time I played Crisis, I was already in awe because of that brilliant sunrise opening scene. As I'm creeping through the jungle towards the next objective, I hear loud running water and decide to see what it is.

They put in an absolutely stunning waterfall off to the side, complete with rainbows and ferns growing up around the base. One of those few memorable, special times when a game had the right art direction, graphics tech, and hit at just the right moment for me to all culminate in a real feeling of wonder and joy.

I tend to be very cynical about games being able to do that to me anymore, and it is much rarer with how commonplace high-definition but artistically uninspired assets have gotten. But it still happens now and then, the last time being Elden Ring which did have impressive art and design, and did "wow" me several times.