Oblivion on the verry top of the frostcrag spire just looking down on the world

I'm a sucker when it comes to beutiful sights in the distance. The super poertal in Half-Life Ep 2 so pretty. I can't remeber any spesiffics, but i recall several games that had a really pretty area so i just sat and watched it for a coupld minutes.

The final fight between snake and liquid on the submarine tower, ahhhh.... closure...

That or the game timer reading 9 minutes as you beat your opponent into mush on DoW... i don't mean to brag but if there are gaming gods Ultrajoe is king of RTS.

Hmmmm... I'd say my biggest memories of jaw-dropping visuals were encountered on the N64, i mean sure, games like Crysis//Oblivion etc. do have amazing texture work and lighting effects and so on but they haven't really pushed the boundary in the same way that games such as Mario 64 have.
Nothing really convinced me that the world of gaming WAS changing as much as Mario 64//Goldeneye//OOT have, completely mind-bending what these programmers, designers and developers were capable of!

Others have come close to that level of shock, whether through the weaving of an immersive storyline and amazing visuals such as Half-Life.
Or my first proper sandbox experience with Gothic II, while not nearly as immersive in it's execution as Half-Life was, it really did give me the sense of being alone in a dangerous environment and with such deliciously satsifying visuals (for its time).

The Curse Of Monkey Island intro.
Most of Half Life 2's levels, specifically where you're riding to the top of the citadel.
The intro pf the original Half Life, which is similar to the above.
The Zanarkand intro, or the Blitzball scene in Luca, in FFX.
Getting a Zoo full of people, and releasing a T Rex and some lions in Zoo Tycoon.

I'll add to the half life choir, except mine is from the opening of HL2: E2. Once you're off the train, and looking over the cliff at the citadel, then the portal burst or whatever they called it knocked down the bridge behind you... For me one of the most awe-struck, beautiful moments.

Then of course there's setting foot for the first time on the Presidium in Mass Effect, or the space ship in Crysis... really touch to decide

Favourite: The Shivering Isles, after trying to attack the Madgod. Man, that is one hell of a view, even more so due to the fact you can pretty much predict what's gonna happen after you see it. Close second is the view from the Knights o' the Nine expansion when you meet you-know-who.

Also, Assassin's Creed for the Jerusalem thing (well, that and the time I piled up around 20 bodies by throwing them off the roof) and two instances in Parkan II, one being having just landed for the first time and looking up at the hulking monstrosity that was my ship, and the other being landing on a planet after having captured it and finding it fully operational with a bunch of warbots and everything flying around. Bioshock's underwater journey to Rapture was also quite astonishing.

Pretty much all of Oblivion. It's the kind of game that makes you subconciously mutter, "Wow" under your breath from time to time.

Just remembered one. In Final Fantasy 9, when you see Terra. And also the scene when you're leaving Terra.

Dawn of War: Multiple SM players dropping marines and dreadnoughts while teleporting terminators on one screen area.

Far Cry: View from any high point.

Hmm, while nothing particular comes to mind, I thought the bridge collapse at the very beginning of Half Life 2, Episode 2 looked very spectacular. Good physics on its part.

Any game in which an enemy explodes into a billion little chunks (I <3 soldier of fortune and painkiller).

Oh, and the entirety of Half Life 2 through Half Life 2: Episode 2

If by beautiful you mean moving. The end of Fable(Particularly the evil ending) was quite moving for me. Actually made me question why I'd wanted to try the evil route.

Seeing daylight for the first time in half life 1

Not being original, Oblivion. I have issues with the game`s immersion as many other people do, but I often made my character wake up just before dawn to watch the sunrise while travelling. That`s certainly pro-immersion.

Opening your eyes after being blasted out of the Aperture Science Facility and seeing and hearing the outside world in Portal. Bliss.

Lara Crofts Rack :)

The ending sequence of any R-Type game - you'll have earned it! ^_^

The Achievment Unlocked sign and the sound it makes. mmmmmmmmmm gamer points...

I was amazed by Crysis when the mountain shook and huge chunks of rocks slowly fell down it. Imagine that with 7.1 surround and a 28 inch monitor. One of the very few effects that I've ever applauded.

Excuse mewhile i go a little retro :P

In perfect dark:
- the sight of the crosshairs just over the enemies head with the farsight XR-20! (Loved tht gun so much!)
- Watching your rivals get cut up by the laptop gun auto-turret
- Sniping the guy, in the villa mission, on the wall out to sea... magic moment!
- Any of the chicago level - looked amazing for its time.

I'm sure there are more beutiful parts of other games... but that game was such agreat game for me, that i can't help but look back fondly at it :)

In STALKER, sitting around the campfire whith a bunch of fellow STALKERs and one whips out a guitar and begins to play. It is one of the few moments that you feel safe in that game.

The first time you blow an enemy apart with a shotgun in Gears Of War. Priceless.

As previously said, the climactic battle at the end of Mass Effect.

Sticking with Mass Effect, I'll also have to say the first time you see the Citadel, as you are flying in acquiring permission to land.

Sticking with Bioware (my favorite developer), in KOTOR the first time you see the Star Forge and realize how much it kicks the Death Star's ass.

When You see the GTVA Colossus For the very first time in Freespace 2.

J'aen:
The helicopter that comes to rescue you at the end of One Shot, One Kill in Call of Duty 4.
The train station after Ravenholm in Half-Life 2. Oh, evil murderous cyborgs, how I missed thee.
The cut scene at the end of Cortana in Halo 3.

Yes, yes and no...kinda...not sure. Don't own a 360 so I haven't actually played Halo 3 but the other 2 definitely. God I love that helicopter.

EDIT: Wait, I'm thinking of a different helicopter, the one at the very end of 'All Gillied Up', the one that narrowly saved my ass on the nth playthrough cos I kept failing. (Where n is a freakin big number)

when u first see the ac gunship attack in cod4
when the helicopter when u are about to die in final mission of cod4(even tho the bit before is a bit depressing)
and of course when u see akatosh fight dagon in oblivon

Wait, I've changed my mind about the third one. I'm changing it to when you see The Arbiter. Let me set the scene: You've just fought through probably the hardest level in the whole gorram game. You've rescued Cortana, and now roughly half of all the Flood in the universe are chasing you back to your ship. Once you get close to it, you see The Arbiter standing on a mound and using a gigantic flamethrower to keep the Flood at bay. I wish I could hug him, purely because he made so many of them die.

wicced466:
and of course when u see azura fight dagon in oblivon

azura? I thought it was Akatosh.

Mikaze:

wicced466:
and of course when u see azura fight dagon in oblivon

azura? I thought it was Akatosh.

oops my mistake i will edit

Soothsayers:

In Assassins Creed when you climb the cathedral view point in Acre

This is absolutely delicious! But you forgot that jumping off of it is even more awesome...

Oh, and I forgot to mention feeding animals in Okami. Very nice.

Deimos- UT3. The most beautiful map ever made.

A japanese battleship exploding into a giant ball of flame, then slowly capsizing and sinking beneath the waves. (Silent Hunter 4)

Dog raping a stryder near the end of HL2: E2

Eagle Est1986:
First seeing the outside world in Oblivion. I actually just stood there for a few seconds, taking it all in.

yeah, I would agree. when I first played oblivion I spent hours just running around and looking at stuff.

The Scene in Gears of War, in the first level, when the camera breaks away from your character, and it pans around to the big Greek-like structure (with the columns) don't know why, but it was really cool...