Wandering through Memoria in FF9. Such a gorram beautiful level, formed from fragments of your characters' memories. Just... beautiful.

More recently, I've been playing Legend of Mana, and I have to say for a PSX game, it's absolutely stunning. It's all in 2D (or 2.5D I suppose) but everything has been drawn and coloured so stylistically, it's an absolute joy to look at. Now if I could only work out what I'm actually supposed to be doing in the game...

I agree with the load of other people that are sayin oblivion is hot. Also i have to add the final vehicle section in halo 3 with the last jump. Greatest part of the whole campaign.

Bioshock - In the first level just after you have crashed the plane and landed in the water, the water effects are amazing. As you struggle to approuch the surface, as the plane whizzes past you, you can see the fire effect on top of the water. After reaching the surface I actually sat an admired the graphics for amount. The fire on the water actually looked like real fire, as did the water itself.

GTA IV - If you get in a helicopter and fly really high over a busy road you can see small lights resembleing the cars instead of detailed images, like in most games... This looks very realalistic and really gives you te impression of a huge open enviroment.

Also if at night time you go to one of the majour birdges, looking at the lights on the bridge, aswell as the bridge reflecting on the water is also quite nice. Several times I mistook this for TV instead of a game on the Xbox 360.

Jamash:
When you discover cool "set pieces".

Something like in a FPS game where you come across a secluded perch overlooking lots of bad guys crowded around a explosive barrel.

What is it with bad guys and their magnetic attraction to explosive barrels? But I love 'em for it.

Dropping your 1st nuke in C&C:Generals.

Cutscenes/intros from Starcraft.

The terrain in FarCry (not the game itself).

Bioshock.

The final blow against a difficult boss and then they writhe in a groaning cutscened heap going "argghhh-ooorgghhhhh".

No one mentioned Crysis?

... i'm going to go with the "death of aries" in FFVII... that scene still haunts me, after all these years...

Singularity Gun's blast in Crysis. Latest patch made it much more better looking.

Super Gravity Gun in the end of HL2,when you pick people up with it they have seizures!. I sometimes play that level over just to shoot Combine with lightning. SEIZURES!

Actually, i just think HL2 is beautiful in general. It really is a great looking game..

in battlefield 2142 when you're up against about 20 guys and a tank and a friendly walker comes and helps you...just beautifal...(and getting someones dogtags)
Every other moment in Hal Life 2
the ending to Turok evolution...why? Because it ended
A good portion of Daxter is very aestheticaly pleasing especially for a psp game

Moon-Goose:
No one mentioned Crysis?

I did! I think the reason it's not showing up so often is because it's environments are more aimed at realism than stylized beauty (like the forest sections of HL2: E2. Seriously great looking game though

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

hells yeah! god that thing was rediculous, i could take like 2 minutes just flying from one end to the other

shatnershaman:
In game-Mass attack with IG
Trailer-First Halo 3 trailer when you see Master Chief has the Assualt Rifle

you really like Halo.

Personally it was any moment in oblivion. But particularily the

But also the final moments with the boss in metal gear solid 3. I literally cried.
And in the graveyard with Old Snake in MGS4.
And when you submit to the torture and come across meryl's bloodstains on the concrete.

For me it would be these:

-The-tanker-leaving-port cutscene in Fallout 2
-Another World in general
-The sight of a helicopter and fellow marines evacuating in HL:OpFor, which then turns to horror as the G-Man slams the door in your face
-The final cutscene in Diablo:LOD is quite pretty

lots of parts in alone in the dark are particularly beautiful. I personally liked the part where you had to drive away from the destruction of the road whilst avoiding cars is simply amazing me and my friend were like WOW this is so cool.

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

Agreed.

Also, I'd like to forward the Call Of Duty Four: Modern Warfare moment--what else?--the nuke. Has a nice way of bringing people into the reality of the world with virtual reality. Really poetic.

For me
Samus Aran coming out of a save point when you load a game, Even the music is awesome

-The end of Portal when you are finally outside and you hear birds chirping.
-When you are in Xen in the first Half-life. It was so creative.
-Whenever you found a new part of Hyrule in Ocarina of time, like Lake Hylia, Gerudo desert, etc.
-I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of at the moment.

At the end of portal during the credits when you finally seee the cake

thought of another one. getting a plane in just cause,flying really high,and looking at landscape. it was a horrible game,but graphic-wise,it was great.

Watching the thirteenth colossus soar over you in Shadow of the Colossus:

First, I'd like to second a few things that people have already mentioned:

Restoring a Guardian Sapling in Okami. Watching the entire area just flood with life is truly a gorgeous sight to behold.

The final blow against a difficult boss in pretty much any game ever. Seeing that sucker FINALLY go down after trying again and again and again to beat him, her, it, or them...ahhhh. :)

Pretty much the entire world of Shadow of the Colossus. One of my favorite things to do in that game is find a nice, high clifftop with a stunning view of the surrounding panorama...spend a good few minutes taking it in...and then jump off. :D

And now, some stuff that hasn't been mentioned yet:

The dragon ride after escaping from the Draracle's Museum in Lands of Lore II: Guardians of Destiny.

The cutscene in Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen where Kain beheads Moebius. Especially if you've played the other games in the series and know what a tremendous bastard Moebius is. I literally cheered...and then reloaded from a save just to watch it a few more times. ;)

Similarly, the cutscene in Legacy of Kain: Defiance where Moebius gets skewered by Kain...and then again immediately afterwards in the Spectral Realm by Raziel. And then AGAIN when Raziel reanimates his corpse! HAH. TAKE THAT.

Also, I love swimming in World of Warcraft, especially in areas close to the shore where you can see all the underwater scenery--plant life, sunken debris, fish, etc. It's so peaceful. The very first time I played, I started off as a Draenei Warrior, and I swam around the entire perimeter of Azuremyst Isle just enjoying the sights.

i forget to mention how pretty i always thought the soul cailber games are. the valkire's level is real nice looking

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

agreed, i thought it was immense
also, having a fire spell on oblivion that does 85 damage over a 15 foot radius
then walking into a shop and setting it off
also the level on oblivion where you're in the dark brotherhood in that mansion killing them, i like using the arrow and making them fly off the balconies
also, MGS2 + 3 when you cap someone in the head and beautifully paint the surrounding area red as a result of it gushing out
finally, warcraft 3 (NOT WORLD OF TOSSING WARCRAFT) but warcraft 3, battle.net custom, and any TD featuring splash damage. It was awesome

forgot one
the interplanetary map thingy on mass effect
along with that really relaxing music, i spend about half an hour - an hour once just going through all the planet's and finding out the names and stuff
awe inspiring depth on a gigantic level

Back in SWG (Before it the new system, like 3 years ago.) when I found a remote island to place my house on naboo. Music and morning sky made it look beautiful.

Freelancer was packed to the rafters with eyecandy, but my favorite had to be in one of the Edge worlds (Tau or Omega something, I think) where you find a Neutron Star. That whole area was really pretty.

Also, the last level of Nexus: The Jupiter Incident.

KaiRai:
forgot one
the interplanetary map thingy on mass effect
along with that really relaxing music, i spend about half an hour - an hour once just going through all the planet's and finding out the names and stuff
awe inspiring depth on a gigantic level

yeah I loved going through that map and exploring all the worlds it listed, the music really was great.

Also, I should add Rome:Total War, the moment when a war elephant rips through a crowd of soldiers, trampling people underfoot and its trunk sending men flying through the air...

I thought of a couple:

Command and Conquer 3; usually I build about 20-30 Annihilator Tripods and just walk them through the enemy base with aggression switched on. It looks so impressive and just appeals to the nerdy 'life beyond the stars' kid inside me.

Oblivion. As it's been mention before, stepping out of that deep, dark sewer into the light with the trees and rocks and river is just breath-taking. It was the first game I got on my 360, and it was my first 'next-gen' experience.

Farah in Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Man she was so fit.

At the end of Warcraft III: Frozen Throne, when Arthas puts on the Lich King helmet, then sits down atop his icy throne and the camera zooms back to give a great view over the barren landscape. Just knowing that you've helped Arthas to become this all-powerful being is an awesome feeling. It's just too bad they're going to ruin it all in WoW by actually having you fight Arthas in the next expansive. He's invincible, I say!

As someone mentioned earlier, whenever you restore a guardian sapling in Okami. Actually, just about every single moment of Okami is beautiful.

This one might seem a bit odd/disturbed, but I found Silent Hill 2 to be beautiful. There are houses, restaurants, stores, cars, garbage cans, everything that would be in a normal city, but there's absolutely no one there, just the fog and the static. Creates an amazing atmosphere of loneliness.

Dynasty warriors 5 empires, me and my men getting slaughtered by 3 LT's and a general(maxed out on chaos mode.) Then Sun ce and Ma chao Come and Save my sorry Butt.

If nothing else The final quest and the ending of the final quest in Oblivion,That was just Epic.

Balls. Balls in a video game.

DRIVIN STRAIGHT INTO A WALL AT 270 MILES PER HOUR IN GRID!!!! VROOM VROOM BOOM!!!