With E3 2012 coming to a close for another year, like everyone else we’ve been blown away by some of the game which have been on offer. However, there have been a number of games which have produced some excellent graphics, making it unclear why there’s a rush to head into next generation gaming just yet. With life still left in current gen consoles, where developers are still pushing the boundaries, E3 highlighted that there’s some cool looking products coming over the next year or so. Here’s five we think are the best looking and really show off what current gen consoles are capable of.

Beyond

Quantic Dreams’ E3 trailer didn’t show off too much gameplay, but did provide a glimpse into some expertly crafted and realised facial animations conveying real emotive characters. Whilst it’s perhaps hard to even contemplate the UI and gameplay on offer, the cinematic direction, is top quality making for a grand looking game for PS3.

Halo 4

343 Studios already stated they were working from the ground up, re-imagining the long running Halo franchise and making it their own; well, aside from the live action footage, the actual gameplay is looking organic, and a real visual feast on the eyes. The good thing is, Halo 4 is coming sooner rather than later.

The Last of Us

Naughty Dog already push the boundaries with their Uncharted games, but their latest project is teaming with graphical quality that’s close to perfection on consoles. With the game being exclusive to the PS3, it shows that first party developers are striving to get the most out of the old hardware and are succeeding.

Crysis 3

EA’s Crysis 2 was already a great looking game and it looks like its successor is going to go one step future. With some great looking details and smooth gameplay, it’s a hope the console versions are as close to their PC counterparts as possible.

Black Ops 2

The Call of Duty games have seemingly used the same game engine for years, but when it comes to cinematic direction, Black Ops 2 is taking things to a higher plane. The game’s looks are very polished and with the story’s futuristic setting has meant some creative freedoms coming to the fore, making one hell of a nice looking game filled with character.

God of War: Ascension

The God of War games have always been big on scale, but this new game seems to push the boat out as expected and looks insanely polished and detailed. The animations are rock solid, making for an impressive visual tour de force that simply impossible to ignore.

Assassin’s Creed III

Ubisoft’s multi format release looks like continuing the strengths of the past games and taking the series in a more adventurous direction. With naval battles and frontier lands to play with, Assassin’s Creed III’s new Anvil Engine is bound to impress if the footage we’ve seen is anything to go by, making this one hell of a rich and detailed game to get excited for.

Watch Dogs

Last but not least, It’s not really clear whether Watch Dogs will also appear on next gen systems, but the demo which was probably running on PC looked spectacular. If current gen consoles can come close to this quality then we’re in for a treat. Watch Dogs was definitely a talking point not only because of its cool game world, but the slick presentation too.