20 stunning screenshots of 2012

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Behind all the noise and violence, video games can at times be works of incredible, painstaking beauty a true visual medium to be ogled and admired. In celebration of this form of modern technical artistry weve collected 20 of the most stunning screenshots from games released in the last year and compiled them in the gallery above.

As youll observe, these arent average run-of-the-mill screenshots. These are images captured by enthusiasts dedicated to making games achingly gorgeous to look at by using mods, filters, and big-ass PCs. To appreciate the screenshots in all their immense glory, you really should view them at full size (click the icon in the top-right corner of each image).

Credit for these stunning images belongs to the exceptional hard work of the talented contributors of this NeoGaf thread, and expert screenshot getter Dead End Thrills.

Assassins Creed III

Image captured by: iNvid02

Mass Effect 3

Image captured by: Dead End Thrills

Hawken

Image captured by: Corky

Hitman: Absolution

Image captured by: Man From Atlantis

PlanetSide 2

Image captured by: Spazznid

Max Payne 3

Image captured by: KyleN

Far Cry 3

Image captured by: KyleN

Battlefield 3: Aftermath

Image captured by: KyleN

PlanetSide 2

Image captured by: Moaradin

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Image captured by: Alo81

Mass Effect 3

Image captured by: Dead End Thrills

PlanetSide 2

Image captured by: Corky

Mass Effect 3

Image captured by: Dead End Thrills

Far Cry 3

Image captured by: iNvid02

Lego Lord of the Rings

Image captured by: Man From Atlantis

Spec Ops: The Line

Image captured by: I NEED SCISSORS

Sine Mora

Image captured by: Corky

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Image captured by: Man From Atlantis

Dear Esther

Image captured by: Dead End Thrills

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition

Image captured by: Lime

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Every one of them worthy of framing and hanging on the wall amazing stuff and we look forward to seeing more from the screenshot wizards next year.

For more things to look at, feel free to browse our Best Video Game Fan Art or What Video Game Box Art Would Look Like If It Hadnt Changed in 30 Years gallery features.