(inspired by offtopic from a different thread)
As GOGers probably know best, in the beginning the graphics were... simpler. While in case of the more "arcadey" games, they were simply supposed to be recognizable for their own purposes (debatable), in adventure games a lot had to be substituted with text descriptions (which followed the genre faithfully, up to the point of the player clearly seeing an apple, clicking an apple and being informed that it is, in fact, an apple). Nowadays this is a lot less of a problems and it's hip to complain about how developers offer "only flashy graphics" and "no substance", to the point of almost hating graphics for being nice. So I take for granted that a lot of you will gladly share stories of how a game either captivated you with its story or the excitement of competitive (maybe even cooperative ? Let's stick with "social") gameplay... but don't you sometimes just stare in marvel at some wonderful yet completely IRRELEVANT phenomena ? Have you ever stopped your epic quest to smell the virtual flowers, enjoy the scenery and let the feeling sink in ?
Of course - I don't want to be too visually-biased. There's also the entire scope of audial arousal to be had, whether from ambient sound effects, mellodic NPC voices or impressive soundtracks.
Care to share some of your most emotional moments that weren't because of plot or points but contemplation alone ? Spoiler free if possible, please...

BTW - don't you dare say things like "this game is art", because ALL games ARE art and there's hardly any point in arguing otherwise (trust me). Although, obviously, there's always good art and bad art...

The most recent one i can remember was The witcher 2: flotsam village. at night. it was beautiful.

Another highlight from the witcher 2 is the casual banter you can listen to, it really makes you feel like you're sorrounded by ignorant smelly serfs.

I am so hooked on games that I have to literally poke at them as much as possible to make sure I don't miss anything possible using the character being played the first time through. There are some exceptions though, like if this isn't feasible due to taking too long or just being impossible due to game mechanics(time limits/etc)...but I try.

I "scan" each new room or area as best as possible, and if it's an outdoor area that isn't too large I look at all the foliage and such as I go along from area to area.

I'd wander for hours in the scenery of The Elder Scrolls Oblivion when it first came out and was impressed a 2nd time with the Shivering Isles. Grand Theft Auto IV I also enjoyed just wandering around, taking in the amount of detail that'd gone into things.

Other noteworthy games that stand out to me memorably for the scenery are Unreal Tournament 2004, Half Life 2, Metro 2033, Broken Sword & Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver (more 2 than 1)

Edit: Forgot Final Fantasy X and XI and also XIII (which looked gorgeous but was disappointing gameplay-wise)

I agree with WBGhiro
The Witcher 2
Outside flotsam at noon is just beatiful.

I'm running the game at high graphics but without the antialising and SSAO.
Sometimes I put everything on ultra just to see the graphics of the landscape. Of course, it gets unplayable.

Like serpantino, I have stopped and admired the views in Oblivion many times - even called in my husband to come look at them. I have never liked the character artwork in the Elder Scroll games, though - always think they're ugly as sin. The game that I find really enchanting is Gothic 2. There's just something about the atmosphere of that game that I find really beautiful. It's a place I'd love to live (once the Orcs and ravenous dinosaurs are cleared out, anyway).

I never wanted System Shock 2 to end and the first System Shock had me enthralled with it's sense of desolation and isolation. You read the audio logs (floppy disk version) and then found the body later, seeing what happened to them. This level of subtle horror is a feat that has yet to be matched in any game since this series (no BIOshock isn't part of it, sorry). A rare case where the sequel added onto the original and made a memorable contribution to the game and added MORE options rather than fewer.
(Daggerfall = custom spells, mounts, ships, real-estate, random dungeons, flight, climbing, smashable locks
Morrowind = custom spells, a house, flight
Oblivion = houses
Skyrim = undecided, Oblivion 2.0?)

Ultima 8 had a world that felt interesting enough to explore and didn't use levels in the traditional sense. It had organic environments and was just different enough that, while not the best Ultima, it stood out in it's attempt to deliver an action-based RPG with all the interactivity of it's predecessor and some new ideas (climbing, a spell that would end the world if cast, and the oil-in-a-bag shennanigans). It told the story in a very organic, see for yourself and read it in game sort of way that I still love when I see it emulated.

The game that had me constantly discovering new things to do and immersed me with it's sheer number of options was Jagged Alliance 2. To pick the lock, blow the door, shoot the lock off, or make a hole in the wall were all options. You could also find the key... if you want to be a MERC lame-o. Weapons attachments, which sector to attack first, what to take with, what to store, who to hire and where to hole up... A hell of a lot of choices that never felt overwhelming or detrimental to the pace of the game. Also, if you didn't like certain aspects of the game, you could select other options at the start, tailoring it a bit more to your liking (Sci-Fi VS "Realistic", etc).

Two games come to my mind:

First one is, unsurprisingly, Oblivion. Standing on the cliffs and watching sunset over Lake Rumare was totally breathtaking experience for me at that time.

Second one is Divinity II. I found the game visually stunning all the way (maybe except Citaldel exteriors). However, what made me really swoon over was the music. I love the whole soundtrack ( which is rare) and the fondest memory I have is from the throne room, asking for a song and getting Russian (or Ukrainian, still cannot tell) ballad.

:)

This is pretty much what I do, in fact its how I find so many bugs because I go places that the developers clearly never expected you to bother going and I find the bits they never quite finished

Or sometimes they do. That's how I found a basketball and devs' notes in Thief ;)

I really liked how the water looked in Morrowind. Still looks great today.

Need time to think it better, but right now, I can think of Realms of the Haunting.

Yes, it always amazes me when much is achieved with so little tech. So RotH impresses me way more than things like Crysis.

Not that pretty shiny things don't appeal to me. They do, but not as often. Sometimes, a bit of unrealism is awesome and many games miss it by sticking to the real life like enviroments.

Oblivion: south-east of Skingrad, near the region of The West Weald.

Little river with lots of rainforest-like trees and grass. Together with my Improved Water for Oblivion / SI = beauty.

Halo: Reach. The color pallet on this world, and the scope of your view in these wide open areas, really made me feel like I was on an alien world. This is meaningful to me, as I am a huge fan of science fiction, of all the wonderful things we hope for ourselves in the future (mumblemumblebutthegame'saboutblowingthingsupmumblemumble). I couldn't stop looking at the human spaceships too.

I liked the way a number of things came together in the Witcher EE.

Murky Waters chapter was a great contrast to all the others, from the the 'fields' where you could almost feel the heat of the day, to the sky/water transitions during the late afternoon/twilight/night transitions, both as you traveled by boat, and when you stood on the little island where you disembarked and could take it all in.

All of the little characters running around in the outskirts, temple quarter, and most other places also added to the overall mood of the areas they were in, as they were always mumbling or grumbling about something, and I often found myself taking my time as I traversed these areas, just to take in the atmosphere. It often felt as if life were going on around you, despite your little quests and direction.

Like everything else, it might not be for everyone, but there is certainly alot of polish that was put on the apple.