Zelda U looks amazing, but that 2011 tech demo was out of this world.

So no, not yet.

I think people's answer to this question would be quite subjective, so its hard to actually say if a game has done so.

In my opinion, I think some have come close, but none have matched it......yet.

Ignoring the fact that Graphics is partially a subjective topic...

The 2011 tech demo was impressive, but had a huge advantage over real games: it was two characters in a small environment. Actual games have trouble getting every single detail like that because they have to include larger areas, more moving models, shiny effects from magic, and so on.

I'm sure if a AAA developer worked at it, they could provide a more visually stunning room with two characters, but that would be a terrible game.

Besides, I do not think that the Wii U's best-looking games are TOO far from this standard.

Focusing on games in 3D environments (titles like Rayman Legends are bad comparisons), let's see what the Wii U has to offer.

Bayonetta 2

Mario Kart 8

Super Mario 3D World

Super Smash Bros 4 Wii U

Wind Waker HD

Note that all of these have a lot more going on than the 2011 demo did. Mario Kart 8, for example, has 12 racers, a long track, tons of moving and/o interactive objects, and so on. Compared to a guy and spider in a small room, that's a lot.

I thougth it was said it was a Wii U.

Being there are games on a higher level technically, if it wasn't, it should have been.

Hm... by cut-scene i mean it isnt gameplay, not that it isnt rendered in real time. Making a cut-scenes where everything is scripted and gameplay where the program awaits input and responds in real time are processes of different intensity. also, it has the advantage of not havin to render everything that isnt on screen. Any cut-scene will always look leagues better than the gameplay. 

So, my point is... if that Zelda footage was a game, it would probably not look as good. It must be compared with similar instances in other games. So... yeah, i would say Bayo2 is definitly better.

Meme Run.

All this Bayo 2 talk got me hunting down gifs

I agree with the bolded. IMO, those games rival or surpass the E3 demo (more B2 than MK8). My concern is that the Wii U will never reach its full potential because of its standing in the console race and Nintendo's desire to move on to greener pastures.

I too doubt we will ever see the full technical potential of Wii U; neither Nintendo nor third parties seem interested in exploring its capablities fully.

The kind of investment it would take to max out a system of its caliber just isn't likely to happen.