So what technically(meaning not by how it looks but rather by what it includes) is the second best looking game.

Far Cry 2

For those of you who don't get the joke, it's the same engine.  

^I so saw that comming

You are wrong naznatips. It's not the same engine ;>

EDIT: Ok, you are right in the case of the consoles versions ;( 

ALright without the crytek engine.

As of Siggraph 2007 (aug) Gears of War was for consoles.

I kind of like the way Half Life 2 Episode 2 looks on max settings. The source engine is still going strong.

I would say UT3 or something...but there's a little too much bloom lighting in that game...

Heh, well technically you're right too.  That's a picture of the PC version.  The console versions surely won't look anywhere near that.

That wouldn't apply to the original post question, because HL2 has never been a technically advanced game, despite looking much better than games that actually are.

I would say... eh... probably Bioshock. The game has a lot of shader effects going on, and everything is very detailed. 

@naznatips

Nope!

@sc94597

In what terms? Could we mention games that were astounding back at their time of release, or just the contemporary ones?

As for the contemporary one, Bioshock was a marvel (it's UE of course but the artistic style is overwhelming).
And back in its time CONKER Live (XBOX) and reloaded was breathtaking