I generally agree, but I don't think it's impossible for a game that sets out to create a 'realistic' environment to stand the test of time. You mentioned Halo, and I think so far that game has actually aged pretty well, certainly better than some games from four or five years later. Also, I'm pretty sure that I will never stop being awestruck by just how damn pretty Venice and Florence look in Assassin's Creed 2, no matter how old it gets, and that's a game whos actual graphical quality wasn't actually anything special when it came out. Good, but not exceptional, and it still never fails to make my jaw drop the views look so good. Mind you, it's kinda impossible to make Renaissance Italy not look pretty.