Free-to-play games were once distinctly low-fidelity affairs, typically looking far less pretty than their retail counterparts. But as the model gains popularity, the graphics are improving too. Between new F2P offerings like World of Tanks and retail-turned-F2P games like Team Fortress 2, free's looking very good indeed. Blacklight Retribution lays claim to a visual first for the model--the first F2P FPS with DirectX11-enhanced graphics--and is showing off its wares in new screenshots and a trailer.

The Unreal Engine 3-powered shooter will leverage DirectX 11 for dynamic mesh tessellation, real-time scene-based reflections, radiosity-based lighting, MLAA full scene anti-aliasing, and multi-core processor support. It also supports the DirectCompute API, which uses the graphics card to boost processing power.

"In laymen's terms," explained lead designer Jared Gerritzen of developer Zombie Studios, "this means that not only will DirectX 11 make Blacklight Retribution run a lot smoother and look a lot better, it also optimizes the graphics for all types of computers."

Blacklight Retribution is the free-to-play follow-up to Blacklight: Tango Down, which was released as a $15 downloadable game last year to a mixed reception. Whilst Tango Down hit PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Retribution is only slated for PC. There's no word from publisher Perfect World Entertainment yet on when it'll launch.