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Just got a brand new PC - what games have I missed?

DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdooryou're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
edited June 2011 in Games and Technology
Hi PA

yesterday I picked up my brand new PC.

It is an i5 2500K system, with a GTX560 GPU, and 8GB of RAM. So pretty much capable of running anything.

My previous system had a decent GPU, a GTX460, but it was handicapped by an older processor a Core 2 Duo, and only 2gb of RAM, as well as being only Windows XP.

My question is...what great graphically intensive games have I missed?

I have considered Crysis, although I've heard mixed reports on how good the actual game is, I'm not looking just for something gimmicky that looks good.

I'm planning on getting Just Cause 2 now that I'm on Windows7 (since it doesn't run on XP), and in a few months obviously Deus Ex : Human Revolution is coming out. But besides those two, I'm a bit lost on games, as I've pretty much played nothing but Starcraft 2 since August last year, and I'm really keen to play any games that my older system couldn't run or perhaps couldn't run well.

Dhalphir on

Posts

  • chocoboliciouschocobolicious Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Get steam.

    Go to Direct2Drive and buy Fallout: New Vegas, as its only 12.50 right now at 75% off. Figure the rest out later.

    chocobolicious on
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  • MegaMekMegaMek Girls like girls. Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Crysis is actually a fantastic fucking game. It's also pretty cheap now. If you can grab the expansion cheap somewhere (Steam sale), you get the stand-alone Crysis Wars client (this is basically just the multiplayer component from the first game, with some improvements I think?), which will let you play this excellent mech-sim mod.

    Grab GTA4 if you haven't played it. It's a pretty fun game, despite not having some of the wacky stuff from San Andreas. The PC version used to be really bad, but most of the glitches and performance issues have been ironed out now, and your PC will run it really nice. Also lots of good mods!

    Get Shattered Horizons if you want a really unique FPS. Disorienting 3D space movement, big maze-like levels, takes a while to get in to. Looks reeeeal pretty.

    Sword of the Stars is a pretty good-looking strategy game, tho it's not everyone's cup of tea. You could look into that, I suppose.

    EDIT: Also, Crysis 2 is ok for a linear shooter. I think its closer to "just eye candy" than the first game tho.

    MegaMek on
    Is time a gift or punishment?
  • KlykaKlyka DO you have any SPARE BATTERIES?Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Haha Dhal, high five, I just got the same CPU and RAM about 1 1/2 weeks ago!

    Get the Assassin's Creed games (especially AC2 and AC Brotherhood) on PC!
    They are amazing and run/look awesome on a good PC!

    Klyka on
    SC2 EU ID Klyka.110
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  • MegaMekMegaMek Girls like girls. Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Oh god yes. And do Brotherhood MP so I have more people to poison.

    MegaMek on
    Is time a gift or punishment?
  • BiopticBioptic Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    The Witcher 2 springs to mind as one of the few PC games released recently that can actually take advantage of new hardware! Doesn't hurt that it's fantastic - but you have to be at least moderately okay with Action RPGs. Make sure to disable Ubersampling though, as it's designed for PCs that don't exist yet.

    Metro 2033 is perfectly playable on older hardware, but looks insane at higher settings on a good PC, and actually makes decent use of DirectX 11.

    Bioptic on
  • harvestharvest By birthright, a stupendous badass.Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Portal 2 has a nice look. It's not full of beautiful foliage or vibrant sunsets, but what it does it does very well. If you ever wanted to see high-quality rusted metal catwalks are you in for a treat.

    harvest on
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  • KlykaKlyka DO you have any SPARE BATTERIES?Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Oh yes of course Witcher 2!

    That was what I upgraded my PC for!
    Get it Dhal! GET IT! It is SOOOOOOOOOO pretty! And good and fun and awesome!

    Klyka on
    SC2 EU ID Klyka.110
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  • Mr_GrinchMr_Grinch Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Speaking of PC specs and the Witcher 2. I just upgraded my machine (well cpu and mboard), it's now spec'd at:

    i3-2100
    4gb RAM
    HD 5750-512mb (only thing I didn't upgrade).

    What kind of performance will I get out of the Witcher either at 1920x1080 or 1280×720? I'm pretty clueless on these things and normally don't play the most demanding of games.

    I'll also be keeping an eye on this thread for ideas of what to play next :)

    Mr_Grinch on
    Steam: Sir_Grinch
    PSN: SirGrinchX
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  • RookRook Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Mr_Grinch wrote: »
    Speaking of PC specs and the Witcher 2. I just upgraded my machine (well cpu and mboard), it's now spec'd at:

    i3-2100
    4gb RAM
    HD 5750-512mb (only thing I didn't upgrade).

    What kind of performance will I get out of the Witcher either at 1920x1080 or 1280×720? I'm pretty clueless on these things and normally don't play the most demanding of games.

    I'll also be keeping an eye on this thread for ideas of what to play next :)

    You'll be fine. Modern PC games seem to have a couple of options that don't really do much but tank framerate (Metro 2033 and it's Advanced Depth of Field come to mind). The only thing you'll need to be mindful of is having an updated set of drivers. The latest beta drivers nearly doubled my framerate in the game on an AMD card.

    Rook on
  • KlykaKlyka DO you have any SPARE BATTERIES?Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    The GPU is a bit underdeveloped with it's 512mb ram. I think you should be fine on medium settings though, maybe some high thrown in there. Check out the NEOGaf performance thread, they have some very good tweaks there!

    Klyka on
    SC2 EU ID Klyka.110
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  • TzenTzen Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    GTAIV
    Batman Arkham Asylum
    Dead Rising 2 (though I'm kinda bitter Capcom didn't release Case 0 or Case West for the PC)
    Mass Effect 1/2
    Left 4 Dead 1/2
    Chronicles of Riddick Escape from Butcher Bay (can't speak for Assault on Dark Athena yet)

    Maybe:
    Duke Nukem Forever (I enjoyed it quite a bit, personally)
    Dirt 3/NFS Shift 2/NFS Hot Pursuit/Burnout Paradise
    Resident Evil 5 (Great looking but tank controls are inexcusable IMO. Also, kinda uninspired compared to 4)
    Crysis (I dunno about Warhead or 2, but Crysis has this annoying shit where if you are hiding in the bushes and trying to shoot a guy from a distance, he can pretty much absorb an infinite number of assault rifle rounds unless you score a headshot. It's probably due to the fact that if you're somewhat far away the AI cannot seem to locate and pursue you. If you can get over that and let the game force you to play it ITS way, it's a decent game.)

    Free2Play: Vindictus, World of Tanks, Battlefield Play4Free (needs more maps)

    Tzen on
  • Mr_GrinchMr_Grinch Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Klyka wrote: »
    The GPU is a bit underdeveloped with it's 512mb ram.

    It'll be getting replaced with a HDMI 1.4 compliant card when I've done a bit more research on which are good for 3D bluray/gaming so it'll have to do for now :)

    Cheers guys.

    Mr_Grinch on
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    PSN: SirGrinchX
    Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
  • Big ClassyBig Classy Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Nothing. Wait around a fortnight and buy yourself a couplr dozen games during the steam summer mega sale.

    Big Classy on
  • DietarySupplementDietarySupplement Still not approved by the FDA Dublin, OHRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Big Isy wrote: »
    Nothing. Wait around a fortnight and buy yourself a couple dozen games during the steam summer mega sale.

    This. It's right around the corner and the deals are pretty redonkulous.

    Also Bad Company 2.

    DietarySupplement on
  • mere_immortalmere_immortal So tasty!Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Metro 2033 is pretty intensive with everything turned up.

    mere_immortal on
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  • AntihippyAntihippy Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    STALKER: Shadow of chernobyl and call of pripyat (be sure to play using the complete mods)
    Recettear
    Magicka
    Trackmania nations forever
    VVVVVV
    Audiosurf
    Mount & blade: warband

    For more offbeat and unique experiences.

    Also, secret of the magic crystal.

    Antihippy on
    10454_nujabes2.pngPSN: Antiwhippy
  • SciJoSciJo Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    MegaMek wrote: »
    Oh god yes. And do Brotherhood MP so I have more people to poison.

    Hell yeah! I didn't know if anyone was rolling the PC Brotherhood MP around here.

    Hmm, as for games..

    Beat Hazard (twin stick shooter powered by your music, a large update in the form of dlc is coming out soon)
    Dead Space 2 (surprised no one's mentioned this one yet, instant classic)
    League of Legends (one of those dota games, its so free)
    Terraria (its no Crysis, but its cheaper then MineCraft and has much, much more content)

    SciJo on
  • chocoboliciouschocobolicious Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I'm simply going to reiterate the 12.50$ Fallout: New Vegas. It probably wont get any cheaper for years. Not enough people are buying or playing this game.

    Also the quip about Terraria having more content then Minecraft is funny.

    Terraria has set content, which is nice, but Minecraft lets people build computers, that answer math questions using proper I/O pathways. Or make music. Or build Howl's Moving Castle.

    This, Terraria does not do. it lets you play for a dozen hours, get everything, then realize the building is 'okay' but not great. So you build a giant wang tower then never play again. It is a blast while it lasts, though.

    chocobolicious on
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  • fragglefartfragglefart Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Dead Space!

    Also Far Cry 2, while no Crysis, looks pretty swishy and is great fun.

    fragglefart on
    fragglefart.jpg
  • AntihippyAntihippy Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I'm simply going to reiterate the 12.50$ Fallout: New Vegas. It probably wont get any cheaper for years. Not enough people are buying or playing this game..
    Error: Fallout New Vegas Digital Collector's Edition is Country restricted on your IP.

    Me: *shakesfist*

    Antihippy on
    10454_nujabes2.pngPSN: Antiwhippy
  • SciJoSciJo Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Also the quip about Terraria having more content then Minecraft is funny.

    Terraria has set content, which is nice, but Minecraft lets people build computers, that answer math questions using proper I/O pathways. Or make music. Or build Howl's Moving Castle.

    This, Terraria does not do. it lets you play for a dozen hours, get everything, then realize the building is 'okay' but not great. So you build a giant wang tower then never play again. It is a blast while it lasts, though.

    To be fair, the two games serve different purposes. One is a sandbox whose purpose is largely building. The other is a world largely focused around adventure and exploration.

    SciJo on
  • ZxerolZxerol for the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't do so i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I reckoned Terreria akin to a more sandbox-y Spelunky when I played it.

    Zxerol on
  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    a lot of these games ran at max settings on my old PC, Core 2 Duo isn't THAT ancient

    thanks for the Metro 2033 and Dead Space tips, I'll chekc them out.

    Dhalphir on
  • ZxerolZxerol for the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't do so i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Honestly though, outside of a couple of outliers (such as Metro 2033, which seems to be a hog only for the sake of being a hog), there's really no game that even your old machine can't max out or get close to it. Yes, even Crysis -- goddamned thing came out in 2007, mind. That's just the state of stagnant PC graphics development. Maybe also the aforementioned The Witcher 2, only because it has an "ubsersampling" feature which probably was put in explicitly for those people who think they have entirely too much spare frames and need to utterly waste them.

    But you'll probably be on the cusp for Battlefield 3 though, because I'm sure that thing will be able to ruin everyone's rig.


    edit: also maybe check out the Total War games. I hear Shogun 2 is pretty boss and it will give your shiny machine a good workout too.

    Zxerol on
  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    well I think mostly the improvements for this PC were removing my CPU from bottlenecking, as the old machine was running a GTX460 and this one is on a GTX560, so not the largest of differences there.

    Dhalphir on
  • Big ClassyBig Classy Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    And here I am looking to upgrade to a 460. Always behind the curve.

    Big Classy on
  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    a 460 is still a hefty upgrade to the earlier stuff and is still current-gen. very good bang for your buck too

    Dhalphir on
  • chocoboliciouschocobolicious Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    I'm glad every new game isnt a bleeding edge PC upgrade anymore. Shucks to those people who demand it. I'll take my 'stagnant' pc gaming as it is now. wherein developers actually learn to use the power instead of simply making shitty, unoptimized hogs (Crysis when it first came out had no reason to run like it did.)

    chocobolicious on
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  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    MineCraft and Terraria. I don't think I'll ever need any more games now that I have them.

    Magic Pink on
  • DrakeDrake Edgelord Trash Below the ecliptic plane.Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    If parkour in a breath-taking near future cityscape sounds interesting keep an eye out for Mirror's Edge. It may have some rough edges but it largely accomplishes what it sets out to do, and in some very pretty environments.

    The Serious Sam HD collection is great high octane shooter fun with some pretty shiny graphics.

    And it's always fun (for me anyway) to get older games like Painkiller or whatever and run them all the settings cranked up at ridiculous resolutions and crazy framerates.

    Drake on
  • mere_immortalmere_immortal So tasty!Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Drake wrote: »
    If parkour in a breath-taking near future cityscape sounds interesting keep an eye out for Mirror's Edge. It may have some rough edges but it largely accomplishes what it sets out to do, and in some very pretty environments.

    Mirror's Edge can be absolutely stunning, it's art drection is fantastic.

    The gleaming buildings and sleek lines of the city with the large blocks of colour really make something special.

    Probably super cheap now too.

    mere_immortal on
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  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Just got Metro 2033 last night.

    It really is breathtakingly beautiful on 1900x1200 with every single setting at max.

    Dhalphir on
  • SoundsPlushSoundsPlush yup, back. Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Mirror's Edge is really excellent, and is one of the most satisfying games to play that I know of. I still fire it up occasionally just to run the Shard.

    Without knowing what you've played before (rig isn't much help, since I would have assumed you'd played Crysis since it scales well), I'll just reiterate some of the greats mentioned in this thread and a few new recs.

    Arkham Asylum is Batman at its best, and has some of the best combat around
    Witcher 2 is gorgeous and has excellent story and characters, as well as two very different games depending on your choices in Act 1
    Stalker: SoC and Pripyat offer atmosphere rivaled only by Metro, with much more freedom
    Metro is also great
    Zeno Clash is quirky and lovely
    Splinter Cell: Conviction is much more action-y than you'd expect from SC, but it's still quite good for the first 2/3rds, and the coop is great
    Just Cause 2 you're already planning to pick up, which is good because it's awesome
    Crysis has some of the worst writing ever, but it's got great gameplay and is a lot of fun

    And many of these will be on sale if there's a summer sale, so hold out. The Crysis maximum edition contains the very-short-but-good sidequel and will probably go for like $10.

    SoundsPlush on
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  • SpikeSpiegelSpikeSpiegel Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    You definitely should check out Batman: AA if you haven't already. Searching Steam for a couple hours could make you broke if you want to risk it. :P

    SpikeSpiegel on
  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    yeah i've played AA several times on my old PC at mostly max settings

    Dhalphir on
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