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.
Posts
Go to Direct2Drive and buy Fallout: New Vegas, as its only 12.50 right now at 75% off. Figure the rest out later.
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.
Get the Assassin's Creed games (especially AC2 and AC Brotherhood) on PC!
They are amazing and run/look awesome on a good PC!
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.
That was what I upgraded my PC for!
Get it Dhal! GET IT! It is SOOOOOOOOOO pretty! And good and fun and awesome!
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
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
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.
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)
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.
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
This. It's right around the corner and the deals are pretty redonkulous.
Also Bad Company 2.
Recettear
Magicka
Trackmania nations forever
VVVVVV
Audiosurf
Mount & blade: warband
For more offbeat and unique experiences.
Also, secret of the magic crystal.
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)
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.
Also Far Cry 2, while no Crysis, looks pretty swishy and is great fun.
Me: *shakesfist*
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.
thanks for the Metro 2033 and Dead Space tips, I'll chekc them out.
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.
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.
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.
It really is breathtakingly beautiful on 1900x1200 with every single setting at max.
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.