Help me find good games that justify better GPUs

[nitromullet]

I thought Black ops (a brand new release) was gonna give me a reason to upgrade my overclocked hd5750 (@1600x1200). I played it some today @1600x1200 4xaa everything on high, and fraps was giving me 50 to 75 fps outdoors with all hell beaking loose.

Any games that stresseed my card (Crysis, Stalker ect. ect. ect.) I allready beat and is old.

MOst games today are not taxing my system. I know there are a few exceptions but not many.

That was a silly assumption on your part. On the PC CoD is the WoW of shooters. It's designed to run on lower end hardware. Granted, sometimes they fail and it ends up running like ass on everything, like Black Ops.

 

[Fanofou]

I thought Black ops (a brand new release) was gonna give me a reason to upgrade my overclocked hd5750 (@1600x1200). I played it some today @1600x1200 4xaa everything on high, and fraps was giving me 50 to 75 fps outdoors with all hell beaking loose.

Any games that stresseed my card (Crysis, Stalker ect. ect. ect.) I allready beat and is old.

MOst games today are not taxing my system. I know there are a few exceptions but not many.

Derp derp, games aren't taxing my 5-year old resolution system, derp derp.

 

[nitromullet]

^This. Note the thread title. "Good games that justify a better GPU. I named some of the best games available for PCs that have excellent gameplay, and noted that older GPUs will run those games maxed out (except for AA) at 60 fps at 1920x1200.

In that case, it sounds like you don't need an upgrade. Enjoy your current card and games at the settings that work for you.

 

[RussianSensation]

Derp derp, games aren't taxing my 5-year old resolution system, derp derp.

The resolution argument does have some merit for stressing videocard performance. However, 1600x1200 is no 1024x768. If you think about it, it's possible to make a great looking game regardless of the resolution. Crysis at "Very High" at 1280x1024 0AA looks way better than HL2 at 2560x1600 8xSSAA. Resolution has always been the "key" argument presented by PC gamers of why consoles games look crappy, but it hardly makes a difference if you actually think about it. The reason console games look crappy is because the hardware in the consoles isn't able to push the same texture and shader effects.

For example, the rendered "graphics" in How to Train Your Dragon look a lot better to me on my 1368x720 42 inch Plasma TV than any videogame I have played on my 1920x1080P LCD. Realism in games goes far beyond resolutions (you need proper shading effects, physics, light sources, etc.)

Doom 3, Far Cry 1, Crysis - 3 noteable games that have pushed the boundaries of graphics. Regardless of what resolution you played those games at, they were better than anything else at the time. We haven't had a "Crysis" type of graphics game changer for 3+ years. At the same time, if the current hardware suffices, there is nothing wrong with not spending more than $$$ you need to

 

[nitromullet]

The resolution argument does have some merit for stressing videocard performance. However, 1600x1200 is no 1024x768. If you think about it, it's possible to make a great looking game regardless of the resolution. Crysis at "Very High" at 1280x1024 0AA looks way better than HL2 at 2560x1600 8xSSAA. Resolution has always been the "key" argument presented by PC gamers of why consoles games look crappy, but it hardly makes a difference if you actually think about it. The reason console games look crappy is because the hardware in the consoles isn't able to push the same texture and shader effects.

Textures and shader effects do have a lot to do with it, but you have to do a realistic comparison. Take something like Fallout 3 on a console running at 720p and Fallout 3 on PC running the game natively at 1920x1200 8xAA/16xAF, and you will notice the difference resolution makes. The textures in Fallout 3 aren't the most detailed on either platform, but the game still looks way better on PC.

This is especially true if you play them on the same screen. It's not really fair to say that your plasma across the living room at 720p looks as good as your 1920x1200 PC LCD 2-3' from your face. You aren't really seeing the details across the room, which in many ways is a good thing because you don't notice how crappy some of the console games really look.

For example, the rendered "graphics" in How to Train Your Dragon look a lot better to me on my 1368x720 42 inch Plasma TV than any videogame I have played on my 1920x1080P LCD. Realism in games goes far beyond resolutions (you need proper shading effects, physics, light sources, etc.)

You are viewing a recording of something rendered in software at a much higher resolution with much more powerful hardware. The pixels rendered in the movie are not being displayed 1-to-1 on your plasma, like they are in a video game on your PC running at native res.

 

[blastingcap]

Don't play crappy games just because they stress your new video card. Play GOOD games and if they don't stress the card, go Eyefinity/Surround and/or 3D.

 

[Silverforce11]

Console ports aren't going to push PC gpus. But if they have eyeinfinity or surround support, you can be sure that a mid range card has no chance with eye candy on.

Heck, can't even turn on AA in older games at 3x HD res. So if you enthusiasts are building an uber rig, it's kinda wasted on just 1080p.

 

[toyota]

Console ports aren't going to push PC gpus. But if they have eyeinfinity or surround support, you can be sure that a mid range card has no chance with eye candy on.

Heck, can't even turn on AA in older games at 3x HD res. So if you enthusiasts are building an uber rig, it's kinda wasted on just 1080p.

I get so tired of people saying that. the most demanding games are console ports. many of them add extra optional features that only a high end gpu setup can handle. AvP and Metro 2033 are good examples of this. heck even Lost Planet 2 and Just Cause 2 are pretty demanding when using all of their options. and that doesn't even cover the poorly optimized games such as GTA 4 that need a very beefy cpu and gpu to play smoothly on highest settings.

 

[taltamir]

Just to chip in on a tangent... Console ports are poorly ported, often in such a manner where you MUST have an uber GPU and CPU to compensate.
Of course, console ports are usually shitty games... so I usually have no interest in playing them.

 

[Axon]

The sole improvement that I could distinguish when I went 460 1GB SLI was that I could always maintain 60 FPS in Dalaran in WoW.

 

[exar333]

Dead Space 2 - another uninspired uncreative derivative from EA...

Test Drive Unlimited 2 - Who actually plays racing games? For that matters, who plays deer hunting, fishing, and horse racing games...

Shogun 2:Total War - really not my cup of tea, but if it is yours then enjoy.

Brink(may or may not be good) - with how games are going, its safest to assume bad so that on the off chance it is good, you will be pleasantly surprised... and with 9/10 games coming out broken (show stopping bugs) and less than half fixed via patches, even a good in theory game can be a disappointment.

Duke Nukem Forever(yes really) - That game has been "coming out next year" for 11 years now, and even if it does come out, I doubt it will be anything amazing... I am a huge fan of duke nukem though... so even a mediocre duke nukem game will satisfy me a lot.

Portal 2 - Nice, good chances of it being as awesome as the first, which was awesome... also good chance of it being as short as the first... but I bet it will be really satisfying 6 hours.

AC:Brotherhood - AC is getting somewhat recycled, and the DRM is murder... but it also stands a good chance to be a winner.

Ghost Recon Future Soldier(may or may not be good) - see comment about brink.

Homefront(may or may not be good) - see comment about brink.

Dragon Age 2 - Dragon age was one of the most amazing interactive movies coupled with one of the shittiest game-plays I have seen in a long while. Dragon Age 2 looks to be more of the same... and frankly I have neither the time nor patience to GRIND for 5 hours for 10 minutes of excellent interactive movie.

Witcher 2 - While the chauvinism was gimmicky and admittedly fun, the gameplay was weak and I never managed to bring myself to finish the first one... And I bet the engrish would be as horrible as the first one (although they did fix it up in the special edition)

Fear 3 - Yet another boring sequel.

Max Payne 3(may or may not be good) - see brink.


All in all, one game to really get excited about (portal) but will be painfully short, and a handful of "maybe" with a "big chance of fail" on those maybes... and as I said, 9/10 games are released broken, and most are never fixed.

So you hate PC gaming, I get it.

 

[taltamir]

So you hate PC gaming, I get it.

... seriously? that was uncalled for.

 

[RussianSensation]

Textures and shader effects do have a lot to do with it, but you have to do a realistic comparison.

Of course higher resolution does help when scaling the same game (i.e., comparing Fallout 3 on PC vs. consoles). However, the reduced graphics detail on consoles has more to do with the games running inferior shaders/textures/shadow filtering, etc. than the resolution imo. When Doom 3 came out, it looked great to me even at 1280x1024 compared to some games I was running at 1600x1200.

I have no doubts in my mind that Gran Tourismo 5 on PS3 will look better than any PC racing game out right now, despite running at 720P and probably with no AA/minimal AA. The detail in the car models will blow the doors off what NFS / Dirt 2 have on a 5 year old console. With PCs being so much more powerful, something like that shouldn't happen.

Of course, console ports are usually shitty games... so I usually have no interest in playing them.

Console gaming has brought to life some of the best games ever made outside of the FPS/MMORPG/strategy genres dominated by the PC. It's a shame so many PC gamers "hate" consoles. I surely would trade the entire NFS series in a heartbeat for Forza Motorsport 3 and Gran Tourismo 5. What about Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time? I still can't think of a single 3rd person RPG game made on the PC that can top this gem. The reason the best games from consoles don't see the light of day on the PC is because Microsoft/Sony and Nintendo keep them exclusive on their consoles for a reason - to attract gamers to buy their console for these exclusive titles. This is why you aren't going to see Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted 2, Ninja Gaiden II, etc. on the PC.

Why are PC gamers so anti-console "ports"? Just because a game is cross-platform developed, doesn't make it a console port. Metro 2033 is NOT a console port for example. It has major changes in its graphics engine made specifically for the PC such as DX11, tessellation, depth of field, ambient occlusion, etc. A console port is when a game was first developed for the consoles (i.e, GTAIV, Halo) and then ported to the PC years later with almost no graphical changes other than improved textures.

 

[notty22]

There is hope, there is NFS Shift II, and a Dirt III for 2011.
Hot pursuit,is kind of fun, but a big let down graphically. Not enough settings for car adjustment either.

 

[tweakboy]

Crysis engine Crysis 2 Engine upcoming. and UT4 engine.

other then that all these engines a 9800 GT can handle easy at proper res... thx gg and gl

 

[Vdubchaos]

There is hope, there is NFS Shift II, and a Dirt III for 2011.
Hot pursuit,is kind of fun, but a big let down graphically. Not enough settings for car adjustment either.

Wait you have ANY hope left in NFS series?

WOW

After Hot Pursuit 2 I have 0 hope left and the hope only went down more with each new release.

 

[toyota]

Crysis engine Crysis 2 Engine upcoming. and UT4 engine.

other then that all these engines a 9800 GT can handle easy at proper res... thx gg and gl

UT4 engine? the Unreal Engine 4 will not even be out until the next gen of a consoles. in fact the word is now that it is a "console only" engine anyway.

 

[RussianSensation]

There is hope, there is NFS Shift II, and a Dirt III for 2011.
Hot pursuit,is kind of fun, but a big let down graphically. Not enough settings for car adjustment either.

Dirt 3 I am looking forward to for sure.

Take a look at GT5 here. The level of detail is immense. This is why the resolution argument is a moot point for me when I see what can be done on "only" 720P.

 

[McWatt]

... seriously? that was uncalled for.

Honestly, it looked like you called for it while jumping up and down and waving your arms.

 

[Vdubchaos]

UT4 engine? the Unreal Engine 4 will not even be out until the next gen of a consoles.

Yeah, that will be the upgrade after next.

My next upgrade is most likely Q1 of 2011 (assuming there is something good out there and Crysis 2 doesn't fail us.....which I have a feeling it will with the focus on 3d/consoles and recent EA releases).

 

[taltamir]

Why are PC gamers so anti-console "ports"? Just because a game is cross-platform developed, doesn't make it a console port. Metro 2033 is NOT a console port for example. It has major changes in its graphics engine made specifically for the PC such as DX11, tessellation, depth of field, ambient occlusion, etc. A console port is when a game was first developed for the consoles (i.e, GTAIV, Halo) and then ported to the PC years later with almost no graphical changes other than improved textures.

... and? read through my posts and you wouldn't find a single mention of metro 2033!

We hate console ports because they are so badly done. Often so bad that the tuturial of a console port will tell you to press "X" or "square"... not having even bothered to modify it to display the actual keyboard command. Even if that isn't done, saving is crippled, the interface is crippled (console designed), the controls are crippled (console designed), the performance is crappy (bad port results in sub par performance on vastly superior hardware), and the graphics are crippled... that the graphics are crippled is the LEAST important issue in console ports.
And sometimes a "concurrently developed" game still manages to be a "console port" in the above ways.

The best console port I can think of is mass effect... where the interface was redesigned for the PC, difficulty adjusted but not in a terrible way, and so on... the one shortfall of mass effect was poor performance causing micro stutter (which I have documented using fraps data dumps into excel and analysis of said data) and the crippled graphics engine (no AA, etc)... and frankly that was acceptable, because at least they did the other things right.

I am not against the CONCEPT of porting a game... I simply hate how again and again they do a terrible job of it where the resultant just sucks.
BTW, its not just limited to porting a console game to the PC... I have seen horrible PC ports, where a PC game was ported to the console... and even console console ports that went horrible wrong (ex: the wii port of "the force unleashed" was a turd)

A lot of people in here are stereotyping the "PC gamer" is a graphics obsessed invalid... hence the assumption that the issue with "console ports" is "graphics are not uber mega awesome and don't utilize everything the PC has to offer"... that people in the thread were saying that console ports delay DX11 adoption is true, but that does not mean that said delay is the main issue people take with console ports, merely that it is the one issue that pertains to this specific discussion.

As for why I dislike console (exclusive) games... My guess is that companies that make exclusives are not out to sell a great game, they are bought and paid by the console maker to make an exclusive... I just find exclusives to be terrible games in general. They tend to be bland, unimaginative, uninspiring... I also notice that the rare exclusive that does really well (aka, that is actually good) tends to get ported to other platforms... for example, jade empire was an awesome game, it didn't remain an xbox exclusive for too long. This applies to xbox exclusives, ps3 exclusives, and wii exclusives... it does NOT apply to PC exclusives, only because the PC is an open gaming platform... MS does not take a cut when you make a PC game, you do not need to get approval, they are not involved in the development, and you have the ability to use any input scheme you want.

The only PS2 exclusive game I really liked was okami, although that was eventually ported to the wii...
God of war was meh (it got really annoying to have to backtrack massive distances with no map or directions... despite the delicious gore and brutality, which was marred by horrible PS2 graphics btw... plus quicktime events ruin otherwise fun cinematic since you focus on the commands rather then on the action).

Games I love:
Okami, Portal, Jade empire, Starcraft 1-2, Diablo 1-2, Warcraft 1-3 (not WoW, I hate MMOs), NWN (especially custom user made campaigns), and lots and lots of indie games...
I think a big issue with PC games I love is that the platform is open, a lot of great stuff came from mods and from indie developers who couldn't happen in a closed DRMed up the wazoo console.

 

[skyofavalon]

This thread is going to show how WEAK the gaming scene is in terms of graphics, thanks to consoles.

Consoles aren't holding PC graphics back, PC hardware is holding PC graphics back.We cant max everygame @ 1080 p 60fps as it is now. If graphics got any better we would be playing slide shows or turning the settings down.

 

[exar333]

Consoles aren't holding PC graphics back, PC hardware is holding PC graphics back.We cant max everygame @ 1080 p 60fps as it is now. If graphics got any better we would be playing slide shows or turning the settings down.

Its not about maxing every game out, but most games are NOT limted by hardware. Look at many popular titles like L4D, Portal, SC2, and FO:NV. They all run very fast on a good machine (not just uber-setups).

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Well if that 60 fps isn't a minimum then you could use an upgrade. That is if you like the experience of a flawless framerate + max eye candy. If you just want playably smooth then get a more demanding game.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Metro 2033 will force you to upgrade your gpu.