Current good PC games

[Chris]

Are there any PC games out that push current hardware and are actually really good games? Now that I THINK I have my PC finally working and am armed with a ludicrously powerful Radeon X800XT I want to see what it can do. I don't mean, for example, Doom 3. I played it and it was fun but it's not worth buying for me. I also already have HL2. I'm looking for suggestions like HL2 (except not HL2, like I said) and World of Warcraft, in which I am now able to turn up way more options and it looks incomprehensibly drop-dead gorgeous. Are there any other really high-quality and technically advanced PC games out there right now? There may not be and that's no big deal, I'm just wondering.

[Jake]

Psychonauts! err

Half Life 2 uhh

Doom 3

... Spore!!! hm no

Might want to just browse through ShackReviews' PC review list by date released? Here.

[manny_c44]

Splinter Cell chaos theory looks pretty good, probably not as good as games already mentioned though. Sadly the PC has become kind of second fiddle for developers, so graphics are more tied to consoles when they could be far better.

[Chris]

Hmm, kind of disappointing... Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War was the first one that looked like a contender. Maybe I should play through the KOTOR series or something.

[Nick]

Dawn of War is a brilliant game, I'm still playing it and loving it. The campaign is pretty rubbish but the online multiplayer can keep me going for hours and hours. It also does look really nice when you whack all the graphics up, and the ability to zoom right in and change the camera angle and wotnot makes for some amazing screenshots

Favourite game at present.

Edit: I think it's the kind of game that you need to play online quite often in order to get good and get the most out of it. Not that you can't have loads of fun playing it casually however.

[SoccerDude28]

Are there any PC games out that push current hardware and are actually really good games? Now that I THINK I have my PC finally working and am armed with a ludicrously powerful Radeon X800XT I want to see what it can do. I don't mean, for example, Doom 3. I played it and it was fun but it's not worth buying for me. I also already have HL2. I'm looking for suggestions like HL2 (except not HL2, like I said) and World of Warcraft, in which I am now able to turn up way more options and it looks incomprehensibly drop-dead gorgeous. Are there any other really high-quality and technically advanced PC games out there right now? There may not be and that's no big deal, I'm just wondering.

There are tons of wonderful and great PC games (unlike what Jake said ) that will push your rig to the limit.

Swat 4 from Irrational Games is a gorgeous looking squad based shooter, with a lot of tactical aspects to it. The demo is available for download so you can check it out.

Freedom force vs 3rd reich is in my opinion one of the best comic based games ever created.

You've got Pirates! from Sid Meier which is fun albeit it won't push your PC to the extreme.

Far Cry is another gorgeous looking shooter from Ubisoft.

Splinter Cell Chaos theory looks stunning.

Warhammer 40K is a good looking RTS.

Act of War is a very good RTS with excellent graphics.

Psychonauts of course.

City of Heroes (MMORPG that is second to WOW)

Chronicles of Riddick is breathtaking

Incoming is Pariah, F.E.A.R, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Age of Empires 3, Empire Earth 2, Starwars: Empire at war, Dungeon Siege 2, Half-life 2 aftermath, Auto Assault

Is that enough games ?

[SiN]

while i havent tried them yet, ive been told that Rome : Total War, and Pirates! are great looking games that are alot of fun.

SiN

[SoccerDude28]

Splinter Cell chaos theory looks pretty good, probably not as good as games already mentioned though. Sadly the PC has become kind of second fiddle for developers, so graphics are more tied to consoles when they could be far better.

How about this, will this push the limit here

This is the new unreal engine. Stunning eh?

[manny_c44]

Oh yeah, I know all about PC games that will look good sometime in the undetermined future, but Chris asked specifically for games that looked basically as good as HL2 and were also great games. I wouldn't put Chronicles of Riddick (shit) or SWAT 4 (not really that great looking)on a list like that.

[SoccerDude28]

Oh yeah, I know all about PC games that will look good sometime in the undetermined future, but Chris asked specifically for games that looked basically as good as HL2 and were also great games. I wouldn't put Chronicles of Riddick (shit) or SWAT 4 (not really that great looking)on a list like that.

Well nothing looks as good as HL2. It is the best looking game I've ever seen. But chronicles of riddick still looks stunning and it is a great port, one of the few games where the port is better than its console counterpart

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/chroniclesofriddick/review.html

http://pc.ign.com/objects/691/691009.html?ui=gamefinder

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-chronicles-of-riddick-escape-from-butcher-bay/?ui=gamefinder

And Swat 4 looks really great (except for the characters themselves) and it is hailed as the smart-man's first person shooter.

[manny_c44]

Yeah, those Riddick reviews are pretty strange maybe I didn't get it but I thought the game wasn't very good. It relied heavily on interaction, but it was embarassingly written and acted, like a bad version of that ancient game 'Kingpin', that's how it felt to me. The use of Vin was good, and the graphics are very good...I just wouldn't put it on the list because I don't think its worth the time.

SWAT4 is good, just won't push the hardware or surpass Doom3 or HL2. You know what I mean?

[loonyboi]

Well nothing looks as good as HL2. It is the best looking game I've ever seen.

I actually think Doom looks a bit better than HL2. HL2 has huge outdoor environments, but Doom's much flashier, and the enemies look much, much scarier. Half-Life 2's a better game, but Doom's got the better graphics.

As for good PC games: I just finished up LOTR: Batltle for Middle Earth the other night. I really enjoyed it. It's kinda bare bones compared to more recent story-driven RTSes (there is no story...if you haven't seen the movies, don't bother playing) but the gameplay's there and it's a lot of fun.

[JoeX111]

I actually just finished Riddick the other day and am currently replaying it. It's good, but man, is it SHORT. I realize that it is a console port, but my response to that is: "But they added more levels into this one, so the X-Box one had to have been CRAZILY short!"

The game also has a bit of an odd pacing problem. There are a few times where I would have liked to approach a situation in a stealthy fashion, but the game wouldn't allow it, triggering the nearby guys to know I was there instantly without even coming into their line of sight. The game works best when it is giving you a certain amount of freedom and when it is avoiding adding in things like

aliens

Still, you can now buy it for twenty bucks at CompUSA, which isn't a bad deal. I haven't tried out the commentary mode yet, but it definitely sounds intreguing.

[lailoken]

you could try Everquest 2, not in terms of gameplay, but aparently the graphics are such that there is no machine that can handle full details on that one...tho graphicstyle is shite so forget about it...

[Chris]

Everquest 2

BWAahahAHAHAhaahAHAHAHAHAH

EDIT:

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAhahahaHAhAHAAHAHAHAHAHAA

[MrHoatzin]

BWAahahAHAHAhaahAHAHAHAHAH

I laughed so hard I shedded shedddd shud shedied a tear cried.

[lailoken]

retards who are in the know know that I was referring to the processing power needed to run it with full detail, jeez everyone reads penny arcade, everyone knows that this stuff looks shite! *shakes head despairingly* but what did I expect...

on another note: it is just incredible how much you can do with how little (also going back to that whole "the new nintendo way" thing) comparing the soulless precision that is everquest 2 to the stylish beauty that is world of warcraft!

everquest 2 is the by far more demanding game in terms of hardware though, even more so than doom 3... that is what I was referring to, now fuck off!

EDIT: On another note again Chris, what did you get an X800XT for if you don't know what to do with it? You processing power whore!

[Chris]

Oh, believe me, I was laughing at those screenshots long before Penny Arcade mocked them. When they were first featured on GameSpot they became a running joke among my friends. Classic stuff.

[lailoken]

wow... I just checked out some other screenshots... and I guess they're even worse... I never really bothered before... WHO MAKES THESE GAMES??? They ought to be shot! So Chris... I got nothing... 'cause there is nothing! Again what did you get that X800XT for?

fool

[Chris]

Honestly, it's almost worth it for World of Warcraft alone. It's just absurd how gorgeous that game looks with ANY graphics card, but being able to apply the full-screen glow and all the shaders and raise the resolution a few notches is even more astonishing.

But mainly I just want a computer that will be able to hold its own for a few years. This is the first modern-game-capable PC I've owned in ages and I want it to last.

[Trithemius]

Hmm, kind of disappointing... Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War was the first one that looked like a contender. Maybe I should play through the KOTOR series or something.

KOTOR is not -that- graphically astounding. Might be good for some Star Wars shininess if that is what floats your boat.

I am going to say that Rome: Total War is pretty nice in battle mode with everything cranked. I am biased though because I am a wargaming freak and get my jollies from watching my troops march around.

[ysbreker]

Did you try trackmania sunrise? or Scrapland? It looks pretty damn sparkly and awesome on my system The only gripe with that game is the missed potential of the game :/

[BaconIsGood4You]

Silent Hunter III looks like it will make your X800XT cry (...well...no...). Got an 8.9 on GameSpot and sounds great. $30 at Game Stop, but DVD only.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Evidently it's all about the water.

[manny_c44]

No there are inside bits too...

I've never played a submarine game, sadly it doesn't have a demo so I'm deliberating on what to do.