PC gamers are always on the bleeding edge of technology. When the next-gen consoles were released they were producing visuals that a high-end PC could generate. It didn’t take long for PC games to catch up, as new graphics hardware from nVidia and ATI have infiltrated the market and Microsoft has released DirectX10. DX10 games are now starting to become available, which generates visual effects beyond today’s most capable console.
PC games are also very tightly wound into multiplay via the Internet, so no special accounts or subscriptions are needed to experience the carnage… well, for the most part that’s true. Microsoft wants you to have an Xbox Live account to get the full experience from some of their “Games for Windows” titles. The games on our list of PC candidates have the most mind-blowing graphics ever developed, and usually require several thousands of dollars in hardware as a cover charge.
BioShock
Release Date Aug 21, 2007
| BioShock (Xbox 360) | ||
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$18.91 | |
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$19.25 | |
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Bioshock was one of the first “next-gen” games to come out this year, and was one of the reasons many PC gamers upgraded to DirectX 10-capable video cards. Bioshock is essentially a technology demo of just how realistic water can look running on a DirectX 10 engine. The storyline is innovative and satisfying, and the introduction of “Plasmids” added a whole new combination of ways to dispatch the crazed & mutated citizens of Rapture.
Crysis
Release Date: Nov 13, 2007
If Bioshock was the reason you upgraded your video card, then you’ll be cursing CryTek’s followup of Far Cry. The graphics engine is so advanced that you must have thousands of dollards of absolutely the latest hardware to get smooth framerates out of it. Unless you’re willing to upgrade to an SLI solution, then you’ll have to wait until next year when nVidia and ATI release their next-generation hardware to get good gameplay with all effects turned on.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Nov 5, 2007
The game industry has finally opened my angry letters and heeded my advice: You don’t have to live in the WWII universe to experience a great war game. The story mode is just as good as the other CoD games, complete with unexpected twists and turns. New online support adds a great multiplayer experience, and the graphics and audio are top notch.
The Orange Box
Release Date: Oct 10, 2007
| Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (Full Product, DVD-ROM, PC) | ||
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$29.99 | |
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The Orange Box is a video game compilation produced and published by Valve, which contains Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The Windows version was released on October 10, 2007 as both retail boxed copy, and as a download available through Valve’s Steam service.
Valve planned on releasing an additional compilation entitled The Black Box, which would have contained only the new material (Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2), exclusively for the PC, but was later canceled for retail, and will only be available through Steam to owners of the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT graphics card. These owners receive a voucher for a free copy of The Black Box through Steam which can only be transferred along with the graphics card.
World in Conflict
Release Date: Sep 18, 2007
Back when I was a kid, I was certain that there were only two ways that I would die. Quicksand or Nuclear Holocaust.
While there is no quicksand to be found, World in Conflict allows you to reminisce on the ADD-spawned daydreams you had during “Study Period” about the end of the world. This real-time strategy game has a great new approach, and makes multplayer gaming awesome. The storyline is strong, and the voice acting is Hollywood-quality. The graphics are great, especially for a strategy game.
Unreal Tournament 3
Release Date: Nov 19, 2007
It seems like tons of games were using the Unreal Engine 3 way before this game came out.
Many people who were excited about UT3 have been fans of Unreal Tournament since the beggining, and were expecting the same type of Super-Fragalistic gibbing. The third installment of Unreal Tournament feels entirely new, even though not alot has been changed (except for the graphics engine). This game is meant for hard-core multiplayer gamers, and it delivers. The graphics look phenominal and aren’t nearly as demanding as you might expect.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Release Date: Oct 2, 1007
