Horror.com Forums - Talk about horror. - For the diehard PC Gamers

Most gamers are men, so when I talk about gamers, I refer to men. What's the known fact about men and their toys? We want faster, bigger toys. We want more power, more speed, we are genetically inclined towards the quantity and size of a toy. So, don't be surprised to see gamers like us shelling out $500 for a graphic card and $600 for a console.

We need no persuasion to buy an expensive graphic card, but as a true gamer you need to get yourself a new graphic card. And the reason is that the latest batch of mind-boggling games can only be enjoyed with an exceptional graphic card, which is Direct X 10 and SM (Shader Model) 4.0 compatible.

There are a few advantages and disadvantages with the new DX10:-

Pros:
Compatibility to play Next-Gen titles on your PC
Up to 8 Times faster than DirectX 9
The incorporation of Shader Model 4.0

Cons:
Available only for Vista
Requires a minimum of the Geforce 8 Series graphic card that means many may have to wait months before they can enjoy DirectX 10 games
A very expensive affair considering the operating system and the GPU

But you can hate it or love it, sooner or later you are gonna use it, or you might just switch to a console instead. Although the Xbox 360 is a Microsoft Product, it will not support DX10 as its hardware is incompatible.

The few games which are DX10 compatible are :-

Crysis

Crysis is to PC gaming what Moses is to the Hebrews, what Robin Williams is to Comedy, a Savior, Knight in shining armor, and a redeemer. Crysis is the best thing that happened to PC gaming after the "Cold War." I mean the Console war, both wars aren't that different though. Two sides fighting over supremacy with millions stuck in between. After the hype of advanced graphics on the two major consoles, no one seemed to pay attention to the already advanced PC. Until Crysis.

In Crysis, players take the role of Jake Dunn, a United States Delta Force Soldier sent into a mysterious island in the South China Sea to investigate an unidentified flying object that has crashed in the area in the year 2019. North Korea, a formidable force in the world, is the first to arrive at the scene. With the Koreans and the US Delta force looking for the UFO, trouble starts as they both try to find the UFO first. As a player, you will be battling it out with the Koreans and the Aliens as well, which guarantees intense action.

There are guns, vehicles, and the Nano muscle suit. Mr. Freeman had lent them his suit so that they could make something better, but they never returned it to him (Just kidding, for the uninitiated.) A Suit that lets you jump higher than any man, makes you stronger, and looks uber-cool.

It all just comes down to the graphics; well let me assure you that there is no doubt about the fact that this is the best-looking game on the PC ever. The game contains Dynamic Night and Day cycles, realistic weather effects, interactive and destroyable environment, Real-time shadow rendering, volumetric clouds, and very advanced AI.

No matter how much you expect, Crysis will surpass all expectations.

Alan Wake

Have you heard about this game or about the fact that the guys who made Max Payne are making a new title? Well, if you haven't, let me inform you that Alan Wake, a product from Remedy, is one more game that you should look out for. Alan Wake is called a "Psychological action thriller" and with many good reasons for the same.

The game follows the life of Alan Wake, the Best Selling Horror writer; his first book was based on dreams he started seeing prior to meeting his fiance. The book was a huge success, but then disaster struck. His wife suddenly disappeared, without a trace. Lonely and depressed, Alan became an insomniac and couldn't write any more. The game follows Alan as he seeks help. Alan tries to find a cure for his insomnia in a town called Bright Falls away from the city. There he meets a woman who closely resembles his missing fiance and after that he is able to sleep again. He starts getting dreams again and is able to write again; he starts writing a second book based on his dreams. As he writes something is happening to the town that resembles his dreams and his book. Alan ends up fighting for his life against a mysterious force who is afraid of light.

The developers have promised photo-quality graphics and an experience unlike any other. The game uses advanced pixel shaders and lighting and the most advanced shadow system ever. The shadows change according to the sun's position, which makes a huge difference to the gameplay. Let's hope we can get the game as soon as possible and start experiencing the nightmare.

Hellgate London

Hellgate: London is a very popular game in the community as it is backed by some of the best talent in the industry. With ex-Blizzard employees and a strong concept, we can expect a game that will entertain us for months.

HG is very similar to Diablo, in terms of gameplay. The game is set in London 2038, demons have invaded London from hell. The people were not prepared for them and fight a losing battle again the demons. A group called the Templar is trying to fight against the demons and save humanity. What follows is the struggle of man against evil.

The game is an FPS/RPG, similar to the recent Dark Messiah: Might and Magic. In this genre, the character build-up is more in focus as compared to one's "Aim." Although much has been released about the game, the game is still under development and we can expect a few changes.

HG looks amazing with very detailed characters and textures. The World, although very dull and dark, is splendidly recreated and there is hardly anything to complain about.

Shadowrun

This is a Multiplayer game based on the Shadowrun universe. The series has been running since the 1990s. Microsoft bought the company and acquired Shadowrun and plans to release a pumped-up and graphically stunning version this year. The game is multiplayer only and mixes magic and modern guns in a battle for survival. There are various races including humans and elves each with a racial benefit.

Each of the races has its own unique ability, like Elves can regenerate health; Trolls can turn into stone while taking damage. There are various other abilities like summoning a monster to fight for you, teleportation, resurrection, creating a Tree of life to heal allies.

As a player you can purchase guns, techniques, and magic after or in between each round. The game is fast-paced and full of intense action; add to that superior graphics and sound and you have a true next-gen epic. Not much is known about the game and hence we will have to wait for the demo (at least) to be released.

Unreal 3

UT2007 or Unreal 3, as it is called now, was developed for DX9, but it's based on the Unreal-3 engine, which is DX10 compatible. So technically this is a DX10 title, which is even better for the fans as that will guarantee better visuals. Unreal 3 has been developed for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 and will be releasing in September.

UT3 will follow a storyline in the single player campaign, although there aren't any details about it. As for the gameplay, the UT franchise is known throughout the World for their engaging gameplay. There are some classic elements as well as new ones added in this edition. Game modes like Bombing Run and Assault are no longer available although there are similar game modes. A new mode called Unreal Warfare is available, which is a mix between Onslaught and Assault mode. There are various new enhancements like new vehicles and guns.

UT3 or UT 2007 uses the renowned Unreal 3 engine, which has proven its worth already via the cult favorite Gears of War. The engine is currently the most advanced game engine and boasts of multiple licenses to various developers. Per-Pixel lighting and HDR are just a few of the advanced aspects of the engine, an engine that will shape some of the best games of the coming year.

Thats a few which I read about till now. I m sure the list will grow more comprehensive as the year progresses, so get ready to ditch the old graphics and welcome DX10 in all its glory with the newest GeForce cards.