The Extreme HW Game List - 2023 Edition

[Sir Beregond]

1 hour ago, Slaughtahouse said:

On second thought, I may for a tech deep dive review on PC before Alan Wake 2 arrives….

 

The resolution vs. upscaling recommendations are a little concerning. I knew it was going to be a GPU burner since it is Nvidia sponsored, supports Path Tracing, and well… because light itself is a key mechanic.

 

However, when a RTX 3070 is recommended for effectively 720p (1080p DLSS quality) @ Medium settings with Low Ray Tracing… for 30 FPS!?… something doesn’t add up. Either whomever drafted the chart doesn’t understand upscaling OR the game is very poorly optimized on PC.

 

Alan Wake 2's PC specs are here - and they're as scary as the game itself

WWW.EUROGAMER.NET

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Remedy has revealed the full system requirements to run its highly-anticipated sequel, Alan...

 

Wow. Pretty soon my 3080 Ti is going to feel inadequate at 4k RT 

[Slaughtahouse]

2 hours ago, Sir Beregond said:

 

Wow. Pretty soon my 3080 Ti is going to feel inadequate at 4k RT 

It must be an error.... I think I see some red flags. 

 

First, an RTX 3070 is approx. 50% faster than an RTX 3060.

Spoiler

Sources: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-rtx-3060-12-gb.c3682 https://www.techspot.com/review/2211-geforce-rtx-3060/

 

 

 

Second... If we look at the chart, they're effectively saying that a 3060 = 3070.

Spoiler

Left column:

1440p @ balanced (0.58 resolution)= 2,138,112 pixels

Result x 30fps = 64m pixels per second.

 

Right column:

1080p @ performance (0.50 resolution) = 1,036,800 pixels

Result x 60fps = 62m pixels per second

 

It's the same throughput / render load (3% variance) yet they're recommending a card 50% faster? Math isn't mathing. Edit: Also, I am skeptical that when Ray Tracing or Path Tracing is on, a faster CPU isn't recommended. Too many red flags.

Edited October 22, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Slaughtahouse]

2023-10-25 Updates

 

Small changes to the sheet (just Metacritic scores) but I would like to highlight the following recent releases:

Title Name

System

Release Date

Metacritic Score (PC)

Metacritic Score (Console)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder	NS	October 20, 2023	N/A	93%
Marvel's Spider-Man 2	PS	October 20, 2023	N/A	90%
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 24, 2023	TBD	78%
Cities: Skylines II	PC, PS, XB	October 24, 2023	75%	TBD

 

 

Honestly, all of these games look great in their own right. I'm playing through Super Mario Bros. Wonder at the moment and having a blast. Honestly, top contender for GotY for me and super fun to play co-op. A lot of my co-workers are playing Spider-Man 2 and enjoying every moment of it. Cities: Skylines II is suffering some performance issues (mentioned before) but has potential to slowly grow into one of the best city management games out there. Seriously, I'm excited to play it, though... I will wait maybe a year or two while things get patched out.

 

Also, the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection (Vol. 1) is also out now. It's capped at 30 fps / 720p for MGS 1 and 2: Sons of Liberty. 3: Snake Eater goes up to 60 fps / 720p native. Not 1080p as previously mentioned by Konami (sus)... However, PC modders already (lol...) have unlocked the resolution cap so you play at 4K. Just be aware that the UI may break (doesn't scale correctly?).  https://www.eurogamer.net/metal-gear-solid-collection-fan-quickly-releases-4k-mod

 

Last but not least, I want to share a few trailers that dropped today. @ENTERPRISE

 

As well as...

 

Cheers and happy gaming  

[ENTERPRISE]

18 hours ago, Slaughtahouse said:

2023-10-25 Updates

 

Small changes to the sheet (just Metacritic scores) but I would like to highlight the following recent releases:

 

Title Name

System

Release Date

Metacritic Score (PC)

Metacritic Score (Console)

 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder	NS	October 20, 2023	N/A	93%
Marvel's Spider-Man 2	PS	October 20, 2023	N/A	90%
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 24, 2023	TBD	78%
Cities: Skylines II	PC, PS, XB	October 24, 2023	75%	TBD

 

 

Honestly, all of these games look great in their own right. I'm playing through Super Mario Bros. Wonder at the moment and having a blast. Honestly, top contender for GotY for me and super fun to play co-op. A lot of my co-workers are playing Spider-Man 2 and enjoying every moment of it. Cities: Skylines II is suffering some performance issues (mentioned before) but has potential to slowly grow into one of the best city management games out there. Seriously, I'm excited to play it, though... I will wait maybe a year or two while things get patched out.

 

Also, the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection (Vol. 1) is also out now. It's capped at 30 fps / 720p for MGS 1 and 2: Sons of Liberty. 3: Snake Eater goes up to 60 fps / 720p native. Not 1080p as previously mentioned by Konami (sus)... However, PC modders already (lol...) have unlocked the resolution cap so you play at 4K. Just be aware that the UI may break (doesn't scale correctly?).  https://www.eurogamer.net/metal-gear-solid-collection-fan-quickly-releases-4k-mod

 

Last but not least, I want to share a few trailers that dropped today. @ENTERPRISE

 

As well as...

 

Cheers and happy gaming  

Nice! 

 

I am looking forward to getting Vol1, looks like it is a good thing a waited as there was a few hiccups on release by the looks of things.

[Slaughtahouse]

Alan Wake 2 Performance Benchmark Review - 30 GPUs Tested

WWW.TECHPOWERUP.COM

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Alan Wake 2 is out soon, with incredible graphics, but demanding hardware requirements, too...

 

Important note* Native rendering is NOT available within the settings menu. It requires a .ini tweak. All performance results unless otherwise stated are at native rendering.

 

 

Spoiler: Rasterization modes still have a level of Ray Tracing, even when Ray Tracing is disabled.

Edited October 27, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Slaughtahouse]

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-gaming-e27ba10c-cf66-40ac-95ec-4f36fb320650.html

 

There data must refer to "hitting" exclusively and not sustaining but still, shows how impressive 2023 has been, especially in contrast to recent years. I'll see if I can quickly add a VLOOKUP to my workbook with "Best of 2023".

 

[UltraMega]

Maybe it's just my phone, but these charts are not very visable for me. 

 

 

[Slaughtahouse]

52 minutes ago, UltraMega said:

Maybe it's just my phone, but these charts are not very visable for me. 

 

 

 

Might be the dark mode. As that seems to invert the text colour (globally) white or a super light grey, including the text in my sheet that I copy/paste. On the default colour scheme,it shows as intended. Snip below. Dark mode would either have to exclude that text in this situation or adjust my sheet. 

 

Thanks for flagging. Not sure if there is an easy solution on the backend  I can refrain from copy / pasting it from the sheet going forward as a temp solution . If I just copy / paste the text and put those updates in bullet point, it should work with the current config of dark mode.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Slaughtahouse
Added more context, grammar.

[Slaughtahouse]

Hi all, 

 

I just wanted to quickly update the thread to shed some visibility from now until end of the year.

 

First, on a personal note, work will likely take up most of my attention for the next short while. What that means for this thread:

• I'll tweaking the sheet quietly behind the scenes to keep it up to date when / as possible.
• I'll won't be posting much in the thread for November but...
• I hope to come back by the beginning of December to wrap it up nicely.
  • Links to game of the year stream.
  • Highlights!
  • Lowlights? 
  • Maybe a fun poll for community created categories? Who knows, sky is the limit
• Goal for the new year will be to start a new thread in the Gaming/Gaming General as I mentioned before. 
  • I really like the idea of starting fresh and capsulizing the year within their own threads.
  • I'll likely use the same link but reorganizing it.
  • I'm considering consolidating the Metacritic scores for all systems since that is majority of the effort. Mixed emotions. TBD. 

Open to any ideas or suggestions to wrap this up and for the new thread!  I've hope you've enjoyed the thread thus far. It's been a fun hobby / experiment for me. Feel free to be direct with any criticism, ideally constructive but if personal... shove it

 

- Slaughta

[The Pook]

Just now, Slaughtahouse said:

ideally constructive but if personal... shove it

 

your shoes look ridiculous and you need a haircut

 

[Slaughtahouse]

50 minutes ago, The Pook said:

 

your shoes look ridiculous and you need a haircut

 

 

I wear “On” shoes and I think they’re pretty great and HEH! Little did you know that I have an appointment tomorrow with the barber!! That feedback was honestly both constructive and personal all in one because I really do need a haircut  

[Slaughtahouse]

The Game Awards

THEGAMEAWARDS.COM

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Celebrate the best in video games and see what's next - Live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

 

Nominees are now up! Baldur’s Gate III will likely sweep. So much positive buzz from the community, a lot of updates and visibility from the developers, 96 Metacritic… Hard to see it not win in most categories. It feels like every week I run into someone who is not a typical hardcore RPG gamer yet they’re committed to it, playing with friends or family. I hope to play it in the new year

 

RE4 Remake is my game of the year. I’m still surprised they did such a good job making that game even more fun.

 

I’ve played through Separate Ways (DLC) for RE4 twice already just before halloween and that expansion was only $10. Highly recommend.

 

What’s your game of the year? Anything you missed and want to play? Anything disappointed?

 

I have Sea of Stars, Armorer Core VI, Venba, and Cocoon on my list to play this year. Hi-Fi Rush and Dead Space I hope to go try next year but lower priority than Baldur’s Gate III…  I think i’ll need to take a week off for it. Alan Wake 2 I will push to 2024 Halloween at this rate. I really wanted to play it but just came out a bit too late for mean and well… Epic Game Store doesn’t really help

 

Switch dominated most of my time this year too. Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (50hrs), Metroid Prime Remastered (20hrs), Pikmin 4 (15 hrs), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (5hrs+)… it just doesn’t stop.

 

I doubt I will go back to Starfield anytime soon. It’s still a fun game and I got in a decent amount of hours (30+) but honestly, it feels held back or limited compared to where it should be. Hard to describe but for someone who likes the vastness of space and wandering endlessly on randomly generated planets, it feels like its missing meaningful content. 

 

2007 used to be my favourite year (Orange Box, Halo 3, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero 3… etc) but time to let go.

 

2023 topped it.

 

Sorry, I could go on and on but I absolutely loved taking this year to stop tweaking with my system and just play games and it’s been great. I sincerely hope others got to play at least one game that moved them.

 

[The Pook]

pro: official GTA 6 news

con: teaser for a teaser 

 

 

but maybe we'll get a release date? 

[Slaughtahouse]

1 hour ago, The Pook said:

pro: official GTA 6 news

con: teaser for a teaser 

 

 

but maybe we'll get a release date? 

 

If we get a release date, don’t expect to see the little Steam icon there. Rockstar will likely not release the PC version anytime soon. I suspect so they have their install base on consoles absorb micro transactions before PC modding starts.

 

Curious, even though I haven’t tried it, how they will handle GTA Online. That service is a money printing machine.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[The Pook]

8 hours ago, Slaughtahouse said:

 

If we get a release date, don’t expect to see the little Steam icon there. Rockstar will likely not release the PC version anytime soon.

 

I doubt it will, I just hope it's not another >1 year staggered launch 

 

GTA 3 = 11 months between console and PC

GTA: VC = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA: SA = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA 4 = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA 5 = 18 months between console and PC 

RDR2 = 18 months between console and PC 

[schuck6566]

3 hours ago, The Pook said:

 

I doubt it will, I just hope it's not another >1 year staggered launch 

 

GTA 3 = 11 months between console and PC

GTA: VC = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA: SA = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA 4 = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA 5 = 18 months between console and PC 

RDR2 = 18 months between console and PC 

It could be like PS games releases to pc

The last of us 1 PS3 2013,Remastered for PS4 releases in 2014, Remake released for PS5 in Sept 2022,and Finally a version was released to PC in March of 2023.

God Of War April 2018 on PS4 and finally on PC on 1/14/2022

[Slaughtahouse]

19 hours ago, The Pook said:

 

I doubt it will, I just hope it's not another >1 year staggered launch 

 

GTA 3 = 11 months between console and PC

GTA: VC = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA: SA = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA 4 = 8 months between console and PC 

GTA 5 = 18 months between console and PC 

RDR2 = 18 months between console and PC 

Assume the worst, hope the best Can't be disappointed that way

[Slaughtahouse]

Half-Life

HALF-LIFE.COM

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Half-Life is back and better than ever. Alongside interviews with the original developers, the game is...

 

[Slaughtahouse]

Black Friday Deals are starting to go live.

 

Black Friday Sale at Green Man Gaming | PC Game Keys

WWW.GREENMANGAMING.COM

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Black Friday Sale at Green Man Gaming. Buy now for the best prices at huge discounts. PC...

 

GMG is my go-to for an alternative store for Steam DRM games. If you have noticed other sales, feel free to drop a link.

 

Also, any appetite for an ExtremeHW Steam secret santa? It’s should be as simple as sharing our wishlist of games on Steam and we can choose to gift each other. We can set a few ground rules like a spend limit and quantity limit per user to ensure everyone gets in on the gifting action.

 

If I get at least… 7 lightbulbs on this comment by this Friday , I’ll organize it. I could create a separate thread.

 

Let me know your thoughts

[EHW Ai]

Steam 2023 Autumn Sale starts in 13 hours, 38 minutes. 

 

 

[schuck6566]

14 hours ago, Slaughtahouse said:

Black Friday Deals are starting to go live.

 

Black Friday Sale at Green Man Gaming | PC Game Keys

WWW.GREENMANGAMING.COM

---

Black Friday Sale at Green Man Gaming. Buy now for the best prices at huge discounts. PC...

 

GMG is my go-to for an alternative store for Steam DRM games. If you have noticed other sales, feel free to drop a link.

 

Also, any appetite for an ExtremeHW Steam secret santa? It’s should be as simple as sharing our wishlist of games on Steam and we can choose to gift each other. We can set a few ground rules like a spend limit and quantity limit per user to ensure everyone gets in on the gifting action.

 

If I get at least… 7 lightbulbs on this comment by this Friday , I’ll organize it. I could create a separate thread.

 

Let me know your thoughts

GOG has some games also if people haven't picked them up yet....  Just an example.

[Slaughtahouse]

 

So many other games to play and games to purchase but I love Alan Wake... Tempted... Need to sit on it. 

[Slaughtahouse]

Still pausing on Alan Wake 2 for now but in the meantime, went with a few purchases that we're on my backlog. 

 

 

I'll wait until the winter sale for Sea of Stars and hopefully Armored Core VI goes on sale soon

[EHW Ai]

7 hours ago, Slaughtahouse said:

Still pausing on Alan Wake 2 for now but in the meantime, went with a few purchases that we're on my backlog. 

 

 

I'll wait until the winter sale for Sea of Stars and hopefully Armored Core VI goes on sale soon

 

I opted to pick up the deluxe version of Alan Wake 2 using the current discount.

 

 

[Slaughtahouse]

Diablo IV has a free trial this week FYI.

 

I gave it a try a few days ago. Wasn't feeling the Druid class. A few co-workers told me just to give it another chance and I switched to Necromancer. 

 

Having a really good time with it. I put a stupid amount of hours into Diablo III and never thought I would go back but... they got me.