The Extreme HW Game List - 2023 Edition

[The Pook]

1 hour ago, iamjanco said:

johnnyQ?

 

then:

 

now: 

[Slaughtahouse]

2023-09-06 - September Highlights

 

Happy Starfield day (now that is out of early access)

 

Instead of doing a larger update (not much has changed),  I'll simply highlight this month's releases. There are likely some that I have missed, especially on the indie side. If there are any that worth noting and you would like to add to the list, let me know or leave a comment.

 

TITLE NAME Starfield	SYSTEM PC, XB	DATE 9/6/2023
The Crew Motorfest	PC, XB, PS	9/14/2023
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster	NS	9/14/2023
Mortal Kombat 1	PC, XB, PS, NS	9/19/2023
Warhaven	PC	9/20/2023
Payday 3	PC	9/21/2023
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty	PC, XB, PS	9/25/2023
Mineko's Night Market	PC, PS, NS	9/26/2023
Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai	PC, XB, PS, NS	9/28/2023
Cocoon	PC, XB, PS, NS	9/29/2023

 

Most of these I won't touch anytime soon because of Starfield but I've got Cocoon on my wishlist. 

 

[Slaughtahouse]

I've decided to fulfill my life long fantasy of becoming a space trucker (Long Hauler). I've tried to pair traits together that seemed to align with my background.

• Introvert (better stamina alone, worse when with human parties)
• Spaced (better health and stamina in space / weaker on the atmosphere)
• Taskmaster (bonus to ship health with crew but crew costs are higher). 

I was tempted to get the annoying  loyal fan but... I don't think I can handle that on my first playthrough. I'll save it for a evil character run and have fun with the command console... lol 

[Slaughtahouse]

A heck of a lot updating to come with more releases, a new State of Play (Sony), and a Nintendo Direct.

 

Also this is how it feels in the thread now lol

 

[The Pook]

14 minutes ago, Slaughtahouse said:

A heck of a lot updating to come with more releases, a new State of Play (Sony), and a Nintendo Direct.

 

Also this is how it feels in the thread now lol

 

 

I sung my praises early

 

1st playthrough - did nothing but the main story missions required to progress the story, no issues. 

2nd playthrough - took my time before returning the main story and soft locked myself 

 

TODD PLZ FIX 0/10 IGN 

[Slaughtahouse]

8 minutes ago, The Pook said:

 

I sung my praises early

 

1st playthrough - did nothing but the main story missions required to progress the story, no issues. 

2nd playthrough - took my time before returning the main story and soft locked myself 

 

TODD PLZ FIX 0/10 IGN 

 

That’s how I felt with CP2077. Expectations were extremely high. Started to enjoy it and it began to fall apart quickly. I’ve got 15-20hrs tops and really haven’t invested time since launch. I jumped in again after 1.5 but drew back out after my Delamain quests were buggy as heck.

 

Starfield is so far the opposite. Low expectations and I didn’t really start following it until earlier this summer.

 

I’m going through it super slow and I even have my own log of my progress on the side that I am drafting to keep track. I can’t understand all the frustrations (yet) because I’m fairly early on (12hrs?) but having a good time. I’ll share my logs in the discussion thread soon.

 

RE: this year, I was chatting about this at work with some colleagues and I think RE4 Remake is my GOTY so far. They just nailed the gameplay and IMO, were pretty successful remaking a classic game from 2005 that is still fun to play today.

 

Many more games to play this year so don’t get blinded by Starfield  

[The Pook]

12 minutes ago, Slaughtahouse said:

I’m going through it super slow

 

that's the problem unfortunately 

 

the issue seems to be caused by visiting a planet before you're "supposed" to. you have to visit specific planets to collect artifacts, but if you visit any of them before the mission to collect the artifact then that story mission tied to that planet has a high probability of getting bugged. the issue being that a non-zero amount of those planets are shared locations with other (side) quests 

[Slaughtahouse]

11 hours ago, The Pook said:

 

that's the problem unfortunately 

 

the issue seems to be caused by visiting a planet before you're "supposed" to. you have to visit specific planets to collect artifacts, but if you visit any of them before the mission to collect the artifact then that story mission tied to that planet has a high probability of getting bugged. the issue being that a non-zero amount of those planets are shared locations with other (side) quests 

 

You got me a little concerned… I’ve only beat the very first mission so I wasn’t aware I need to go fetch more artifacts and there could be some bugs but… noted.

 

With 1000 planets, odds are low… right?

 

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Slaughtahouse]

2023-09-15 - Updates

 

Preface: A long time coming, I've revised the thread name to not limit this discussion to PC only. Mod feel free to move this to "General Gaming". The majority of people here are on PC but the sheet itself (embedded in post #2) filters out PC release vs. Console only. Furthermore, this will still be the thread to discuss 2023 releases. I'll continue to update the data page within the google sheet with all releases that trickle in 2024 and in 2024, I'll create a new thread to discuss those releases. The pivot tables filter out everything to keep the list(s) clean. The other thread in the console section can be deleted. With that out of the way...

 

First, new Nintendo Direct and a PlayStation State of Play

 

Notable Updates:

• Princess Peach: Showtime! title announced and release date (NS)
• Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Remake) announced (NS)
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Remake) announced and release date (NS)
• Another Code: Recollection announced and release date (NS)
• Tomb Raider I - II - III Remastered announced and release date (PC, XB, PS, NS)
• Wargroove 2 announced (NS)
• Luigi's Mansion 2 HD release date (NS)
• Contra: Operation Galuga (PC, XB, PS, NS)
• Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth release date (PS)
• Helldivers 2 release date (PC, PS)
• Ghostbusters Rise of the Ghost Lord release date (PSVR2)
• RE4 Remake DLC Separate Ways and Merc update (PC, XB, PS)  & VR mode (PSVR2)

Other notable updates:

• Hades 2 developer Supergiant Games announced that the early access would could Q2 2024 to PC (originally 2023). 

Last but not least, I've added more games to the list, in addition to the titles listed above, including:

• Lies of P (PC, XB, PS)
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (PC, XB, PS)
• Super Mario RPG (NS)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (NS)
• Detective Pikachu Returns (NS)
• Tintin Reporter: The Cigars of the Pharaoh (PC, XB, PS, NS)

Smaller updates I'll work on during the day include Metacritic scores for titles released between Sept 1 to Sept 15th

 

Last but not least, there is a Steam 20th Anniversary Sale going on. They have a nice infographic that's a fun little read.

Steam 20th Anniversary

STORE.STEAMPOWERED.COM

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Steam 20th Anniversary

 

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Slaughtahouse]

2023-09-26 - Updates

 

Another week, another onslaught of announcements. I'm a bit tired, so below you'll find a couple links that highlight the announcements from this year's Tokyo Game Show. I'll work on plugging them into the sheet and save my energy for October. 

 

Capcom Tokyo Game Show 2023 Broadcast: Everything Announced - IGN

WWW.IGN.COM

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All the reveals, announcements, and trailers from Capcom's Tokyo Game Show 2023 broadcast.

 

Xbox Digital Broadcast at Tokyo Game Show 2023: Every Announcement and Game Reveal - Xbox Wire

NEWS.XBOX.COM

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Xbox Digital Broadcast at Tokyo Game Show 2023 just wrapped up - here's every single announcement and game reveal from the show.

 

[Slaughtahouse]

It never stops...

 

Counter-Strike 2 Just Officially Launched - IGN

WWW.IGN.COM

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It's official: Counter-Strike 2 is now available on PC, Valve announced today.

 

[GanjaSMK]

This impressively maintained. That is all. 

 

 I'm in awe. 

[Slaughtahouse]

50 minutes ago, GanjaSMK said:

This impressively maintained. That is all. 

 

 I'm in awe. 

Appreciate it. I have an addiction to spreadsheets and need to get my fix whilst I’m working on other spreadsheets at work…

[Slaughtahouse]

2023-09-28 - October Preface

 

I warned you all October was getting out of hand. 18 "major" releases. Links below will point to Steam if applicable, otherwise  most relevant store page is provided.

 

Wargroove 2	PC, NS	October 5, 2023
Detective Pikachu Returns	NS	October 6, 2023
Forza Motorsport	PC, XB	October 10, 2023
NHL 24	PS, XB	October 11, 2023
Total War: Pharaoh	PC	October 11, 2023
Lords of the Fallen (2023)	PC, PS, XB	October 13, 2023
Sonic Superstars	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 16, 2023
Wizards with a Gun	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 17, 2023
Hellboy Web of Wyrd	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 18, 2023
7th Guest VR	PC, PS, VR	October 19, 2023
Endless Dungeon	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 19, 2023
Super Mario Bros. Wonder	NS	October 20, 2023
Marvel's Spider-Man 2	PS	October 20, 2023
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 24, 2023
Cities: Skylines II	PC, PS, XB	October 24, 2023
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord	VR	October 26, 2023
Ghostrunner 2	PC, PS, XB	October 26, 2023
Alan Wake II	PC, PS, XB	October 27, 2023

 

Alan Wake II is my most anticipated title for October. Even if it is on the Epic Games Store... It will likely be a show stopper on PC considering how light is a gameplay and narrative element and they're throwing all the RT goodness behind it. Get ready for to make your PC cry. 

 

Let others know what you're looking forward

Edited September 29, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Sir Beregond]

They did an Alan Wake II? Nice, I enjoyed the first one.

 

As for Cyberpunk, I've yet to really play it past the tutorials, so will probably try a new game here now that they have their new update. Not going to pick up the DLC yet though.

[Slaughtahouse]

1 hour ago, Sir Beregond said:

They did an Alan Wake II? Nice, I enjoyed the first one.

 

As for Cyberpunk, I've yet to really play it past the tutorials, so will probably try a new game here now that they have their new update. Not going to pick up the DLC yet though.

 

It releases at the end of the month, one year timed exclusive on Epic Game Store.

 

 

RE: CP2077. I made it to Chapter 1 in 2020 and then dropped it. I am in the same boat as you basically. I’ll start a new play-through this holiday season and skip the DLC for now.

Edited September 29, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Slaughtahouse]

Next Fest October 2023 - NOW LIVE!

STORE.STEAMPOWERED.COM

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Steam Next Fest is a week-long celebration featuring hundreds of FREE playable demos as well as developer livestreams and chats. Players try out upcoming games on Steam pre-release, developers gather...

 

Not enough games to try? Check out the latest Next fest. You'll find demos of upcoming games, primarily indie. 

[UltraMega]

The Tony Hawk remake just came out on Steam, 50% off rn. I grabbed it, having just as much fun suck at it as I did when I was a kid. 

[Slaughtahouse]

7 hours ago, UltraMega said:

The Tony Hawk remake just came out on Steam, 50% off rn. I grabbed it, having just as much fun suck at it as I did when I was a kid. 

 

I added it to my wishlist a few days ago. Tempted AF to play it and I recall the reviews were praising the remake.

 

My only challenge is time… Mirage has got me hooked and I’ll switch to RE4: Separate Ways and then Alan Wake II before Halloween. October fully booked!

 

 

[GanjaSMK]

@UltraMega

 

You're like the only person on my Steam list who has it.  So down to play. I think we often see each other at random times but please don't hesitate to ask for a game!  I'm totally down. 

 

That goes for *EVERYONE* here! For MP games, feel free to LMK pm/steam: 

 

CS2 (excellent)

COD (excellent)

BF2042 (excellent)

APEX (i'm pretty new)

THPS 1+2 (i button mash)

 

And anything else I can play MP I'm down. Oldschool gamer.  Love comp / cas play. 

 

 

[UltraMega]

We should start an EHW steam group. I guess I'll make one. 

 

Steam Community :: Group :: ExtremeHW.net

STEAMCOMMUNITY.COM

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We are a community of PC hardware enthusiasts!

 

@ENTERPRISE If you want me to make you admin of this group, let me know. 

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by UltraMega

[UltraMega]

36 minutes ago, GanjaSMK said:

@UltraMega

 

You're like the only person on my Steam list who has it.  So down to play. I think we often see each other at random times but please don't hesitate to ask for a game!  I'm totally down. 

 

That goes for *EVERYONE* here! For MP games, feel free to LMK pm/steam: 

 

CS2 (excellent)

COD (excellent)

BF2042 (excellent)

APEX (i'm pretty new)

THPS 1+2 (i button mash)

 

And anything else I can play MP I'm down. Oldschool gamer.  Love comp / cas play. 

 

 

 I'm down to play some games. I'm kinda over 2042 after they ruined Hourglass. It feels like they've been catering more to COD players who just want to run and gun instead of highlighting the vehicle gameplay. 

[Slaughtahouse]

2 hours ago, UltraMega said:

We should start an EHW steam group. I guess I'll make one. 

 

Steam Community :: Group :: ExtremeHW.net

STEAMCOMMUNITY.COM

---

We are a community of PC hardware enthusiasts!

 

@ENTERPRISE If you want me to make you admin of this group, let me know. 

 

 

I’ll gladly join, though I mainly play single player games.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Slaughtahouse]

October 18 2023 - Updates

 

I've been silently updating the sheet (mainly scores) where I can these past couple weeks since the release schedule for this year is just about locked in. 

Every update to the sheet since my last post is noted with a cell highlighted in yellow. Not much value for me to write it out, so here's a copy / paste from the "Data" tab . As a reminder, console scores are PS5 first (if applicable). 

 

Title Name

System

Release Date

Metacritic Score (PC)

Metacritic Score (Console)

Cocoon	PC, PS, XB, NS	September 29, 2023	89%	92%
Assassin's Creed Mirage	PC, PS, XB	October 5, 2023	76%	77%
Wargroove 2	PC, NS	October 5, 2023	82%	85%
Detective Pikachu Returns	NS	October 6, 2023	N/A	66%
Forza Motorsport	PC, XB	October 10, 2023	83%	85%
NHL 24	PS, XB	October 11, 2023	N/A	75%
Total War: Pharaoh	PC	October 11, 2023	75%	N/A
Lords of the Fallen (2023)	PC, PS, XB	October 13, 2023	76%	72%
Sonic Superstars	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 16, 2023	TBD	75%
Wizards with a Gun	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 17, 2023	71%	TBD
Hellboy Web of Wyrd	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 18, 2023	61%	55%
7th Guest VR	PC, PS, VR	October 19, 2023	TBD	74%
Endless Dungeon	PC, PS, XB, NS	October 19, 2023	78%	TBD
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	TBD
Cities: Skylines II	PC, PS, XB	October 24, 2023	TBD	TBD
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord	VR	October 26, 2023	N/A	TBD
Ghostrunner 2	PC, PS, XB	October 26, 2023	TBD	TBD
Alan Wake II	PC, PS, XB	October 27, 2023	TBD	TBD

 

Most of these games I won't play anytime soon but I've been watching a few videos on Cities: Skylines II and I think it has a strong potential on PC but be aware: 

Cities: Skylines 2 performance has "not achieved the benchmark we targeted", Paradox admits ahead of launch

WWW.EUROGAMER.NET

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Ahead of Cities: Skylines 2's release next week, publisher Paradox Interactive has admitted the city building sequel ha…

 

 

I was also looking forward to the Metal Gear Solid collection but this "performance" chart is really deflating any interest to spend $70 CAD on it. Why is it capped to 1080p / 60fps on PC... yikes. 

 

Alan Wake II remains my highlight. Fingers crossed it plays well on PC with minimal hiccup. I want to blast through it before Halloween (if possible). Here's a new recap trailer for those who havent played Alan Wake.

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Slaughtahouse

[Slaughtahouse]

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...

Edited October 21, 2023 by Slaughtahouse