Batman Arkham Asylum

[chunkylover53]

OK, as I've said many times I've not really played PC games. All this time I've been trying to use a Logitech Gampad and customize it for each game or use an XB360 emulator. Not fun. I finally sucked it up and am forcing myself to use the keyboard and mouse, and I'm really starting to like it. This Batman game is very cool, but I don't have much to compare it to.

Question I have is on my 9800 GTX. This game seems to be perfect, never misses a beat, and looks incredible to me, but I have nothing to base it on. What exactly improves on these games as you upgrade the GPU? Is this a bad game to use as a benchmark?

[The Wise Monkey]

Well, you can increase the amount of anti-aliasing with more GPU power, or run with smoother/higher frame rates at a higher resolution. Anti-aliasing involves smoothing edges and things like that.

Arkham Asylum doesn't seem like the most demanding of games. It would probably be better to try something like Crysis, where you can really notice the difference when changing settings. Far Cry 2 also has a good benchmarking tool.

[RickyTick]

Originally Posted by chunkylover53

OK, as I've said many times I've not really played PC games. All this time I've been trying to use a Logitech Gampad and customize it for each game or use an XB360 emulator. Not fun. I finally sucked it up and am forcing myself to use the keyboard and mouse, and I'm really starting to like it. This Batman game is very cool, but I don't have much to compare it to.

Question I have is on my 9800 GTX. This game seems to be perfect, never misses a beat, and looks incredible to me, but I have nothing to base it on. What exactly improves on these games as you upgrade the GPU? Is this a bad game to use as a benchmark?

I've been playing Batman Arkham Asylum for a couple of weeks. So far, I'm really enjoying the game. It's getting great reviews all over the place.

There is no comparison between keyboard/mouse and gamepad. The kb/mouse is far superior and much more fun.

I don't see any reason why the 9800GTX can't play this game well. It does have a lot of Physx qualities, so make sure you have the latest Nvidia drivers to get the full effect.

Have fun.

[The Wise Monkey]

Hmm, I'm more of a console gamer, so a gamepad has always been better for me. Except when playing FPS games, then the kb/mouse is definitely superior.

I've been mostly playing Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 on the PS3 - really good game, but not quite as good as the original. Also, Beatles Rock Band is awesome.

[chunkylover53]

Would it be worth it to use my EVGA step up option (while I still can) and get the GTX 260 Core 216 (896-P3-1255-AR). Would the difference in performance be worth the $50-$60?

[The Wise Monkey]

What resolution are you playing at? It might make your system more future proof, but I would recommend you wait for the next generation of cards - the new ATI ones look awesome.

[chunkylover53]

Monitor is set to 1920x1200, game is set to the same. I have a Dell 2407 WFP monitor. I was hoping that if I spent the extra $60 it would give me 18 months until I needed to upgrade again, as opposed to spending 4x that amount (or more) on a brand new card in 3-4 months.

I'm not that discerning when it comes to gameplay just yet, but I thought that the $60 might get me a much better card. Thoughts?

[The Wise Monkey]

You will definitely see a benefit at that resolution in terms of anti-aliasing from the extra video memory available in the GTX 260.

[chunkylover53]

By the way, contrary to my rant in the Christmas thread, I do love the gaming side of my rig. I ended up doing the step up for the GTX 260, and wow. The PhysX settings in Batman AA are really cool, with little details like trees blowing in the wind.

Very happy, although I can see how easily one can get caught up in the GPU arms race. I'm already pining for DX11...