Steam cheapies to dual boot.

[TDHXXX]

Currently Stalker & Mass Effect are cheap on Steam, I'm planning on getting a quad-core iMac 27" and was thinking of dual booting into windows for a couple of games.

So how would Mass Effect & Stalker run on that rig? I was thinking of picking them up while they're cheap, plus are they even good games? I've heard split opinions on them being good and some being rubbish.

So what's your opinion o' mighty MacRumors?

 

[Cougarcat]

Currently Stalker & Mass Effect are cheap on Steam, I'm planning on getting a quad-core iMac 27" and was thinking of dual booting into windows for a couple of games.

So how would Mass Effect & Stalker run on that rig? I was thinking of picking them up while they're cheap, plus are they even good games? I've heard split opinions on them being good and some being rubbish.

So what's your opinion o' mighty MacRumors?

They run quite well on my 2008 iMac, so I have no doubt you would be able to play them with max settings.

 

[TDHXXX]

But how are the games, worth getting?

Is there any way to play them without having to dual-boot? I don't really feel like purchasing a copy of Windows 7 just yet, or at least not until it drops in price.

 

[MRU]

^ No there is no way at all your going to get them to work in OSX - even if you could get CIDER to work it will be utterly gimped by performance and stability issues.

As for VMWARE or Parallels - forget it for playing games proper.

Both games will run well on a iMac i7 with the HD4860. Both are good games.

 

[0098386]

Then purchase Vista or XP. That's a good mid-range PC but don't cut its performance by running outside of Bootcamp.

 

[msjones]

Mass effect runs really well in bootcamp on my Macbook with 9400M card, and on my PC running an i5 an HD4670 so the iMac should be good to go.

Keep an eye out for the Left 4 Dead price drop as L4D2 is out this month, its a fantastic game.

 

[Sambo110]

Can't you download and use a free version of Windows 7 until next year some time? Why not do that.

 

[0098386]

Keep an eye out for the Left 4 Dead price drop as L4D2 is out this month, its a fantastic game.

I don't think there will be a price cut on L4D1 until the Xmas sale, they already have a bundle of L4D1 and 2 at a discounted price.

Can't you download and use a free version of Windows 7 until next year some time? Why not do that.

That offer came to an end last month. Could be wrong though.

 

[Cougarcat]

But how are the games, worth getting?

Is there any way to play them without having to dual-boot? I don't really feel like purchasing a copy of Windows 7 just yet, or at least not until it drops in price.

You could probably find XP somewhere really cheap. I just use Windows as a game launcher so I don't really care if I'm running the latest OS--as long as my games run!

And the games are great. I just started Mass Effect (got it during the weekend deal) and it's a lot of fun. Very similar to Knights of the Old Republic, if you've played that. I will say that the SF world seems a bit generic, but the interesting characters and above average story makes up for it. Stalker, on the other hand, has a very unique setting that exudes atmosphere. I might go as far as to say that they have managed to capture that elusive Deus Ex-like feel. It's genuinely scary, and also quite hard. The story is much more below the surface than in ME, but what is there is unique and compelling. They are both quite different games––ME is more of an RPG with shooter elements, and Stalker is the reverse––but I recommend them both.

 

[Consultant]

Get the best video card if you want to play a lot of games.

As to games just read up on reviews on whether you'll like it. People like different types of games, some like fast paced, some like slow paced realistic games, etc.

 

[GreyMatta]

I have both Mass Effect and STALKER from steam on my Unibody MBP and both run great in windows 7 pro

Make sure you download and instal STALKER Complete 2009 mod it adds loads of polish to the game

both great games and only a couple of quid a piece

 

[TDHXXX]

Just when I'd convinced myself to get them, the sale ended.

 

[Consultant]

Sales come every month or two. Sometimes you can get a whole collection of games for a really good price.

 

[0098386]

Sales come every month or two. Sometimes you can get a whole collection of games for a really good price.

Yup! My most recent non-Valve purchase was Saints Row 2 for £3.50. Bus fares to work cost more than that! Granted it doesn't run well on my x1600 iMac but its one for the next computer .

They have a sale on something every weekend, or recently during the week. Sometimes packs are on sale, sometimes individual games. I bought the Unreal and ID packs for £20 and £23 respectively, very good place to buy games from.

 

[Cougarcat]

I haven't bought a game from Steam that wasn't on sale. They always have a big sale the week after Christmas--everything is 10% off, with a lot of things discounted more.