[QUOTE="Hellboard"][QUOTE="biggest_loser"]Buy it. Its a great RPG - a true RPG - with a terrific story and characters, fun combat and awesome visuals. biggest_loser

Half Life 2 (that and any part of the Orange Box bundle)

Fallout 3

 The Witcher

Mafia

Kotor (and to a lesser extent Mass Effect)

Psychonauts

San Andreas for the PC (it just looks so much better, and the mods...fun stuff)

Read the review again. The final paragraphs 3-4. There's heaps of stuff on the look of the game. 

You're missing the point. The PC version looks so much better than the others that I think that warrants a special mention in the 'PC' review. Also, the options to fine-tune the visuals in the PC version offer a much broader range than the visuals you are stuck with in the 360 and PS3 versions (a feature that isn't always offered in titles designed for multiple platform).The article does mention how good the game looks, but it doesn't offer any information on how much better it looks on the PC; information that might help some people decide on which version to buy. Anyway, Fallout 3 is a good example of games going forward, both from a visual standpoint and sound, gameplay, etc.

My point with this post is that a lot of reviews, like the one for NFS Undercover, end in higher rating than I think they should, because from my view, and it's just my view, they are visually ugly on the PC when compared with other recent titles. The old norm was that consoles version looked like they should, but the PC version usually offered some sort of option for graphical tweaking which resulted in a better game (this also used to get mentioned in game reviews regarding PC versions) which often resulted in the reviewer touting the PC version as the best. This seems to be disappearing, along with other general acceptances of lower standards when it comes to game design, as game designers become more console-centered. This might be ok with console owners as they have no choice as to how their game is going to look, but for PC owners who expect a certain level of control over how their games look, it would be nice to see a real PC version review of games that are developed for multiple platforms. The review of Bully is a good example, but if the PC version had come out at the same time I doubt we would have seen a review as detailed.

Anyway, I'm digressing from the original point of the post...games on the PC are not as visually tight  as they could be and it seems like most people, reviewers included, are willing to accept this and not comment on it, because games are "made for consoles afterall."

"I don't think thats fair: One of the main ways they do differentiate their reviews for the console/pc counterpart is to write a few paragraphs on the graphical enhancements or lack of.

You have to take into consideration that the score is obviously not just based around the visuals."

I realize this and I am aware that there is usually some soft of blurb regarding the PC version in the review, but that hasn't really been happening lately (the Fallout 3 review only stated that the PC version "looked the best"). Where's the love for the PC crowd?

I also realize that scores are not based on visuals alone, but when there is a stark contrast between the platforms, or when there SHOULD be a stark contrast between the platforms (the PC version of NFS Undercover looks about the same as the 360 version from my perspective) shouldn't it be noted and the score adjusted to reflect that point?

Also, correct me if I am wrong, what is a video game without the graphics? I would argue that the visuals are the most important part of the video game equation and that the scores should reflect the differences (good and bad) between the platforms.

Good point (to Jinroh-basic).

Actually, I guess I should have included my gripe about current gameplay trends too. Far Cry 2 - Great game visually and fun by times, but the gameplay sure is lacking from my point of view. I don't know, I guess console gamers have different concepts of what makes a good game overall. It just strikes as odd that games are being released now to favourable reviews, when they would have been bashed five or six years ago. It does seem to me that there is a general lowering of standards when it comes to games in general.