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== PC ==
* ''[[Crysis (series)|Crysis]]''. When released, only a handful of computers could actually handle the "High" setting at 1280x800. Even fewer could run the "Very High" setting at 1280x800 above 10FPS. [[Zero Punctuation|Yahtzee]] summarized it best, saying that the game must have been designed for some ultra high-tech supercomputer ''[[In Space|from space]]''. Although the lower settings could perform well and still look better than most games at the time. ''Computer Shopper'' still usesused it to bench-test new hardware. One factor contributing to its reputation was that CryEngine 2 was developed during the era where clock speed was expected to rise over time, and Crytek kept that in mind when developing the game. That didn't hold up well as the Netburst architecture flopped and CPU manufacturers instead focused more on multicore and architectural optimisation. While ''Crysis'' was multi-core aware to an extent, it could only use four cores at most, and even a contemporary gaming PC from the late 2010s can and will struggle to run the game flawlessly especially on the "Ascension" level (which was cut on console versions due to this reason).
** This had the unforeseen additional effect of lots of people pirating the game just to use it as a tech demo, just because they "didn't want to pay for the whole thing" (and [[Failed a Spot Check|didn't think to check if Crytek had released a demo version]]).
** [[SCP Foundation]][http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-062 -062] is a highly advanced [[Quantum Mechanics Can Do Anything|quantum computer]], believed to be from the future.
{{quote|''Yes, it is fun to joke around about whether or not SCP-062 would be able to run Crysis. However, if I find any more bored guards trying to install the damn game onto SCP-062 one more time… You just don't want to do it. Okay?''|''Dr. Tong''}}
** CryTekCrytek almost averted this with ''Crysis 2'' as it was developed more with the console market in mind, leading to backlash from gamers who felt that the game wasn't pushing their computers to their limits, until they released a patch that enabled [[Direct X]] 11 functions and all new "Ultra Detail" mode. Now it's back up here.
** Crytek later followed this up with ''Crysis 3'' to which they stated, "This time we promise to melt down PCs". Indeed, it proved to be a PC melter that Eurogamer's Digital Foundry division used it as benchmark for much of the 2010s.
** The remastered versions added the "Can it run Crysis?" preset as a nod to the original game, along with features such as hardware-independent ray tracing (which doesn't require proprietary extensions from Nvidia). Though it turned out that gamers were still dissatisfied with the remaster as they blamed lazy coding for what was seen as a still poorly-optimised game.
* ''[[Far Cry]]'' was actually a tech demo first for NVIDIA's GeForce 3 cards. Later patches added Shader Model 3.0 features like HDR lighting that could only be utilized by the then-newly-released GeForce 6800 cards.
* ''[[Battlefield (series)|Battlefield 1942]]''. In order to take advantage of the large draw distance (which was unheard of at the time), one needed 1GB for maximum draw distance. The trouble is, RAM was expensive back then, and most of the world was fine on 256MB.
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* ''[[Half-Life]] 2: Lost Coast'' featured the newly developed HDR and was specifically designed to show off these features with its shiny beaches, dark and light areas and bright sunlight.
** Playing with the developer commentary makes this even better, with real time demonstrations of the engine.
 
 
== Console ==
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