Quote: "Be careful though, you can have a world full of great environmentals that just bogs down the CPU too much. I've seen some great world examples that simply aren't practical. You've just got to strike the right balance. Particles are the worst - you instantly add 100 new objects for any particular effect, all textured and ghosted. "
I agree with Curtis, plus I have never stayed playing a game because of it's rain or snow effects if the rest of it blows...
environmental effects are nice but will never make up for poor AI, combat, storyline, etc...
edit: and if I can just add - one of the first things i turn off is shadows since I know I can get a few extra fps out of the system without them... current card Nvidia 6800OC 256mb, so i can run them without troubles just rather play the game than sit and admire it..