Old games aren't the only ones that cause trouble. Modern 3D titles are rife with disappointments, but perhaps the more irksome to gamers are yestertech graphic options on recent games. Console ports are mostly to blame for this (I'm looking at you, From Dust) as developers are forced to aim for the lowest common denominator targets to maximize sales and homogenize development, but they aren't the only offenders. None of that matters, however when you boot up your new game and find it bereft of features like advanced antialiasing, HDR, or Bloom. Fortunately, you can get all of those effects today without updates or patches via FXAA Post Process Injector (free).

Originally developed by Nvidia's Timothy Lottes, this tool has been embraced by the modding community and expanded to work with both Nvidia and ATI graphics cards. It provides a series of sliders and toggles in a small, tabbed window that allow control and implementation of video features not originally included with a game. In addition to AA, HDR, and Bloom, it also adjusts color, lighting and sharpness along with novelties like a sepiatone filter. Particularly popular with Skyrim and Battlefield 3 users, the FXAA Post Process Injector is free and runs with most 3D games. Careful, though:  Some anti-cheat methods used on multiplay servers incorrectly flag use of this tool as a hack.

Note: The "Try it for free" button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software. You'll find it halfway down the vendor's list of software.