I have the Hunter Edition digital download from Origin. The problem I'm having is similar to others I've seen here. When I try to load a game or start a new game the screen goes black. I can still hear the audio in the background, but the screen blacks out like it's changing video modes.

The only thing that gets me into the game is hitting ctl+alt+del and bringing up the Task Manager which will take me to desktop, then from there I can select the C3 window and everything is fine. Once I'm in the game runs like a champ. I haven't checked FPS or anything, but there's no noticeable lag.

I'm running the game on the default Medium settings.

System is:

Windows 8 64 bit
FX-8120 oc to 4.2Ghz (very stable & cool)
8 gigs Ram
EVGA GTX-650 1 gig card (latest approved drivers)

I have tried adding the intro skip tag to the shortcut startup, added the line to the game .cfg file, updated everything, rolled back a couple of drivers, and nothing seems to make a difference.

The only things in my startup are the Logitech keyboard drivers (hmmm, there's a thought - I'm at work, can't try that now - possible conflict?), and the Steel Series WoW mouse. Otherwise it's a clean boot.

Anti-virus is Windows Defender.

Any suggestions? Anyone else had this issue and resolved it by anything other than what I mentioned above?

Any help would be appreciated. It's more of an annoyance than hindrance, but definitely not working as intended.

Thanks.