THE BORE

General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: Mondain on September 01, 2007, 08:11:30 PM

Title: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Mondain on September 01, 2007, 08:11:30 PM
OK so as a gentleman I've decided to leave the circle jerk alone and start another thread instead to offer more substantiated views.

The PC platform was my favorite some ten years ago. I loved it more than all the console systems combined, they could well disappear and I would've barely been affected. It seemed that there were about 20-25 high quality original exclusives that were released each year like Grim Fandango, Anachronox, Half-Life and Gabriel Knight 3. I browsed PC gaming sites and read PC Gamer almost maniacally, it was all I could worry about.

But then we all know what happened. A generation of console systems with a higher default resolution and decent GPUs made this enormous market impossible to ignore. You can see that with games like Deus Ex 2, franchises that used to be the apanage of PCs were sabotaged so that a console port could also be made.

It's risky to buy a graphics card now because if it's too inexpensive it will not last long, and most of the top-range one that are really worth a damn cost 400$ and more easily. This really scares a lot of people away, especially when consoles offer such decent 3D rendering abilities at such a low price.

But it's not the problem, as my PC can easily run any current game on the market at a very good framerate. No, the problem is that the remaining PC game genres blow, and the overall quality of games isn't that great.

It's easy to see that editors generally give their bigger budgets and their best teams for console games. I really can't believe the amount of major PC exclusive stuff that is made by obscure studios from Eastern Europe, Poland and Russia. These are the ones that deal with really major franchises. That should easily tell you what is the focus of the biggest development houses from the most advanced parts of Europe and North America.

Some people like MMORPGs, some like RTS'es, and games with a Tolkien universe... but some others do not like them anymore, or never liked them at all. Problem is, this is all that PC gaming really has to offer anymore.

RTS'es control better with a mouse and a keyboard, but we have a right to be fed up of these games, don't we? It's not that great to constantly wait for units to move at the other side of the screen at snail-like speeds, micro-manage 10-15 different things at the same time, and wait 15-20 minutes before something really happens in a mission for hours on end. I tried Command & Conquer 3 and Supreme Commander at the beginning of the year and these seemed interesting, but more than 12 years after the original C&C I simply wasn't ready to deal with these games' irritating aspects anymore.

The avalanche of bugs and configuration woes that frequently comes with the PC gaming experience doesn't bother me at all, but other things do.

I don't like being confined to a small PC monitor after having experienced what it's like to have an enormous HDTV. The controllers for console systems keep on getting more and more ergonomic, precise and comfortable, and I am fed up to deal with complex keyboard control schemes, and to constantly point and click-click-click-click-click-click to no end.

I tried many, many of them, and the only PC-exclusive in recent memory that I really loved is Neverwinter Nights 2. At this point the situation won't ever go back to the golden era of the late nineties. I'm ready to try any apparently good PC exclusive if one ever shows up, but it seems more rational to accept this phase of bereavement instead.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Fragamemnon on September 01, 2007, 09:06:16 PM
I'll strongly disagree with you on genre diversity-I play a lot of strategy games, both turn based, real time, and wargame, and not only does each genre have a very unique flavor to it, the genres have also over time done a terrific job of forming different niches such that RTS A, RTS B, and RTS C, for example, play completely differently and require completely different skillsets and demands on the player. Your argument that they are the same is terribly reductionist and I could say the similar things about fighters or japanese RPGs and be just as intellectually dishonest.

On my PC over the last year, I've bought five simulation games (2 racers, 2 flight, 1 naval), four or so RPGs (some action, some party-based, some oblivion/gothic types), a fistful of shooters (ranging from Bioshock to Battlefield in diversity), some aracde racers, about three city-management style games, half a dozen RTS games ranging from the in-your-face CoH to the wonderfully sterile Supreme Commander to the happy-action-go-time Command and Conquer 3). I've gotten some adventure games, some console-style ports (tomb raider, Lego Star Wars), and enough bearded man turn-based games to make your head spin.

This in addition to best-of-breed causal games like Chuzzle and Peggle, and MMOs if that's your thing.

There is plenty of great gaming to be had on the plaftorm. The diversity is there, it's just that you're not really interested in the genres the platform sports anymore, despite them not really being too different than the golden age of the PC that you refer to in your post.

Quote
I really can't believe the amount of major PC exclusive stuff that is made by obscure studios from Eastern Europe, Poland and Russia. These are the ones that deal with really major franchises.

None of the major publishers making PC-only games have huge commitments to developers in these territories. THQ's very loose relationship with GSC Game World for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is the only one I can think of, unless you want to lump in some efforts in Germany, upon which I would say hihi Guerilla Games (Dutch/German, close enough) right back at you.

BTW, those Eastern bloc studios are also, at times, making some really badass games.

Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Smooth Groove on September 01, 2007, 09:11:13 PM
Jotaro, would you kindly take a whole bottle of maximum strength Ex-Lax?
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 01, 2007, 09:12:50 PM
PC gaming is for, like, the really really really big nerds.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: bud on September 01, 2007, 09:13:16 PM
i prefer playing console games instead of pc games because i like laying on the couch while i play. for real.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 01, 2007, 09:14:50 PM
Console gaming is becoming more like PC gaming every day now, though unfortunately it seems to be imitating all the bad points about PC gaming and few of the good.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 01, 2007, 09:17:48 PM
there are no bad points about pc gaming. buy a wii if you can't handle it!
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 01, 2007, 09:18:37 PM
there are no bad points about pc gaming. buy a wii if you can't handle it!

No thanks, I'll stick to my PlayStation 2.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: bud on September 01, 2007, 09:21:55 PM
there are no bad points about pc gaming. buy a wii if you can't handle it!

No thanks, I'll stick to my PlayStation 2.

:bow
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: etiolate on September 01, 2007, 10:45:16 PM
Lack of genres have been hurting and shrinking PC gaming for awhile.  Now that genre downsizing was startin gto appear on consoles when Microsoft and XBox showed up, and it felt like every release list was FPS, Action and Sports. Lack of genre seems to lead to lack of invention.  PC gaming got sucked into '____-killer' mentality, copy and paste game design and eventually my interest for FPS games having a shortened life as everything globbed together.

Another problem is the PC control interface, keyboard/mouse and Menus, Menus, MENUS.  Way too many menus in PC games.  These things build a psychological wall between the gamer and game that you can never get past.  THere is always a HUD, a menu or something up all over your screen. You can bitch about Ico all you want, but the less overlay on screen, the closer you feel to the game. KB/mouse has never felt natural to me either.  These are interface pieces being used for a secondary cause, like playing games on a cellphone.  Over the years people have refined it, but it still not as natural or acceptable as a controller specifically designed for games.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Mondain on September 01, 2007, 10:53:10 PM
Console gaming is becoming more like PC gaming every day now, though unfortunately it seems to be imitating all the bad points about PC gaming and few of the good.

So true, the Xbox 360 almost feels like what the PC used to be at this point.

Only Blizzard is left in the PC camp, and the majority of the high-profile PC games seem to simply imitate the types of games that Blizzard creates.

Epic Games, Bethesda, Obsidian, Bioware, ID Software, Ensemble Studios, etc etc... countless enterprises that used to swear by the PC, now their priority is often cross-platform 360/PS3/PC development.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: etiolate on September 01, 2007, 11:06:00 PM
if you ask NCSoft, all the PC gamers are going to PS3 :lol :lol
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: ToxicAdam on September 01, 2007, 11:26:19 PM
PC Gaming is like fine wine or good bread. You don't appreciate it until you get older.

For me, PC Gaming has always offered a deeper more immersive experience than console games. Part of that is the care and design that the devs put into the games .. the other part is the intimacy and proximity of the gaming area. Playing in a darkened room with your face 12 inches from the display just automatically sucks you in. I can lose hours and hours playing a PC game .. not so with console games.


--- ---

New avatar for Jotaro:

(http://www.eggmanart.com/ImageFiles/product%20pix/littlessiters/contrary.jpg)
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: MrAngryFace on September 01, 2007, 11:29:00 PM
Mondain has made nothing but WRONG impressions of the latest games, I dunno why he hasnt been lepered the fukin liar.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Mondain on September 01, 2007, 11:36:32 PM
Uh, look at my thread history, it absolutely isn't true. See Blue Dragon along with many, many others.

Look who's talking. Your 20 trivial threads a day are surely amazing contributions, man. MrAngryFace rabidly stalks me, twists my words, and attempts to sabotage any thread/post I ever do with an inane one-liner. Chill out.

In fact, this is enough. I don't even remember anyone from OA that was ever as obsessed with antagonizing my every move as you currently are, and I haven't even ever said one line to insult you. You're beginning to really scare me and so out of pity, to spare you from some nervous crisis, I'm going to leave you with your yes men to jerk you off from now on.

I'm done with this forum. Bye, fegs. :lol
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: TVC15 on September 02, 2007, 12:29:03 AM
oh drats.  Our most damning loss since Shake, no doubt.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 02, 2007, 12:30:22 AM
Awww, hell nawww. :(
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Smooth Groove on September 02, 2007, 12:35:33 AM
Mondain, how could you have been on the net for so long and still be as thin skinned as tissue paper?  Juding from the way you behave online, those tests that you passed must have been for "special" students.  I've been posting at forums for less than a year and I don't get trolled 1/10th as easily as you do.   Not only are you full of shit but you're also a pussy.  Come back when you've taken the Ex-Lax and grown some balls.  
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 01:21:29 AM
oh, don't be so butthurt, jojo. you're a pirate, a ps3 apologist, and a hentai freak in denial -- of course you're gonna get some shit around here. i'm sure you'd like to think maf was stalking you, instead of admitting that you just post pro-ps3 crapola, thinly veiled fanboy spiel and wanna-be elitist drivel. what you consider groupthink is really just a natural human reaction to obvious cognitive dissonance on display. get over yourself!
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Synbios459 on September 02, 2007, 01:26:43 AM
Awesome, for once, I'm not the one getting flammed!  :D
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 01:35:04 AM
ironically, jojo goes on about he survived the supposed internet brutality of opa-age(s), but he runs shrieking and flapping his wrists like a girl after only a few perfunctory disses from maf. lol indeed!
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: MrAngryFace on September 02, 2007, 02:10:52 AM
Mondain is a liar. He lied about the framerate in Blue Dragon, he LIED about the framerate in PS3 DiRT, and he lied about Lair initially too. Why should he get space to air his fabricated his impressions without fear of being called out on the account o plain ol bullshit.

"Oh I dont see framerate problems in battle but im not far in" -- Mondain
"Yeah, the framerate hitches in battles, cant figure out why" -- TVC

HRM.

This isnt a MAF HATES SONY thing, this is a MAF HATES LIARS thing. Why should I take his shit seriously?
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 02:12:11 AM
well, admittedly, he may suck at telling frame rate issues, or may have a ps3-selective bias!
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Smooth Groove on September 02, 2007, 02:29:54 AM
ironically, jojo goes on about he survived the supposed internet brutality of opa-age(s), but he runs shrieking and flapping his wrists like a girl after only a few perfunctory disses from maf. lol indeed!

Let's not twist Jojo's words.  He left because he was nice enough to spare MAF from a nervous breakdown. 
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 02:31:27 AM
if the full sarcastical[sic] power of the TUMOR was unleashed, we would all be crying bitter tears
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 02, 2007, 02:35:36 AM
I admit, it's kinda hard not to laugh at Mondain's posts when it's so crystal-clear he's pushing his pro-PS3 agenda all the time.  But I still think he made some valid points regarding PC gaming. :P
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 02:39:32 AM
frag disemboweled his only legitimate argument -- that PC gaming was primarily MMORPGs and RTS titles or Tolkien fantasy romps. the rest of his complaints are bogus -- graphics cards last a good two years if you shop wisely (a 6600 from two years ago will still play most stuff at medium settings), and his complaints about complexity or multitasking just show he isn't cut of the proper cloth for pc gaming. some of us can't play ddr to save our lives, and some of us apparently can't play complicated games. he shouldn't blame pc gaming for his mental failings! i don't blame ddr because i can't dance!
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 02, 2007, 02:49:27 AM
I won't continue the discussion because I think the fact that Mondain's the one who started it sort of poisoned the well for any legitimate argument regarding the state of PC gaming. :lol
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Smooth Groove on September 02, 2007, 02:50:27 AM
Yeah, it was really dumb of jotaro to complain about the PC only having RTSs when so many good RPGS have come out in the past twelve months.   PC also has a ton of FPS games that are better than any console FPS not named Halo.  Even if you hate RTS/FPS games, there are still multiplatform games like Marvel:UA, Dirt, NFS, RE4, Lost Planet, Splinter Cell, which typically look and run better than the console versions.  Basically, Mondain was full of shit.  As usual.  
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 03:02:43 AM
come on: bitching about MENUS? i live for menus! AND STATS. nothing better than five zillion menus full of numbers, settings, sliders, and options -- seriously. my gamepussy gets wet for ROWS AND COLUMNS AND BUTTONS.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 02, 2007, 03:08:44 AM
come on: bitching about MENUS? i live for menus! AND STATS. nothing better than five zillion menus full of numbers, settings, sliders, and options -- seriously. my gamepussy gets wet for ROWS AND COLUMNS AND BUTTONS.

So, uh...you must really love Princess Maker, then.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 03:09:47 AM
never played it, but i'm sure it doesn't approximate galciv or civ4 for menusexuality
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 02, 2007, 03:11:48 AM
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Princessmaker2_english.jpg)
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 03:14:53 AM
psh, that looks like a filthy console game
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: demi on September 02, 2007, 03:16:09 AM
(http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/2315/untitled1re0.jpg)

:hyper
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 02, 2007, 03:16:25 AM
It's a menu-driven, stats-based LOLI RAPE SIM.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 03:17:59 AM
SOLD
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: tiesto on September 02, 2007, 03:22:55 AM
My big complaint with PC gaming is how there is hardly any shelf space at the store for the games, and due to the lack of a used market, it's really hard to get ahold of many older (some even a few years old... I haven't seen BGII in a brick and mortar in about 2 years, should've bought a copy when I had the chance) games without resorting to either piracy or ebay. And my other complaint is that Falcom's PC titles don't get translated to the US and put on Steam, which would be like the best synergy ever for both parties.

Even if you don't like FPSes, RTSes, and MMOs, there are plenty of great PC titles, Jotaro... Believe me, I don't like RTSes or MMOs at all but I've found quite a bit to play. The indie PC scene is the bomb diggity... Cave Story, La Mulana, Within A Deep Forest, Knytt, rRootage/Kenta Cho's stuff, Seiklus... so much creativity on display, best thing is, all these games are free! And you don't need $400 graphics cards to run any of them! Not to mention RPG Maker, Game Maker, ZZT, and other game creation systems, which have tons of games people made, ranging from horrible to not-exactly-professional-calibur-but-still-kinda-fun. All the mods/addons for commercial games, etc.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 02, 2007, 03:23:42 AM
Bah, you don't even have to buy it, it's abandonware so you can d/l it for free.

My sister used to love to play it back in back when she was in high school.  When we got a new PC, it was the first thing she asked me to d/l and install.  :lol
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: demi on September 02, 2007, 03:32:59 AM
Who needs a PC when Dark Messiah of M&M comes out on 360 this month
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Fragamemnon on September 02, 2007, 03:55:00 AM
(http://static.filefront.com/images/sigggtwufx.jpg)

that's real man gaming, NOM NOM NOM NOM (that's from the fuck awesome Korsun Pocket, once of the best and most-approachable hardcore wargames in recent memory)

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My big complaint with PC gaming is how there is hardly any shelf space at the store for the games, and due to the lack of a used market, it's really hard to get ahold of many older (some even a few years old... I haven't seen BGII in a brick and mortar in about 2 years, should've bought a copy when I had the chance) games without resorting to either piracy or ebay.

I agree with this-it's a pain to have to resort to eBay or Amazon marketplace for retail versions of older games, but it's not too bad. In most cases, it's very much worth getting the hardcopy-in BG2's case, for example, the box has a TON of stuff in it, and a full retail install is definitely the way to go if you are going to install mods for the game (and there are tons).
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 02, 2007, 03:56:22 AM
(http://static.filefront.com/images/sigggtwufx.jpg)

:bow :bow :bow
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on September 02, 2007, 04:01:32 AM
me and my buds used to make fun of Korsun Pocket as the epitome of unplayable PC wargaming
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Fragamemnon on September 02, 2007, 04:10:32 AM
me and my buds used to make fun of Korsun Pocket as the epitome of unplayable PC wargaming

KP's interface was great for its target audience and I never through it to be too unplayable by any means. It's not nearly as bad as something like TOAW III or something:

(http://www.matrixgames.com/files/games/s317_TOAW3_shot4.jpg)
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Fragamemnon on September 02, 2007, 04:12:48 AM
oh and omg I just noticed there was an expansion to KP released back in 2003.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Shuri on September 02, 2007, 10:54:10 AM
The best poster has left! OH NEOS  :lol :lol He's probably going to have more time to labels his dvdrs and post on anime forums.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Eduardo24 on September 02, 2007, 11:42:14 AM
The 360 doesnīt really feel like PC gaming to me.  No RTSs, no graphic adventures, no mods, no indie games worth shit, no western RPGs actually worth a damn (fuck TES, I should start playing the old CRPGs, I donīt even know why I never played them), no god games, no turnbased strategy games, no city builders etc.  I love playing games only by using a mouse and nothing else.  The 360 doesnīt have that.  It has a lot of shooters, but the N64 also had a lot of them. 
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Prost on September 02, 2007, 12:59:21 PM
PC gaming has always and always will be better than console gaming.

The PC can do any kind of game and make good controls, you've got enough possible buttons.  Your graphics can top anything if you just get some good parts.  The online systems are better than console online systems....  only like 100 different ways to stay in contact with people.

The only things the PC can't do that console CAN do is make it easier for a bunch of local friends play a game on one screen.  You also don't have to deal with installation issues or other computer problems.


Also console people really never knew about PC games...

I remember when Halo came out, and everyone and their mother was bringing xboxs over to friends houses and hooking up to multiple TVs....

I tried playing with a few people one night.  The graphics were shit, it was impossible to see anyone because the screen was split 4 ways.... and I just kept thinking to myself "Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament, Team Fortress................   these games are a million times better and have been out for so much longer... what the fuck is wrong with these distinguished mentally-challenged fellows?"

They've done a much better job with the new generation of consoles IMO though....  PC will always have a better setup though.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: bork on September 02, 2007, 10:04:57 PM
PC gaming has always and always will be better than console gaming.

No.  You just lost your right to use that Ryu avatar.    :D

Quote
The PC can do any kind of game and make good controls, you've got enough possible buttons.  Your graphics can top anything if you just get some good parts.  The online systems are better than console online systems....  only like 100 different ways to stay in contact with people.

The only things the PC can't do that console CAN do is make it easier for a bunch of local friends play a game on one screen.  You also don't have to deal with installation issues or other computer problems.

It is the installation issues and computer problems that hinders PC gaming.  Also consoles have a major advantage of all being the same.  With PCs, everyone has a different set-up, so games could potentially run great or like shit.  Console game developers get to work with the same hardware for years, and can really push them to their limits, where as on PC, it's like "screw that...let's just move onto bigger and better hardware."

PC gaming now is a shell of its former self.  It's really sad to see so many great genres and games dead.  There's so little other than generic FPS #499945945945945, RTS games, and MMORPGs being released.  It's really sad; PC gaming up until this decade had some awesome, AWESOME games.  Many of my all-time favorite titles are still from the late 80s and early 90s.  That time in PC gaming is dead.  Consoles are king.


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Also console people really never knew about PC games...

Disagree.  The same people I knew who went nuts over Halo also went nuts over Doom, Quake, UT, etc.  Certainly Halo got the attention of more people who didn't have PCs or didn't play PC games before though...that's the appeal of consoles. 

Quote
I remember when Halo came out, and everyone and their mother was bringing xboxs over to friends houses and hooking up to multiple TVs....

I tried playing with a few people one night.  The graphics were shit, it was impossible to see anyone because the screen was split 4 ways.... and I just kept thinking to myself "Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament, Team Fortress................   these games are a million times better and have been out for so much longer... what the fuck is wrong with these distinguished mentally-challenged fellows?"

Halo was popular because Halo was FUN.  People loved playing it, and it definitely helped that it was so easy to just bring over an XBox and plug n' play.  It's not as easy with PCs.

One platform isn't overall better than the other.  Both have their strengths and weaknesses.  What has happened is that consoles have been catching up with PCs, and it's getting to the point that PCs aren't really "required" for a lot of types of gaming any longer. 
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Ichirou on September 02, 2007, 10:10:33 PM
lyte edge makes some awesome points.  He basically verbalized a lot of my thoughts and put them into words a whole lot better than I ever could.

I think a lot of people here are tech-heads so they take a lot of things for granted - the inconvenience of upgrading video cards, the different set-ups that lead to one machine playing a game great while another can't handle it without major issues, hardware and software conflicts, having to deal with different issues depending on what version of your OS you're using, etc.

One of the biggest mistakes MS and Sony have made this gen is to have different SKUs for their machines, IMO.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Prost on September 05, 2007, 10:27:34 PM
PC gaming has always and always will be better than console gaming.

No.  You just lost your right to use that Ryu avatar.    :D

Quote
The PC can do any kind of game and make good controls, you've got enough possible buttons.  Your graphics can top anything if you just get some good parts.  The online systems are better than console online systems....  only like 100 different ways to stay in contact with people.

The only things the PC can't do that console CAN do is make it easier for a bunch of local friends play a game on one screen.  You also don't have to deal with installation issues or other computer problems.

It is the installation issues and computer problems that hinders PC gaming.  Also consoles have a major advantage of all being the same.  With PCs, everyone has a different set-up, so games could potentially run great or like shit.  Console game developers get to work with the same hardware for years, and can really push them to their limits, where as on PC, it's like "screw that...let's just move onto bigger and better hardware."

PC gaming now is a shell of its former self.  It's really sad to see so many great genres and games dead.  There's so little other than generic FPS #499945945945945, RTS games, and MMORPGs being released.  It's really sad; PC gaming up until this decade had some awesome, AWESOME games.  Many of my all-time favorite titles are still from the late 80s and early 90s.  That time in PC gaming is dead.  Consoles are king.


Quote
Also console people really never knew about PC games...

Disagree.  The same people I knew who went nuts over Halo also went nuts over Doom, Quake, UT, etc.  Certainly Halo got the attention of more people who didn't have PCs or didn't play PC games before though...that's the appeal of consoles. 

Quote
I remember when Halo came out, and everyone and their mother was bringing xboxs over to friends houses and hooking up to multiple TVs....

I tried playing with a few people one night.  The graphics were shit, it was impossible to see anyone because the screen was split 4 ways.... and I just kept thinking to myself "Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament, Team Fortress................   these games are a million times better and have been out for so much longer... what the fuck is wrong with these distinguished mentally-challenged fellows?"

Halo was popular because Halo was FUN.  People loved playing it, and it definitely helped that it was so easy to just bring over an XBox and plug n' play.  It's not as easy with PCs.

One platform isn't overall better than the other.  Both have their strengths and weaknesses.  What has happened is that consoles have been catching up with PCs, and it's getting to the point that PCs aren't really "required" for a lot of types of gaming any longer. 


oh yeah welllll....   i've got an 8 incher! haha!



nah good points ;P

I dont know though about how people who liked PC fps ever got into Halo....  That's just too far of a stretch and I don't think it's true.  Great points on everything else I said though.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on September 05, 2007, 11:07:11 PM
PC's still rule the graphic adventure genre.  Which is still not dead and is still pretty awesome at times.
also, anybody with a PC can play enough great freeware and mods (although they seem to be less prevalent these days) to last between even the longest gaming droughts.  Hell, Kenta Cho gets more playtime in my house these days then many games I've paid for.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 06, 2007, 12:45:56 AM
i started with pc fps and i love halo, so in your fat taco face
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: CajoleJuice on September 06, 2007, 12:59:30 AM
Are you actually going to come online to play Halo 3, Prole? We should play!
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Van Cruncheon on September 06, 2007, 01:03:53 AM
perhaps, but scheduling time is a bear; i just love halo sp
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: demi on September 06, 2007, 01:16:41 AM
halo co-op*
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Oblivion on September 06, 2007, 01:20:14 AM
i prefer playing console games instead of pc games because i like laying on the couch while i play. for real.

Yep, really this is my only real issue. Startin to like you more and more, bud.  :-*
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: ToxicAdam on September 06, 2007, 12:01:58 PM
Sometimes I wonder if PC gaming is a generational thing .. or if its just my generation that is keeping the thing going. Meaning .. does someone who is a lifelong gamer and turns 27ish begin to migrate to PC gaming? Or is it just 27+ yr olds that are still PC Gaming because that's what they have always done since the late 80's?

I'm sure you could think of examples to buoy both arguements.

-- --

What gives me a lot of hope for the PC gaming world is what I am seeing out of Eastern Europe, Asia and Russia. These game producers are getting better and better at making games (usually mining old ideas) and help fill the gaps between the few PC devs still making quality titles. I think this trend will only increase.

Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Himu on September 06, 2007, 01:48:54 PM
Well I liked Mondain but Jesus Christ bucko
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Fragamemnon on September 06, 2007, 03:07:11 PM
Sometimes I wonder if PC gaming is a generational thing .. or if its just my generation that is keeping the thing going. Meaning .. does someone who is a lifelong gamer and turns 27ish begin to migrate to PC gaming? Or is it just 27+ yr olds that are still PC Gaming because that's what they have always done since the late 80's?

I'm sure you could think of examples to buoy both arguements.

There were two really great "pick up" points for people playing PC games I think-Amiga nutties excluded!. One was the late 80s and early 1990s, when PCs were providing experiences that console games couldn't even fathom, and again in the late 1990s during the 3D accelerator and FPS boom and the explosion in online play (late 96-2000). I think the people that were in their teens playing games in the former period are still really into PC games. They cut their teeth on a lot of the still-unavailable-on-consoles genres like strategy and CRPGs, and find that console gaming is really comparatively lacking in depth and complexity.

The newer folk can get their online twitch fix on the consoles, and are often younger people who generally never had to deal with the insane bullshit that the older folk did with getting PC games to run (LOL FUCK YOU FALCON 3.0 AND YOUR GOD DAMN COPROCESSOR FOR HIFI MODE or CONVENTIONAL/EXTENDED MEMORY) back in the day. They are less patient and not used to the costs and the console provides a rough, albieit grossly inferior, approximation of the PC for enough genres that they would rather just play on their televisions.

-- -- 

Quote
What gives me a lot of hope for the PC gaming world is what I am seeing out of Eastern Europe, Asia and Russia. These game producers are getting better and better at making games (usually mining old ideas) and help fill the gaps between the few PC devs still making quality titles. I think this trend will only increase.

They are making huge strides in quality and innovation every year. There are three great trends in PC gaming I've seen this year:

A) Mod scenes for all genres, not FPS. Strategy games and simulations are especially benefitting from this. Civ4 and Total War are as nearly heavily modded as Half Life 2 is at this point. New games are released with moddability as a core feature.
B) European developers starting to get bigger budgets and more publishing exposure.
C) The 360 controller. Plug it in, and it just works with so many games. No fuss, and it makes it dirt easy to play a console game or port with all of the advantages of higher end hardware without any fuss. It's the one area where the whole Games for Windows thing hasn't sucked.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on September 06, 2007, 03:37:57 PM
PC's still rule the graphic adventure genre.  Which is still not dead and is still pretty awesome at times.
also, anybody with a PC can play enough great freeware and mods (although they seem to be less prevalent these days) to last between even the longest gaming droughts.  Hell, Kenta Cho gets more playtime in my house these days then many games I've paid for.

Really? I have my doubts. Graphic adventures died with Lucasarts, imo. There's been basically five eras of adventure:

1) Awesome Infocom and other text adventures: Trinity, A Mind Forever Voyaging, Zork.
2) Awesome parser based AGI Sierra and other adventures: (n Quest, also some good Legend games that were hybrid text/graphical
3) Awesome Lucasarts and sometimes awesome icon-based Sierra adventures: Monkey Island, DOTT, Indy 4, Sam n Max...Gabriel Knight, King's Quest VI, and some of the parser remakes are good on the Sierra side.
4) Myst and awful Myst clones. Myst works for me because of its place of setting and mood. Puzzles are nonsense. Clones copied the nonsense puzzles and hi-res SVGA graphics without any of the lore or setting.
5) Awful eurofaggotry. Includes: The Longest Journey (sucks), Syberia (irredemable), Fahrenheit (wow just wow), etc. These worlds feel "sterile" and the pretention is off-the-charts.

Telltale's Sam n Max is kickin' it old-school.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: demi on September 06, 2007, 03:39:17 PM
Scratches is an amazing graphical adventure, I highly recommend you check it out.

http://www.scratchesmystery.com/
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Smooth Groove on September 06, 2007, 04:05:15 PM
Indigo Prophecy has great setting and atmosphere.  The graphics were a little dated even back then but the artistic direction makes up for the technical flaws. 
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on September 06, 2007, 04:15:29 PM
Indigo Prophecy has great setting and atmosphere.  The graphics were a little dated even back then but the artistic direction makes up for the technical flaws. 

WRONG
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Smooth Groove on September 06, 2007, 04:19:38 PM
Why?  I'll admit that my impressions were based only on the 1st hour or so but it was good enough that I'll go back to it. 
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: demi on September 06, 2007, 04:24:32 PM
Why?  I'll admit that my impressions were based only on the 1st hour or so but it was good enough that I'll go back to it. 

:lol

That's cause the first hour IS the good part
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on September 06, 2007, 04:25:06 PM
Why?  I'll admit that my impressions were based only on the 1st hour or so but it was good enough that I'll go back to it. 

hahahaha...that explains it

the game self-destructs more brilliantly than just about any title ever

the last few hours are amazing
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: T234 on September 06, 2007, 04:30:08 PM
At least you fuckers own a PC.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on September 06, 2007, 05:22:17 PM
S. Patal is sadly correct.
But I wouldnt share the same sense of dread with the adventure games of today that he does.  The Longest Journey was really dang good, and some (not all) of the Euro stuff has been pretty solid (pretty much anything Microids did).

But I'd be flat out lying if I said my favorite adventure games of recent years were anything but the Phoenix Wright series, man, those are awesome.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on September 06, 2007, 07:46:01 PM
spoiler (click to show/hide)
your character discovers he's inside the Matrix and becomes a god and fights space aliens
[close]
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on September 06, 2007, 09:18:11 PM
spoiler (click to show/hide)
everyone learns kung fu, and I think there's some zombies and rogue AIs as well. i don't really remember anymore. it just jumps the shark so so so so so SO amazingly
[close]

maybe demi can verify/elucidate
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: demi on September 06, 2007, 09:33:38 PM
Sometimes I think I'm the only one who paid attention to the game, but...

spoiler (click to show/hide)
Lucas Kane, while under the control of a powerful Mayan mystic called the Oracle, kills some random guy in a bathroom. The Oracle manipulates other people to kill random people too. The Oracle forces others to kill people in order to open a gateway to the spiritual world which would help him in his search for the Indigo Child. The Indigo Child is a girl whose soul is so pure it has not been incarnated.

About 5,000 years ago, a prophet predicted the coming of the Indigo Child who would, upon nearing death, tell the answer to all questions. Whosoever hears the secret would gain unimaginable powers. The Oracle is after this child but he is not working alone for he is employed by a group who has been controlling the world since the dawn of time, the Orange Clan.

Lucas Kane manages to evade the police numerous times and in the process not only discovers that the Oracle is using a Mayan sacrifical ritual to kill people but his own incredible powers that allowed him to resist the Oracle's magic. In order to learn about more of what is going on, Lucas Kane goes to a psychic called Agatha. She knows what is going on but is murdered before she could tell him. Agatha supposedly comes back as a ghost and guides Lucas Kane in his journey. As it turns out, Lucas Kane was granted great powers at birth since his pregnant mother was exposed to an alien device.

Kane was granted the power of the Chroma, a sort of cosmic force like gravity but infinitely more powerful. Lucas Kane battles the Oracle a couple of times while getting his ex-wife killed in the process and finally manages to get the Indigo Child. Agatha appears but Kane distrusts her and refuses to give her the child, Agatha reveals her true form, a machine made of light.

It turns out that back in the 1960s, when the internet first started out, a form of conciousness was created which resulted in the birth of a new clan, the Purple Clan. The machine used Agatha's visage to get the Indigo Child and thus make machines the dominant species.

To make a long story short, Lucas defeats both the Oracle and the Purple Clan, learns the secret of life from the Indigo Child, then marries and impregnates Carla Valenti, the female police officer that you get to play as.
[close]



I hope that clears things up, and no, this is not a joke post.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on September 06, 2007, 09:50:37 PM
Dashiell Hammett, eat your heart out.
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on September 06, 2007, 10:22:50 PM
both of my one sentence summaries are correct but demi's post delivers the awesome goods

so, yeah

judging Indigo Prophecy by its first few hours = :lol :lol :lol
Title: Re: Why PC games blow now
Post by: Prost on September 07, 2007, 12:55:19 PM
i started with pc fps and i love halo, so in your fat taco face
proves you're a weeeeeeeirdo

all pc fps > all console fps