Pc gaming rant/rave

[renz20003]

So ive been pc gaming since 1998, ive had alot of fond memories and learned alot about computers along the way. I think everyone reading the gaming fourm has more then likely been gaming since they were young kids, I was the same way. I just added a second 6950 card the other day, and after almost 4 years and severel hardware revisions im finally able to run crysis at max settings and to tell you the truth it was more fun enjoying the ride of tweaking/tinkering to get to this point then the game itself lol. My point is though as gaming gets more and more casual I hear alot of flak about how pc gaming is dead but to me its better then its been in along time. We have stable hardware/software compared to the past, the xbox360 as much as I liked it is a POS unreliable turd, we get ports of the best 360 games that we can play without wondering if our machines are gonna give the 3 rings of death. Hardcore games that can push the limits of highend systems and games any where in between hardcore and casual. Not to mention steam, which I remember the backlash when valve came out and said it was the only way to play HL2 and the majority cried foul because they couldnt have a physical copy of the game, now almost 8 years later can you imagine going to a store to buy a PC game? lol. Not to mention the deals... So with rage, diablo 3, and TES due out shorty and im sure more I failed to mention, who else here thinks its gonna be a fun future for pc gaming?

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

PC Gaming isn't dead but other platforms sell more due to lower entry price point, no need for upgrading, etc.

Sadly, companies JUMP to develop multiplayer games for both PC and console, yet multiplayer games are the kind that are most screwed up for PC by co-developing.

Yet games like storyline RPGs, which would NOT really suffer as long as they are properly ported, which don't require concessions in development, are NOT ported to PC. I spent my $$ on a PC and now don't have a console to play games like FF13 that aren't on PC.

 

[renz20003]

I see your point on games like FF and rpgs in general, the metal gear solid franchise comes to mind on that subject. I bought a ps3 just to play metal gear solid 4, and it lied dormant until I was able to stream netflix on it lol. I have money invested in my PC but when I add up the cost of games ive bought on steam and what ive saved by waiting a few months after a release ive saved a ton of money. I did have all of the consoles of this generation to play there specific titles and when you add up the cost of games and the systems its way more then I have in this current rig, thats part of the reason I switched to just PC gaming, im tired of paying for all these systems and only using them for 1 or 2 games. I just bought mass effect 2 on sale and if you havent played it you might find some enjoyment out of it, its not hardcore FF game though :-/

 

[sandorski]

Not only is PC Gaming not Dead or even Dying, but I suspect the discussion would be the exact opposite if Consoles didn't have exclusive Titles. Whether those Exclusive titles are permanent or simply 6+ months earlier than PC versions, that gives Consoles a reason to exist. This is especially true at this time when even the lowest of PC's are as capable as Consoles.

 

[HeXen]

So ive been pc gaming since 1998, ive had alot of fond memories and learned alot about computers along the way. I think everyone reading the gaming fourm has more then likely been gaming since they were young kids, I was the same way. I just added a second 6950 card the other day, and after almost 4 years and severel hardware revisions im finally able to run crysis at max settings and to tell you the truth it was more fun enjoying the ride of tweaking/tinkering to get to this point then the game itself lol. My point is though as gaming gets more and more casual I hear alot of flak about how pc gaming is dead but to me its better then its been in along time. We have stable hardware/software compared to the past, the xbox360 as much as I liked it is a POS unreliable turd, we get ports of the best 360 games that we can play without wondering if our machines are gonna give the 3 rings of death. Hardcore games that can push the limits of highend systems and games any where in between hardcore and casual. Not to mention steam, which I remember the backlash when valve came out and said it was the only way to play HL2 and the majority cried foul because they couldnt have a physical copy of the game, now almost 8 years later can you imagine going to a store to buy a PC game? lol. Not to mention the deals... So with rage, diablo 3, and TES due out shorty and im sure more I failed to mention, who else here thinks its gonna be a fun future for pc gaming?

I've agreed to that for the last several years. My biggest complaint is much of gaming is restricted to the Windows OS. I'd much rather play my games under Linux.
Remember when Computer games used to say Amiga/ST/IBM PC/MAC?...most games ran under several OS's, shame its not that way anymore, OPengl 4.2 or whatever can be just as fine as DX11, kinda wish someone would make a simple API like dx11 for developers that work on Linux. Steam on Linux would be awesome too.

 

[wuliheron]

PC gaming has just been going through a rough transition from a bunch of guys in their basement or garage just 15 years ago into a major corporate industry. Last year video games made more money then all the Hollywood movies combined and they did it by making games cross platform compatible, expanding into major corporations, and spending sometimes over a $100,000,000.oo developing a single game. The demand has outstripped the supply providing fertile ground for quick buck artists, especially in marketing. Thankfully the public has finally caught on and now only a handful of video games a year make the big bucks forcing developers to either provide quality products or find another line of work.

In other words we've just gone through a painful growth spurt and now the remaining video game developers can take a little more time to consolidate and retrench. With the new consoles now in development, the push for portable electronics, and all the cash that has been infused into the industry I expect PC gaming to reach new heights. I'd be really surprised if we don't see some cutting edge PC games coming out in anticipation of the next generation consoles.

 

[shortylickens]

So I've been PC gaming since 1998, I've had a lot of fond memories and learned a lot about computers along the way. I think everyone reading the gaming forum has more then likely been gaming since they were young kids, I was the same way. I just added a second 6950 card the other day, and after almost 4 years and several hardware revisions I'm finally able to run Crysis at max settings and to tell you the truth it was more fun enjoying the ride of tweaking/tinkering to get to this point then the game itself.

As gaming gets more and more casual I hear flak about how PC gaming is dead but to me its better then its been in a long time. We have stable hardware/software compared to the past, the Xbox 360 as much as I liked it is a POS unreliable turd. We get ports of the best 360 games that we can play without wondering if our machines are gonna give the ring of death. Hardcore games that can push the limits of high-end systems and games any where in between hardcore and casual. Not to mention Steam, which I remember the backlash when Valve came out and said it was the only way to play HL2 and the majority cried foul because they couldn't have a physical copy of the game, now almost 8 years later can you imagine going to a store to buy a PC game?
Not to mention the deals.

So with Rage, Diablo 3, and TES 5 due out shortly and I'm sure more I failed to mention, who else here thinks its gonna be a fun future for PC gaming?

Edited for clarity.

Any time you post something that long, take the extra 2 seconds to format it.

Basically I agree. Things are looking good. However things have looked good every year and we are often disappointed with big releases.

 

[reallyscrued]

Edited for clarity.

Thank you.

You can find my rants and raves in various threads on the forums. Consolidating them all in one post would be overwhelming.

 

[gorcorps]

It's funny how you call the 360 unreliable. I've only had 1 RROD in my ~5 years of owning the thing. In my PC gaming prime I had 2 dead HDDs and a PSU fail in the same time frame. While the PSU was a quick fix, the HDDs ended up with hours of lost saves. When my 360 went it was under warranty and the drive was saved. So all I lost were a couple weeks of owning the thing. And to this day on the PC I still have problems with ports crashing or running terribly.

I'm not trying to say that one is better than the other. With my newly built system I have only bought a console game when I couldn't get it on PC, so you can see what I currently prefer. Still... the reliability argument isn't a great one IMO. Computers are and always have been fickle beasts. The difference is when my 360 broke I lost nothing but time. When my PC broke I usually lost time, money, and data. I had all important data backed up... but it was still a bummer to lose so many game saves.

We're in an interesting crossroads in gaming. This is the first generation where consoles have been able to nearly match PC in online gaming capability. PC gamers still (usually) are able to get more players in a game, better performance and visuals, and a more controlled online system with being able to choose maps and such. Still... the consoles have done a very good job and getting their multiplayer games to run with very little hitches. The first xbox had live connectivity too, but this gen is during the time when almost everyone can afford high speed internet and put it to good use. It's just one more thing that PCs used to have the market on but that's really not the case anymore.

There's still plenty of reason to pick PC gaming over consoles, and there most likely always will be. Those reasons just aren't big enough for some to justify the extra cost anymore. And after a couple of years with only console gaming you begin to forget why you spent so much time and money on PC gaming when consoles are generally "good enough". If you don't remember what you're missing... well, ignorance is bliss as they say.

 

[Fallen Kell]

PC Gaming isn't dead but other platforms sell more due to lower entry price point, no need for upgrading, etc.

Sadly, companies JUMP to develop multiplayer games for both PC and console, yet multiplayer games are the kind that are most screwed up for PC by co-developing.

Yet games like storyline RPGs, which would NOT really suffer as long as they are properly ported, which don't require concessions in development, are NOT ported to PC. I spent my $$ on a PC and now don't have a console to play games like FF13 that aren't on PC.

That said, you are not missing anything with FF13.... Sadly I havn't enjoyed a FF since FFX. Even that took me a while to really get into it.

 

[GaiaHunter]

While PC gaming may not be dying, it isn't in its golden age.

Go back to 2000-2001.

Look at some of the games I was playing at the time- Deus Ex, Giants:Citizen Kabuto, Sacrifice, Starlancer, Diablo II, Civ 3, Clive Barker's Undying, No One Lives Forever, MDK2, Baldur's Gate II, Planescape:Torment, Homeworld, Shogun: Total War, Mechwarrior 4, Max Payne, Battle Realms, Black and White...

How the hell did I have time to do anything but play?

 

[Sulaco]

While PC gaming may not be dying, it isn't in its golden age.

Go back to 2000-2001.

Look at some of the games I was playing at the time- Deus Ex, Giants:Citizen Kabuto, Sacrifice, Starlancer, Diablo II, Civ 3, Clive Barker's Undying, No One Lives Forever, MDK2, Baldur's Gate II, Planescape:Torment, Homeworld, Shogun: Total War, Mechwarrior 4, Max Payne, Battle Realms, Black and White...

How the hell did I have time to do anything but play?

Looked good, until you threw in Civ 3 and Black and White.

I mean...Black and White?? Really?

 

[PrayForDeath]

While PC gaming may not be dying, it isn't in its golden age.

Go back to 2000-2001.

Look at some of the games I was playing at the time- Deus Ex, Giants:Citizen Kabuto, Sacrifice, Starlancer, Diablo II, Civ 3, Clive Barker's Undying, No One Lives Forever, MDK2, Baldur's Gate II, Planescape:Torment, Homeworld, Shogun: Total War, Mechwarrior 4, Max Payne, Battle Realms, Black and White...

How the hell did I have time to do anything but play?

Ah the memories... Such good games!

 

[sandorski]

Looked good, until you threw in Civ 3 and Black and White.

I mean...Black and White?? Really?

Civ 3 was the worst in the series as well...until 5 anyway.

 

[Golgatha]

Not only is PC Gaming not Dead or even Dying, but I suspect the discussion would be the exact opposite if Consoles didn't have exclusive Titles. Whether those Exclusive titles are permanent or simply 6+ months earlier than PC versions, that gives Consoles a reason to exist. This is especially true at this time when even the lowest of PC's are as capable as Consoles.

Quite frankly, if console exclusives didn't exist, I would not have any consoles. I'd have a gaming PC at my desk, and one hooked up to my living room TV with a couple of XBox 360 controllers (or equivalent) plugged into the front.

 

[Texashiker]

So with rage, diablo 3, and TES due out shorty and im sure more I failed to mention, who else here thinks its gonna be a fun future for pc gaming?

I want more games like left 4 dead and left 4 dead 2.

As for rage, in my opinion, id software has not made a good game since quake II. Their best game was Doom, then Quake, and everything after that was downhill. The one exception might be quake III or Quake live.

I would like to see someone make more games like the left 4 dead series. Something that relies on teamwork, and creates and alternate universe.

After Valve releases the original left 4 dead maps in l4d2, I see myself playing l4d2 for a long time to come. Mainly because nothing else catches my eye. Borderlands is fun in multiplayer, fallout new vegas is fun but I miss the multiplayer side of gaming,,,,.

Over the past 3 or 4 years, there have only been a handful of games that really stand out. Instead of developers coming up with new ideas, their making the the same style of games over and over - how many times can the battlefield style of gaming be redone?

I want something new, I want it to be multiplayer, I want it to require team work, and I want the game set in an alternate universe,,, I dont think that is too much to ask. But instead, game developers change the graphics, change the weapons and call it a "new" game.

 

[GaiaHunter]

Looked good, until you threw in Civ 3 and Black and White.

I mean...Black and White?? Really?

Civ 3 was the worst in the series as well...until 5 anyway.

About Black and White - the least you can say of it is that it was a refreshing concept. I'll give you that it is a game concept you either enjoy it or you don't.

CiV3 - well just go to some CiV forums - people will jump around saying whatever version is the best.

Anyway I was just point the sheer amount of innovative games, excellent story, etc.

We kept getting great games and will keep getting great games, but damn, I just had a big pile of GREAT games to play back then.