Is gaming rubbish at the moment? Will it recover?

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Yeah, typically PCs are much more powerful than any console.

Of course... this comes at a price, and this is where the part where I hate the accursed things (the PCs) comes into play. This is also the bit that the "master race" sort never mentions or admits to.

First off is the cost. You want a high-end PC? Better be prepared to dish out some really major cash. Think a new console is expensive? Hah! If you want a high end PC that'll STAY high end for awhile, well... consoles are CHEAP compared to that. And that's when having one built, which is always cheaper than buying a pre-made model. Those are even pricier (and usually crappy).

That part thouigh, that part doesnt really bug me much. But it'll be a problem for many.

The OTHER part of the cost is dealing with all of the crashes and breakdowns and Windows being an ass and argh argh argh. PC gaming is great and all, but I still loathe the bloody devices much of the time. I give the consoles that they at least just WORK. Usually. PCs though... expect trouble, because it's inevitable.


As for the graphics arguement though.... my own view on that will always be "Dont care". Now, dont get me wrong... if a game has really great graphics and all, that's at least a nice bonus, and my own machine is built to handle anything at all. But that's all it is... a bonus. MOST of the games I'm into dont even come close to going that far with graphics.

Frankly, I'm happy enough with graphics that look like they're from the ancient Atari 2600. Or the NES.


Lemme give an example here:

[img][800:540]http://i.imgur.com/C9WBudY.jpg[/img]


This is Risk of Rain. This is one of my absolute favorites. Many, many hours, this one gets from me. Tons and tons of replay value here.

Yet, it looks like that. Aint exactly the sort of graphics that the "master race" idiots like to brag about, eh? But it looks fine to me. I like the way it looks and I think the overall aesthetic is great.

But the main point of it is the gameplay and such as that, and that's where this one is a winner. I consider it a masterpiece.

And here's where my big point about graphics and such comes in. A game like this? Would never make it on consoles... let alone appear on them at all. Despite how freaking brilliant the game is as a whole. You just cant DO this sort of thing on consoles. Publishers really dont like it and most wont allow it. On PC though... someone wants to make something like this? Go ahead!

It's not just this game, but the vast majority of my collection tends to have graphics of a similar level to where this one is. Oh, there's some games I have that are the "push it to the max" sorts of graphics, but those are the exception, not the norm.

And that's one of the biggest reasons I do PC gaming instead of console gaming. I haaaaaaate the obsession with graphics that both developers AND consumers have on consoles, dramatically limiting the kinds of games that can appear on them. That obsession can be totally avoided and ignored with the PC stuff. No restrictions to what can be made. And so, I went to that instead. "Master Race" my ass. Those jerks can brag about their damn graphics all they want. I'll be over here, with my most excellent games that may or may not resemble things on the 2600.


Not that I wont ever touch consoles though. I might grab me a Wii U for Monster Hunter (which I'm a HUGE fan of), and things like the Mario games, and the virtual console stuff. And I *will* end up with a PS4 before the end of the year because of the next LittleBigPlanet game coming soon; a game I want so badly that I will indeed buy an entire console to get it. Some may find this to be a stupid idea. They can just go jump off a cliff, thanks. I'll blow money on stuff if I want, dagnabit!



Also.... I really DONT know why you get PC gamers of that sort spending so much time watching console-related videos and such. I really, really dont. They'll do that, watch videos for specific games... and then ramble on about how stupid everyone is that buys the game because they think consoles are stupid. Even if the person saying this stuff has a very obvious interest in the game themselves that they arent hiding very well. Frankly, I think some of them are just your basic trolls. Or you get some that do this because they want to brag about how great their system is that they paid way too much for (it gives them more satisfaction, maybe?).

I watch alot of gaming videos, but they're all either one of two things. 1. PC games. 2. Console games, but specifically those from older consoles. I watch alot of Lets Plays, and MOST of those that I watch are of games on consoles like the NES, or things that existed around that time. Older stuff. PC LPs are rarer for me to watch. So, I only watch videos of games I'm genuinely interested in, and I sure as heck aint gonna pointlessly insult others in the comments. I'm likely to get into conversations about the game instead, or perhaps post to offer tips to whoever is making the videos, as I've likely played the game in question myself.

tons of games that look like that make it to consoles. Sony is big on indies to the point people complain that all Sony talks about are indies.

Not even remotely close to that many make it to those to catch my interest in terms of purchasing. That's how huge the difference is in selection size. I'm aware of all of the ones that do make it to the consoles (the various news sites I follow always point them out). There's not even close to enough for me to want to bother. And it's not just the graphics that are considered when dealing with the possibilities of getting one of these on consoles. Risk of Rain would have a low enough chance of getting on there basede on the graphics, but even if that part seemed fine to some publisher, the game's high difficulty would likely undo it. Not to mention the content; I find that most such games that DO make it to consoles (not all, but most) tend to be very story-based, as if the ones porting it think the story will make up for the graphics. LOTS of games like this dont focus on story, or put it off to the side, as this one does. There IS a story, but you'll not hear any of it during actual gameplay, it has to be read outside of that in the gallery, and even then it's all bits and pieces and takes a zillion years to put together fully (and takes ALOT of skill from the player). Ideas like that are pretty common.

.....not to mention though that the majority of games like this are already on PC as well. Most such games start there, and end up ported. Even with the 3DS, when I look in their indie section (and other parts of the e-shop... it aint JUST about indies here, that's just the term I use the most), this is still true. The only reason I would deal with a console is for exclusives, and most of those just arent. Thus, right now, despite my dislike of Nintendo (well, my dislike of them as a company, not dislike of their games), their stuff is what I'll end up with the most. I'll get a PS4, but it's a pretty good chance that LittleBigPlanet will end up literally being the only game I get for it. Aint anything else I'd get on it yet, and it's looking to stay that way for quite awhile.

Well, no, MAYBE pick up Destiny. Not really sure. Will have to see how that one comes out. Not too fond of the idea of playing an FPS on a console; not because it's a console, but because I haaaaaaaaaaate analog sticks when used in FPS games. Always have, always will. Though I dont like analog sticks to start with.

It seems the PC crowd just needs to do a better job of promoting their games. I've said it many times that I'd jump back into PC gaming if they had exclusive games that interested me. Some people will tell me there are or that if I looked around, I'd find a lot but never elaborate. I'm honestly not aware of a single PC exclusive game that I'd want to play. Why does it need to be exclusive? Because I'm not going to drop down a lot of cash to build a high end PC to play games I can already play on my consoles. I'm generally not a fan of indie style games. I like epic, big budget games. I like cut scenes and story and character/plot development. I hate multiplayer games, with the exception of 1 on 1 fighting games (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, etc). If PC gaming had an exclusive game similar to The Last of Us, Thief, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Ninja Gaiden Black (still one of my favorite console games) or even good single player, story driven FPS games like Wolfenstein or Halo, I'd get back into it. But, as far as I can tell, these games don't exist.

Oh, they exist all right.

But yes, you have to look around without specific instructions. Because where one person finds them, may not be the right place for YOU to find them.

As stated, I personally dont give a flying fart about graphics, and in addition to that, I tend to *really* loathe story elements in games when they're done the wrong way.... by which I tend to mean cutscenes. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, I hate in any game more than cutscenes. NOTHING. I've a very dark hatred for those. All of them. Without exception.

So, games like the ones you list? Oh, I'm aware that that sort is there, and have seen them (EDIT: Fighting games are the exception here. Oh, there are some on PC. But dont bother with that. They have... issues. I've never figured out why. Fighting games, stick to consoles ONLY for now. I say this as a huge fan of the genre). But you'll get no direct locations out of me, as I avoid that sort like the plague.

Well, no, I can give you one example, a game called Miner Wars. There's some number after it ( a year) that I cannot for the life of me remember, but it's on the level of the sort of thing you're looking for, and even if you dont like that exact game (which plays like an old PC game called Descent, a game which is pretty famous among PC gaming fans), it rather proves my point. And no, it's not a Minecraft ripoff. It takes place in space, and by far the majority of the game is exploring various space stations and LOTS of combat (with ships, this isnt a "walking" FPS here). Again, even if that's not the sort of specific game you like, looking it up isnt a bad idea, as it proves my point. Also the game is freaking GORGEOUS when on a PC that can handle it to the fullest.

The group that made that game also is making the wonderous Space Engineers, which... well, THAT game is the perfect example of indie creativity. I hear that it will reach one of the consoles much later on, but it never, and I mean NEVER, could have STARTED there. Neither could Miner Wars.

Or look up a game called Divinity: Original Sin. It's a *very* high-quality RPG. Amazing graphics, amazing gameplay, amazing everything. Dont expect a JRPG though, this is a classic PC-style (think Baldur's Gate) RPG, which is very different. It's another game that is proof of what I speak of. It's also an indie game (yes, they can have that high of graphical quality).

Now, I *do* know where various story-heavy games are beyond just those, but only ones WITHOUT cutscenes, and since I couldnt care less about graphics, they're not going to have graphics of the level you're thinking of. Many are in 2D, not 3D. I tend to prefer it. They tend to be the sort of game where, if you so choose, you dont HAVE to listen to all the story stuff, and in order to get all of the story, you're going to have to explore and search for the things that will piece it together for you. Games like The Last of Us sorta spoon-feed it to you in linear fashion, which to me is.... not the way to do it.

Instead, think something like Skyrim, where there's all SORTS of stories to be learned.... but you go and find them, piece them together.... IF you so choose. That's more the sort of thing I'm familiar with. Games like that also tend to put gameplay FIRST, instead of story first.


In reality though, there's about 10 bazillionty exclusive games for PC. The very nature of it makes it impossible for it to be otherwise. Nearly all games that I own out of my collection of hundreds are PC-only. But you'll have a hard time getting extremely direct directions out of people. It's hard to know where to send any individual when their tastes differ from yours, particularly when there's about a bazillionty different places to go, and.... well, bad as it sounds, I think alot of people (including myself) tend to think that NOT just searching it out on your own is.... lazy. I basically tell friends of mine the same thing, except more harshly: "Bah, go and find it yourself! The internet is practically drowning in them! Now go away!", after which I may or may not throw a shoe or other random object at them. Those used to PC gaming typically are used to doing this, because that's how it's been for a REALLY long time. Even back during the days of DOS, even back before the internet, finding many games on PC was still done in pretty much the same way. It never was, and never will be, like buying console games. It's just a different way of doing things.

I always say this; With console gaming, there are big publishers, who run screaming at you, jumping up and down and waving flashing lights and lasers around, doing ANYTHING to attract your attention to their game. With PC gaming, the developer of any game, even one with the same amazing graphical fidelity of those, may or may not give a damn, and may or may not care whatsoever about advertising. Advertising on PC simply doesnt AT ALL work like what you're used to on consoles. Even for the big guys.

In other words: With console games, the games come to you, in terms of advertising and finding out about them. This is expected. With PC games, YOU come to THEM. This is also expected. And that's how it works.