Topic: I don't understand this Console Gamer vs. PC Gamer nonsense.

[Smoke39]

I think Microsoft's also trying to make the 360 pad a PC standard.  I don't really like either, though.  The 360 sticks feel stiff to me, and I hate the shape of the dual shock.

[Athrun Zala]

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Originally posted by: JonLeung
Did you know that the main Mega Man X games (except for 2) are all available for the PC?  Those are hard to find, as if Mega Man's just known as just a console game or something.  Or PC gamers wouldn't touch it.  I've been trying to find X 7 and X 8 myself (for the PC) for a while now...

I thought that X7 wasn't released on PC, but I just found out it was :|

in any case, that leaves X2 (the best one) and X6 as the ones without a PC port (not that I actually want one, the other games' ports are craptacular as best....)

[Shecky]

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Originally posted by: KDR_11k
One advantage of the PC is that most of the time it's more powerful than a console so any framerate drops the game may have had on the console (I think Megaman X 8 has those) are gone in the PC version unless your PC is seriously outdated.

Tell that to the PC port of Halo

[KDR_11k]

Did you know that the main Mega Man X games (except for 2) are all available for the PC?

I finished X5 and Legends on the PC but never beat the final boss in X8.

I've been trying to find X 7 and X 8 myself (for the PC) for a while now...

X8 is everywhere now 'round here, every store has it for a tenner. I'd recommend setting the voice option to Japanese, the nav I used all the time (Pallette) sounds horrible in English and slightly acceptable in Japanese. I think you're too late for X7, though, that was everywhere a year ago but has disappeared since.

BTW, I'm not sure whether to find it funny or sad that Megaman X games are now labelled "known from the TV series!".

[Hocotate]

I thought this would be the best place to post this. I visit a small msg board community and this has been brought up:

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PC > consoles. always has been. keyboard and mouse > controllers. trying to play Halo or one of those war games after playing any of the Quake games all your life is like trying to eat mcdonalds after eating mostly filet minons and porterhouses all your life. consoles = no World of Warcraft, which is reason enough for me to say poo to any next gen consoles. console controllers = no macro (custom hotkey) abilities, or key binding ability to make the game more fun for YOU.

PC gaming can do anything console gaming can do 10x better. i was playing a ROM of SNES Super Mario Kart the other day, and was able to do far far FAR better than i ever did playing that game on an SNES controller, even after not playing it in over 10 years. even some of those games that just HAVE to have controllers to play right, you can buy USB or PS2(no, that doesnt stand for Playstation 2) controllers with the same button settings as any console controller out there and plug em in to your computer.

so how do i feel about the "console wars"?

i personally could not care less. so long as anyone interested in consoles gets the one they want, what the f*** does it matter how many units each one sells? ill still be in here, playing better games on my far superior technology while you fanboys tear eachother apart betting on which console will outsell the other at launchdate.

I already have a very good idea of how I am going to reply to this, but just for laughs, how would you all respond to this opinionated rant with no base but this nub's own backward opinion?

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: Hocotate
I thought this would be the best place to post this. I visit a small msg board community and this has been brought up:

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PC > consoles. always has been. keyboard and mouse > controllers. trying to play Halo or one of those war games after playing any of the Quake games all your life is like trying to eat mcdonalds after eating mostly filet minons and porterhouses all your life. consoles = no World of Warcraft, which is reason enough for me to say poo to any next gen consoles. console controllers = no macro (custom hotkey) abilities, or key binding ability to make the game more fun for YOU.

PC gaming can do anything console gaming can do 10x better. i was playing a ROM of SNES Super Mario Kart the other day, and was able to do far far FAR better than i ever did playing that game on an SNES controller, even after not playing it in over 10 years. even some of those games that just HAVE to have controllers to play right, you can buy USB or PS2(no, that doesnt stand for Playstation 2) controllers with the same button settings as any console controller out there and plug em in to your computer.

so how do i feel about the "console wars"?

i personally could not care less. so long as anyone interested in consoles gets the one they want, what the f*** does it matter how many units each one sells? ill still be in here, playing better games on my far superior technology while you fanboys tear eachother apart betting on which console will outsell the other at launchdate.

I already have a very good idea of how I am going to reply to this, but just for laughs, how would you all respond to this opinionated rant with no base but this nub's own backward opinion?

Well most of what he says is crap but I couldn't agree more about his point about Halo or really any current FPS on consoles, even the "hot" new FPSs for the console systems feel outdated, not only for the clumsy controls but their design is usually generic as heck.

[Smoke39]

Are PC shooters really faring any better, though?

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: Smoke39
Are PC shooters really faring any better, though?

Besides ports of PC games, there has been nothing remotely unique in the way of FPSs for the consoles, but I think that could also be due to the controls more than anything. You are right though in that many PC FPSs are getting into a rut as well, but still some of the worse are better than some of the best exclusive FPSs for the consoles, especially when it comes to multiplayer.

[Nick DiMola]

Hocotate, my response would probably just say something along the lines of, how ridiculous it is to limit yourself to a single system to enjoy games. Many people fight over consoles but a true gamer buys or tries all consoles for the fullest experience. There is no reason to limit yourself to just a PC, try some console games, it'll broaden your tastes and give you some more variety. And if all you like are strategy games and shooters, then you are right at home and it probably doesn't matter if you ever play a console game.

I think any argument where you call something else stupid without trying it first is just ignorant. Once upon a time I couldn't swallow my own pride and I limited myself greatly in life just because of my own ignorance. Now I try everything before saying I don't like it. As a matter of fact, about two years ago when I had this revelation, the first thing I did was buy a Mac, now I love them. The second thing I did was buy a PS2, and I found a ton of games on there I love. From then on it became easier and easier to let go of these ridiculous notions I carried. Now I try and enjoy everything life has to offer.

[Ian Sane]

In the early 90s I could classify myself as a PC gamer.  My parent did not buy us any consoles and us kids didn't have much money.  But my Dad had to have a decent PC for his job so until we saved up enough for a SNES that was our de facto videogame system.  We played a lot of shareware games like Commander Keen, Scorched Earth, Wolfenstein 3D, and Doom.  Althought this isn't a good thing piracy was real easy back then so if one of our friends got a game everyone in the circle got a copy.  I got to play a lot of stuff and even after getting a SNES I still played a lot of PC games.

Some of the best things about PCs back then was then when you got a new PC EVERY PC game in existence worked for it.  These days the default graphics cards with brand new PCs won't work with current games or even some older games.  My family bought a new PC and now I could play Warcraft II without any hassle.  You also had near perfect backwards compatibility back then.  Prior to XP it so simple to get old games working.  Now you have to fart around with DOS Box and all sorts of workarounds.  PC gaming has gone from being a pasttime to a full-on hobby.  It takes effort, time, and money to keep up with PC gaming and I don't have the patience anymore when consoles are so easy.  I think the effort to be a PC gamer is what has caused the rift.  PC gaming is going to attract more, well, geeks while consoles are going to attract more of the mainstream.

When I was a kid my dream console had four controller ports, a mouse, and a keyboard.  Around 1994 that seemed like the ultimate game console that could play anything.

One thing I don't like about PC gaming today is that there are less genres than before.  Now we just seem to have FPS, MMORPG, RTS, and tycoon style games.  There used to also be flight sims, graphic adventures, platformers.  I think there are some types of games that have been so neglected that re-introducing them could result in some killer apps.

I'm surprised no console has ever had a standard mouse, though I guess with the Wii it isn't needed as much as it was.

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
In the early 90s I could classify myself as a PC gamer.  My parent did not buy us any consoles and us kids didn't have much money.  But my Dad had to have a decent PC for his job so until we saved up enough for a SNES that was our de facto videogame system.  We played a lot of shareware games like Commander Keen, Scorched Earth, Wolfenstein 3D, and Doom.  Althought this isn't a good thing piracy was real easy back then so if one of our friends got a game everyone in the circle got a copy.  I got to play a lot of stuff and even after getting a SNES I still played a lot of PC games.

Some of the best things about PCs back then was then when you got a new PC EVERY PC game in existence worked for it.  These days the default graphics cards with brand new PCs won't work with current games or even some older games.  My family bought a new PC and now I could play Warcraft II without any hassle.  You also had near perfect backwards compatibility back then.  Prior to XP it so simple to get old games working.  Now you have to fart around with DOS Box and all sorts of workarounds.  PC gaming has gone from being a pasttime to a full-on hobby.  It takes effort, time, and money to keep up with PC gaming and I don't have the patience anymore when consoles are so easy.  I think the effort to be a PC gamer is what has caused the rift.  PC gaming is going to attract more, well, geeks while consoles are going to attract more of the mainstream.

When I was a kid my dream console had four controller ports, a mouse, and a keyboard.  Around 1994 that seemed like the ultimate game console that could play anything.

One thing I don't like about PC gaming today is that there are less genres than before.  Now we just seem to have FPS, MMORPG, RTS, and tycoon style games.  There used to also be flight sims, graphic adventures, platformers.  I think there are some types of games that have been so neglected that re-introducing them could result in some killer apps.

I'm surprised no console has ever had a standard mouse, though I guess with the Wii it isn't needed as much as it was.

Ian you are right about the genres being more limited, but there are still multiple new games that fit within your "missing games" list, you just have to look for them, except for maybe platformers which I don't recall ever being popular for PC (besides 2D ones). But just recently Microsoft released Flight Simulator X, and I believe there were a couple other flight sims (both war and aviation). Adventure games still pop up often, with the best one being the Longest Journey 2 (in fact 2005's game sales were 5% Adventure).. THe PC is still vastly more diverse in the games it has compared to console.

[Hocotate]

Thanks for the comments on my post fellas. Anyway, I agree with Ian. PC gaming requires too much time, money, and effort just to keep up. The variety (or lack thereof) when it comes to games does not appeal to me.

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: Hocotate
Thanks for the comments on my post fellas. Anyway, I agree with Ian. PC gaming requires too much time, money, and effort just to keep up. The variety (or lack thereof) when it comes to games does not appeal to me.

Where in the heck do you guys get PC Gaming does not have variety? Not only does it have a myriad of console games on it but it also has various other games that can not be done on consoles. If you look hard enough you can find tons of different and unique games for PC which is due to an ease of entry for developers to put out their quirky titles even if they only end up getting minimal shelf space.

[KDR_11k]

I think it's because way too many PC games use similar themes now. Take the awesome Company of Heroes, if you saw that on a shelf without ever having heard of it you'd think "great, another crappy Omaha Beach game". Looking at the shelves you can barely tell what is what genre.

[GoldenPhoenix]

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Originally posted by: KDR_11k
I think it's because way too many PC games use similar themes now. Take the awesome Company of Heroes, if you saw that on a shelf without ever having heard of it you'd think "great, another crappy Omaha Beach game". Looking at the shelves you can barely tell what is what genre.

Sounds like the 360 shelf . Seriously though there is plenty of diversity if you take the time to look, like I said PC IS the place to find unique games because about anyone can create a game for it, no matter how small they are (shelf space is another matter!). With consoles there is a much smaller crack to get through and thus many unique ideas are kept out if the developer could not find a publisher who had a license to a certain console.

[UltimatePartyBear]

Shelf space is the problem.  How many of the thousands of available PC games are there on the tiny half-shelf your local Gamestop probably has set aside for them?  How many of them are high profile FPS games?  How many are MMORPGs?  Besides the Diablo and Warcraft 3 packs, what's left?

Other stores are better, but they've all dramatically cut down shelf space for PC games.  My local Circuit City used to have a gigantic game section with PC games lining three walls, but now it's a single short aisle on the other end of the store from the console game section.  The good news is that they carry more games there now than they did immediately after the remodel, and I have to admit that the tiny boxes that spelled the end of decent manuals have a lot to do with that.

 

[KDR_11k]

Shelf space is the problem. How many of the thousands of available PC games are there on the tiny half-shelf your local Gamestop probably has set aside for them?

That's why Gamestop sucks for PC games. Well, okay, they suck for all kinds of games due to their cramped stores and wasting half the space on used games.

Reminds me that I wanted to pick up Eets. Well, not really wanted but was considering. That website looks like you can get a lot of mileage out of the game (downloadable puzzles), guess I should really get it then.

[JonLeung]

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Originally posted by: VGrevolution
Where in the heck do you guys get PC Gaming does not have variety? Not only does it have a myriad of console games on it but it also has various other games that can not be done on consoles. If you look hard enough you can find tons of different and unique games for PC which is due to an ease of entry for developers to put out their quirky titles even if they only end up getting minimal shelf space.

Just wondering, are there many PC-exclusive platformers these days?  Or many at all?  Seems like whatever platformers there are are likely to also be on a console.

I've heard people thinking that "platformers" meant console games.  They were like, "if it's not on a PC, it's on a platform, hence, platformer".  I can see how that confusion arises when platforming games, especially these days, are more likely to be on consoles.

[KDR_11k]

Just wondering, are there many PC-exclusive platformers these days? Or many at all? Seems like whatever platformers there are are likely to also be on a console.

Some. None made by major developers/publishers, that much I can guarantee (because the demographic that likes jump and runs is more likely to own a console and there's really no reason to keep something PC exclusive other than technical limitations). Usually just indie games that don't look much different from "the noise" (the tons of cheap clones that infest PC game shelves). I think there are more download-only (free or paid-for) than retail sold JnRs for the PC. Though I've seen some in stores (and one I've been considering buying since it costs 1€).

Cave Story (not the official site but has a convenient package download), Glace Obake and N are some freeware JnRs I can think of and I think most people here have at least played one or two of them.

[Bubba]

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Originally posted by: Mr. Jack
I've always considered PC gaming to have too high of an entry point. I usually come in and out of the PC gaming arena depending on my current hardware setup. Most of the time I can't play the latest and greatest because it is too costly. Regardless, PC gaming really is no different than console gaming. I do prefer the keyboard and mouse setup for shooters (now perhaps the Wiimote will pass that up) and I generally enjoy the higher caliber of graphics (hardware permitting). One part of PC gaming that I've always hated is the whole installation bit. If I buy a game I want to pop it in the disc drive and play. I find companies who make PC games are usually very lazy and sloppy and will not bother optimizing games because amazing hardware is available. When in a closed domain (console), you are forced to innovate to bring a certain experience to that platform. This is something I generally find lacking on the PC game end aside from a few very unique cases.

All in all, the whole fight between the two sides is completely retarded and I hate the argument. Going to college at a really technical institute (RIT) I constantly get sh!t for being a console gamer, and it just makes no sense. I am proudly a gamer, I will play any and all systems without discrimination, from PC to console to handheld.

Nice to see another rochester student.  I'm a UR student myself.

I agree, each system has its benefits.  I like playing on the PC as well as console, but for games where graphics make a big impact, I would rather play it on my pc because of the higher resolution.