Video games you're playing?

[Misery]

I am currently embroiled in an argument with a bunch of idiots on YouTube about the "PC Master Race". my argument is that for about a third of the price of a top of the range PC with a top spec graphics card etc. you can buy an Xbox One or a PS4 (preferably Xbox, better games) which doesn't have to be upgraded every 3 months to keep up with the spec requirements, and also you can't get hacked or get viruses.

I gave up on PC gaming about 14 years ago when Christmas 2002 was ruined by 2 PC games i bought from Woolworth's in Town wouldn't install because the discs were scratched to heck before I even laid a finger on them.

.....You dont actually have to do that stuff though. At all.

A PC that costs the same amount as a console can still run most games. It wont run them hugely WELL, mind you... but it'll run them at a similar level to the console (understand, that's NOT considered very good when it comes to PC games... however, this doesnt matter, which I'll get to in a moment). You also dont have to upgrade it. The requirements only go berserk if you are trying to go for MOAR POWAH!!!! which isnt actually necessary in damn near every case. Only the obsessed do that. My previous PC, which I had for about 5 years, never got upgraded because I didnt care enough. It still ran anything. ANYTHING.

That's the thing that the idiot "master race" guys never point out: You DONT NEED A HYPER EXPENSIVE PC. Hell, of my group of friends, I'm the only one with an expensive machine (and that's only because I've no real spending limit, so I basically "did it because I could", not because of any need). An affordable yet completely capable PC that can be used for gaming can be gotten for around $400. And then the ADVANTAGE over the consoles is the sheer monstrous size of the selection of games that can be found on it (99% of which never, ever hit consoles). That's not an exaggeration, either. I have hundreds of games on this machine.... just on Steam alone. Counting others that ARENT Steam, it's gotta be at least a thousand. Nearly all of which are not and never will be on console. Hell, there are entire GENRES missing from consoles.

THAT, to me, is the actual point of using a PC for gaming. Not the damn graphics. Even as a PC gamer myself, I hate the "master race" jerks for pushing that idea forward... that you MUST have the best graphics ever if you're doing PC gaming. Honestly? I think many of them talk like that because it gives them the chance to brag about their own machines.

Also, PC gaming has just plain changed since the last time you did it. I remember those days. And I remember alot of why you probably found it so bloody irritating. Things work differently now.

Now that's not to say I dont still use consoles, mind you. I use whatever damn device has the games I want to play; so I have a Wii U, 3DS, and my iPad (not for casual games though). I have a PS4 somewhere but I dont know where it went. That's the OTHER thing about it: You dont HAVE to just stick to one or the other, console or PC. I'm baffled that people think that it's a requirement to only have a PC or only have a console, never both.

I dunno. Sorry for rambling here, but I always hear SO much misinformation (and irritating jerk comments, on BOTH sides) being flung around when people argue about it that it tends to set me off quickly. I honestly just think the whole thing is freaking stupid. I always say, people should be willing to at least TRY the device they DONT have. Who knows... maybe they'll get more than they think, regardless of just which device they're trying.



I will say one other thing though. The consoles do have a particular special advantage: No Windows. As someone that's been using a gazillion different PCs since the days of DOS for all sorts of purposes, I cannot even express the level of sheer, blazing hatred I have for Windows... and I know I'm not alone there. My Wii U though? No Windows. It just freaking works. Instantly. I love it. Same for my 3DS and iPad actually.

 

[Mr Allen]

I started playing WWE 2K17 on Xbox One last night, after spending about 3 hours downloading the thing (I should have up to 38 Mb download speeds, for the last week or so I've been getting 25 Mb if that, I rang Talk Talk up last night)

 

[Axeman52]

Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt... classics that I never get tired of playing.

 

[Xenocity]

.....You dont actually have to do that stuff though. At all.

A PC that costs the same amount as a console can still run most games. It wont run them hugely WELL, mind you... but it'll run them at a similar level to the console (understand, that's NOT considered very good when it comes to PC games... however, this doesnt matter, which I'll get to in a moment). You also dont have to upgrade it. The requirements only go berserk if you are trying to go for MOAR POWAH!!!! which isnt actually necessary in damn near every case. Only the obsessed do that. My previous PC, which I had for about 5 years, never got upgraded because I didnt care enough. It still ran anything. ANYTHING.

That's the thing that the idiot "master race" guys never point out: You DONT NEED A HYPER EXPENSIVE PC. Hell, of my group of friends, I'm the only one with an expensive machine (and that's only because I've no real spending limit, so I basically "did it because I could", not because of any need). An affordable yet completely capable PC that can be used for gaming can be gotten for around $400. And then the ADVANTAGE over the consoles is the sheer monstrous size of the selection of games that can be found on it (99% of which never, ever hit consoles). That's not an exaggeration, either. I have hundreds of games on this machine.... just on Steam alone. Counting others that ARENT Steam, it's gotta be at least a thousand. Nearly all of which are not and never will be on console. Hell, there are entire GENRES missing from consoles.

THAT, to me, is the actual point of using a PC for gaming. Not the damn graphics. Even as a PC gamer myself, I hate the "master race" jerks for pushing that idea forward... that you MUST have the best graphics ever if you're doing PC gaming. Honestly? I think many of them talk like that because it gives them the chance to brag about their own machines.

Also, PC gaming has just plain changed since the last time you did it. I remember those days. And I remember alot of why you probably found it so bloody irritating. Things work differently now.

Now that's not to say I dont still use consoles, mind you. I use whatever damn device has the games I want to play; so I have a Wii U, 3DS, and my iPad (not for casual games though). I have a PS4 somewhere but I dont know where it went. That's the OTHER thing about it: You dont HAVE to just stick to one or the other, console or PC. I'm baffled that people think that it's a requirement to only have a PC or only have a console, never both.

I dunno. Sorry for rambling here, but I always hear SO much misinformation (and irritating jerk comments, on BOTH sides) being flung around when people argue about it that it tends to set me off quickly. I honestly just think the whole thing is freaking stupid. I always say, people should be willing to at least TRY the device they DONT have. Who knows... maybe they'll get more than they think, regardless of just which device they're trying.



I will say one other thing though. The consoles do have a particular special advantage: No Windows. As someone that's been using a gazillion different PCs since the days of DOS for all sorts of purposes, I cannot even express the level of sheer, blazing hatred I have for Windows... and I know I'm not alone there. My Wii U though? No Windows. It just freaking works. Instantly. I love it. Same for my 3DS and iPad actually.

I agree.

Though if you've visited Neogaf recently as in the last week, they are literally arguing over whether or not Skyrim and other "hardcore" Western games will be "casualized" once they are released on Nintendo Switch in March.

Since NeoGaf is widely accepted as the highest authority on gaming, this could very well ring true.

Will Skyrim and it's HD remaster be reduced to a "casual" game because it's on Nintendo hardware? Lots of people think so.

Yes gaming has devolved to this!

Also dedicated gaming hardwares greatest feature is the customized hardware for running games.

PC, Smartphones and tablets use standardized hardware with the exception of Apple (Apple uses highly customized processors).

 

[EndSerenading]

Overwatch, I love it and Destiny, Pokemon sun too. I've been a fan of Pokemon since Red & Blue.

 

[Misery]

I agree.

Though if you've visited Neogaf recently as in the last week, they are literally arguing over whether or not Skyrim and other "hardcore" Western games will be "casualized" once they are released on Nintendo Switch in March.

Since NeoGaf is widely accepted as the highest authority on gaming, this could very well ring true.

Will Skyrim and it's HD remaster be reduced to a "casual" game because it's on Nintendo hardware? Lots of people think so.

Yes gaming has devolved to this!

Also dedicated gaming hardwares greatest feature is the customized hardware for running games.

PC, Smartphones and tablets use standardized hardware with the exception of Apple (Apple uses highly customized processors).

Ugh, yes. Gaming has indeed devolved to that, hasnt it. It's frankly a bit sad.

And honestly, not just that, but I also personally think that people tend to have a very, very strange idea of what constitutes "casual" VS "hardcore".

Skyrim for instance: I dont see it as a hardcore game. Why? It's too easy. It's not designed to be something like Dark Souls... the entire point of Skyrim is to be this huge, detailed world to interact with. Actual combat is rather simplistic, and rarely do you actually NEED any of the many optional skills/spells that the game offers. The reason there are so many of those is not because of challenge, but again, because it's a sandbox game... they give you the ability to interact even with your enemies in whatever way you most desire to. But overall, it's not a difficult or even complicated game (since much of the complexity can be ignored). Anyone can get into Skyrim.

Something that WOULD be considered hardcore would be something like Path of Exile, for instance. Like Skyrim it has tons and tons of skills and options for your character, but in this case, they are necessary. It has what's got to be the biggest and most complicated skill tree I've ever seen, and the thing about it is, you NEED to understand it when you're building a character. Go into it with a casual approach, and you WILL run into a point where you just cant get anywhere else, because your character is too pathetic to manage it. Same with the game's crafting systems and such. PoE is very different from Skyrim in that it is NOT about exploring a huge world or something... it's about combat and loot. But it's those interlocking and very important systems (among other things) that create the hardcore challenge.

Even stuff like Mario or whatever. Someone doesnt think much of a "silly" series like Mario? Go play Lost Levels, or some of the harder stages of the other main games in the series (do I even need to mention 3D World's special stage here?). Or Mario Maker, where levels of ALL difficulties exist, including hyper-difficult ones. Games dont have to be gritty and serious to be hardcore. Why everyone thinks otherwise is something I honestly just dont understand.

And they'll apply that to the Switch, and many wont buy it because OMG CASUAL. It's a bit infuriating. There's likely to be games of all sorts on there, but it has some freaking color to it (as Nintendo games tend to), so nooooo, it's casual only.

Ugh. Yes, I"m ranting a bit here, but the issue irks me. Friends of mine do this too, and watching them ignore games that I"m *certain* they'd really like, simply because they LOOK casual/kiddie, is really annoying.



As for standardized hardware, I can agree with that to a point, though this brings up the best possible advice for getting a gaming PC: Have a professional build one for you, specifically for gaming. It's often cheaper, AND it then means that you dont really have to concern yourself with the hardware. Hell, I havent even looked at required specs for games in... who knows how long, because I have machines built for this. Unfortunately retailers do everything they can to encourage people to just buy from stores instead, which is the wrong way to go about this. Consoles at least dont have THAT issue... doesnt matter where you get those, after all.

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

I'm really glad to finally be on winter break because that means I now have access to my PlayStation 4 again. I've been making up for my semester of going without it by playing a ton of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition, BioShock: The Collection, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Doom, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered and Grand Theft Auto V. However I'm currently at my maternal grandmother's house up in Maine and will be staying there for the next few days so I only have my laptop at the moment. It has some pretty awful specs, so I'm not playing games as much as I normally would. But I have been enjoying a couple games in particular that are basically the whole extent of what my PC is capable of running, namely Star Wars: Republic Commando, Postal 2, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

 

[Bolletje]

I've decided to dust off my Borderlands collection once more, playing BL2 today.

 

[Misery]

I turned on my PS4 for like the first time in 8 freaking months. Did a bit of... something. I dont even remember what.

I know one thing: I'm glad I didnt also buy an XBone. The PS4 is a waste of space as it is. This'll be the last generation of those for me; only Nintendo from here on out, aside from my PC.

Huh. There was a time when I wouldnt have even conceived of the idea of ever saying that.

To be honest though, the Wii U is the first console since the SNES that I havent despised in some way. Like the PS2: Oh sure, I had alot of games. But I"ve never loathed a single object as much as I hated that thing. The final one (out of TEN) of the things that I had, it had an "incident" involving a pond. It had it coming. Never looked back, never will. Others beyond that simply got sold.

And now... yeah. The PS4. Which is now getting a big focus on VR of all things. I need a hammer.

 

[Laughingowl1975]

Rise of Nations on my laptop for the first time in ages (a good strategy game)
The Evil Within on my Xbox, survival horror (one of the characters (non-playable) is Autistic too)

 

[Mr Allen]

I downloaded the new version of Borderlands this week, not too bad.

I'm currently waiting for Joe's Diner and Constructor HD on Xbox.

 

[xudo]

I downloaded the new version of Borderlands this week, not too bad.

Is that the Handsome Collection?

 

[Xenocity]

Ugh, yes. Gaming has indeed devolved to that, hasnt it. It's frankly a bit sad.

And honestly, not just that, but I also personally think that people tend to have a very, very strange idea of what constitutes "casual" VS "hardcore".

Skyrim for instance: I dont see it as a hardcore game. Why? It's too easy. It's not designed to be something like Dark Souls... the entire point of Skyrim is to be this huge, detailed world to interact with. Actual combat is rather simplistic, and rarely do you actually NEED any of the many optional skills/spells that the game offers. The reason there are so many of those is not because of challenge, but again, because it's a sandbox game... they give you the ability to interact even with your enemies in whatever way you most desire to. But overall, it's not a difficult or even complicated game (since much of the complexity can be ignored). Anyone can get into Skyrim.

Something that WOULD be considered hardcore would be something like Path of Exile, for instance. Like Skyrim it has tons and tons of skills and options for your character, but in this case, they are necessary. It has what's got to be the biggest and most complicated skill tree I've ever seen, and the thing about it is, you NEED to understand it when you're building a character. Go into it with a casual approach, and you WILL run into a point where you just cant get anywhere else, because your character is too pathetic to manage it. Same with the game's crafting systems and such. PoE is very different from Skyrim in that it is NOT about exploring a huge world or something... it's about combat and loot. But it's those interlocking and very important systems (among other things) that create the hardcore challenge.

Even stuff like Mario or whatever. Someone doesnt think much of a "silly" series like Mario? Go play Lost Levels, or some of the harder stages of the other main games in the series (do I even need to mention 3D World's special stage here?). Or Mario Maker, where levels of ALL difficulties exist, including hyper-difficult ones. Games dont have to be gritty and serious to be hardcore. Why everyone thinks otherwise is something I honestly just dont understand.

And they'll apply that to the Switch, and many wont buy it because OMG CASUAL. It's a bit infuriating. There's likely to be games of all sorts on there, but it has some freaking color to it (as Nintendo games tend to), so nooooo, it's casual only.

Ugh. Yes, I"m ranting a bit here, but the issue irks me. Friends of mine do this too, and watching them ignore games that I"m *certain* they'd really like, simply because they LOOK casual/kiddie, is really annoying.



As for standardized hardware, I can agree with that to a point, though this brings up the best possible advice for getting a gaming PC: Have a professional build one for you, specifically for gaming. It's often cheaper, AND it then means that you dont really have to concern yourself with the hardware. Hell, I havent even looked at required specs for games in... who knows how long, because I have machines built for this. Unfortunately retailers do everything they can to encourage people to just buy from stores instead, which is the wrong way to go about this. Consoles at least dont have THAT issue... doesnt matter where you get those, after all.

Hope you didn't miss the delicious meltdown over the Switch presentation.
They all went boom, because Switch doesn't used a"traditional/standard" controller.

Technically the Joycons have more buttons than a traditional controller, a next gen IR pointer/reader, Next Gen Rumble, NFC, next gen motion controls (if VR can do it, why can't Nintendo one up them?), and next gen gyro controls. You can get a Pro controller but it features most of the tech listed above.

Oh it didn't help that practically every game announced had bright colors except for a few (they were the western ones). Those who are unhappy with the games are surprise surprise American, Canadian and Brits.

Oh where all the games? Well apparently everyone forgot it is literally 2 months to E3 from the time the system launches (or roughly). If Nintendo blew their load on Thursday Night and went to E3 empty handed, then everyone would decry them as dead and betraying gamers.

Remember how much hell Wii, Wii U, DS, 3DS, Xbox One and PS4 received for having the majority of their 20+ games as ports of current games? Apparently most have forgotten. Everyone screamed those systems except for Wii lacked a killer app and had nothing exciting at launch.

But I digress... I for one will be looking forward to playing the new exclusive Bomberman, ARMS (Nintendo's new quirky boxing action game), Zelda, and many other colorful things starting in March.

Maybe I'm the odd ball out, or maybe I'm the one who's lost it.

When does Dragon Quest VIIR end? I know I'm nearing the end, but I want to get to the boss already.

 

[Mr Allen]

Is that the Handsome Collection?

No it's the RPG kind of thing, like those Telltale games such as the new Batman one, which I bought last year.

I might try and get Joe's Diner on Xbox this week, comes out on Friday, currently selling for £14.99 on Amazon.

 

[xudo]

No it's the RPG kind of thing, like those Telltale games such as the new Batman one, which I bought last year.

Ahhh, Tales from the Borderlands! I have to admit that I don't really like the Telltale games. My husband loves them though.

 

[Bolletje]

Ahhh, Tales from the Borderlands! I have to admit that I don't really like the Telltale games. My husband loves them though.

I was skeptical about Tales from the Borderlands, as I love the other Borderlands games so much. I have to say I absolutely loved the game. Since it's mostly story-driven it has the witty and dark humor of the rest of the franchised, but way more concentrated. I laughed out loud several times each episode and I actually shed a tear or two playing the game, which is rare for me. The game also managed to surprise me time and again, which is also quite rare imo.
That being said, if you don't like Telltale games you might not like this one as much as I did either, since I really liked the Walking Dead series as well.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

I picked up Rocksmith off steam, dusted off my black flying v bass guitar! Quite enjoying it. I'm getting massive Guitar Hero nostalgia vibes for it.

 

[xudo]

I played The Room and The Room 2 on steam last week. So, so good. Finished Kirby Triple Deluxe yesterday, so we traded that in today.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

my argument is that for about a third of the price of a top of the range PC with a top spec graphics card etc. you can buy an Xbox One or a PS4 (preferably Xbox, better games) which doesn't have to be upgraded every 3 months to keep up with the spec requirements

The gamer in me is demanding I say this. You buy the top tier components because you've got the money to do so, it's not a requirement by any means. And I wouldn't say you need to upgrade all the parts often. I played Skyrim on High settings on my old Dell Inspiron 5...70? I just stuck in a gaming graphics cards and I was happy. It played a hell of a lot better than it ever did on my PS3, the loading times were significantly better. The PS3 version did run like arse though.

But I mean you upgrade the parts if you want to keep all the bells and whistles going on in the newer games. Which, okay, some people think of that as a must have. I personally don't. I like having all the things cranked up to Ultra on my i7 4790/GTX 970 but if and when I can't I'm happy to wait a few years before I'm upgrading again. At this rate I'd be surprised if the next generation of consoles will out do my current system after seeing the meagre jump the PS4 and the Xbox One did over the previous generation.

I think if you're like me and you're fluid about what you want out of a gaming PC it can be worth while. But yes, sure, you do have to put up with some crap like the possibilities of viruses, thinking about reinstalling the OS every year to keep bloating down and bad ports by lazy publishers and developers. And you do need to wade from the liquid utter crap there is on the Steam page in order to get to the good stuff. But the counter argument to that is you've got excellent deals on the holiday seasons. So swings and roundabouts.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

I played The Room and The Room 2 on steam last week. So, so good. Finished Kirby Triple Deluxe yesterday, so we traded that in today.

Urgh, I'm terrible at those puzzle games. I don't know if it's changed since then by Broken Sword 1 frustrated the hell out of me with the puzzles. Picked it up because I enjoyed Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon on the PS2 years back.