What's the big deal about PC games?

[Weaver]

3) KoL, Nethack, Age of Empires, Quest for Glory, Baldur's Gate (the real one), every entrant in the Neverwinter Nights series...the list goes on. None of these are, to my knowledge, remotely playable (or at least playable well) on any known console and every one is a classic in its own right.

To be at least fair, Nethack and Quest for Glory should be playable on basically any computer made in the last 15 years

 

[infohippie]

tl;dr
If you like primarily mindless action games, go for console. If you prefer any other kind of game, go PC.

if by mindless you mean has less than 3 excel spreadsheets attached, and proficiency requiring the time and effort you could otherwise put in a career or something

seriously guys, thank god i never read these forums when i moved over to pc gaming, you dont insult the intelligence of people who ask you a question

Hey, I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence. Plenty of people game on both console and PC. It's just that consoles really don't lend themselves to complexity.
And yeah, gaming is my primary form of entertainment and I like to be pushed to think when I game. I don't see the point in point & shoot action games. All they're challenging is your reflexes, not your mind. As for the spreadsheets, well, I play and enjoy Eve Online, if that gives you any idea. And I used to play Rolemaster for pen & paper gaming. That didn't have character sheets, it was more like character booklets.

 

[octafish]

I'm a photographer and so I have a pretty beastly PC. I also like building things so my beastly PC doesn't cost too much. I have a small house and an old CRT TV. Why would I spend money on a console for playing games when my PC plays games, and does a better job of it? That is pretty wasteful.
I don't like controllers for anything other than football games, and I don't like football games other than VR Soccer '96 (...and maybe Sensible Soccer if I'm feeling generous). I have a dual shock controller that never sees use, a joystick that sees pretty regular use, and a wheel that is quickly becoming my favorite accessory. Consoles have never interested me because the versatility of the PC is more attractive. I could make games on it if I had the inclination and the talent. I can also edit video, work on my images, send email, surf the net etc. etc. etc. I know you can go online with consoles but the interface is pretty horrible.

The closest I ever came to owning a console is a Commodore 64 (...and my brother had a Sega Mega Drive that I played the Buck Rogers RPG on, it wasn't too bad). I need a PC for work, I don't need a console for anything. I did think about buying one to play RDR, but I tried a machine in a shop and realised I'd be fighting the controls the whole time.

 

[teebeeohh]

i love customizing

 

[Paragon Fury]

People like PC games because at the high end, they can have better graphics than consoles, they work better for complicated games like RTSs and MMOs, because of the custom, user-made content.

Of course, all those come with drawbacks; building or buying a computer capable of beating a console for graphics for the newest games consistently is more expensive than a console is, and unless you go for the real big guns, the improvement over the console won't be that great.

And while PC's are currently the undisputed kings (queens) of RTS and MMOs right now, you can only expect that to last so long until someone makes a way to make them stick on consoles. MMOs might be a little harder to do, but for RTSs, if Kinect can be further refined in the coming years, add in an improved voice command system similar to Endwar, and BAM!, now you have a controller system faster and more precise than mouse+keyboard combo.


And user made content has its own pitfalls; like and user-related things, 97% of it is total shit. 2% of it is actually decent, and that last 1% is truly good. However, that really good content usually takes a year to 2 years to even 3 years come out, meaning a lot of games have the majority of their audiences moving on by then.


Also, as bad as people like to make the console gaming community out to be, the PC gaming community is every bit as bad; its just a different kind of bad.

 

[Aureliano]

3) KoL, Nethack, Age of Empires, Quest for Glory, Baldur's Gate (the real one), every entrant in the Neverwinter Nights series...the list goes on. None of these are, to my knowledge, remotely playable (or at least playable well) on any known console and every one is a classic in its own right.

To be at least fair, Nethack and Quest for Glory should be playable on basically any computer made in the last 15 years

I don't recall claiming how new the PC had to be, just that my system can both play current AAA games AND awesomely cool Nethack and Quest for Glory. Can an unmodded XBox 360 say the same?

 

[CrystalShadow]

Just a little thing I want to ask any PC gamers about. What's the appeal in playing on a PC over a console?

There's different genres that typically have never worked very well on consoles. (RTS... Stategy games generally).

In the past, PC games looked better too. This is still the case in theory, but unfortunately, multi-platform titles tend to be created with the 'lowest common denominator' in mind, which means... Consoles.
And thus, PC games don't really look that much better these days.

(Consider, PC's were doing 1024x768 or even 1280x1024 'HD' resolutions long before HD televisions ever existed as a concept. Even now, a high-end PC monitor is 2560x1600, which is a higher resolution than the Highest quality HD tv output of 1920x1080. - In short, used to full capacity, a high-end PC's graphical capability blows any console out of the water)

But, in general, I would still say it's the kind of games that PC's do well which consoles just generally suck at that make a PC.

Things like Command & Conquer, Civilisation, Rollercoaster Tycoon... The Sims. (honestly, tell me these games work well on a console, even when they've been available?)
Not to mention a myriad of Indy titles that can be viably released on the PC yet even the most liberal of download services (XBLA for instance) would not see.

It just allows different things really.

Oh, and mods...

And the fact that a PC can be used for things other than games as well...
Plus, for me, the ability to develop my own stuff for it...

And generally get it to do whatever I feel like without having to break my way into a system that's actively discouraging me from messing with it...

 

[CaptQuakers]

I'm not being funny but most of you guys seem to like games on the PC because you can change them. That seems a really weak reason to prefer a Pc

Pc gaming can be good but It had numerous flaws.

1. Graphics issues: You need to fork out nearly 3 times as much to play PC games at the highest level than you would with a console

2. Friends: Pc gaming is no good If you have mates over.

3.Pc gamers general attitude: No offence you guys can be complete and utter cocks and you don't like playing with new players......At all

4.Pc games can be very weird: What do I mean by this. They can crash for no reason whatsoever or they can work fine and then decide they want to make you cry.

5.Sports games: I'm a big sports games fan and PC's are shockingly bad for sports games

6.Pc's may have more games but most of them are truly shocking.

All of these are just things I've come across and I really enjoy PC gaming. However

why does It have to be one or the other why can't we just like both ?. They both have merits and are both as good as each other.

Oh and to people who say all console games are FPS I have an XBOX and I own one FPS.

 

[C.S.Strowbridge]

Most of the reasons have already been mentioned. The number one reason is convenience. For me a PC is not a toy but something I must have to do my job. So being able to have a few games on my PC I can play when I want to take a break is great. I can have Minecraft running in the background while I collect items from my monster grinder. I can play a drive of Blood Bowl while waiting for some number to be sent to me. I can complete a quest or two in WoW while eating lunch.

Also, I prefer complex games, ones that really need a keyboard to play.

And mods. No list would be complete without mods.

 

[ph3195k9]

I have always loved my console but PC gaming is a lot more convieniant and actually cost less especially on Steam

 

[Godhead]

I like my mouse and keyboard, mods, indie crew, steam, and the fact that not having a minimum of a 30 inch screen tv hinders my ability to read the fucking subtitles. (RAGE OVER SUBSCRIPT SIZED SUBTITLES DAMN YOU.)

That and I can just alt+tab out from a game when I'm supposed to do work.

 

[Mastercylinder]

PC's tend to let you be more technical with the game's specifics I.E. Graphics cheats etc. You can change the controls to fit your style perfectly and in some cases you get updates and add-ons that consoles don't, plus mods if people have made them. There tends to be a better multiplayer community as well. Plus, it's easier get older games on PC through torrents and the like.

Sense you asked about preference I won't go on a tangent about PC exclusive titles.

 

[Cronq]

Here's why I PC game:

- Choice on inputs/controllers (gamepads, joysticks, keyboards, mouses)
- Full Resolution HD Games (i.e. Black Ops on consoles is only 960x544 on PS3)
- New powerful hardware (consoles are running 5 year old mid-range PC parts)
- Free online play
- Steam Sales!! I have a large library and my average price paid is less than $4
- Indie Games. PC's are the true and native Indie Platform
- MMO's, RTS's and large scale FPS's (PC can always support more players than consoles)

There's a million other reasons I choose/prefer PC gaming over console gaming, but this list is a good start.

 

[mikespoff]

Steam. Also, endless backwards compatibility. Also emulators. Also Minecraft. Also Fallout's controls make more sense on PC over PS3.

Pretty much. The diversity of games on offer is far great, RTS just plain fails on consoles, and for games which overlap the keyboard + mouse is often far superior (such as shooters). Racing games may have a slight edge on consoles, but that's all that I can think of where the interface has any advantages.

Even more importantly, I always need a computer anyway, so it might as well double up as a gaming platform.

 

[Murray Whitwell]

Mods, hardware upgrades, wider range of games (many free), multi-purpose platform (not just for games)
As gaming goes, I don't prefer one over another. Not really comparable on the same scale. Gaming on a PC and a console are two massively different experiences.

 

[Clubsol360]

I own a nice PC rig as well as consoles, and I can say that the advantages of the PC are:

More accuracy with m&k in FPS's
Better graphics (TEH JAGGIEZ on consoles are a pain)
Near unlimited customization of gaming machine
Mods
Dedicated servers (contrary to popular belief, they are easier than matchmaking)
More civilized multiplayer matches.
Portability with gaming laptops. I can play AAA titles anywhere in the world as long as I have power.
Digital distribution
Compatibility with most games made in the past 20-30 years.

With that said, I always am glad that I have a console for the days when my cooling loop leaks.

 

[TehCookie]

More games, better controls and the fact it does more than just plays games so i get more out of the system. Also a computer can emulate a console but a console has a lot harder time emulating a computer. All I do is switch the input on my TV and use a USB controller and you can't tell the difference, and when I want to play a shooter I can then use the mouse and keyboard. It does everything!

 

[DarthFennec]

Keyboard has more buttons, mouse has more precision, so best of both worlds. Also I like the monitor better than the TV, and I like my nice office chair better than the couch. So that's it, pretty much ^.^