PC Gaming: My journey to the dark side

My first system was the SNES. I skipped the PS1 and N64 years while I was in college. After graduating, I eventually bought an xbox, gamecube, and PS2.

I got an xbox 360 about 6 months after launch for Oblivion. I didn't want to try PC gaming because I wanted to play on my couch with the bigscreen. I didn't like the idea of the keyboard and mouse, and I thought PC gaming was too much trouble and too expensive.

About 4 months ago, I finally built a gaming PC for Crysis and STALKER. Over the last 4 months I've been catching up on all the PC games I've missed. Saturday I played Call Duty 4 on the PC. I'd already played the **** out of it on the 360, it's one of my favorite games of all time. I thought it looked awesome on the PC, but I remember thinking it was awesome on the 360 too. For kicks I fired it up again on the 360. Oh ****.

1. I can't believe how bad it looks now on the 360. There's no detail.

2. I can't believe how hard it is to control with the two thumbsticks. I've only been playing keyboard and mouse for 4 months. Relatively speaking, I **** at it. I've been playing games with 2 thumbsticks for over 4 years. But compared with the keyboad + mouse, the thumbsticks are so clumsy. It completely destroyes the imersion in the game.

I don't know if I can tolerate consoles anymore. Remember how you always thought TV looked fine until you saw HDTV? Now everytime you see regular TV it just looks like crap? It's like that.

my Rig:

Q6600 at 3.3ghz, 8800 GTS OC'd, 2 gigs ram

You can build my rig for ~$700 now (Cost me ~$800 4 months ago). It will play most games on the highest settings.

Also, as a PC gamer, know that there are three developers you can rely on. Valve, Blizzard, and Relic are those three. For everyone else(like said earlier) our standards are just too high =).

Also I know Creative Assembly doesn't realease much, but they've never let me down personally

Also, as a PC gamer, know that there are three developers you can rely on. Valve, Blizzard, and Relic are those three. For everyone else(like said earlier) our standards are just too high =).

Also I know Creative Assembly doesn't realease much, but they've never let me down personally

fatzebra

Bioware

[QUOTE="fatzebra"]

Also, as a PC gamer, know that there are three developers you can rely on. Valve, Blizzard, and Relic are those three. For everyone else(like said earlier) our standards are just too high =).

Also I know Creative Assembly doesn't realease much, but they've never let me down personally

weirjf

Bioware

Notice the companies I listed CONSISTANTLY realease arguably AAAA titles. Must I remind you of Jade Empire?

[QUOTE="weirjf"][QUOTE="fatzebra"]

Also, as a PC gamer, know that there are three developers you can rely on. Valve, Blizzard, and Relic are those three. For everyone else(like said earlier) our standards are just too high =).

Also I know Creative Assembly doesn't realease much, but they've never let me down personally

fatzebra

Bioware

Notice the companies I listed CONSISTANTLY realease arguably AAAA titles. Must I remind you of Jade Empire?

I'd play Jade Empire twice before I'd touch Impossible Creatures again...

[QUOTE="fatzebra"][QUOTE="weirjf"][QUOTE="fatzebra"]

Also, as a PC gamer, know that there are three developers you can rely on. Valve, Blizzard, and Relic are those three. For everyone else(like said earlier) our standards are just too high =).

Also I know Creative Assembly doesn't realease much, but they've never let me down personally

weirjf

Bioware

Notice the companies I listed CONSISTANTLY realease arguably AAAA titles. Must I remind you of Jade Empire?

I'd play Jade Empire twice before I'd touch Impossible Creatures again...

:lol: I was waiting for someone to bring that up.

Good ol' console bashing....

Never touched one since the Snes days. My brother have a Xbox 360 which I never cared about. I actually refused to play on it many times.

Im new to these forums - why is that you have 'turned to dark side' when you become a PC gamer. Is this a reference to KOTOR?

It would seem more appropriate to say 'my initiation into the jedi'. I recently learned that we are refered to as hermits if we game PC exclusively since we are stereotyped as never being away from our PCs. Why dark side?

You found something better that cost more - dont let it spiral into the heavens (tri sli etc) or you may regret ever having tasted such good food when all you can afford is the store brand stuff.

Wish i could game on consoles - just cant anymore, PC has ruined it for me - Its the real thing or not at all hehe.

Have fun and welcome to the 'dark side'

4u70

I probably spend more time on my PC, but my 360 offers things that my PC simply does not provide.

360 is better for:

Playing with your friends...everyone can just sit on the couch/drink beer/hang out rather then hunched over a desk staring at a monitor (and I have two high end gaming rigs in the same room).

Offers some titles just simply not availible on the PC...like one of my favorite genres...boxing :)

While I have my main PC hooked up to a beautiful high end 22" LCD, nothing beats my 1080P 56" TV my XBox 360 is hooked up to. Fight Night Round 3 looks marvelous!

There are some other things too, but those are the main ones off the top of my head. Is it the "dark side"? Who cares?!?! Having a 360 is a great compliment to any gamer's collection.

Playing with your friends...everyone can just sit on the couch/drink beer/hang out rather then hunched over a desk staring at a monitor (and I have two high end gaming rigs in the same room).dnuggs40

I don't disagree with anything in your post, but I would like to point out that having your PC setup at a desk and even using a monitor is a choice, not a requirement. With the right set up, you could hook your PC up to your TV and sit on your couch and play just like a console, and similarly you could sit your TV on a desk and hunch over while console gaming.

It's about your setup more than the system itself. I appreciate that you might want or need your PC at a desk for non-gaming stuff, but again, that's your choice.

Im new to these forums - why is that you have 'turned to dark side' when you become a PC gamer. Is this a reference to KOTOR?

It would seem more appropriate to say 'my initiation into the jedi'.

4u70

I think it's appropriate for him since he is a console gamer switching to pc gaming. His console buddies are probably ragging on him pretty hard saying he "turned to the dark side."

[QUOTE="dnuggs40"]

Playing with your friends...everyone can just sit on the couch/drink beer/hang out rather then hunched over a desk staring at a monitor (and I have two high end gaming rigs in the same room).fatshodan

I don't disagree with anything in your post, but I would like to point out that having your PC setup at a desk and even using a monitor is a choice, not a requirement. With the right set up, you could hook your PC up to your TV and sit on your couch and play just like a console, and similarly you could sit your TV on a desk and hunch over while console gaming.

It's about your setup more than the system itself. I appreciate that you might want or need your PC at a desk for non-gaming stuff, but again, that's your choice.

Even so, a PC is designed for a single person. While there are a few games that offer multiplayer through the same PC (coop)...they are few and far in between. A 360, on the otherhand, is almost completely designed around the idea of people playing together. COD4, for instance, can only be played multiplayer on a PC over a connection with more then one PC. The same game on a 360 can be played split screen. Almost every 360 game that has a multiplayer component has a way to play with people on the same console/tv. It's one of it's major strengths.

So while technically yes, it is my choice, it's not just some random descision...it's based off of the way each system is designed and going off of each system's strengths/weaknesses. PC just doesn't shine as a COOP machine...

I have a XBOX 360 and a PC (specs in sig). Now, if only I had a better PC. If I had a 8800GT I would have been so happy, but I don't. If only my parents let me build my own rig....

Anyways, I know what you mean. I haven't played my 360 in a month or two. All the gaming I do is on my PC.

[QUOTE="fatzebra"]

Also, as a PC gamer, know that there are three developers you can rely on. Valve, Blizzard, and Relic are those three. For everyone else(like said earlier) our standards are just too high =).

Also I know Creative Assembly doesn't realease much, but they've never let me down personally

weirjf

Bioware

stardock

So while technically yes, it is my choice, it's not just some random descision...it's based off of the way each system is designed and going off of each system's strengths/weaknesses. PC just doesn't shine as a COOP machine...

dnuggs40

I know, I do agree with you - a single PC as a same-room multiplayer machine doesn't really work (besides hotseating), but it's not because of any limitations with the system itself - and it's not something people are stuck with - it's because that's how most people choose to set up their PCs, and so games are designed to facilitate that kind of setup.

But that wasn't what I meant, really. I wasn't trying to say that a PC could compete with a console as a livingroom party gaming machine - it can't - just that the whole pasty skinned nerd hunched over his desk with his eyes ten inches from a monitor isn't the only way to game on a PC. If the developers supported it, it would be just as possible (though admittedly a little less convenient) to hook your PC up to your HDTV, get a USB hub and some wireless pads and play game x with a group of friends with no functional difference to the console version.

I mean, I myself game in an armchair, and while I'm not quite there yet, I plan to swap my monitor for a HDTV and replace my desk with a simple tray for my keyboard and mouse. The only difference between my PC setup and my console setup at that point will be the control peripherals involved.

[QUOTE="weirjf"][QUOTE="fatzebra"]

Also, as a PC gamer, know that there are three developers you can rely on. Valve, Blizzard, and Relic are those three. For everyone else(like said earlier) our standards are just too high =).

Also I know Creative Assembly doesn't realease much, but they've never let me down personally

naval

Bioware

stardock

crytek are fairly reliable.

Im new to these forums - why is that you have 'turned to dark side' when you become a PC gamer. Is this a reference to KOTOR?

It would seem more appropriate to say 'my initiation into the jedi'. I recently learned that we are refered to as hermits if we game PC exclusively since we are stereotyped as never being away from our PCs. Why dark side?

You found something better that cost more - dont let it spiral into the heavens (tri sli etc) or you may regret ever having tasted such good food when all you can afford is the store brand stuff.

Wish i could game on consoles - just cant anymore, PC has ruined it for me - Its the real thing or not at all hehe.

Have fun and welcome to the 'dark side'

4u70

lol, I thought it was a reference to KOTOR as well

[QUOTE="naval"][QUOTE="weirjf"][QUOTE="fatzebra"]

Also, as a PC gamer, know that there are three developers you can rely on. Valve, Blizzard, and Relic are those three. For everyone else(like said earlier) our standards are just too high =).

Also I know Creative Assembly doesn't realease much, but they've never let me down personally

BushWacker69

Bioware

stardock

crytek are fairly reliable.