Trolling aside, we live the new Golden Age of PC Gaming

I've seen this thread about "A new Golden Age of PC gaming" every year since I've been in SW.

What's happening is more people over the years that weren't into PC gaming are getting into PC gaming so it's a "new age" for them.

PC gaming has it's strengths and weaknesses just like any platform, I enjoy it, but not for every gaming category and genre.

What it does well, it does incredibly well though, definitely.

I guess you just can't fix stupid

Why not?

If MS hadnt monopolized computers then there would be a mac and linux version of Battlefield 4 as well. This would result in a lot less pc version players.

Nobody is pushing the hardware like they used to, I know its largely due to diminishing returns and trying to broaden the consumer base... and its certainly done wonders for affordability which my wallet loves. But it was kind of fun routinely getting upgrades and seeing how much better games would look.

I know I certainly dont ever remember a time where I could max out most games, as there were always ones right around the corner ready to poo all over your freshly built rig.

In such a situation wouldn't we keep playing by your rules, which surely would extrapolate out to

(Windows + MAC + Linux) vs (XB1 + XB360 + PS3 + PS4)

and in this situation who do you think would win?

I agree. Look how long Crysis was the king. Used to be that a graphics king would be usurped within a year at the most.

So you maxed out all the best looking games this year and you thought they didn't look better than games that came before ?

I certainly don't see it that way: Battlefield 4, Crysis 3, GRID 2, Metro Last Light, Rome 2 and many others all looked amazing to me. Better than anything that had come before.

More choices doesnt guarantee more players. You really think a Wiiu version would add anything significant to the player base for consoles for example? I mean how many consolites that own a wiiu dont also have at least one other console that BF 4 is on?

That's interesting. Because just a second ago, you stated that more choices guaranteed less players:

"If MS hadnt monopolized computers then there would be a mac and linux version of Battlefield 4 as well. This would result in a lot less pc version players."

How come the door doesn't swing both ways? I thought you were talking about fairness?

Exposed!

Personally the only good thing about gaming on PC is that games on PC are cheap ( or can be free if one wish them to be ) and thats about it.

been playing on consoles for a long time i cant seem to get used to play using a mouse and keyboard at all not to mention im not a big fan of MOBAs and strategy games but more of a gamer who prefer story driven games.

i will build myself a pc in the near future but will most likely only play on it few shooters since thats what few of my friends want to be at to play titanfall for example ( i will use the DS4 controller, dont care for mouse and keyboard ).

on a side note the picture in the OP is very stupid and it just proves how more people play on consoles rather than PC i mean TC is comparing consoles to PC so there is no point whatssoever to see each console separately when all consoles are all part of the "console" pool the total players playing on consoles ( combined ) exceed the number of players playing on a PC for BF4.

If you're interested in story driven games, you do know that the PC has a whole heck of those right?

Examples?

Trolling? In the context of what I was responding to it's easy to understand that I meant more console versions than computer versions doesnt automatically mean more console players.

Less pc players if mac and linux were popular but the same amount of computer version players. Did I spell it out enough for you now?

Looks like Psymon isn't the only one with comprehension issues.

Trolling? No. Having fun? Yes.

"Less pc players if mac and linux were popular but the same amount of computer version players. Did I spell it out enough for you now?"

Well, in this particular case from the way you've phrased it - nobody has any choice but to agree with you.

But surely this scenario is too severe? I mean .. increasing platforms available by 3x, yet player count changes by 1x (ie no change).

Besides, I would have taken a different angle to respond to me. I would have argued:

"79014 on the PC right now, 140661 on consoles. Is it feasible that adding Mac and Linux platforms would increase 'computer' playerbase by >1.78x?" To argue against my own devil's advocate, I'd suggest that's absurd too.

See. I'm having fun.

To the moon, Dear Esther, Gone Home, The Stanely Parable and whole heap of point and click adventure games which focus primarily on story. Also those Japanese visual novels if you're into that kind of stuff.

It's pretty much impossible to disagree when you consider what's going on on the PC right now.

Never has there ever been as much game support for the platform, and we're seeing a resurgence of so many genres that were thought "dead" a decade ago.

On top of that even Japanese devs have taken notice of the platform's (particularly on the indie side), and they've been putting out there games in the west.

And it's single-handedly decimating every other platform combined in terms of high-rated games while providing the most variety of games to choose from, the widest array of genres, the best prices on games, free online, and the most features. It's pretty nasty.

Actually, you had to explain yourself because if you were taken literally your message was not correctly received.

Hence why you rephrased, and came back to me.

You really think theirs a lot of people who only use linux or mac who are wanting to play BF 4 but would only play it if their os of choice was supported?

The vast majority of those who want to play shooters already have a pc or console to play them on.

Notice how Ghosts and BF 4 are both on 2 more platforms than their last installments yet sales are down for both. More platforms doesnt mean more players.

PC gamers don't have one choice. They can choose the console version too. What an absurd thing to suggest.

Don't pretend you say that out of experience when it's undoubtful you've achieved nothing out of the casual realms the game has to offer.

"You really think theirs a lot of people who only use linux or mac who are wanting to play BF 4 but would only play it if their os of choice was supported?"

No.

I was replying to you who was bringing up comparing computers to console combined.

PC gaming enjoys never ending Golden Age from 1997.

^ FACT

And consolites could choose pc. In the end though, more gamers choose console.

Last post you say more platforms means more players and now you say it doesnt?

""You really think theirs a lot of people who only use linux or mac who are wanting to play BF 4 but would only play it if their os of choice was supported?"

No."

"Last post you say more platforms means more players and now you say it doesnt?"

These things are not the same. Please. Stop with the leading questions.

When did I ever argue more platforms means more players? I suggested such a conclusion was absurd. I can quote myself:

""79014 on the PC right now, 140661 on consoles. Is it feasible that adding Mac and Linux platforms would increase 'computer' playerbase by >1.78x?" To argue against my own devil's advocate, I'd suggest that's absurd too."

Reading a reply without reading whats being responded to, takes it out of context. This is forum usage 101.

Defending yourself twice? Oh dear.

I choose not to defend myself. I'd be very happy for other Gamespotters to read our conversation as it is.

You left out.

"But surely this scenario is too severe? I mean .. increasing platforms available by 3x, yet player count changes by 1x (ie no change)."

Quite a contradictory post you made there

Well I'm playing BF 4 and alt tabbing to respond so I guess I forgot that i already responded to your silly response once.

Its not games dont look better, they certainly do.

Its just if you spend $500 on a video card these days, you can expect it to last you a while before even thinking about an upgrade. Back in the day games like STALKER or crysis would come out and say "hey nice new video card you just bought, go buy another one"

It wasnt uncommon for games to be barely playable on current hardware, and be designed for specs that didnt exist yet.

When you see Hermits make a list of "amazing" PC games it's always a bunch of dud, no name trash titles. PC does have far and away the most high scoring World of Warcraft expansion packs though.

This

Meanwhile, all the 'great titles' found on the consoles are 3rd, 4th, 5th and even 6th iterations of the same game amirite? Enjoy your Killzone 15 and Halo 25.

@acanofcoke said:

Sums up eveything! :)

Hermits are racist am confirmed.

And GTA 5 ;)

Thank You.

You are such a sad troll

Hey - you're welcome to think that. I think post 66 looks fantastic the way it is, and I have no need to defend it.

Hope BF4 is going well for you. I quite enjoy Paracel Storm.

Propz to PC for allowing me to play all cross platform games I wanted (except rockstar games) and civ v is awesome

Great work there champ, you are basically saying if games are not hyped or advertised out of the ass then they are crap games........i bet you love pulling out metacritic scores aswell don't you?

Personally some of us are glad to think differently, i did thats why i got to play amazing things like kerbal Space Program and the Stanley Parables and other suprising games of the past year..if i thought like you i would have just pulled a face and called them crap and let them pass by unplayed...and that would make me a douche and also a terrible excuse for a gamer.

Thats a good map. I'm really enjoying the China Rising maps.

So games continue to look more and more amazing AND it's cheaper for your wallet.

I'm sorry but I can't see any downsides in that :)

@jhonMalcovich said:

Factually, we do.

PC Gaming exclusive genres are far from being dead, but were thriving as never in the last couple of years. Last gen, we got tons of RTS, turn based strategies, management heavy strategies, MMOs, MOBAs, horror, click-&-point adventures, indies. Even space sims got resurrected.

And a lot of console-exclusive genres such as fighting and platforming moved to PC as well.

Factually, in the last 8 years, PC got the biggest ammount of games in gaming history ever. Only last month, there were 40 games released on PC. And the thing doesn´t look slowing down.

It´s funny but there were more stragegy games than jrpgs or even fps.

If PC was dying, shouldn´t PC exclusive genres be dying too, but they actually grow in numbers as never before.

Before we had Diablo 2, today we have Diablo 3, Path of Exile, Torchlight, Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, Grim Dawn etc.

We have more simulators as never before.

More games with unique gameplays.

More city builders strategies as never before.

Only complete whiners don´t see that.

If there is one PC game that gets dumbed down, there are like 5 games in the same genre ready to replace it.

Even regarding multiplats PC started to outsell consoles.

You may have 10.000 games noone cares about and Zelda

Zelda still wins, by far

PC is completly irrelevant, the only major games like Diablo and Witcher are all on consoles now and JRPGs are all on consoles and not on PC

So why would a RPG gamer miss 80% of gaming by going with PC and not go with consoles that get ALL next gen WRPGs and ALL next gen JRPGs and Zelda, maybe Demons Souls 2 on PS4 and the BEST BY MILES Diablo 3 version etc etc ?

Why go with the completly useless and gameless PC that has not got a single next gen exclusive RPG ?

Not one

@loosingENDS said:

@jhonMalcovich said:

Factually, we do.

PC Gaming exclusive genres are far from being dead, but were thriving as never in the last couple of years. Last gen, we got tons of RTS, turn based strategies, management heavy strategies, MMOs, MOBAs, horror, click-&-point adventures, indies. Even space sims got resurrected.

And a lot of console-exclusive genres such as fighting and platforming moved to PC as well.

Factually, in the last 8 years, PC got the biggest ammount of games in gaming history ever. Only last month, there were 40 games released on PC. And the thing doesn´t look slowing down.

It´s funny but there were more stragegy games than jrpgs or even fps.

If PC was dying, shouldn´t PC exclusive genres be dying too, but they actually grow in numbers as never before.

Before we had Diablo 2, today we have Diablo 3, Path of Exile, Torchlight, Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, Grim Dawn etc.

We have more simulators as never before.

More games with unique gameplays.

More city builders strategies as never before.

Only complete whiners don´t see that.

If there is one PC game that gets dumbed down, there are like 5 games in the same genre ready to replace it.

Even regarding multiplats PC started to outsell consoles.

You may have 10.000 games noone cares about and Zelda

Zelda still wins, by far

PC is completly irrelevant, the only major games like Diablo and Witcher are all on consoles now and JRPGs are all on consoles and not on PC

So why would a RPG gamer miss 80% of gaming by going with PC and not go with consoles that get ALL next gen WRPGs and ALL next gen JRPGs and Zelda, maybe Demons Souls 2 on PS4 and the BEST BY MILES Diablo 3 version etc etc ?

Why go with the completly useless and gameless PC that has not got a single next gen exclusive RPG ?

Not one

Nice opinion. You are missing my point though.The gaming industry had released more strategy games than JRPGS. This just shows that the gaming industry considers strategy genre more relevant than JRPGs. Classic JRPGs is basically a dying genre on consoles, while they got second life on PC.

PC is completly irrelevant, the only major games like Diablo and Witcher are all on consoles now and JRPGs are all on consoles and not on PC

So is there Witcher 1 on consoles ? Witcher 2 is only on xbox360. And Diablo 3 is the worst of the franchise, which consoles got pretty late. And there is no Path of Exiles on consoles. So I would hardly call consoles relevant regarding Diablo-style games.

This is the list of JRPGs released on PC last gen without counting all those Western immitations you cna find on Steam

Agarest: Generations of War (2013)

AlterEgo VN\3d\TRPG (2009)

Arabians Lost ~The Engagement on Desert~/アラビアンズ・ロスト～The engagement on desert～ (2006)

BALDR SKY Dive 2 “Recordare”/バルドスカイ Dive 2 “Recordare” (2009)

Bunny Black (2010)

Bunny Black 2 (2012)

Bunny Black 3 (2013)

CODE:R ~幻想郷より愛をこめて~ / Touhou CODE:R – Gensoukyou Yori Ai Okome (Action\RPG) (2013)

Dungeon Crusaderz ~TALES OF DEMON EATER~ (2006)

Dungeon Crusaderz 2 / ダンジョンクルセイダーズ2~永劫の楽土~ (2008)

[[Eternal Eden [Blossomsoft][RPG][All][eng]]] (2008)

Eternal Fantasy / エターナルファンタジー (2008)

Enbou no Felshis ~Horizon of the Earth and Sky~ (2010)

ETERNAL KINGDOM ~Horobi no Majo to Densetsu no Ken~ (2008)

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (2013)

Fortune Summoners: Secret of the Elemental Stone (2012)

GEARS of DRAGOON ~Meikyuu no Uroboros~/GEARS of DRAGOON～迷宮のウロボロス～ (2013)

Generation XTH - Code Hazard (2008)

Generation XTH - Code Breaker (2008)

Generation XTH - Code Realize (2009)

Gensou Douwa ALICETALE/幻奏童話 ALICETALE (2012)

Gujian Qitan 古劍奇譚 簡體中文' (2010)

Half Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax (2012)

Himegari Dungeon Meister/姫狩りダンジョンマイスター (2009)

Ikusa Megami VERITA / 戦女神ＶＥＲＩＴＡ (2010)

Kagura Douchuuki/神楽道中記 (2009)

Kanojo wa Sora ni Inoranai -quantum girlfriend-彼女は高天(そら)に祈らない -quantum girlfriend- (2011)

Kamidori Alchemy Meister / 神採りアルケミーマイスター (2011)

Kikouyoku Senki Tenkuu no Yumina FD -Forever Dreams- / 輝光翼戦記 天空のユミナFD -ForeverDreams- (2010)

Kikouyoku Senki II Gin no Toki no Corona / 輝光翼戦記II 銀の刻のコロナ (2011)

Kimi ga Yobu, Megiddo no Oka de / 君が呼ぶ、メギドの丘で 3d\JRPG (2009)

Monmusu Quest! Chuushou ~Makereba Youjo ni Okasareru~ (2011)

Monmusu Quest! Shuushou ~Makereba Youjo ni Okasareru~ (2013)

Monmusu Quest! Zenshou ~Makereba Youjo ni Okasareru~ (2011)

Naruto Shippuden:Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst (2013)

Nega0 ~Negative Zero~/ネガゼロ (2009)

Oresama no RagnaRock/俺サマのラグナRock (2010)

Pastel Chime 3 Bind Seeker (2013)

Rance Quest / ランス・クエスト (2011)

RPG Gakuen/あるぴじ学園 (2010)

Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

Sangoku Hime -Ranse Tenka Sanbu no Kei-/三極姫～乱世、天下三分の計～ (2010)

Seinarukana -The Spirit of Eternity Sword 2- (2007)

Sengoku Hime/戦極姫~戦乱の世に焔立つ~ (2008)

Sengoku Hime 2 ~Senran no Yo, Gunyuu Arashi no Gotoku~/戦極姫2～戦乱の世、群雄嵐の如く～ (2010)

Shinobi Ryuu/忍流 (2009)

Shikigami/シキガミ (2011)

Shutsugeki!! Otome-tachi no Senjou ~Yami o Kirisaku, Nibiiro no Tekoudan~/出撃!!乙女たちの戦場~闇を切り裂く、にび色の徹甲弾~ (2009)

Soukyuu no Soleil ~Fullmetal Eyes~/蒼穹のソレイユ～FULLMETAL EYES～ (2011)

Soukoku no Arterial / 創刻のアテリアル (2012)

Students of Round / 円卓の生徒 (2010)

Sudeki (2005)

Ten no Hikari wa Koi no Hoshi/天の光は恋の星 (2010)

The Last Remnant (2009)

The Legend of Heroes VI - Sora no Kiseki 3rd, 英雄伝説空の軌跡 the 3rd (2007)

Toki no Senka/トキノ戦華 初回限定版 (2009)

Yamiyo ni Odore ~Witch wishes to commit the Night~闇夜に踊れ ~Witch wishes to commit the Night~ (2011)

Yumina the Ethereal (2009)

Ys I & II Complete

Ys Origin Extra (2006)

Ys: The Oath in Felghana (2005)

Valkyrie Complex/ヴァルキリーコンプレックス (2009)

Wind Fantasy 1\風色幻想1

Wind Fantasy 6\風色幻想6 (2007)

Wind Fantasy Double Cross\风色幻想XX～交错的轨迹～

Zettai★Maou -Boku no Mune-kyun Gakuen Saga-/絶対★魔王~ボクの胸キュン学園サーガ~ (2009)

Zwei2 Plus, ツヴァイ2 Plus (2008)

Full list here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_JRPGs_on_pc

Post of the year.

LOL @ asserting "Factually, we do"

Quantity =/= Quality

The quantity of games is greater, not the quality.

The mid 90s to early 00s was the golden age of gaming.
It was better than the late 70s, 80s, earl-mid 90s, and mid 00s to present.
this is based on quantifiable facts (gameplay, design, technology, etc) NOT sales... this is called quality.

Want to know why there are more games now? Because gaming is mainstream now...
more players, more developers, more games, more money... this is called quantity.

I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 era.

I didn't like or play all the games from the mid-90s to the early 00s (or any era for that matter)
...but I understand (and objectively agree) why the games from this era are revered the way they are.

I've got my own favorites from the Atari, Nintendo(s), Sega(s), Playstation(s), Xbox, PC (amiga, commodore, dos, windows) but that is just that- my opinion.

I own and play BF4 (on PC) on a weekly basis, it's fun... but Unreal Tournament was better, and I enjoy them both the same.

Since trolling is aside I'd assume we can be honest in this thread? I buy the exclusives for the consoles and multiplats for my PC (well I did up until now, I need a new graphics card). Most of the PC exclusives don't interest me, I dislike multiplayer games and MMO's. I have no real interest for Indie games (but to be fair I haven't given them a chance). At the end of the day most of the gaming I do on my PC are multiplat games. Nothing wrong with it, but It's safe to say I couldn't live without the consoles. Too many quality exclusives to miss. Don't get me wrong I still play some PC exclusives and there's no doubt PC has the most games but IMO not all of them interest or effect me personally. No bullshit here, just my 2 cents.

There's no more "Golden Age" of gaming anywhere (console, PC, etc) unless we see some radical new tech like that of the mid 90's. Everything we have now is just a continuation of that era.

Even online gaming is old. We've been gaming online since the late 80's.