I think LuLu's general point about punishment not equaling difficulty is valid since it can be used simply to arbitrarily extend the time it takes to do something, but it can also be used to add meaningful challenge and I think that's mostly what's going on in Dark Souls. Games like bayonetta (which fyi is currently my favourite game) that have frequent checkpoints are far easier than they would be otherwise because you don't need to reach a level of skill at which you can succeed consistently, and some games take this to such an extreme that every small flukish success moves you on without any need for skill, but it's a hard balance to get right even without accounting for differences in taste since repeating a section can quickly start to feel like wasted time once you've got the hang of it.

Also, I don't like them that much and haven't completed either demon or dark souls, but playing them I pretty much never felt that I died simply because I didn't know what to expect. Knowing what to expect helps a lot but it's not like you die every single time you encounter a new enemy or get caught in an ambush.

Bayonetta! It's easily my favourite game and I'm sorely tempted to get a Wii U just for the sequel. (Apparently the Xbox360 version runs much better than the PS3 one though.)

I understand the feeling that if you you're going to build a pc you want to build an awesome one that will me meet all your gaming needs for years to come because I felt the same way when I was building mine, but once you've built it you'll realise that it's actually incredibly easy to make changes later when/if you want a more powerful computer. For the price of a ps4 you can (according to the recent gamespot articles) build a computer that will run modern games at comparable graphics settings, and it will probably be more efficient in terms of price performance so you wont be wasting money buying parts you have to replace unless you do so very soon.

If you're like me then the main reason for wanting a powerful computer was not just to play everything on max graphics but also not having to worry about tweaking things to get the game to run well; I wanted to treat it like a console where I can just focus on playing without worrying about anything else, but unless you absolutely have to play with everything perfectly optimised for your machine you can just use one of the presets and switch to a lower one if you're not entirely happy with the way it's working. (You can display the framerate while testing a setup if you want to make sure your computer can handle it without spoiling the game with constant second guessing) You'll have plenty of warning before your hardware reaches the point that it's actually going to hold back your gaming because you'll have gradually worked your way down using the lowest settings on new games.

I may be way off about your reasons for going all out, and obviously you should do your own thing either way, but I think it's well worth reconsidering whether you really need to save up and go all in when you could buy a perfectly good PC this year. (Unless I've misunderstood, since you said your brother was willing to pay for half the ps4 I'm not sure whether or not you actually have a whole ps4 sized pile of money.)

P.s. This isn't a "don't make the mistake I did post" since I just bought the best I could with the money I had at the time.

P.p.s. I also think comparing specs is mind numbingly boring but occasionally upgrading individual parts shouldn't be that much of a time sink. XD

Thanks Feran. I ended up getting Starcraft despite your recommendation but was able to feel happy with my choice because I had other options to compare to so your post was still very helpful and I'll keep an eye on those games as possible future purchases.

P.s. For anyone who reads this with the same question. I didn't realise until after I'd bought it but there is a free version of starcraft available that seems like it's surprisingly close to full featured.

I'm largely ambivalent about (though firmly in favour of) the ban but also hope he has a great day.

good discussion. :)

I really want to get in to RTS games but I'm not sure where to start since I'm mostly interested in online multiplayer and I can't tell what that's like from reviews. Can anyone recommend some games they play that have active communities?

So far my list of possibilities is limited to SC2 but I'd definitely like to look at some others before making a choice.

Thanks in advance :)

@thereal25: I don't like Skyrim, but thanks for being one of the good people on the internet. Nice to see someone who possesses both an open mind and the ability to admit they were wrong.

Just fyi the European psn easter sale has Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk for £19.99. It's also an all round good sale.

Thanks! I got Wargame: European Escalation for £2.50. :)

Thanks guys the problem is now sorted. It's kinda embarrassing but it turns out I had left the virtual drive running this whole time. I thought it was part of the Image mounting software and so would close when I closed that and restarted my computer etc, but I guess not.