PC Gaming Doom & Gloom Thread

[imported_Imp]

I'm 21, but started early with consoles (6?). I've kinda gotten use to this cycle with PC games. There's always some time or another between great games where I stand before my 2m all CD shelf and ask myself what to load up. Eventually I grab something, put it in the drive, load it up and ten minutes later I'm back to surfing the net. Nowadays, I may load up a movie and surf instead. In a month or so, I'll probably get addicted to something new/old and after 3 months, back to this slump...

 

[CP5670]

I'm playing Splinter Cell: Double Agent and am finding it to be a lot of fun, much more than when I started playing it (I posted my initial thoughts in here. If you don't like console ports though, stay far away from this. It's one of the worst examples ever of that class.

As for space sims, that genre is essentially dead these days. If you have not played Freespace 2 yet, you should definitely check it out. It's freely available and the heavily upgraded graphics stack up fairly well with more modern titles.

 

[Regs]

Another problem with PC games is that they only come out 2 or 3 months of the year.

April, Sept. and Nov. The only want to release them during the high volume months. My only guess is so less people pirate them.

PC has turned into a test bed for consoles or the port of the conoles.

 

[CaptainJackSwallows]

The quake series is like ut2k4 but less pub-like. try the quake 4 mp demo, really fun stuff after you get the hang of it. if you're into competetive gaming, the quakes have been the real 1v1 fps game of choice for like....ever since esports was made back in the day with qw (quakeworld). you can download the nicest version of quakeworld free, just google fQuake. oh, and theres another game quite similiar to quake (based off the q2 engine i believe), www.warsow.net for the free download. And yeah if you can't tell already, I love id software. Try CS, Return to castle Wolfenstein, or Enemy Territory:Wolfenstein (free) as well. As for singleplayer, maybe doom3, call of juarez, or chronicles of riddick (didn't see those on your list). hrmmm that's all I can think of atm, and don't switch genres, FPS all the way \o/.

Oh dang i jsut read your post and you said singleplayer, oops. Don't bother with quake then, the only way to play those games is mp. Just hang on for a few more months till some big ones like bioshock, crysis, and ut3 roll in. i'm not sure when these are released, but jericho and hellgate are looking pretty sweet.

 

[Capt Caveman]

0

 

[AllGamer]

it has nothing to do with Oblivion or any specific FPS tittle, just to the general idea of FPS PC games.

well to normal people that can differentiate between reality vs game, FPS is not much of an issue, for some others that are too into it, they turn and think like in game, that's the problem.

it is easier do make that distinction on RTS / RPG vs FPS, when you have 1st person view, vs 3rd person, top down, or map view.

 

[BucsMAN3K]

I set up my N64 a few weeks back. Man was it a blast playing Ocarina of Time again.

As far as today's games, multiplayer is definitely a hoot but games with serious single player replay value are few and far between.

 

[will889]

Originally posted by: Edge1
This thread is depressing as hell. You people are damn hard to please.

I love PC gaming, am 40, and have a wife and kids. Its hard to find the time, but damn I sure appreciate it when I get it. Play all genres, but RTS is quickly becoming a favorite.

After you've played the original "Pong" on its original release, everything else is gravy. Oh yeah that was a console game! How appropo.

I'm right there with ya, and like you starting to get into RTS. I have had the consoles -- nice but not the same experience as a PC for me. Guess it just depends on the perspective of the player. I'm still lovin my LOMAC though. Still play the old NOLF series and Far Cry, Chronicals of Riddick from time to time, but no new shooter games that I have tried have I liked yet, especially the newer lame MP ones (only MP game I still play now and then is Urban Terror). I'm sure in time a few really good games will come along.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: GundamSonicZeroX
How about a change of genres?

No kidding, everything on your list is an FPS. Try Civilization IV, Galactic Civ2, or Medieval 2 Total War for some good strategy. If you don't mind some futzing around, there are tons of older games that are still great, such as BG2 and Torment.

 

[Oyeve]

GTA: San Andreas. Mindless fun, large world to explore, great time waster. I still play it at least every other day. Lots to do in the game other than the missions.

 

[Acanthus]

Supreme Commander and Civ4 are my gaming bread and butter right now.

I thoroughly enjoyed fear, and i liked BF2 until the horrendous bugs and imbalance got to me.

Waiting for quake wars and warhammer online.

 

[shortylickens]

I have to agree with the OP and SonicIce.
Most of the PC games over the past few years have been either huge letdowns or just unimpressive.

Finally got a decent space conquest (Galactic Civilizations 2) but it still pales in comparison to MOO2 and Imperium Galactica 2.
The FPS genre needs a vacation, or I need a vacation from it. Way too many and most of them stink.
Havent seen a really excellent role-playing game for a while, and I'm including Oblivion, STALKER, and Neverwinter Nights 2 in that.
Not nearly enough flight sims or space shooters over the past several years.
The strategy games seem to be doing OK for me. Age of Mythology, Act of War, Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, Homeworld 2, and some others. But after I play through the main campaign a few times and do several hundred skirmishes I get bored.
A few turn-based strategy games have kept me busy, most notably Disciples 2 and HOMM 3 and 5. But again, once through each campaign and thats all I can stand.

I detest most sports games, partly because I cant get into them but likely because EA is killing every game out there.
The Tiger Woods golf is alright, but I can only play that for one match at a time.

I will stick it out for Crysis and Gears of War, if they suck or they just dont hold me for very long I will give up on PC gaming completely. Too expensive, my IQ drops a little each year, and I think there might be more to life than my comfy computer room (evidence not yet seen).

 

[Polish3d]

I have had the same opinion lately. I'm not into RTS games, but am into FPS and RPGs.


2 years ago the primary game I was playing was Battlefield 2. Before that it was HL2 and Far Cry. I enjoyed them, but began playing Battlefield 2 solely after awhile to pass the time until some newer games came out. That was two years ago. Oblivion came, and frankly, wasn't that great (due to unengaging story, boring and uninspired quests) despite my great hope for the game. I tried FEAR, thought it sucked, same for Doom 3, Quake 4, etc etc

So I'm still waiting, still playing BF2, and insurgency now which is great but not a "big" game with much to do.


The future looks quite bright, with Bioshock, Alan Wake, Crysis, UT2007, Frontlines Fuel of War, Assassin's Creed, etcetera...


My hope is that the last two years was simply a bit of a dead zone in terms of good games, but that there will be a large plop of great games (aforementioned) coming in the next 12 months.



However, I have to say that for the last two years its been a struggle to keep my interest.


I only upgrade my system for the hardware techie joy of it, it has little to do with PC gaming ATM

 

[Polish3d]

PS, although there's always the possibility that the ratings and/or number of total games could be affecting this, check out:



Gamespot's Best games: http://www.gamespot.com/review...x_type=all&sortdir=asc


Almost every game rated 8-9/10 is from 1998,1999,2000,2001, etcetera

 

[BladeVenom]

If you don't like whats available, start making your own levels or mods.

Armed Assault is another fps shooter no one mentioned yet.

 

[imported_Imp]

Most stuff out recently has sucked. Since Stalker, I've only played more Medieval 2 (addiction) and gotten Armed Assault, which is only fun in multiplayer, but smacktards and hackers are taking over.

Only thing I'm looking forward to when my next paycheck comes is probably GRAW 2 since I loved GRAW 1. Other than that, nothing new/non-sequel has intrigued me. Supreme Commander sounded ok, but after 4 months straight of Medieval 2, I needed a break from RTS. Minions or whatever sounds like Dungeon Keeper, which is kinda interesting, but the reviews aren't as hot as I'd like. The outlook is pretty grim too. Maybe I'll get a Wii or PS3 since there's already a 360 in the house that I don't use (not mine, don't want to use and nothing really comes out and grabs me).

 

[Noema]

Originally posted by: child of wonder
Out of curiosity, how old are those here that are getting bored with the latest PC games?

I'm about to turn 28. When I was 22 I once took a week off from work and spent almost that whole time gaming.

Now, in the little free time I do have, it's difficult for me to get into almost any games, save for a very select few (NBA 2k7 on 360, Bridge Commander on PC).

I've begun to think it's a side effect of getting older, having my own wife and kids, etc.

I'm 28 and I also have less time to play than when I was 18. I also find it harder to get into games as in the past...but in my case this more due to MMOs than to my age...MMOs sorta ruined gaming for me, becuase once you spent a year or two in an MMO, it's kinda hard to go back to 'regular' single or multi player gaming. Then again, I'll never play an MMO again because I have an obssesive personality and those things really take over my life.

Interestingly, I do still quite enjoy older games I used to play in the 'golden days'. Stuff like old LucasArts / Sierra graphic adventures. SimCity 2000 and the first 2 X-Com games. Back when PC games were PC games, not ports, and PC gaming was the 'thinking man's' gaming, not a second rate plataform for developers to make easy money for porting console games that run like crap on a $3000 computer.

I think PC gaming is in a sort of dry spell right now. The first part of 2007 has been disastrous for PC gamers...most of the games we got were scraps: lousy ports of console games. I built my current rig a month ago and I feel it's rotting into waste because I really have nothing to play at the moment. The second half of the year is promising with BioShock, Crysis and what not, but even BioShock is a console port.

I do not think PC gaming is dead, but we can't deny that HD console gaming has hurt PC gaming in the last year. 5-10 years ago, a top of the line PC was the only way to play bleeding edge FPSs at high resolutions. This is simply not the case anymore, and hence it has become more difficult to justify spending $1500+ on a gaming PC.

 

[toadeater]

Originally posted by: Molondo
go buy a console.

Consoles are the sole reason games have sucked so much lately.

PC gamers want PC games, not games for 15 yr-old juvenile delinquents who think Halo was revolutionary.

 

[thatguy82]

I'm kind of ADDish and I loose fun in most FPS games, but come back after a few weeks. If you can get into civilization 4 you'll be addicted for a while since you can get into trying to conquer the world faster and all that. If not battlefield 2 always seems to suck me in, online of course.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: child of wonder
Out of curiosity, how old are those here that are getting bored with the latest PC games?

I'm about to turn 28. When I was 22 I once took a week off from work and spent almost that whole time gaming.

Now, in the little free time I do have, it's difficult for me to get into almost any games, save for a very select few (NBA 2k7 on 360, Bridge Commander on PC).

I've begun to think it's a side effect of getting older, having my own wife and kids, etc.

i've been playing console cames since Pong, arcade games since Space Invaders and played PC games on Atari 800xl PC.

loving them more and more. Not at all bored. When i DO get bored, i do something else 'till i want to play again.

 

[Skacer]

I'm not going to recommend FPS games to someone who couldn't get into HL2:EP1, FEAR or STALKER. I could understand not liking one of those games, but all 3 demonstrate a wide variety within the FPS genre. I can't help someone who is that malcontent with the genre they supposedly enjoy.

 

[GundamSonicZeroX]

How about a change of genres?

 

[BladeVenom]

Originally posted by: AllGamer
i only like to play RTS, RPG, and Turn based games, everything else i find it horribly boring, specially all those FPS, i can't understand how people can find fun, on just running around like a maniac and shooting at anyone on sight?

Well there's your problem. Try only shooting at the enemy. It makes it more fun and challenging, and your teammates will also appreciate it.

 

[AllGamer]

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

Well there's your problem. Try only shooting at the enemy. It makes it more fun and challenging, and your teammates will also appreciate it.

:Q you are assuming i play in a team? well i don't, specially on a FFA that doesn't even apply on FFA every body else is the enemy

 

[jjones]

I'm in the same boat. I was just barely able to finish Quake 4, and now I've started playing FEAR but set it aside to go back to playing UT2k4. Quake 4 barely held my interest and FEAR doesn't at all. Oh well, in a few months UT3 will be out.