PC Gaming Doom & Gloom Thread

[Maximilian]

Games are garbage today compared to what they were in the late 90's. Back then i could pick up a game without even reading a review (due to lack of internet) and it would usually be pretty good, worth my money for sure. Ive picked up many weird and wonderful and rare games doing that, today though if you were to do the same you may end up with something barely functional as a game, big rigs anyone? heh.

Im playing starcraft custom maps, and backstabbing on most maps, brilliant fun never gets old. Also halo 1 multiplayer is awesome, flattening the enemy with warthogs and driving round their base on blood gulch like something outta mad max is crazy fun.

I eagerly await starcraft 2, and await a review of c&c3's unannounced expansion, i swear the story better not be predictable and the game better have 10x more longevity than c&c3 did or im not buying another EA game again.

 

[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.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Originally posted by: Soviet
Games are garbage today compared to what they were in the late 90's. Back then i could pick up a game without even reading a review (due to lack of internet) and it would usually be pretty good, worth my money for sure. Ive picked up many weird and wonderful and rare games doing that, today though if you were to do the same you may end up with something barely functional as a game, big rigs anyone? heh.

Big Rigs is hardly a common occurrence in game shopping (how many major stores even carried it anyways?) and all years have had similar ones. Late 90's? Don't forget Xtreme Paintbrawl. For me, gaming has been going through many up and down periods. 94-97 was excellent, 98-99 mediocre, 2000 was the best year ever, 2001 was the worst, and everything since then (with the exception of 2005) has been uphill. A lot of what makes people pessimistic seems to be just nostalgia. Just realize that your favorite game or era will probably never be beaten in your eyes and accept whatever comes next, otherwise you'll never enjoy gaming again.

 

[brxndxn]

I have ADD.. so what.. I used to always be able to play video games..

But, right now, it seems like they all suck. I have not played a single one all the way through for a long time.. It seems like every game now just doesn't have enough excitement to hold my interest..

These games were exellent:

Max Payne - excitement.. the entire ***** game
Deus Ex - duh
Freelancer - loved it.. one of my favorites
FarCry
Half Life 2
Ut2k4

hell.. some really old games..
Unreal


Then.. these newer games are just so-so:

Half Life 2: Episode 1.. bored after 2 hours
X3: Reunion.. played it for a few days.. then it all of a sudden seemed 'empty' when I ran out of money problems (without cheating)
Stalker.. I just can't get into it.. bored after 5 hours
Fear.. bored after 4 hours
Oblivion.. don't really wanna do it..

So.. wtf should I try now? I remember looking forward to Stalker so much.. and now I can't even stand to play it. I mean.. Stalker isn't immersive.. I have to 'read text' of what people are saying.. screw that.. this is 2007.. If someone says something in game, I should hear it.

There's gotta be some totally awesome FPS that I'm missing.. or some awesome Spacesim that I'm forgetting about..

Thing is, I absolutely cannot stand games that feel like they were developed for console first.. like.. Deus Ex 2 and Tom Clancy's whatever that game was called..

So.. what should I try? What's an epic single-player game that will blow my mind? Or is there even anything?

 

[apoppin]

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?

They should Ban those games, look at the violence on the streets, it's on the news everyday.

People are playing way too much FPS, and it's affecting their brain.

Like the recent Vtech shooting, and all of the daily night club and/or gang shootings....

and of course RTS and RGP are non-violent peace-inspiring games
-perhaps the sarcasm is strong with this one

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: 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.

utter BS

 

[Schadenfroh]

*C/P from the other thread that is similar*

I suggest looking to the past. Baldurs Gate 2 is a true RPG (not an "action RPG"): You can get some of the best RPGs ever made in one box now, IMO BG2 is the best game ever made (rival being PlaneScape: Torment).

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Have you tried Hitman: Blood Money yet? It's definitely the best of the Hitman games.

 

[BladeVenom]

Spaceforce: Rogue Universe and Darkstar One are two space games that no one listed. You might not like them as much as Freelance though.

Try out all the mods for the games you already have. Unreal 2004 and Half-life 2 both have tons of mods available.

Start looking for older games that you missed or where too busy to play when they came out. Have you played Quake 4, Republic Commando, Battlefront 2, or Prey? Some even older games would be X-Wing Alliance, Tron 2.0, and No One Lives Forever 2.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Oblivion kept me going for about 25 hours before I got bored. Everything else... got bored.

STALKER however, it's like it was the FPS I've been waiting for. I can't stand the run and gun shooters - they are so unbelievably predictable and boring. I used to like them last generation on the consoles, but not anymore. If STALKER did a little bit on the stealth (I seem to get detected too easily sometimes), and the damn optimization is horrible - but I'm still liking the game.

 

[reallyfull]

I've just picked up Overlord for the PC and I'm having a blast. It's been a long time since a game has kept my interest this long. There is a demo out for the PC which you can give a try. The full game has more depth to it than you get to experience in the demo though.

 

[BladeVenom]

Originally posted by: Imp
The outlook is pretty grim too..

The games coming out this fall and winter look great. From Bioshock on 8/21/07 till the end of the year it looks like a good game is scheduled to come out almost every other week.

 

[JBT]

HL2 EP1 bored after 2 hours??? The game was only 2 hours long to begin with....

 

[yuppiejr]

Hmm, I've got a stack of games lined up to play that I've been picking up used or on sale recently... Currently playing though HL:2, Oblivion SI, Titan Quest + Immortal Throne, Beyond the Red Line Demo (FreeSpace 2 Conversion to the BSG universe) and Supreme Commander with CC3, Company of Heroes, FEAR, Gothic 3, Warhammer : Dark Crusade plus HL2: Lost Coast + EP1 queued up.

Seems to me like there are a lot of great games out there from the past year or two that you haven't played, perhaps the issue is your ADHD and not the games? Just a thought...

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: njdevilsfan87
Oblivion kept me going for about 25 hours before I got bored. Everything else... got bored.

STALKER however, it's like it was the FPS I've been waiting for. I can't stand the run and gun shooters - they are so unbelievably predictable and boring. I used to like them last generation on the consoles, but not anymore. If STALKER did a little bit on the stealth (I seem to get detected too easily sometimes), and the damn optimization is horrible - but I'm still liking the game.

I think run and gun are more fun when you play with real people rather than PCs. It's usually the most fun when playing with friends so you get the fun brag time afterward when you deliver the daily dose of wtfpwnage.

 

[Kromis]

Originally posted by: Molondo
go buy a console.

:thumbsup:

 

[shortylickens]

I'm 28. Been playing video games hardcore since I got an NES in the Christmas of 1986.
Less time to be sure, but am also more demanding and want to get better entertainment for my dollar. Tired of spending a little more money each year and getting a little less quality.

Also think that I could/should have a life. Probably could have finished my degree by now but little things keep eating up my time and I shouldnt let that happen. Will not likely have my own house by the time I'm 30 and that was a very serious goal of mine at one point.
Thinking perhaps that maybe I have seen it all anyway. After this many years there isnt anything to impress me except graphics and graphics alone do NOT make a good game.

Crysis might be enough to bring me back but thats it.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

While not an AADD'er myself, I haven't been too impressed with most the games for PC of late either. Haven't played STALKER yet though, so that is on my short list. Gears of War on 360, is the best shooter (3rd person POV) that I've played in years. Even Resistance on PS3 I enjoyed more than anything but HL2 that has hit since FarCry. But. the drought will be over soon, so buck up camper!

 

[SonicIce]

Yea I havent seen a good game in the past 2 years. Dunno if I lost interest or what.

 

[AllGamer]

i find it more fun playing RTS against real people, that is fun, WC3 and SC are my top favourite in this area, i still every now and then play C&C Generals, but the C&C series online is kinda boring, Blizzard games are better at the RTS online thing.

Other than that, may RPG, and or MMO PRG are quite fun to play too.

 

[imported_Imp]

The problem with PC games is that there really aren't many driving, arcade-y, puzzle, adventure-RPG and sports games out for it. Once you get bored on a console of the AAA stuff, you can sit back and load/rent a sports game, drive around a track, etc (use to do this). Also, half the fun with those is in using a controller, which not too many PC people have. And if you already have a console and a PC, then you're already set.

 

[Engraver]

Consoles will eventually have full mouse and keyboard support, and most likely peripheral support for printers and such. Then maybe some time after that, they'll make interchangeable hardware modules for consoles, to increase graphic and processing power. If things end up like that, you may even have to put your console on a desk just so your mouse, keyboard, and peripherals are within reach. Now that I think of it this setup sounds rather familiar...

 

[Extelleron]

Originally posted by: Raduque

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
#1 - PC's have been getting cheaper, while consoles more expensive. i can build a $600 gaming machine with ease.

Post a $600 gaming machine that is capable pf pushing modern games at console resolutions with extremely high details (at least 1920x1080).

Originally posted by: CKent
Price? I just built a blazing new PC for $475.

Was that an entirely new PC including everything, or did you just buy a new motherboard, CPU and videocard? And if you did a whole new PC from scratch, what resolution is it capable of playing in with high details on modern games?



Don't get me wrong, I don't think PC gaming is dying. I started years ago with PC gaming on a 386. I just don't think that PC gaming is the best ever anymore. The consoles are getting more sophisticated, more powerful, and more fun to play. I already think the consoles are on-par with PCs. Bioshock is supposed to look the same between a high-end PC and the Xbox360.

One thing that consoles get right that PCs still have yet to do is pure digital surround sound. It's an analog mish-mash of cables strewn everywhere on a PC, but all I need for my 360 is a single optical cable. And don't give me that nonsense of "some cards to DD on the fly!" because as far as I'm concerned, it should either be a hardware level feature of every card, or every game should put out a DD\DTS audio stream of some kind. :frown:

As I posted earlier:

AMD X2 4000+ Brisbane - $70
2GB (1GBx2) Corsair XMS2 DDR2-675 (4-4-4-12) - $85
Biostar tForce 550 SE Motherboard - $73
Sapphire X1950XT 256MB - $145
Western Digital 160GB HDD - $49
Antec Solo Mid-tower Case - $45
Vista Home Premium OEM - $112
Total: $579

If you want to "equal" a console, all you need is a PC capable of 720p, and this $579 PC would be more than capable of that; it would be good for even 1280x1024, or 1680x1050 with slightly reduced detail. Console games are not 1920x1080p... 1080i is different and not nearly as demanding. Neither the PS3 or 360 feature any large selection of games in 1080p. Most of those that are 1080p are very simple titles that don't push the system's capabilities.

You can also factor in the price of a display; a good, 20" monitor only costs $200-300, a good HDTV costs $500-$1000. Console gaming isn't so cheap when you factor in the cost of an HDTV.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: SniperWulf
I swear... some of you guys just don't get it... or are in denial... Just like dmcowen said, its all about the money. The PC IS the bastard child of the gaming industry these days. True enough there are some nice titles coming out, but its no where near the volume of old and certianly no where near the volume that the console has today. Say all you want about higher resolutions, AA, blah blah blah. The more sophisticated the console gets, the more those points that used to be unique to the PC are moot. Just like Karsten said, give the console a KB and mouse for FPS games and your set.

Nah, we get it. People will start one of these thread every few months until the end of time. Yet PC Gaming will go on.

 

[Cluelessoldtimer]

I think I first saw this thread in 1995...

It might happen, but the only way that it will is if console games are superior over time to PC games. And if it does, who cares, we get games.

I don't think it will happen for one important reason though...and that is competition. As consoles have become more popular the market fragments down. It is already happening, look at how many more types of consoles are on the market, and the number will go up. Since the makers of console systems are often selling them at a loss and making the money back (in theory at least) on game releases they are going to become smaller and smaller niche markets. Meanwhile, almost everyone and their dog can still get (or already has) a PC.