Originally posted by: konakona
1.Casual - console gaming seems less intense to me so I can seem to play it for longer periods of time.
2.Playing with friends is much easier on consoles for me - since they all prefer consoles.
3.Switching between TV and Xbox at any time.
Just some examples of things which are irrefutable - because they apply to me whether you like it or not.
1. There are MANY games on computer. I find it puzzling you couldnt find anything more laid back on computers
2. That is certainly true, but I would assume that mostly had to do with controllers more than anything. I gamed with my console-only friends on computer for hours and hours just fine - all I needed was to get a pair of ps2 pads for them.
3. Many choose to watch TV on their computer these days... Not saying you should throw out your TVs, but that is certainly a valid option. Either way, that doesnt justify the cost of an expensive console. PCs sure can get expensive, but you need to get one anyway and with budget components things can be quite cheap these days.
oh, and someone mentioned japanese games. they have completely different set of games there, and of course there are tons more visual novels on PC. Console games do have their place sometimes - it is simply the matter of production budget. games that are proven in the more competitive PC market are considered worthy of a console port - usually watered down but with more perks like added items/scenarios and voice acting (when absent in the original version) etc. Just the nature of the market drives the console games to be more polished and attractive in these cases. That being said, the fact that you cant have any doujin games on console makes it an automatic lose for consoles. contrary to popular belief, there are some very affordable (often cheaper than the console versions) and well made controllers avaialble for fighting games. If you prefer pads (I hate em myself), there are tons of those out there too.
With western games of course, it is a no brainer. Compare games that launched in multiple platforms and you would agree PC versions most always have better graphics, mods, customizability, better online play and so on. What fun is it to play counterstrike without custom decals? console exclusives are the only reason at all why consoles are still there.
What kind of multiplayer games can only be played on consoles? Me and my buddies at the old place used to play fighting games of all sort (MBAC, IaMP, FatalFake) and mame/neo geo emulated games on computers just fine. Tekken was the only reason ever why they would turn on their PS2. Again, this goes back to the point of damned console exclusive titles.