Does anyone else feel that PC games usually pale in comparison to console titles? My love affair with video games started with the Atari 7800 and then moved to the NES. I stuck with Nintendo until playstation came out...now I don''t really play anything other than Blizzard games. I dunno, I''ve just always been underwhelmed by PC games. Graphics, music, story, play control, buginess, fun factor....they always feel unpolished and contrived. They don''t have that profesional feel that console games (the spotlight ones) have. I''ve almost never been "drawn in" to a PC game. I''ve never gotten addicted to one in the same way I''d get hooked by a game for a console. I don''t think i''ve ever eagerly anticipated the release of a PC title either. Compared to a console, and even with all the new, awesome graphics card effects, the graphics always seem block and pieced together. Even UT, quake, HL, etc, didn''t really dazzle me. The animations always seem jerky, the graphics too blocky/jagged and pieced together. Whereas a console game like secret of mana or final fantasy (any of them) just seemed to ooze LUSH and VIBRANT and FUN during its era, PC games always felt static and fake. It''s probably just me, but does anyone else feel this way?

*cant relate*

No, its just you. I feel the way about most console titles as you do about pc ones. I see games like Halo that people oogle over forever and I always think "what is so great about that? Its been done 10 times on the pc already, and half those times it was better."

quote: Original post by Penance
It''s probably just me, but does anyone else feel this way?

Its just you. I''ve played plenty of crap games on both platforms (and plenty of good ones as well).

I know what you mean. Many PC games *do* feel unpolished. But remember that console programmers have a very specific platform to program for, whereas PC game developers must take into account infinite (seems like it) amounts of different PC configurations.

Console games may feel more polished, but I''ve always felt that PC games are much more, interactive, I suppose.

I think that anything that really requires a mouse to play with never seems to work using a controller. First person shooters just don't feel 'right' on a console, neither do those games that you could just point and click to select, move, around. However I do prefer sports, racing and fighting games on a console, although best with some mates and a few brews.

[edited by - willow01 on November 5, 2003 9:04:46 PM]

Console multiplayer games are far more fun than multiplayer PC net games. Being able to ''wink'' at your human enemy after a sneaky headshot caps it all off for me.

I guess LAN PC gamers get this ''social'' feel for their games too.

Wizza Wuzza?

As for PC games looking blocky it may be becayse of a sharper image the monitors give. Monitors are very clear compared to most cheap TVs. A TV can give an antialiased effect because of it's blurring. I've always found that using a controller with some PC games, such at figher games, gives you the same feeling as the consoles.

[edited by - Shane I am on November 5, 2003 9:20:57 PM]

Well, you have to remember that anyone can develop for the PC provided they have the basic skills, whereas commercial console development nowadays is limited to experienced codehouses. Take a look at the qualifications you need to become a licenced Nintendo developer. This point only really applies when you''re looking at the vast amount of indie and hobbyist games for the PC though, because lack of professionalism isn''t really an issue for developers that can get themselves signed by a publisher.

The next thing you have to look at are the essential differences between PC and console games. I know there are many games that have been released and have been successful on both the PC and console platforms, but there always have been certain genres that are better suited to the PC and others that are better suited to consoles. If you happen to dislike FPS and RTS games, a PC probably won''t look too tempting as a gaming platform.

I notice that the two games you singled out as being particularly enjoyable are Japanese games. Japan has never really been into PC gaming, so the console market is flooded with their products. The other two big game producing countries (America and Britain, who—combined with Japan—produce 90% of all commercial games worldwide) participate heavily in the PC market, whereas the Japanese focus entirely on console games.

In answer to your original question: I''m a console gamer at heart, but there''s a lot that I like about PC gaming. I like FPSs for a start—not any of that Id crap, but games like Half-Life and realistic squad-based shooters. I like that PC games are customisable, from simple level editing to full-blown modding comunities. It can add a lot to the longevity of a game. I like the shareware scene.

Also, when you play in a console, you aren''t distracted from the game itself. You just put the disc, turn it on and the TV, get the control and play.

In a PC you have to, turn on the machine, the monitor and the speakers if you want sound and wait, while the OS displays all the logos, sounds and stuff. You see the desktop, the icon''s the bar(if it isn''t command line), and lots of other things. You have to find where to start the game, and finally then you can play. To catch the attention PC game''s require more depth. It''s just more complicated.

Also PCs are meant to be a general use tool but consoles are made to play games. Much more specialized.