I play my computer games on PC. I have spent a TON of cash from my allowance these last three years on building a very good, high-end rig, but do I think the PC is better?
Well, only hardware-wise and only sometimes.
You can't really say PC gaming has better graphics, most if not all of the PC's I have seen that were bought by my friends for the same price as a console had CRAP graphics and were REALLY REALLY slow, so the argument of better graphics is invalid.
Alright but what about that ultra powerful alienware desktop I saw yesterday that can run metro 2033 on near maxed out settings? -you ask.
Well think about it, that alienware PC has some very powerful components doesn't it? Some of it is top of the range and was just recently released. Those components that are more powerful than the kind you get in the consoles must therefor also be more expensive then, right? Well there you go, you get what you pay for. Those people who own one of those machines weren't satisfied with the normal graphics of the regular PC or console and felt that they were entitled to much more, after all they have allot of cash to spend so why not spend that extra cash for something that's better than what most people have? And so you have people that spend that extra cash on better equipment that performs better, that's how life works. The people with the most cash get the coolest stuff.
So yes, those PCs WILL be superior to consoles but remember this; it's only the hardware that's stronger.
How can I say this? It's better hardware and therefor better absolutely-everything else, right? Well no.
Yes, the mouse is a MUCH more accurate device to use for aiming on the screen. It moves exactly where your hand moves, the gun stays literally where ever you point it with your fingers. The gamepad on the other hand is a little different. The analog sticks aren't very good at aiming at the same speed or accuracy as your hand , any movement in any direction on the screen will always be at the same pre-determined speed. So if you QUICKLY want to react to someone standing behind you, the mouse is the way to go because it moves as fast as you do with your hand while the analog stick only moves at it's own certain pace. Yes i'm sure some developments have been made to try and fix this problem but the fact still remains that the mouse is more accurate when it comes to pointing at things.
The keyboard on the other hand is nothing more than a gamepad with a crap ton of buttons. Yes that means more functions and features but it also means that things are automatically more complicated due to there being so many buttons. A gamepad is much more approachable for the newbies because it's much simpler. Some PC gamers just prefer the PC interface over the console because they like it this way.
And now for the PC games, I'm not talking about console ports with improved visuals here, I'm talking about the EXCLUSIVES. And seeing as I have just talked about the preferences some people have for the keyboard and mouse, I would just like to say that I HATE the keyboard and mouse control scheme in PC RPGs. In the PC-Exclusive diablo for instance, EVERY action is just *clickclickclickclickclickclickclick* and it makes the game feel more like chores being checked of a checkbox or icons being organised on my desktop than a game, BORING! I hate having to click for everything, I want to feel the pressure of buttons under my fingers to feel engaged in any gameplay. Aiming, shooting, swinging my sword and actual organizing of potions on the other hand should be reserved for the mouse.
"Well there are PC RPGs where the combat is entirely with hotkeys, like in wow"
I hate that too, I want to push ONE button to swing my sword or shoot my gun, not systematically and boringly go through a list of hotkeys and I want my character reacting the very INSTANT I click. Click left mouse button, character swings sword. It's that simple and that's how I like it.
Ok, enough of the game MECHANICS, let's talk about some actual good games.
Hmmm, ALL of the good games that I have enjoyed that were actually fun and engaging and had controls that I liked were ORIGINALLY developed for consoles. Mass effect and assassin's creed, for instance. They were merely ported to the PC.
Metro 2033 is much more of an epic, emotional movie experience such as IMAX than a real game.
These last few paragraphs however, are more MY opinion and doesn't necessarily apply to anyone else. So let's talk about something that DOES bother everyone who games on PC.
On the PC, you get games LATER than on the consoles, or not at all even. How long was assassin's creed brotherhood delayed again? What's that? The NEW assassin's creed won't make it as quickly to the PC either? Oh boohoo. Those console gamers are enjoying their games before I can and RIGHTLY SO. Let me explain, how much of game piracy happens on PC? MOST OF IT. Games are just so easy to pirate on the pc, you just go to a website and download whatever you feel like downloading. It's so easy it's almost as if it was DESIGNED to be easy. Developers thus need to spend more time developing strict drm for the pc. Also, developing games on a PC isn't really as easy as on a console, there are thousands of different combinations of hardware to develop for instead of the single configuration of the PS3, developing your game to work with every combo out there in such a way that it doesn't have any problems just isn't easy these days. And some developers just give up developing for PC entirely, why would that be despite all the reasons I have just mentioned you wonder? Well because piracy has gotten so bad that a complete version of Crysis 2 has been pirated and made readily available BEFORE it was ever even released!
The sad thing is, despite all these terrible flaws, some PC gamers still manage to view themselves as "the glorious master race", and then go pirate duke nukem forever and wonder "why do developers hate us?".
Oh dear.
Sorry about the article I just basically wrote, it certainly is a huge wall of text.
