Traitor to the Cause

[Osloq]

Good article. I don't really have any real life platform elitists that I hang around with, in fact we have this commune of being able to play whatever you want on whatever platform without judgement. However a couple of my friends over the internet are definitely from the ranks of the PC or Xbox flag wavers and I just ignore that about them. I think it's cool that you identify yourself as a console gamer and you playing a single game, a game most fitted to the PC, on a computer will not change that tag or how you should see yourself.

 

[LewsTherin]

Welcome to the cult. Don't drink the kool-aid.

 

[Haunted Serenity]

The PC...a glorious way to game. IF you have the right equipment and power in your Computer. If not, then it sucks but if you have it. Use it! and Dragon Age is perfect for it

 

[SamElliot'sMustache]

I agree, but my agreement extends to just about any game. Everything's better with a mouse and keyboard. 'Cept Street Fighter and racing games. Both of which, to me, have the lasting appeal of a mayfly.

I can't picture Batman: Arkham Asylum being workable with a mouse and keyboard. Nor Assassin's Creed. Same with pretty much any 3-D action/adventure game. I'm actually trying to picture pulling off the platforming moves in those games, but the keyboard and mouse seem so limited to me. The only buttons you could have for movement are the directional buttons, which limits mobility. And this is bias speaking, but I loathe the mouse for anything other than Shockwave games, and maybe aiming in an FPS (haven't tried it in that case, but it makes a slight bit of sense). And, yeah, it's probably great for RTS and the most menu-intensive RPGs, but those aren't my cup of tea (that, and I always feel like I have to readjust the mouse before it slides off the desk every five seconds).

All in all, I feel a lot more comfortable with a console controller, but they certainly have their weaknesses. And the whole "Console vs. PC" mentality seems completely silly, and anyone who seriously advocates one over the other and thumbs their nose at the "opposing" side is about the same as the kind of partisan politic hacks that keep screwing over the people they're supposed to serve so they can maintain some unjust status quo.

 

[Fenixius]

While this article was interesting, I think a lot of people in this thread might have been a bit sensitive. There's a lot of reading (and writing) between the lines going on, and I think it's quite counterproductive to a discussion about the merits of gaming with one control scheme or another.

But we all need to remember that it's a personal choice, for personal reasons. There are pros and cons to every console, even the abysmal PSPGo has some advantages which no other platforms offer.

I can respect that some people find the PC to be a claustrophobic, underwhelming experience, when gaming, or watching media. I can respect that some people find a console to be a disconnected, limiting experience. I have my own issues with the industry, but they don't in any way stem from people's choice in gaming platform.

We're -all- brothers and sisters here. This is a safe haven for all.

 

[SamElliot'sMustache]

I couldn't possibly care less about fiddling around with a PC's innards. If you enjoy it, great, rock on with your bad self, but I simply have no interest. Never have. If you don't like consoles, fine, don't play on them, but kindly don't look down your nose at me simply because I do.

Knowing that this post will lead me to losing my account, in all good grace I've decided to share some truth with you Susan, no matter how painful it may be.

The sole reason PC gamers (and yes, WE GAME - WE DO NOT PLAY, the latter is for mouth breathers) look down upon someone who states that she never fiddled with PC innards is that such statement is like saying: "I have never changed batteries in my TV remote control." With that said, how would you like us (the avid pc gamers) to look upon you? How can we possibly respect a game journalist who has the audacity to rate games and make her living, without fully experiencing those same games?! Didn't it ever occur to you that reasons the PC gamers are so displeased with anything that deals with consoles, might ring true?

I suppose you typed your flamebait article on a computer of some sort, yet you do not care about history of technology and that same machine which allows you to be what you are.

I'm done wasting words on you, Susan. You are a sad reminder that this site only has Yahtzee and a bunch of retards. Please, stick to consoles. The keyboard might be too much for you to handle.

Normally I wouldn't dignify a post like this with a response, but I just find it so hilarious that you claim Susan's article is "flamebait" and then move on to call the entire staff "a bunch of retards."

How much do you know about the history of indoor plumbing? I assume you use the crapper everyday like most everyone else, no?

Or cars, for that matter? I wonder if that troll's ever even looked at an engine, let alone fiddled around with one, yet he probably drives a car. [sarcastic crying] Has he no respect for the history of technology or that machine? [/sarcastic crying]

 

[Ushario]

Its not really a surprise that Origins won't play as well on the XBox as on the PC.

The fact that they nailed down the controls enough that you can play at all is surprising and thats not just from a PC elitist.
I make games for XBox, I really like the XBox. Its just that PC's are definitely more suited to certain types of games. Its due only to the control setup, graphics actually don't make a lot of difference to most gamers from what I've seen. Hell I even bought an XBox controller for my PC last week, I'm loving how much better Prince of Persia is with the controller than a mouse and keyboard.

I would have liked a few more details about how Origins plays, I'm not really keen on another Neverwinter Nights. I found that there simply wasn't enough to do, although that could have been because I played through as a Paladin. I like a bit of frantic action in my combat.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

Console gamers take a lot of crap ... we're charged with making the gaming space a low-brow, hostile environment.

That wasn't consoles... that was Counter-Strike. There were plenty of mouth-breather sociopaths there long before Halo was ever released. It's ok, as a PC gamer who is currently attached to his roommate's xbox for the duration of Brutal Legend (which I just beat, but am gonna replay on Brutal difficulty) I understand what you're talking about and there's nothing wrong with recognizing that some games belong on certain systems. There's also nothing wrong with not wanting to get caught up in driver updates, console tweaking and video card hoarding except that you'll never be a brilliant rocket scientist like all of us 1337 PC g4m3rz.

 

[theultimateend]

because I find playing on PC to be claustrophobic and overly complicated. I've never managed to persuade my fingers to master mouse/keyboard controls,

First John and now you Susan, is there something about the Escapist team that has never pulled the guts out of a machine just because?

It just puzzles me as from my first outing on the ZX81 - way before we had fancy things like colours, graphics and sound - I was hacking at the system, trying to make it do what I wanted it to do.

Consoles, to me at least, seem so sterile that I really can't get used to them. If I've not got Firefox getting me Escapist updates, Thunderbird/Skype and Steam bringing me messages, Yedit/Ywrite poking me to write something there instead of the forums and Winamp tootling away while I play - it just doesn't seem like it's working.

And talk about confusing...two joysticks, 7 buttons, two shoulders and a tilt monitor? I used to get confused with Defender or Asteroids; what's so hard about mouselook with cursors and twin-fire?

Maybe that's the sticking point between PC and Console? PC's like to have lots of things going - but concentrating on one thing at a time, while consoles throw the entire spree into the controls?

And redefinable controls. C'mon consoles, we had that down before you lot were even in the SNES stage.

But I'm wandering, as usual, it's the PC in me.

The thing that nailed consoles to the floor, for me, was Red Alert. My PC was still working on coal fires when the PS1 version came out, and out of curiosity I took a look.

I've never laughed so much at a game before. It simply couldn't compete. Fair enough, for platform games and fighting games, consoles still rule and yes, Goldeneye still kicks in 99% of PC FPSs; BUT...I can emulate all of them.

My little rig here, which I can play anything up to Crysis on, cost me £400. (about $650)

The only thing I can't do at the moment - which I want to - is play LBP, and even the moist tones of Stephen Fry can't persuade me that far.

I couldn't possibly care less about fiddling around with a PC's innards. If you enjoy it, great, rock on with your bad self, but I simply have no interest. Never have. If you don't like consoles, fine, don't play on them, but kindly don't look down your nose at me simply because I do.

Some of us just have abnormally large noses .

I feel so alienated because of my genetics.

 

[Kollega]

Oh my god. Give me the pistol. Now. Swithcing to other platform is not a big deal in any way. It is mundane - i always was a PC gamer,and always prefered mouse+keyboard controls,but bought good ol' PS2 recently to try out some good platformers. Playing classic RPG on a PC is as natural as playing Street Fighter on a console,and is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[Radelaide]

As someone who has made the choice not to get one, not through loyalty, it confuses me why there's such an animosity still.

Seriously Root, look back at your posts in this thread. Essentially what you're saying is "This stuff is easy, I can't figure out why you all find it difficult."

Now tell me you can't figure out why it might rub people up the wrong way.

I don't think he's trying to rub anyone the wrong way. Everyone is just too bloody sensitive. He's saying that he doesn't see how people can think PC gaming is so hard. Mind you, Susan did bring up some good points in her article that I agree with, but I also find myself siding with the PC a little too. I love my Xbox and I love my XPS, I prefer to play some games on one and some games on others.

Not to sound full of myself but you all need to be like me, and become a hybrid gamer. Be able to play on Xbox/PS3/Wii and on your PC's without falling into a fit of rage about why x is better than y.

 

[tscook]

I keep reading Hannah Arendt instead of Susan Arendt and wondering wtf is going on.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

I really don't care what she thinks. I dunno. It just creeps me out when I hear her talk about games. Probably because she sounds almost exactly like my mother.

Mom and video games? Bad images...

Mom reviews video games? Traumatizing...

Mom reviews video games and actually sounds like she knows what she's talking about? Suicide.

 

[Caliostro]

You might not have said the word, but your tone conveyed the message well enough.

Reading over your replies in this thread I can say that, going by tone, you're more than a little insulting and unnecessarily aggressive yourself. I haven't the slightest idea why you're so defensive in this particular thread. Now, unless you're ready to argue why a moderator and member of staff is downright flamebaiting, you'll just have to accept that tonality is already something extremely ambiguous in real life. On the internet it's little more than conjecture and assumption.

That said, best I can give you is my word that I wasn't insulting her in any way. Believe what you will.

 

[jamesworkshop]

I don't think anyone is surprised that Dragon age works better on the PC it's not like Bioware have no experience with the platform.
When it comes to PC vs Console it isn't about the hardware but more about the standards or lack of standards of each system the fragmented nature of PC Hardware along with the customisation of the Windows O/S lend to PC games the feel of being more personal from being able to be moddifyed by selecting graphic options or having a control scheme that allows every key to be re-mapped.

Consoles stand on their accepted standards the console is provided as is, the supplied features are what you get with don't like the makers particular controller well your stuck and that carries over to the games with mostly no options for different control schemes with maybe a few options for Sound volume or brightness.

Less fidiling is required because that freedom is locked down this makes console gaming very easy and gives better value for money as the experience is so singular it is easy to judge what you are actually paying for.

On the PC side the experience is not level people with more powerfull computers or greater levels of experience have a better game experience and get more value from a game than thoses with computers that are not upto scratch the value in relation to how much money is spent is not comparative the well informed spend money on hardware more wisely and gain higher FPS and graphically fidelity.
As a PC gamer a game doesn't feel like a game if I can't browser the contents on the Disc or dig through the Install directory it makes you feel like you are a developer yourself (and come on who doesn't wasn't that job here) rather than just a consumer.

 

[Fasckira]

Holy shit, you had soup for lunch? What flavour?

 

[Byers]

I agree, but my agreement extends to just about any game. Everything's better with a mouse and keyboard. 'Cept Street Fighter and racing games. Both of which, to me, have the lasting appeal of a mayfly.

I can't picture Batman: Arkham Asylum being workable with a mouse and keyboard. Nor Assassin's Creed. Same with pretty much any 3-D action/adventure game. I'm actually trying to picture pulling off the platforming moves in those games, but the keyboard and mouse seem so limited to me. The only buttons you could have for movement are the directional buttons, which limits mobility. And this is bias speaking, but I loathe the mouse for anything other than Shockwave games, and maybe aiming in an FPS (haven't tried it in that case, but it makes a slight bit of sense). And, yeah, it's probably great for RTS and the most menu-intensive RPGs, but those aren't my cup of tea (that, and I always feel like I have to readjust the mouse before it slides off the desk every five seconds).

All in all, I feel a lot more comfortable with a console controller, but they certainly have their weaknesses. And the whole "Console vs. PC" mentality seems completely silly, and anyone who seriously advocates one over the other and thumbs their nose at the "opposing" side is about the same as the kind of partisan politic hacks that keep screwing over the people they're supposed to serve so they can maintain some unjust status quo.

I've tried Arkham Asylum on both the Xbox on my own home PC and the PC version wins hands down. Even my friend who's a real console fiend seemed to me to get far clumsier movement and too much forced targeting correction on his Xbox. I think the PC will always have a higher skill ceiling than console versions of games like these, once you've got real practice with a mouse and keyboard, you can do everything so much quicker and more fluidly. I think if they were to begin matching PC gamers against console gamers in multiplayer matches (of games in general), it would prove this.

The graphics also looked significanly better, even on my 3 year old PC (that runs this game flawlessly) as compared to the Xbox version.

 

[veloper]

Overview:
RPGs were originally scaled down versions of wargames
Baldur's gate combat is like a scaled down RTS, but with more special abilities.

If DA combat is anything like a BG successor, then the combat controls will be similar to RTS control, so keyboard + mouse will be easier.

 

[Baby Tea]

Well, Susan, I hear you. I still play Baldur's Gate, and wouldn't dream of it being on anything but a PC.
And if I had a gaming PC (I only have a little netbook), then I would more then likely be getting Dragon Age for it (Hello? Toolset?). However, my PC gaming days are behind me unless I can scrape together the needed money, and I just don't see the need to. Every game I really want is coming out on my 360, and every game I want for PC I already own (And they are all old enough to run on my netbook).

Will Dragon Age be the same on a 360? No. And I know it won't. I'm not naive.
But for Bioware...I'll learn a new control scheme in a new language if I have to.