Console vs PCs in retrospect

[BogusMeatFactory]

Yeah I can not agree with the mindset that PC games were not comparable to consoles up to the PSX era.

In 1990 we had Wing Commander on the PC. 1991 and 92 we had Space Quest IV and Quest for Glory III and their graphics and art were truly a site to behold at the time.

We had The Elder Scrolls Daggerfall, Duke Nukem 3D, Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Riven, Xwing vs Tie Fighter, Diablo Dungeon Keeper and so much more from 1996-1998 that truly rival what the consoles had to offer. Yes there were ports to some of these "Wing Commander" but they weren't that good in comparison to the PC.

If you talk about Platformers, you had the Commander Keen series, Jazz JackRabbit, the original Duke Nukem and more. There was a huge era of platformers in the later 80's that had visuals better than the console.

The thing is, it is apples and oranges at the time. The PC was offering a lot of things consoles could never replicate. Even though the differences are less, they still are there.

I think now, Consoles and PCs are more similar than before, but back in the 90's there was no comparison, the PC was visually superior.

[Gamerforlife]

I don't get the love people have for exclusives. I dream of a time when there are no exclusives.

I dream of the exact opposite. In my perfect, fictional world there would be no such thing as multi-platform games. Every single game in existence would be exclusive to one gaming platform, and every gaming platform would have its own unique identity and purpose. Owning one gaming platform over another would actually MEAN something. I would probably have to have you killed for trying to change that

Damn rebels trying to create multi-platform games in my perfect universe

Imagine if movies and music were treated the same way as games. The Avengers on blu ray, only available on Sony Blu Ray players! Only have a Panasonic player? Too bad!

You're comparing apples to oranges. Entirely different entertainment medium with entirely different rules.

I don't get the love people have for exclusives. I dream of a time when there are no exclusives.

I dream of the exact opposite. In my perfect, fictional world there would be no such thing as multi-platform games. Every single game in existence would be exclusive to one gaming platform, and every gaming platform would have its own unique identity and purpose. Owning one gaming platform over another would actually MEAN something. I would probably have to have you killed for trying to change that

Damn rebels trying to create multi-platform games in my perfect universe

See, that's what I don't get it. Platforms are just marketing devices. Their identity is manufactured and sold to you. In reality, they represent nothing. Games do.

Consoles just inflate the costs of you enjoying the games.

We don't buy movies that are exclusive to MovieStation ou FilmBox. We buy DVDs that play wherever. It should be the same way with games.

Thankfully exclusivity is becoming a relic from the past as technology progresses.

The other day I read an article on a game blog about a developer who was drunk and said "I wish somebody just won" -- in the sense that he wanted to have a single platform to develop for and not to worry about having to port his games to a million different devices.

He wouldn't have to if he just made the game for one console, but developers are greedy and want to get as much money as they can. Hence, multi-platform games.

Exclusivity is only becoming a relic on Xbox consoles. Sony consoles and especially Nintendo consoles (and especially handhelds) have quite a few

Anything can be called a "marketing device" That's just pointless semantics. A console identity is not "manufactured". It's the total sum of its features and the games it offers, which brings us back to the value of exclusives. If you think PS3, you think free online, Uncharted games, and more Japanese titles than the Xbox. That's not "manufactured". That's just reality. What you're talking about is "image", which only stupid people care about. The rest of us care about the games and the features.

[Gamerforlife]

Thing I also like about exclusives is that the best ones are designed with the appropriate hardware in mind. There are tons of multi plat games this gen that really don't max out either console's hardware. PC gamers are also always complaining about their games being held back by console standards, rather than having games designed to take advantage of a PC's strengths. Also, as you mentioned, exclusivity means less stress for developers if they don't have to port the game to every platform while also trying to achieve platform parity. All problems related to multi plat games.

If I were ever to make a video game, It would be for one specific platform, and I would milk everything I could out of that platform's strengths. That's how you get the best games. That's why people rave about stuff like Uncharted and how it shows off what the PS3 is capable of.

All games should be exclusive, but that will never be a reality unfortunately

[Violent By Design]

Thing I also like about exclusives is that the best ones are designed with the appropriate hardware in mind. There are tons of multi plat games this gen that really don't max out either console's hardware. PC gamers are also always complaining about their games being held back by console standards, rather than having games designed to take advantage of a PC's strengths. Also, as you mentioned, exclusivity means less stress for developers if they don't have to port the game to every platform while also trying to achieve platform parity. All problems related to multi plat games.

If I were ever to make a video game, It would be for one specific platform, and I would milk everything I could out of that platform's strengths. That's how you get the best games. That's why people rave about stuff like Uncharted and how it shows off what the PS3 is capable of.

All games should be exclusive, but that will never be a reality unfortunately

Meh, there are just as many good multiplat games as there are exclusives. I don't see the difference. Street Fighter 4 is probably my favorite game this generation and it's come out for everything aside from the Wii.

What has being indie got to do with anything? Id, Activision, and EA were all indie when they got their starts and managed to grow. Would you say that Wolfenstein 3D, Pitfall, of the Construction Set games don't count in any discussions just because the developers were indie at the time?

I really don't see games that are sold in stores and downloadable indy games (nor phone games for that matter) being in the same category. Pitfall was advertised in TV and was sold in stores worldwide. It even had it's own cartoon. How many current indy games can say the same thing? Things were different in the 1980s and 1990s. A game made by single person like Turrican or Another World could compete with big budget games and be sold in stores.

I don't get how they're not in the same category. If anything, the biggest indie games make a lot more money now than they used too. Indie games now are so popular and intertwined with out culture that people can't even remember what games are independent.

[jfrost]

He wouldn't have to if he just made the game for one console, but developers are greedy and want to get as much money as they can. Hence, multi-platform games.

That's such a bullshit point. You know how hard it is to turn a profit on a game? Do you even care that only top sellers can even claim to break even?

Game development is a cutthroat business. It's not a question of greed; it's minimizing potential losses.

Exclusivity is only becoming a relic on Xbox consoles. Sony consoles and especially Nintendo consoles (and especially handhelds) have quite a few

Anything can be called a "marketing device" That's just pointless semantics. A console identity is not "manufactured". It's the total sum of its features and the games it offers, which brings us back to the value of exclusives. If you think PS3, you think free online, Uncharted games, and more Japanese titles than the Xbox. That's not "manufactured". That's just reality. What you're talking about is "image", which only stupid people care about. The rest of us care about the games and the features.

Why couldn't a Uncharted game or one of PS3's Japanese games be ported to Xbox or PC?

There's really no reason. You may think it's the "identity" of the console, but why does the console really have an identity? Seems rather artificial to me.

Do you really think a fairly standard action game such as Uncharted showcases something only possible on the PS3? If it was a Wii game you might've had a better point, I think.

[RCBH928]

Personally I like to see more exclusives it just makes owning more than one console making sense. Why would I buy 360 or ps3 if 99% of the library is similar?

Yet back in the Genesis vs SNES it made huge difference to play fast Sonic or jumping Mario , or having Comix Zone vs Final Fantasy . Even then the multiplatforms were different , for example I believe Aladin on Snes is very different from Aladdin on Genesis. You can add PC to the mix with Command and Conquer , Half Life , Phantasmagoria. If I will get Metro on PS3, 360, PC, and Wii U it really hardly makes any difference which system you own any more.

back to main topic, I remember a great part of PC gaming that I hated was the complex games like simulators and complex controls. I really do not believe in games where you have to go through tutorials and study the manual just to be able to play the game.

[Sasha_Blue]

PC gaming for the win, also this is why PC gaming wins

(please note that this image is from Q4 of 2012 and may subject to change from then to now)

[BogusMeatFactory]

I'm just happy that DiveKick is in that list....Brilliant game right there!!!

[Retronomy]

To be honest, I see somewhat of a trend in today's PC market that greatly mirrors PC gaming in the late 80s-early 90s. We're getting a huge wave of indie games, which usually comes from ease of programming and publishing. With a slew of tools and distrobution platforms, in addition to social network platforms, a small team of devs at least have a chance at breaking into the industry again. This same thing happened with commodore, then dos. Seems to happen in an almost cyclic fashion.

The only thing we're missing today is the shareware scene.

[isiolia]

The only thing we're missing today is the shareware scene.

Could maybe argue that F2P games are the modern incarnation of it.