pc gaming or console gaming?

[wiggbuggie]

I think each one has its own advantages i mean

PC: great for rts, first person shooters, point and click adventures games.

console- platformers, racing, action games


With the pc it would be hard to play an action game because I think you have better control over your character using a controller rather than a keyboard and mouse.

 

[micro]

Well thats what my friend had said at one time too. I think everything on pc is better and easier to play.

Most people just have either the 3 or 5 button mouse. If you have a gaming mouse like the mx1000 it is like a joy stick with all the buttons it has.

My only use for console is for co op games with your buddies. I like that better than online games. but no we dont have lan parties with our pc's. Its too much hassle to haul all the componesnts around.

 

[skaterdude]

Well thats what my friend had said at one time too. I think everything on pc is better and easier to play.

Most people just have either the 3 or 5 button mouse. If you have a gaming mouse like the mx1000 it is like a joy stick with all the buttons it has.

My only use for console is for co op games with your buddies. I like that better than online games. but no we dont have lan parties with our pc's. Its too much hassle to haul all the componesnts around.

Console better better and well better its way better than PC

 

[SteelDisciple]

It really depends on the game...for something like anime style rpg's or straight up action games the console wins hands down.

But for RTS , FPS or some certain types of RPG's...it's PC all the way. Console versions tend to have watered down versions of those types...just look at FPS's on consoles compared to PC's...no contest.

 

[peanutbutter12]

I highly disagree. PC has much more advantage over console gaming. The ability to constantly upgrade the hardware to support better graphics alone is enough to prove such, where as with a console, what you see is what you get for the most part.

PC also has a wider variety of games than consoles do. And in most cases, if a game gets popular on a console, it either already has a pc version, or one will be coming out unless it's a trademark game (i.e. Mario) or a game that is made by a console only company.

The other thing is that for more mature games, they usually end up, as the above poster said, in a watered down console version where as the PC version is full on.

That said, my opinion is that PC is a much better gaming system.

CJ

 

[Macano]

IMO, the PC blows away any console out there, by far and away. BUT - I just cannot afford to keep updating my PC, so I have had to become a console gamer. I have found over the long run it is much cheaper to be a console gamer. I find the controls of the pc (mouse/keyboard) much more intuitive and specifically much more precise than using a gamepad. So at heart, I'll always be a pc gamer, even though I've gone mostly console.

 

[Denshuu]

PCs may have consoles beat in terms of hardware upgradeability, but I'm more concerned about the quality of games. There are a lot of great PC games out there, but they don't add up to the vast variety of the console library. Sports games, racing game, stealth action games, arcade style games, vertical/horizontal shooters, side-scrolling beat-em-ups, platformers, hack and slashers, rhythm action, turn-based roleplaying games - Consoles have a total monopoly on every genre except WWII FPSs and real-time strategy games. And dating sims. Can't forget the dating sims.

 

[Dracil]

Consoles are just PCs that can't do anything but play games and maybe watch movies. Even games that play better with a gamepad are not an issue for PCs. It's a lot easier to attach a gamepad or a joystick to a PC than it is to attach a joystick or a keyboard+mouse to a console.

There are also a ton of indie and freeware games on the PC whose likes will never appear on consoles. A couple hundred new doujin games are probably sold during every comic market in Japan. And don't forget the mods. Some of the most popular PC games are actually total conversion mods.

 

[L3g3nd]

I prefer the PC, but I tend to like console gaming for its simpler gameplay.

 

[Victory of the Cross]

I am not much of a gamer anymore so i prefer Xbox, with the exception to a few PC games

 

[WhirlwindMonk]

PCs may have consoles beat in terms of hardware upgradeability, but I'm more concerned about the quality of games. There are a lot of great PC games out there, but they don't add up to the vast variety of the console library. Sports games, racing game, stealth action games, arcade style games, vertical/horizontal shooters, side-scrolling beat-em-ups, platformers, hack and slashers, rhythm action, turn-based roleplaying games - Consoles have a total monopoly on every genre except WWII FPSs and real-time strategy games. And dating sims. Can't forget the dating sims.

"Vast variety of console library"? I find the variety of most consoles to be quite limited. XBox (read: MS system), almost all I see are sports games and fps's. They have the occasional RPG, but just like the rest of the xbox games, if they're any good, they'll come out on PC too. PS2 (read: Sony system) has the same sports games as everything else, but they have a lot of RPGs (which I have no problem with). The days of sidescrollers are pretty well over, and I'm sure if you look around, you can find plenty for the PC. Cube (read: Nintendo system) has all the adventure games, mario, zelda, etc. If you get all three consoles, then yes, you have a huge variety. But at that point, you've hit the cost of a decent gaming computer, eliminating one of the primary advantages of getting a console.

Between PC and console, I agree with the OP in that they each have their advantages, however, because of the upgradability, modability, and often an easier control learning curve, if I had to pick one, I'd go PC. PS2 has a very dear place in my heart too, though, and would be difficult to give up.

 

[Blackguard_]

So..... how many simulation and strategy games are available for consoles?

I suppose it depends on the kinds of games you like which is better. But nothing like the Silent Hunter or Total War series exists for consoles does it?

 

[Denshuu]

"Vast variety of console library"? I find the variety of most consoles to be quite limited. XBox (read: MS system), almost all I see are sports games and fps's. They have the occasional RPG, but just like the rest of the xbox games, if they're any good, they'll come out on PC too. PS2 (read: Sony system) has the same sports games as everything else, but they have a lot of RPGs (which I have no problem with).

How is the variety limited? Sony's third party developers are already leaps and bounds over the PC market. If it were true that all of the 'good' games were eventually ported to the PC I wouldn't have a problem, but not all good games are greatest hits. And heck, hardly any of those greatest hits are ever ported.

Here are some games, all of completely different genres, that you can play on your PS2 that the PC will never see: God of War, Tenchu: Fatal Shadows, PaRappa The Rapper, Final Fantasy IX, Soul Calibur II, Guitar Hero, and Einhander. All great games, and hardly any of them even close in style to what's actually available on the PC. In other words, this one console alone has, off the top of my head, five incredibly popular genres of games that are nowhere in sight on the PC, whereas the only claim of exclusivity the PC has is on RTS games and sims.

Example: Say you one day felt like playing a racing game. If you owned a PS2, your options for games that have come out this year are D1 Grand Prix, FlatOut 2, IHRA Drag Racing, Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano, Micro Machines V4, Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT, OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, Tourist Trophy, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix, Sonic Riders, American Chopper 2: Full Throttle, and TOCA Race Driver 3. Twelve choices.
However, if you only own a PC, your choices then become: FlatOut 2, Xpand Rally, and MX vs. ATV Unleashed. A whopping 3 games.

And it's not just the racing genre that faces this problem - It's, like I said, every single genre except RTSs (and sims, as Blackguard pointed out). The sims and RTSs for the PC are really fun too, it's just that I don't really like limiting myself to just two genres when there's an overabundance of them available on the consoles.

 

[Dracil]

Obviously you've never looked at the Japanese PC gaming scene. Have you even heard of a genre called Visual Novels? Thought so. Yet they're one of THE most popular genres for the PC in Japan, under the bigger genre of general Bishoujo games (which actually encompasses many other genres)

Nor the Indie scene probably. Many of the best stuff are free or extremely cheap on the PC. Gotta stop limiting yourself to releases by big name corporations.

Don't forget Turn-based strategy. Koei, who makes the Dynasty Warrior games, has two incredible lines of very detailed games called Romance of the Three Kingdoms (same setting as Dynasty Warriors), Nobunaga's Ambition (same setting as Samurai Warriors) and Taikou Risshiden (also in the Sengoku setting). RTK is now up to its 11th game, while NA is up to its 12th game, and TR is up to the 5th game. How many of those have you seen on the consoles? Meanwhile, the Dynasty Warrior games have been ported to the PC (other notable ports are Onimusha, the Guilty Gear series, and Shikigami no Shiro). Only real turn-based strategy consoles (and only the PS) have going for them are the Super Robot War series and the Disgaea line of games. Even Advance Wars has a few PC clones. Japanese clone, American clone.

Don't forget puzzle games (just look at the Western indie scene) and MMORPGs (consoles have what, 2? compared to like 100-200 PC MMORPGs) either. Actually come to think of it, anything with a heavy online component is generally dominated by the PC. Xbox/360 and Nintendo handhelds are slowly making headway into this, but PS? Ick. And let's not forget the MMORPG that actually merges the two genres together. Puzzle Pirates!

Also simulations are actually a multitude of genres. Flight sims are a lot different than dating sims which are different from breeding sims and so on. Traditionally, turn-based strategy games have also been classified as Simulations in Asia. The shmup genre (STG) actually has an incredible indie/doujin scene, which is funny given that you think there's nothing like Einhander on the PC. Probably half the games reviewed on Indygamer are of that genre. The pictures in my sig are actually from possibly the most popular doujin shmup. As in, popular to the extent it actually has its own conventions and clubbing scene (fans make a lot of arrangements of the game music).

As for non-traditional genre games, we have our free, fan-made beatmania and stepmania too. And where else can you find a 3D fighting game based on taking pantie shots of your opponent as you pummel them? Want to play more traditional board and card games but don't have people to play it with? No. Problem.

And the PC modding scene. Oh man.

The only genres consoles really have any dominance are maybe Action (if you ignore the indie and Japanese scenes), and Sports+Racing (yuck).

 

[Denshuu]

Yes, I've heard of Visual Novels. I mentioned dating sims and the like in my first post. It seems like you completely missed the point of my post, though - Nothing you mentioned in that post after visual novels is exclusive to the PC. In fact, pretty much every game you just mentioned either started out on the consoles, or has had more iterations on the consoles.

Turn based strategy games are hardly limited to PCs. I can name about 50 "Tactics" games off the top of my head that have been released on consoles in the past five years alone. You mentioned Romance Of The Three Kingdoms. Why? You say that as if you can only find that game on the PC, when the ROTK series can be found on every console from the NES, to the Genesis, to the SNES, to the Saturn to the PSX, PS2, and PSP. In fact, when you look at the ROTK series in its entirety, there are more ROTK games on the consoles than the PC. Which, actually, very much helps my point.

And what about puzzle games? The console market is literally saturated with them. Every iteration of Tetris, Super Monkey Ball, Billy Hatcher, Puyo Pop, Columns, Bust a Move, and a veritable cornucopia of puzzlers you can find on the PC originated on the consoles, and are even still having updated renditions released on handhelds. Once again, not PC exclusive.

MMOs are more numorous on the PC almost entirely thanks to Korean developers, but I'll give you that one (Phantasy Star Online and Final Fantasy XI be damned).

It's interesting to note that the developers at Indygamer recognize the fact that PCs are sorely lacking in other genres, as well. These guys, while certainly incredibly talented and devoted to their craft, are pumping out games like Arkanoid, Collapse, Thunder Force, Lode Runner, and a slew of other titles that have been gracing consoles for years. Independent developers just haven't been able to keep up with their console counterparts, let alone produce a title the quality of an Aerofighters yet (which is 10 years old), meanwhile gamers have already had a taste of Aerofighters 3. We'd might as well be playing flash games at Newgrounds. And, by the way, there are also independent developers creating titles for consoles.

Stepmania's a nice one for the PC. I play it regularly (Rank 563, go me). It's also one of the handful of alternatives you have if you're gaming on PC exclusively, whereas console buyers get their pick of 20+ Beatmania Mixes, Guitar Freks, Guitar Hero, the PaRappa series, Rez, Vib Ribbon, Frequency, Amplitude, Space Channel 5, DDR, Dancing Stage, Para Para Paradise, etc etc. Once again, the PC library pales in comparison.

So, while we do have some guys pumping out small clones of console games, we still have no God of Wars on the PC. No Soul Caliburs either. No Need For Speeds, no Streets of Rages, no Godhands, no Tenchus. A handful of Splinter Cells, maybe one Metal Gear. About a fifth as many available Tetrispheres, an meager number of DDRs and ITGs, a fraction of the console market's Final Fantasys, and a handful of amateur Ikaruga and UN Squadron mock-ups. But they do have WoW, Microsoft Flight Sim, and Civ 4 (and the slew of WWII FPSs that have been plaguing both the PC and consoles). Which is what I've been saying from the beginning - Where the PC shines, it shines bright. But its scope is niche to say the least.

As an aside, Action and Sports games ("yuck") are the top selling game genres. So yeah, they're kind of important to the "What is better?" discussion.

 

[Dracil]

Actually I think you missed my point as well. My point isn't that they're exclusive to PCs. My point is that PC genre are not nearly as niche as you think.

Dating sims are not quite the same as visual novels although there may be genre overlap on some games. e.g. Fate/Stay Night and Higurashi are visual novels, but not dating sims.

I mentioned RoTK, Nobunaga's Ambition, and Taikou Rishiden. Together that's 28 games alone. Where are the 28 Koei strategy games on the consoles? Also, ports of the same game to two or three different consoles are really still just 1 game. So RoTK 6 on the Snes and on a PS are really just 1 game (just as Soul Calibur 2 on all 3 consoles is really 1 game). So no, it doesn't help your point at all unless you can list them. Go ahead and also name the 50 "Tactics" games from the past 5 years on the consoles. I'm actually curious, since I like the genre but can only think of maybe 2 dozen of them.

Handhelds ain't consoles. Go to any place like Big Fish Games or Real Arcade and just look at the number of puzzle games there. Where's the equivalent to games like Mystery Case Files, Big Kahuna Reef, and Stair Dismount? Where's the equivalent of Brettspielwelt (which has over 50 modern board/card games to be played multiplayer, and adds new games as the traditional forms are released) for the consoles?

And here's the thing. Too many gamers (especially Western and console gamers) equate big budget with good nowadays. Aerofighters would be compared to the flight sim games, which you yourself have admitted PCs dominate, not with indie developers. Indie does not automatically mean bad. How else did Tsukihime and Higurashi sell more than half a million copies despite them having absolute no-name beginnings? You look down on the amateur works and think they're Newgrounds flash games (speaking of which, where did you think Alien Hominid, now a console game, came from?), but why are comic markets so insanely popular? When's the last time there was a God of War convention? When's the last time there was a Soul Calibur rave event?

And the mod scene is again ignored. Don't forget where CS had its roots (and remember, the mod scene is not limited to FPS)

I'll also give you that there's definitely a greater range of rhythm games for consoles at the moment.

And I don't get why you keep naming those specific games (almost all action, which I already gave you as being better on consoles generally) given that there are enough games in the genre for people to not care? Soul Calibur 2 was great, I have it myself. But PC gamers also have Immaterial and Missing Power, Melty Blood, Hinokakera, etc. which will never end up on consoles. Nor will you ever get Ragnarok Battle Offline (a side-scrolling beat-em-up based on the Ragnarok MMORPG). But still, it's like saying because the PS2 doesn't have specific games X,Y,Z on the XBox the PS2 is inferior. Also Need for Speed series has generally seen cross-platform releases, including the PC.

Actually my yuck was on the sports and racing games only. I like action games. Show me a chart of how well sports games do in Asia. We don't have a bunch of people buying every single iteration of NFL or NBA every year. Also, that sales chart was for CONSOLE (video) games. http://www.theesa.com/facts/sales_genre_data.php has much more comprehensive data. Although again, limited to America.

And on the grayer side of things, if people are willing to venture into the realm of emulation (see that MAME thread someone just started), much of the console and arcade library becomes available to PC gamers as well.

Again, my point is not that there are a bunch of exclusives on the PC, but that even on the PC, there are a lot of good choices for almost every genre.

 

[Sketcher]

Anything the console can do, the PC can do better. If the issue is control, you can get controllers for the PC much like the PS2 controllers. If the issue is games, any game can be ported to the PC - either officially, or via emulators if you don't care about the law. While consoles do have some advantages - being relatively cheap, easy to configure, rentable games, and better for the living room - once the game gets going the PC's power and flexibility will always give it the edge.

 

[EricTheRed]

I perfer consoles. The only thing I use my PC for is RTS. I like FPS better on consoles (I might be the only one).

 

[soblessed53]

I despise all the buttons console games have,I love my mouse! Plus many,many,many more games available for PC. My first PC was bought because hubby got FED-UP with stupid console games lasting only a few years until they were "obsolete",about the time you were just getting a decent collection of games!

Plus you can get great PC games "a lot cheaper" like at least $20 cheaper,than console games! Also you are able to do so much more in PC games than console games,no way does any console have the memory of a PC!

 

[Dannager]

My first PC was bought because hubby got FED-UP with stupid console games lasting only a few years until they were "obsolete",about the time you were just getting a decent collection of games!

Huh, funny, that's usually why I end up replacing my PC.