04-15-2003, 12:38 AM
I get the impression that PC gaming is in a decline, but then again, there are 3 consoles for which games are being made, and just 1 computer. PCs are also used for different things than playing games, therefore there's a bigger market for other software. As most consoles mainly deal in games, they have an unfair advantage on the computer. I also believe that there's a bigger chance the consoles will get more varied games as there are probably more developers making games for the three consoles than for the 1 PC.
PC-games vs Console games.
First off, there's been an increase in porting the last couple of years. Console to PC and vice versa. Very often the ports are lesser copies of the original and should never have been ported. But I suppose this is a way of making more money off of a popular game for a platform with very little effort. (easier to port a game then make a new one, perhaps one of the reasons why the ports are so terrible.. not enough money isn't spent on it.)
There are some games the console just can't handle:
First person shooters (medal of honour) and strategy games (thinking of red alert for the playstation) mostly due to the lack of a mouse and keyboard. (also because most people play console games from a sofa instead of on a desk built for platform-usage... consoles are not really designed for having a mouse, as one of the perks of playing on a console is relaxing in a nice sofa/recliner)
When it comes to the games, either on PC or console, I suppose it's easier for me than most people. We all want games to be original, but there's a cap on originality, and there's certainly a cap on the amount of time game developers wish to use thinking up new ideas. We can't expect games to be completely original. (I suppose Black and white is the newest completely original game? .. and that's the only game I can think of.)
I remember enjoying games when I was younger. I remember Hero's quest, Eye of the beholder, Outrun europe (for the Amiga) and various mario-games for mye nintendo. I've come to realise that I cannot play videogames for fun. There are some exceptions, like Gran Turismo and Counterstrike. Games like mario, wintergames, mind-numbing first person shooters or strategy games. I just don't enjoy playing games. I did enjoy playing games when I was younger. Beheading an adversary in Barbarian (atari) was as much fun every time as it was the first time.
I just can't play games and be entertained.
So why do I play games?
For the storyline.
Some people read books, most people watch television; and although I too watch some television, I use my games as storytellers; as sources of a good story with fascinating characters, unpredictable plot and detailed depth.
Consequently, games like Deus Ex and Metal gear solid appeal to me the most. Although the former is a first-person shooter, it isn't included in the same category as the rest. (I could make a list of about 10-15 crappy first-person shooters, but we all know who they are) Needless to say, if you've played Deus Ex, you should already know why I love it.
First of all, the storyline is nice and thick. I appreciate that. This in it of itself is a great plus to any game. A fabulous storyline is a great asset to a game. What was special about Deus ex is the player's ability to affect, not only the outcome of the game, but also to choose his way of getting there. The fact that you can do things in a hundred different ways adds replayability to a game.
Max payne was fun to play. It added something new to the genre. It was cool. But it lacked replayability. I finished it a couple of times and every time except the first one I really didn't enjoy myself. If I was a reviewer for a magazine i'd give it roughly 80%, whereas I would have increased that number by 15 if it had the replayability of Deus Ex.
It's also nice when game companies don't patronise us by simplifying everything. I love it when tv-series and games challenges me, and forces me to think and feel. A complex storyline, is a great storyline. I didn't understand Silent Hill II until I read a plot analysis which explained almost every piece of detail I'd missed while playing the game over and over. By reading the analysis, I felt I enjoyed the game even more as I played it again. I had more information, I knew more, therefore I enjoyed it even more, because I understood more. It's like reading a poem. It may be beautiful and moving in it of itself, but I get more pleasure out of a poem if I understand exactly what the poet wants to say and how he says it.
About Metal gear solid.
Depth. Plot. Storyline. All good things, but what really made me cry while playing this game, was the characters.
I love movies, series and games where you sympathize with the villains. Remember "The Rock" with Ed Harris? How cool would that movie had been if we didn't understand Harris' (character's) motives?
When you play a game and get to a "boss" ... you can tell whether or not you're affected if you find yourself thinking "I don't want to kill this person, as it'll be the last time I see him/her." I felt sorry for Psycho Mantis because of his father. I felt the injustice of Sniper Wolf's upbringing on a battlefield. A child shouldn't have to live like that. I felt a bond between myself and Vulcan Raven.. as if we were close friends who just happened to be on the opposite team. I didn't like killing him, and the scene where David walks away as the crows start pecking on his corpse, and you hear his voice in your head ... it really got to me.
I can never enjoy mario or snowboarding games as I have no attachment to what happens in the game. In shoot-em ups, it's less important for me to have a hundred different ways of killing someone, but more important to know -why- I'm killing them, and what the repercussions will be. In roleplaying games, character development is fun, but it alone will never make a great game. Morrowind with its "do whatever the hell you want-we don't care"-attitude is absolutely brilliant as it gives the player a non-linear storyline he/she can shape themselves.
Why does a fat plumber grow big when he heats mushrooms? Why does he collect gold coins? Are cold coins valid currency where he lives? He wants to save the princess from the big spiky bad turtle-person, but why does the big spiky bad turtle-person have the princess in the first place? And where is the prince? Or the king for that matter? If he's a king, he shouldn't have to rely on plumbers to rescue his only daughter from big spiky bad turle-people.
If a game lacks storyline, it's worthless.
As I said.. there are exceptions, two of which being Counterstrike and Gran turismo, which both lack depth, plot and great characters. Only car-related game with a storyline would be Interstate76 I suppose.. (which was, and still is a fantastic game!)
PC-games vs Console games.
First off, there's been an increase in porting the last couple of years. Console to PC and vice versa. Very often the ports are lesser copies of the original and should never have been ported. But I suppose this is a way of making more money off of a popular game for a platform with very little effort. (easier to port a game then make a new one, perhaps one of the reasons why the ports are so terrible.. not enough money isn't spent on it.)
There are some games the console just can't handle:
First person shooters (medal of honour) and strategy games (thinking of red alert for the playstation) mostly due to the lack of a mouse and keyboard. (also because most people play console games from a sofa instead of on a desk built for platform-usage... consoles are not really designed for having a mouse, as one of the perks of playing on a console is relaxing in a nice sofa/recliner)
When it comes to the games, either on PC or console, I suppose it's easier for me than most people. We all want games to be original, but there's a cap on originality, and there's certainly a cap on the amount of time game developers wish to use thinking up new ideas. We can't expect games to be completely original. (I suppose Black and white is the newest completely original game? .. and that's the only game I can think of.)
I remember enjoying games when I was younger. I remember Hero's quest, Eye of the beholder, Outrun europe (for the Amiga) and various mario-games for mye nintendo. I've come to realise that I cannot play videogames for fun. There are some exceptions, like Gran Turismo and Counterstrike. Games like mario, wintergames, mind-numbing first person shooters or strategy games. I just don't enjoy playing games. I did enjoy playing games when I was younger. Beheading an adversary in Barbarian (atari) was as much fun every time as it was the first time.
I just can't play games and be entertained.
So why do I play games?
For the storyline.
Some people read books, most people watch television; and although I too watch some television, I use my games as storytellers; as sources of a good story with fascinating characters, unpredictable plot and detailed depth.
Consequently, games like Deus Ex and Metal gear solid appeal to me the most. Although the former is a first-person shooter, it isn't included in the same category as the rest. (I could make a list of about 10-15 crappy first-person shooters, but we all know who they are) Needless to say, if you've played Deus Ex, you should already know why I love it.
First of all, the storyline is nice and thick. I appreciate that. This in it of itself is a great plus to any game. A fabulous storyline is a great asset to a game. What was special about Deus ex is the player's ability to affect, not only the outcome of the game, but also to choose his way of getting there. The fact that you can do things in a hundred different ways adds replayability to a game.
Max payne was fun to play. It added something new to the genre. It was cool. But it lacked replayability. I finished it a couple of times and every time except the first one I really didn't enjoy myself. If I was a reviewer for a magazine i'd give it roughly 80%, whereas I would have increased that number by 15 if it had the replayability of Deus Ex.
It's also nice when game companies don't patronise us by simplifying everything. I love it when tv-series and games challenges me, and forces me to think and feel. A complex storyline, is a great storyline. I didn't understand Silent Hill II until I read a plot analysis which explained almost every piece of detail I'd missed while playing the game over and over. By reading the analysis, I felt I enjoyed the game even more as I played it again. I had more information, I knew more, therefore I enjoyed it even more, because I understood more. It's like reading a poem. It may be beautiful and moving in it of itself, but I get more pleasure out of a poem if I understand exactly what the poet wants to say and how he says it.
About Metal gear solid.
Depth. Plot. Storyline. All good things, but what really made me cry while playing this game, was the characters.
I love movies, series and games where you sympathize with the villains. Remember "The Rock" with Ed Harris? How cool would that movie had been if we didn't understand Harris' (character's) motives?
When you play a game and get to a "boss" ... you can tell whether or not you're affected if you find yourself thinking "I don't want to kill this person, as it'll be the last time I see him/her." I felt sorry for Psycho Mantis because of his father. I felt the injustice of Sniper Wolf's upbringing on a battlefield. A child shouldn't have to live like that. I felt a bond between myself and Vulcan Raven.. as if we were close friends who just happened to be on the opposite team. I didn't like killing him, and the scene where David walks away as the crows start pecking on his corpse, and you hear his voice in your head ... it really got to me.
I can never enjoy mario or snowboarding games as I have no attachment to what happens in the game. In shoot-em ups, it's less important for me to have a hundred different ways of killing someone, but more important to know -why- I'm killing them, and what the repercussions will be. In roleplaying games, character development is fun, but it alone will never make a great game. Morrowind with its "do whatever the hell you want-we don't care"-attitude is absolutely brilliant as it gives the player a non-linear storyline he/she can shape themselves.
Why does a fat plumber grow big when he heats mushrooms? Why does he collect gold coins? Are cold coins valid currency where he lives? He wants to save the princess from the big spiky bad turtle-person, but why does the big spiky bad turtle-person have the princess in the first place? And where is the prince? Or the king for that matter? If he's a king, he shouldn't have to rely on plumbers to rescue his only daughter from big spiky bad turle-people.
If a game lacks storyline, it's worthless.
As I said.. there are exceptions, two of which being Counterstrike and Gran turismo, which both lack depth, plot and great characters. Only car-related game with a storyline would be Interstate76 I suppose.. (which was, and still is a fantastic game!)
