[Rant] PC gaming is too expensive. 'Sup consoles.

I agree, well, sort of if that was your point, that it's a zero-sum argument to point out how expensive PC games are, when console gaming can be just as expensive. I think we all buy, purchase, and follow games in different habits. I tend to wait on releases these days, rather than purchase off the bat for console games. Mostly because 50-60 dollars on a game tends to add up. Also (Provided this even applies to you) if you're import savvy, think of how many versions of Guilty Gear XX you've bought, or the Kingdom Hearts and International versions of Final Fantasy you might have dropped dollars on, or that obscure sh'ump from Japan you just purchased. It adds up, and nearly matches up when you think about the "hassle" or "cost" of PC gaming. Hell, then there's the Special Edition of Persona 3 that may or may not be coming to the US. There's a point where depending on how you purchase and play, you may or may not be on the winning end of things as far as money goes.

Originally Posted by Skexis

The reason I love PC gaming is that you can always go back and play your older games at the same time. So I see it as an investment not just in future games, but in past ones as well. While you don't need the latest stuff to be able to play older games, it does help if you want to run them concurrently (like having a larger hard drive.)

Originally Posted by Freelance Wolf

All the PC games I do play are the older games several odd years ago...

Gonna resonate with the sentiment of these two posts. Sort of. Like so many others, the one defining features of PC gaming which brings me back is the way fan communities can contribute to older titles.

Aside from doing things like making certain things in Elder Scrolls games more acceptable/better/complete/whatever.

It's typical, but I enjoy seeing projects that add new modes to games or put a fresh coat of paint on an older title. Because of this consistency, something I've come to expect. I still play Freespace 2, and the recently released Source Code put several new projects in development. Of course they are all fan projects, but if you happen to dig Battlestar Galactica or even Star Fox, there's something there for you. At the very least, the game has high resolution texture mods now, so it looks better than ever and I can continue to play it knowing full well that there will probably never be a sequel.

In contrast, Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the X-Box 360 has a patch that implements new characters, yet there's an Ultimate Alliance - Gold Edition release so they can add dialog and scenarios for these new characters. Somehow, I don't see myself dropping money on the game again. It wasn't that great in the first place. However, I can imagine there's someone out there who will. And the import question comes to mind again.

I think it'd have been more poignant to title the thread "PC gaming has changed. 'Sup consoles." While I believe that at the current standard, software and hardware are things that both PCs and Consoles seem to even out on in terms of overall money spent (especially over time), the new Vista operating system and the way games are currently for the PC are entirely different beasts. I agree with the sentiment that PC games just aren't as inventive or fun these days compared to Console games. I can harp on about classic titles, but the only current generation title I'm looking forward to is Bioshock.

Jam it back in, in the dark.