Is PC gaming dead?

[pmp10]

Saying that, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (PC led), Black Light: Retribution (PC led), Tribes: Ascend (PC exclusive), and Planetside 2 (PC exclusive), are good FPS from 2012 onwards, soon there will be ARMA 3.

That actually reinforces the point.

3 freemium multiplayer only games and one sequel (that couldn't replace a title decade old) don't measure up to the AAA single-player titles consoles enjoy.

[alanschu]

The "AAA titles" (a term this thread is making me loathe) are the biiig budget ones.  Even as a PC gamer, I recognize that the economies of scale necessary compromise the PC, especially in an area of exclusivity.

 

I just don't consider that to be "PC gaming is dead" and in fact, I feel PC gaming is going through a resurgence, because finally the market is enabling smaller focused games to be viable.

[Drowsy Emperor]

 

Also, JRPG's are in a worse downward spiral than western ones.

 

At this point all they have is endlessly repeated outdated, heavily combat based gameplay married to AAA production values.

 

Compared to the PS2 and PSX, the selection of JRPG's on the PS3 is relatively poor.

Are you basing this on the American/European markets or on the Japanese one? Because there are a lot of PS3 exclusive JRPG that don't make it overseas.

 

 

I'm basing it on what we get to play, the US/EU market. Yes a lot of the exclusives are never translated (I said as much in a post above), but based on what is translated the genre isn't doing too well.

[HoonDing]

Japanese people don't play PC games, Japanese developers don't know how to develop PC games, meaning they'd have to outsource to South Korea or Eastern Europe, something they may be unwilling to do. I also wonder whether there's necessarily a market for them, Japanese games fill gaps in the console market that are already filled on PC with better western games.

Japanese PC gaming died mid 90s with FM Towns and PC-9801.

 

Nowadays it's an extreme niche genre comprised of Wizardry clones and eroge games. But even many of the latter are cross platform.

[Bos_hybrid]

 

 

NOW...there IS a major player in the PC gaming market, it's not obsidian, it's not even Bioware...and it's not even Blizzard (Blizzard has made splashes with Diablo III and StarCraft II...BUT), these guys are exclusive PC game makers.  Of course, non-of us probably play the games they make...so not expecting any of you to know who they actually are.

 

Fantastic argument you have there "I could say, but since you wont be able to guess what I would say if I said it, I don't need to say it and will just say that I know something you don't"

But maybe there is a reason you don't want to name them? Maybe its something too embarassing to post...

*wanders off to search the internet*

Didn't find a good candidate. My search-fu failed me because of the language barrier. There seem to be some strange japanese PC only publishers you could be refering to?

 

But I'll bite:

Exclusive PC publishers... NCSoft, Paradox, Kalypso, PerfectWorld. I take it Bohemia Interactive is too small?

Meridian4 has 89 titles in their catalogue on PC and 5 on mobile.

Focus Home Interactive has mostly PC games with only a few that allow for console also getting a consol version.

1C Company has eight upcomming PC titles and one of them will also be released to XBOX360.

 

Does PopCap release on console?

 

But you are basically only interested in AAA titles, so many PC exclusives don't count.

Does the Total War series count as AAA even though its not MMOs?

 

 

Yes, actually, Total War counts as an AAA title...thanks I had actually forgotten about that one.

 

The publisher you are looking at do a LOT of PC games that are more kid based and such.  Another does educational games and software and due to probably libraries and schools buying their games make a tidy sum, but then again...triple A as far as what we would consider Triple A, probably not.  Gamer's Games like what I'm also looking at...probably not, so games we probably wouldn't want to play or even try to play.

 

 

Wait, Paradox, Kalypso, NCSoft and Perfect World make kids games?

 

 

 

That's off the top of my head as for series (sorry, don't want to go through and list all the games in series).

 

Oh...and a whole slew of Japanese exclusives that never made it to the US or Canada

 

For those who follow Japanese game scenes...there's actually a TON more...(in just dating sims alone...you get a ridiculous number on the PS3).

 

Wii is similar with that entire Japanese games released in Asia that Americans aren't getting...but for America

 

 

 

RPG's that don't make it out of Japan are not AAA games. Most are low-mid budget.

 

 

Resonance of Fate

Nier (production values probably AAA, though sales wise...maybe not)

Final Fantasy XIII

Actually I should say almost any Japanese made game that was cross console normally doesn't cross over to PC

 

 

 

Ok neither Nier or Resonance of Fate were AAA.

 

AAA is Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, CoD, Battlefield, GTA, Halo. Not middling JRPG's.

[AwesomeOcelot]

 

Saying that, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (PC led), Black Light: Retribution (PC led), Tribes: Ascend (PC exclusive), and Planetside 2 (PC exclusive), are good FPS from 2012 onwards, soon there will be ARMA 3.

That actually reinforces the point.

3 freemium multiplayer only games and one sequel (that couldn't replace a title decade old) don't measure up to the AAA single-player titles consoles enjoy.

 

In what way do they not measure up? Freemium is a good model for multiplayer, games struggled from the 90's until today to maintain a multiplayer population and finance servers unless they're Counter-Strike. They're all much better multiplayer games than anything on consoles, and also the AAA multi-platform titles. Of course they don't measure up in terms of budget, but gameplay and graphics they surpass them with ease because consoles are terrible at FPS, and the 360/PS3 were underpowered on release, let alone now.

 

There hasn't been a great PC single player pure FPS since Crysis, on the other hand there hasn't been a good console FPS ever. Hard Reset was pretty good if you like that sort of thing. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was a great game because of the features it has beyond FPS. The Bioshock series is good despite them being terrible FPS games, and Infinite is very overrated. There's not many great single player FPS games released in the last decade whether PC or multi-platform, it's a dying genre.

Edited May 28, 2013 by AwesomeOcelot

[AGX-17]

No one refuted anything except to say, they as PC gaming fanbois couldn't see the points.  Somehow they find these AAA titles that aren't ports...but except for the Blizzard games and MMORPGS (well, a few of them)...they don't ever say what those non-ported PC games are.

 

I remember when there were a TON of PC games that were AAA titles that weren't ports...now days...crickets.

 

We aren't talking Indies here, we mean the AAA games...just for clarification...the ones that actually sell over a million units...

 

All the ones I know of...are made for consoles and then ported to PC.  IF you are a lucky PC gamer...the ports aren't bad ports...if you are unlucky, they are.

 

That's another reason I've switched to consoles (beyond they entire PC DRM thing) is that the games are made for consoles first and foremost.  The games I play on PC these days and typically made for PC aren't the AAA titles...their all the smaller niche titles or Indie games.

 

AAA titles I typically play on Console (and occasionally buy on PC if I'm loyal to the publisher or liked the game on console enough, such as with Obs. games typically) because that's what they are made for in the first place.  Why play a copycat port when you can play the game on the system it was made for?

So you hate PC gamers and PC games because they magically destroy the holy sanctity of AAA titles simply by virtue of being on PC? Despite the fact that they're nearly always developed for PS3, 360 and PC simultaneously, with the only difference being that the PC versions have better graphics with even a mediocre video card, more customization, equal or better controls (after all, your precious console controllers can be used with PCs,) and possibly mods?

 

Most AAA games hit PC on the same day as consoles. Meaning either you're incorrect about them being "copycat ports," or the AAA publishers delay the console releases for the sake of the devs finishing the evil PC "ports" first for a simultaneous release on all platforms. Why would they make PC versions of any game, or utilize any of the PC's capabilities to add improvements, if PC gaming is both vile and dead (at the same time,) and consoles are sacred and superior despite having no technological advantages?

[alanschu]

Since I reread these in AGX-17's quote:

 

 

 

No one refuted anything except to say, they as PC gaming fanbois couldn't see the points.  Somehow they find these AAA titles that aren't ports...but except for the Blizzard games and MMORPGS (well, a few of them)...they don't ever say what those non-ported PC games are.

 

Right off the top of my head there's Battlefield 3.

 

 

 

I remember when there were a TON of PC games that were AAA titles that weren't ports...now days...crickets.
 
We aren't talking Indies here, we mean the AAA games...just for clarification...the ones that actually sell over a million units...

 

Just for clarification, AAA titles as they stand are a new invention.  They didn't exist at all 10 years ago as they didn't have the economies of scale to justify their development costs.

 

Unfortunately it's tough to find games that match your criteria (selling over a million units) because of restrictions on releasing digital sales numbers (Valve has it written in that neither party can release units sold numbers without the consent of both parties).

 

However, I wouldn't be surprised if a game like Europa Universalis 3 has sold through over a million units.  It's something that none of us are able to verify, however.

[Drowsy Emperor]

Greylord you've upgraded this thread to epic level trolololo.

[Elerond]

Since I reread these in AGX-17's quote:

 

 

 

No one refuted anything except to say, they as PC gaming fanbois couldn't see the points.  Somehow they find these AAA titles that aren't ports...but except for the Blizzard games and MMORPGS (well, a few of them)...they don't ever say what those non-ported PC games are.

 

Right off the top of my head there's Battlefield 3.

 

To add few:

 

Witcher 1 & 2 were made to PC. Witcher 2 was ported to XO about year after its PC release. (Atari)

SimCity is purely PC game.(EA)

The Sims 3 was released on PC and then ported on other devices.(EA)

The Sims Medieval is only for PC and mobile platforms(EA)

Spore is only for pc(EA)

Dragon Age Orgins had different version on pc and consoles (EA Bioware)

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom, pc only(Ubisoft)

Anno 2070, pc only(Ubisoft)

Total War Battles : Shogun, pc only (Sega)

Civilization V, pc only ( 2K Games)

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, PC only (THQ)

Might & Magic Heroes VI, pc only (Ubisoft) 

 

And there is more, but these are some biggest names that are easily shown that they aren't ported from console version, most cases because there is no console version.

[Keyrock]

What's the hang up with AAA anyway?

 

I play games I like, whatever category they may fall into, whether it be A, AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAAA, BBB, QQFH, WYSIWYG, RSVP, BYOB, etc.

[Drowsy Emperor]

What's the hang up with AAA anyway?

 

I play games I like, whatever category they may fall into, whether it be A, AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAAA, BBB, QQFH, WYSIWYG, RSVP, BYOB, etc.

 

BBW too?

[HoonDing]

[Labadal]

I haven't read most of the thread, but I seriously can't see how PC gaming is dead. There might not be as many big AAA exlusives as there used to be, but we are getting more console ports than ever. This is also true for Japanese games.

 

The Last Remnant

Dark Souls

Dark Souls 2

Vanquish

Binary Domain

Metal Gear Rising

 

We've gotten some Ys games on Steam.

 

Most multiplatform games have PC ports. Basically only Sony exclusive games are the ones that don't get ported. The jrpg genre in general also don't get many ports. It's good then that I like playing both console games and PC games.

 

The PC market doesn't look as it used to, but saying it is dead is an over the top statement.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Labadal

[Keyrock]

 

What's the hang up with AAA anyway?

 

I play games I like, whatever category they may fall into, whether it be A, AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAAA, BBB, QQFH, WYSIWYG, RSVP, BYOB, etc.

 

BBW too?

 

ESPECIALLY BBW

[melkathi]

Ah so we are finally turning silly?

 

Awesome, I have been holding back for too long:

 

A long long time ago
I can still remember how
PC Gaming used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those pixels dance
And maybe I'd be happy for a while...

[Morgoth]

I haven't read most of the thread, but I seriously can't see how PC gaming is dead. There might not be as many big AAA exlusives as there used to be, but we are getting more console ports than ever.

 

Vanquish

 

Vanquish? Really?

 

Either way, every major studio these days releases on PC. And with Xbone/PS4 basically running on x86, PC ports will be even better optimized.

[babaganoosh13]

 

I haven't read most of the thread, but I seriously can't see how PC gaming is dead. There might not be as many big AAA exlusives as there used to be, but we are getting more console ports than ever.

 

Vanquish

 

Vanquish? Really?

 

Either way, every major studio these days releases on PC. And with Xbone/PS4 basically running on x86, PC ports will be even better optimized.

 

Oh wait; I love playing those.

[Zoraptor]

Just for clarification, AAA titles as they stand are a new invention.  They didn't exist at all 10 years ago as they didn't have the economies of scale to justify their development costs.

It probably would be better if everyone could just ignore AAA as a label as it doesn't really have a proper definition and what it is and isn't varies from person to person. Some would say it's impossible to have a AAA title on mobile phones, others would say not and it all depends on what weighting is put on the various factors. Some would say that it's a sliding scale, so a $400 million movie means a $30 million movie from 30 years ago ain't AAA any more while others would say the old movie still is. Is TWitcher 2 AAA? Is its budget high enough, was it aimed at enough people, did it sell enough? All subjective.

 

Personally on PC I'd regard HL2, Diablo2/ Warcraft3 off the top of my head as being AAA from around a decade ago, add in Halo and GTA3/VC at least for consoles. Going back 20 years I'd have Wing Commander 3/4 as well, as I'd regard its original designation/ purpose/ relative costing as being permanent rather than transitory.

[alanschu]

Fair enough.

 

Though not many games had the backing of, say, Half-Life 2 and Diablo II back then either.  It was the usual suspects.

 

Even then, going back I'd wager that the console titles were still the biggest movers of units in general, whether discussing SNES/NES/Genesis etc.

[Lexx]

All this "AAAAAAaaaaa++++++++" talk is so damn annoying to me. Who gives a damn about it? Why is it so important to play games with a tradzillion dollar budget? In fact, if I look back at the huge money games in recent years... My impression is, that I find most of them super boring and tiresome. The best games I've played the past two years and which I would still love to replay after the first playthrough for example, were all low-budget (not necessarily indie-games).

[Oerwinde]

The games I've put the most time into have all been Paradox titles. Vicky 2, CK2, EU3, etc. I don't think they have that big of a budget

Edited May 29, 2013 by Oerwinde

[pmp10]

All this "AAAAAAaaaaa++++++++" talk is so damn annoying to me. Who gives a damn about it? Why is it so important to play games with a tradzillion dollar budget? In fact, if I look back at the huge money games in recent years... My impression is, that I find most of them super boring and tiresome. The best games I've played the past two years and which I would still love to replay after the first playthrough for example, were all low-budget (not necessarily indie-games).

The point is to have features that are now expected as standard.

And that's exactly the problem with a lot of the freemium games.

It's not only about CGI cinematics or good voice actors but things that should be standard by now

(like having in-game tutorial instead of youtube one).

[alanschu]

I don't think the features you describe are tied to AAA (or even big budget) games, however.

[Blarghagh]

Even if there was a lack of big titles for PC (which there's not) there are countless much more interesting small titles available. With the variation and innovation seen in the thriving indie development scene and the stagnation of everything-must-be-CoD consoles, I'd say PC gaming is the only one which is still alive.