I first started off playing PC games back when I was a little 5 year old n00b. Of course I had an NES and a Gameboy, but my true love was the PC. The variety, depth, and the graphical superiority really made it the easy choice for even the most carefree gamer. As time went by, I slowly evolved away from the PC and went more and more into the consoles.
Those were great days for me. I enjoyed playing the same console games as other people and going over to my friend's house to show them how much more awesome I was at these games than they were. That didn't always work out, but it was fun none the less. Did I still dabble in the PC? Sure, but I found less and less games were very engaging. This was the era of the N64.
The games of this console era were just so much more engaging. It was still in the early days of the internet and online multiplayer just wasn't up to par yet. I had dabbled in direct modem connections to play games and to play over a 56k modem online, but neither were good ways to play. And nothing could beat playing with three other friends on someone's couch and being able to smack talk right there. This was the time that PC games all but died to me.
I didn't have a PSOne, but many of my friends did. That is where I got many of my early PlayStation experiences. While the N64 was my main venue of gaming, I did have many memories of the PSOne, including the first Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Final Fantasy VII, playing at friends' homes. I would also bring over my N64 and we would play Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing, and GoldenEye. These are some of my most fond gaming memories.
The next console generation was more or less the same. The Dreamcast and the PS2 drew most of my gaming time. The Tokyo Xtreme Racer Series, Gran Tourismo 3, and Shenmue were really the things that drew me in. I also started to dabble in arcades again. These consoles just had the experiences that I was looking for at the time. I did eventually get an XBox for Halo, Forza, and Project Gotham Racing. Halo was the true LAN party fan favorite in our group.
Although with the advent of broadband internet, I was more inclined to play a few PC games online. We also got a new family PC, which I eventually went on to overclock, and was engaged by this new found computing power. I got back in touch with my RTS side, which I may add was not very good, and enjoyed some of the games coming out at the time.
Sometime during this console generation, around early 2003, I started playing more and more PC games. While I did still spend more time playing my PS2 (Gran Tourismo 3 ruled more than 2000 hours of my life), PC games were grabbing my attention again. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Unreal Tournament 2003 were new, yet familiar gaming experiences that just felt better on the PC.I also touched on some MMOs while I was there.
While I did add in more PC gaming to my gaming repertoire, my main focus was still on the consoles. When the XBox 360 eventually came out, I got one a few months after launch. The console just felt so right. Everything just felt like a complete machine. With the post launch updates that have come to it, the console never felt like it was getting stale.
Now here we are, at the cusp of a new console generation and I am stuck at an impasse. I am current working on two computer builds and have a working gaming PC. Do I stick with the PC or do I go with a new console? My 360 hardly boots up anymore due to my lack of interest. I have barely bought any games for it over the last 6 months, while I have been picking up great deals for my PC.
While there are some great console exclusive games, Forza being a huge one for me, I can get many of these games on PC. I can also run them well on my current PC with even just minimal upgrades. So, do I stick with the consoles or do I go back to my PC roots? I could always do both, but god damn I don't have the money for it. It is a great time to be a gamer, but it's not a good time to be a poor gamer.
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