The Uncertainties of PC Gaming

The PC has always had some major benefits that consoles do not. Some of these benefits include better visuals, an active mod community, excellent multiplayer features, cheaper games, and an amazing independent developer community.   Although I have enjoyed consoles from time to time (Intellivision through PS2), I could not pass up the advantages the PC offered to gamers.  I loved having the ability to tweak files, change the game up, and enjoy some crazy online games at no additional cost.  The problem is, many of these benefits are disappearing, and I find myself wondering if it is still worth the investment.

As I was writing reviews for Bad Company 2 and Bioshock 2, I realized many of my complaints can be applied to a majority of releases over the past few years. My primary complaint is the increase of titles with watered down gameplay.  The PC has always excelled in the FPS genre, and has produced some very challenging titles over the years.  One example being Counter Strike, a game which requires a great deal of speed and dexterity to be successful.  It has provided a consistent challenge over the years for players, and is one of the top competitive FPS games in the world.

However, if you compare it to recent releases in the genre, you will recognize how simplified games have become.  What used to be considered normal is now limited to “hardcore” modes if the developer even bothers providing that as an option.  The normal mode for these games has become nothing more than a friendly, recoil free, Rambo-like experience. Two games contributing to the downfall of the FPS genre is Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.  On the other hand, and oddly enough, MAG on the PS3 contains more “old school” FPS features than any recent titles on the PC.

Another worrisome trend is the continual lack of mod support for games.  This is by far one of the largest benefits of PC gaming, and the mod community has produced some great titles over the years.  Yet, with the intense push to market and sell DLC,  many developers are no longer releasing the necessary tools to modify games.  DICE, creators of Bad Company 2, have stated they will not release mod tools because they are too “complex.”  After the success of mods like Project Reality, this is surprising.  The reasoning behind this decision became obvious a few weeks later, when it was announced a store would be built into the client to purchase DLC maps, class kits, and more.  Clearly, the company does not want modders interfering with their business.  The developers of Supreme Commander 2 and the Total War series have also denied any future releases of map or modding tools, and there are a variety of recently released titles that claim tools are too complex as well.  Considering the talent of many modders, I find this unlikely.

Poor console ports are nothing new to the PC, but the amount of these ports is increasing at a rapid pace.   The most recent example is Bioshock 2.  While I had little trouble starting and playing the game, I was still forced to tweak quite a few settings to improve performance, functionality, and gameplay mechanics.  Additionally, the visual quality seems little improved, and the textures are very unimpressive.  There have been a variety of other recent games I have had to tweak a good deal due to poor or missing settings, with Borderlands being by far the worst culprit.

Additional symptoms of bad ports are the lack of multiplayer features.  Matchmaking services appear to be increasing, and access to server browsers is decreasing.  There is absolutely nothing good that can come with matchmaking, as decent results are rarely consistent.  Server browsers allow players to find games with the lowest ping, preferred custom settings, amount of players, and more.  I do not want a game trying to decide the best experience for me, as I am capable of doing this myself.

Then there is digital distribution, the supposed savior of PC gaming.  An increasing amount of developers are forcing consumers to attach their games to Steam whether they want to or not.  In turn, gamers lose all rights to the games they purchase and are required to use a very restrictive form of DRM.  Ubisoft is following suit by creating an even more restrictive service, forcing gamers to stay online at all times if they want to play anything.  It is depressing to see what these companies are doing to consumers, and I have no desire to use either of these services.

This may seem like a weird complaint, as consoles are also tied to a specific service (LIVE and PSN).  The difference lies in the fact that console gamers are not being forced to tie games to the service, and still own what they purchase.  They are able to freely trade games amongst friends or resell them.  PC gamers on the other hand deal with harsh DRM, little control over their games, and all their products tied to one account that can be disabled at any point with Steam.  As PC gaming moves more towards becoming a service, the more willing I become to leave it all together.

There are some exceptions to the above, but they are no longer the norm.  Instead, PC gaming is losing many of the characteristics that made it so unique and exceptional.  So now I am at a crossroad.  I was hoping to upgrade my three year old PC this year, but I have now put my plans on hold while I decide where to go next.  I am not abandoning the platform, but I am debating whether I should make the move to a Playstation 3 and make the PC my secondary choice.  The 360 is not an option.  I previously won one, and after a month of use, I dropped it off at a pawn shop.  I had no intention of paying extra fees to play with friends, it was very noisy, and I did not like the constant fear of system failure that is so common with the console.

To summarize my thoughts, I am simply very disappointed with the PC, recent releases, and how publishers are treating the platform. There is very little to look forward to, as many of the games coming out are either forcing Steam upon the consumer, removed community/mod support, or have been watered down with many features removed.

So, which of the two is the lesser evil, and provides the more quality overall experience? At this point in time, I feel as though it is the PS3, but we will see how this year plays out first.