Transformers News

Yes I know that graphically the PC is superior (assuming you have the cash to burn on upgrading about every year), but really, how many games take full advantage of the hardware that’s available now on the bleeding edge? Not many of them I’ll bet, since most of the gaming PC’s outside the minority hardcore market are probably only of equivalent power to an Xbox (and even that might be a bit too generious).

Anyway Helen’s always moaning that she doesn’t like playing driving games & platformers on the PC so we’re looking at getting a console, either a PS2 or Xbox. Helen’s thinking more towards the former while I’ve been leaning more towards the Xbox, as from what I’ve been told, the PS2 is a bit lacking in support for multiplayer games (or at least games that support more than 2 players). I must admit that’s really going to be my only interest as getting 4 mates together in one place is going to be more practical than getting 4 PC’s hooked up at my place or via the ‘net (since of my group of associates in Leicester, only one other person has a PC).

So I’ve been looking towards things like Top Spin, a tennis game, which is supposed to be better than Virtua Tennis on the Dreamcast (which was a bloody brilliant game, especailly when there’s 4 of you playing doubles), or Project Gotham Racing (the first one since it features street circuits in London & New York, places I’ve been, plus San Francisco).

That said, the nostalgic geek within me was tugging me towards the PS2 when I saw the screenshots of the forthcoming Transformers: Armada game (I hadn’t realised Transformers were making such a big comeback… will have to see about trying to flog all my old toys that are gethering dust in my parents attic and see if I can make some cash)

There are also superior control devices to consider. Like the mouse. And I’d be lost without my stick and wheel.

If you want multi-player, you can’t get anywhere close to Battlefield 1942 or Live For Speed on a console.

It also seems that for some reason console games all seem to lack a certain intellectual dimension. There are flying games but no flight sims, driving games but no driving sims, there is nothing like Civilisation or the Total War games, and not a single freeform game that I know of.

Of course, there are some good, fun console games, and you’re more likely to get a bunch of friends sat around playing a console, so I can see the benefits of having one, just not as a replacement.

Prior to the advent of HDTV capable sets there was really no point creating console hardware capable of producing higher resolutions. I would be surprised if there were not far better support for HDTV resolutions on PS3 and Xbox 2.

Don’t forget also that although PC graphics have higher resolution, the games are normally played on far smaller screens. Plus, unless you have the latest graphics card, chances are you’re going to spend 20 minutes dropping detail levels to get the best performance – not something you have to worry about on a console…

Mice are good for FPS (FPS definitely the one type of game I’ve never been able toget into on a console so far… just can’t hack not having mouse & keyboard for that), but PC joypads I’ve used in the past have been disappointing.

Nothing like Live for Speed on consoles? Maybe nothing in such a realistic vein, but AFAIAA there’s extensive multiplayer on-line communities for Xbox Live compatible more arcade racing games such as the MotoGP, Midtwon Madness, Project Gotham Racing series etc…

To be honest, I’ve gone off the sim side of things, so I’m not going to be bemoan the dearth of them on consoles… Give me something I can pick up and have a quick blast on… I don’t want to spend most of my first hours of having the game wading through a manual that would leave pilots of the real aircraft falling asleep.

Don’t forget there are things that console games also do better – beat-em ups and certain types of sports games (e.g. tennis, football).

BTW, there have been console ports of Civ and similar stuff to the Playstation in the past, but nothing now…

Only downside so far seems to be the lack of a proper run speed… I wish that game designers would just come up with some sort of fatigue system to slow players down the more they run if they’re worried about gamers sprinting all round the maps and throwing the gameplay out of balance…

Still from the 2 demos I’ve played so far, this is miles better than MOH

As far as consoles vs PC/Mac debate, I think there is not contest whatever. I can’t stand gaming with those sodding controllers, especially in 3rd & Ist person games. I need my num pad and mouse combo (I am a leftie.) to be able to do all the fancy moves I need to survive. I think consoles and computers have different roles to play for the gamer. It is true that for sports and fighting games the consoles are best, but FPS’ on console are just not the same.

A mate keeps threatening to get me an xbox and I have to confess it does not thrill me that much.

The DXIW demo was disappointing. From the review in PC Zone it looks like the finished game will be worth it, though. The intelligent, branching plot apparently *almost* makes up for the shortfallings in combat and the removal of the RPG elements.