Skyrim

[Wittgen]

Oh, absolutely. I have felt the same way. As a new media story (god, the dream fight), it is utterly incredible. As a forum quest, it is pretty shitacular. The author clearly uses the posts of others as free inspiration and material to make things funnier. But she doesn't cede any control of the plot to her players at all, making it thoroughly un-collaborative as far as collaborative stories are concerned. The ab stored scroll of detect life is far from the most egregious example, even.

[XanderTarbert]

I wish for it to be three weeks in the future. At that point I'll have finished buying parts for my new computer, and finally be able to play Skyrim.

It's funny. I built my current computer to be able to play Oblivion on the highest settings. Now it can't even run Skyrim at it's lowest. Advancement is a bitch on my wallet.

[Arganaut]

This is why I'm more of a console gamer than a PC gamer.

[Wittgen]

The cycle of obsolescence isn't much different between consoles and pcs. Not anymore. New system or new computer, what's the difference?

[Tempest Kitsune]

With a desktop, it may only be a mater of replacing a video card and adding some more RAM. With a console, you have to replace the entire thing and possible buy up new peripherals. Much more expensive.

[Arganaut]

Wow, I was typing a response and at some point even I got sick of how long-winded I was getting. So I'll just summarize.

Spoiler: show

If you take care of your console and don't act like a twat, it'll be fine and you'll be able to play for whatever baseline price you bought it for (for my family my PS3, for example, was somewhere in the ballpark of the mid $300 dollars). The accessories, while they are there, are for the most part just that, accessories. You don't need to buy them to play with what is the core gaming mechanics of a console. A replacement console isn't on the immediate horizon, so I can assume that if I keep treating this well it'll be with me for another few years, even beyond the eventual release of the next-gen console (just like I had my PS2 for a number of years while we waited for the PS3's price to come down/good games to be released).

A computer, no matter what, will eventually need to either be upgraded or repaired, either through the onslaught of viruses, data or time, and it will usually be long before, and multiple times before even, the gaming companies come out with a new console. Accessories aren't just optional for a PC: they're required in order to run some games faster than three frames a minute after a number of years (or, if you went cheap for a computer (the baseline for a cheap Dell desktop now running at $299.99) year and months).

Now, maybe, when all the numbers are crunched it's cheaper to be a PC gamer, maybe. However, I can say with certainty, that it's certainly more convenient to be a console gamer.

[MrRigger2]

Except that you can play Skyrim on the same console that ran Oblivion. That's apparently not the case for PCs. Also, XanderTarbert mentioned buying parts, as in multiple parts. True, a new video card won't run you as much as a new console, but upgrading the video card, sound card, RAM, and whatever else is needed will almost certainly be more than a new console. Especially if you're looking to run Skyrim at the highest settings (not that I blame anyone for that desire).

MrRigger

[Wittgen]

My point had nothing to do with cost. Or convenience. Arg's original comment was that he was was a console gamer because he didn't like having to upgrade. But that was a pretty silly statement. Oblivion came out five years ago. Console life cycles sat at around five years for quite a while. This new one is looking to last a little longer, but still. No matter how you game, you're going to have to upgrade hardware at some point to play new games. (well, new games that push graphics.)

For price, you can build a pretty damn great gaming desktop for the money you'd pay if you got a PS3 at launch. If you get a PS3 now, though, you're proably buying more graphical power than you can get from a PC.

It is, in many ways, more convenient to be a console gamer. But that convenience has nothing to do with how often you have to replace your hardware. It's all about plug and play. You pop the disk in your system and play, guranteed. No fiddling with drivers, consulting forums, and praying that you can get the game to work on your particular machine, something that can happen with PC games (though things can also go smooth on PC).

PCs do win convenience wise in terms of buying games though. Hooray for steam.

Arg, your point about PCs being more prone to breaking is baffling to me. I knew responsible, careful people who went through PS2s like tissue paper because damn that system was fragile. And have we forgotten the red ring of death phenomenon already? I owned a laptop that worked great for over five years without any need for repairs or more than basic, commonsense prevetative care software side. On the other hand, I could dust off my N64 and I am sure it would still work. Really, I think durability is a bit of a wash between the two.

Really, at the end of the day, both consoles and PCs are great for gaming. There are pros and cons and mostly importantly, exclusive titles on both sides. So why bash either side?

[ewuvi]

I'm mostly a console gamer simply because I don't put down money on my PC to run games, also that would result in me never ever getting any homework done ever.

I can and have downloaded games onto my PS3, and I've had the same (brick) PS2 since grade school, and I'm about to graduate High School, and I'm pretty sure that thing has fallen down flights of stairs on multiple occasions. Then there's the whole netflix thing on PS3 and 360, without having to buy all those cords to hook up a laptop, and it's really damn hard to play DDR on a PC I think...

Anyway, I used to play more PC games, but now I'm almost entirely a console gamer. Both systems work nicely, I'm sure, but for me consoles are simpler and do require less money, if only because I'm content to wait years for prices to come down on things.


...why is anyone arguing about this?

[Wittgen]

Arg made a comment about upgrading computers into a console vs. pc thing. Then it spiraled out of control. Random occurrence, or most brilliantly subtle troll ever?

Edit: On topic, I just saw this video. Pretty hilarious.

[MrRigger2]

That video is awesome. Also, there's this.

I'm more inclined to think it's a random occurrence over a brilliant troll. Face it, this forum has never been known for the ability to stay on topic, and the mere mention of PC vs. Console will likely get a few words one way or another.

MrRigger

[Arganaut]

Arg made a comment about upgrading computers into a console vs. pc thing. Then it spiraled out of control. Random occurrence, or most brilliantly subtle troll ever?

Edit: On topic, I just saw this video. Pretty hilarious.

Mhhmmm... MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA-errr...

It was totally a random occurrence. Really, I was just trying to crack a quick joke. Didn't mean for it to devolve as it did.

Also, I still prefer the Literal Brotherhood/Revelations trailer to the Skyrim trailer, although the Skyrim one was good too.

[XanderTarbert]

Just to clarify, I've had my current PC for around twelve years. Of course, my 360 was the bulk of my gaming the past two years. The best, and of course most expensive, way to solve the console vs PC debated is to have both.

I try to buy games for whatever will play it best. With mods and such, I was able to enjoy Oblivion for maybe three years. Which is damn decent for any game. But for my more preferred action/adventure games, like the free-roaming Spider-Man titles, a controller and larger screen just works so much better.

My friend Kris recently wrote an article about playing Skyrim without having played any of the previous Elder Scrolls games. http://fanboycomics.net/blogs/guest-con ... rim-review

[gamebrain89]

The hardware refresh to run new games well on a PC is a heck of alot shorter on PC than with consoles. Consoles, the occasional firmware update and Boom, new more graphically intensive games run pretty damn well. My PC when it was brand new in 07 or 08 was pretty high end. Now, it just barely runs Skyrim on low settings. and constantly having to upgrade graphics cards and the like to run games like that well, (IE midlevel graphics settings at good framerate) , or even great (Full Graphics settings and framerate) is not cheap. You sure aren't going to build one that fits either of those descriptions for 600 bucks.


Anyway, back on topic. Went digging around for Daedric artifact quests a while back and ran across one north of Winterhold, which led me into the depths of the Dwemer ruins. And ended up starting the two different Nirnroot quests. My first reaction was to start swearing. But talking with Rig and TK led me to tone it down a bit. Thankfully now some types grow back, and the needed amount wasn't high. Though I still probably won't get them turned in anytime soon.

[Wittgen]

I managed to get to the second paragraph of that review before I started cursing the author. Bethesda made Fallout into and Elder Scrolls game. It's not the other way around.

That gripe aside, pretty good article. I especially like her analysis of how the game provides a grand sense of questing.

[XanderTarbert]

Yeah, I had to tell her that the comparisons she did to other games were incorrect. She's generally not a fan of sandbox exploration games, so this being a positive review from her was kinda odd.

Nimroots are back? I think that was one of the few quests I didn't complete in Oblivion. Such a pain.

[Chuckg]

re: the dread nirnroot...

Nirnroot is just a normal alchemical ingredient now, even if they keep their nirnrooty glow and humming. You can sell them to one particular farmer for gil, or just brew potions with them.

Crimson nirnroot is a fetch quest. However, you only need 30 of them, there's somewhere between 30-40 crimson nirnroots total, and they're all in this one (very large, admittedly) dungeon zone.

Which is itself a beautiful and amazing piece of scenery you just want to walk around and explore anyway...

[Tempest Kitsune]

No, there's a fetch quest for regular Nirnroot as well. You only need 20 of them, and they can be found in the wild, stolen or bought from alchemy shops.

[Wittgen]

I've randomly found some on the corpses of hagravens too.

Double enchanting is so good. It made me feel so much more powerful than when I got dragon armor.

[MrRigger2]

The fact that it made my Conjuration and Destruction magic (already powerful) completely free is what got me. Means I don't have to spend four perks on reducing Expert and Master Conjuration and Destruction spells.

MrRigger

[Minion]

I used my armor and jewelry to make me immune to fire, ice and lightning and some other perks. Took the challenge out of it but was still fun.

So this, "Took and arrow in the knee" meme is out of control...

[gamebrain89]

I dumped Magicka boosts and cost reductions onto everything for mine. Can now destroy the things I don't backstab with a raging inferno.

[Zankaru Zelladonii]

After two hundred plus hours I finally burnt out on skyrim. I have to say it is a massive improvement over oblivion, almost go so far as to say it could be an equal of morrowind. Not concerning the magic system obviously, the spell mastery is fantastic, but I still liked morrowind more.

Best game I have bought in years, can not wait to see what DLC they come out with.

[MrRigger2]

I want to see DLC that let's you rebuild Helgen as your own personal keep/town, and something that let's you do something about the Thalmor, specifically something that you have to have finished the Civil War storyline to beat. A continuation to the main side quests would be fun too. You can do this DLC, but only if you've finished the right section. But do it for all of them. Companions, Mage's College, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, everything. And I want to ride a dragon. I want it to be my horse.

MrRigger

[Zankaru Zelladonii]

I love having your own citadel in games, that would be awesome. Would also like to see the falmer invade the surface too.