The gaming thread

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Nobody actually says that though. My gaming system is, at its core, 13 years old now, with a newer GPU slapped into it (bought second hand) about two years ago. The main thing that is making it feel long in the tooth is the HDD load times over what SS D's manage today. I've been talking about upgrading for a while now...still haven't.
You have never heard anyone grumble about PC vs. console performance? Although, the gaps have closed alot from the 360/PS3 era upwards. Pretty much all current hardware aside from integrated GPU's will do well now. Hell, my past few work laptops could do fairly well with slowish GPU's.

My PC is also old - i2500k + Z68 with some HDDs - but still has enough power for most games but could use a GPU upgrade. I haven't bothered since the PS4 does all of that and a bit cheaper than a gun PC GPU. I can also use it in the living room opposed to being locked in the office. I've messed around with PC gaming for a long time before hardware was a capable as it is now and needed custom boot files mainly for memory management to make things faster, etc..

Gooooooooood luck finding any current Gen console that can handle that!

If you don't believe me on system specs I'll post a screenshot of them later. But from memory an early Gen AMD 6-core and still DDR3 memory and an AMD 270X (can't even remember).
I don't have any reason to not to believe it. Old CPU's will still do fine now but an earlier GPU will hold it back.

I'm sure it is a nice PC and my PS4 came as pretty sharp promo deal with Sony Phone. The bang for buck and having a longer life cycle is plus for console. I was looking at putting a newer GTX1080 or something similar in my PC but since I already have access to such a large console library then it isn't really worth the effort.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
#2 for me

Enjoying 3, but doesn't have quite the same vibe I guess? Really loved playing as Krieg in 2, the psycho, fleshed that game out nicely. 2 also comes in pretty cheap, and can be had with all the DLC packs for less than 3 still I think.

I started out enjoying the pre sequel. Aussie voice acting and jokes about the moon being "up over" were a sweet novelty. But I ended up opting for a 2nd playthrough of 2 instead of finishing it because I think I just got sick of managing oxygen and the extra elemental weapons?
Thanks Plank, I might have to give the #2 a crack. I do have the presequel for the xbox360. I know what you mean about the oxygen thing.
I am halfway through Bulletstorm for ps4 now. It a a lot of fun and as sure close to a Gears Of War feel.

Gearbox have done some nice work overall but don't mention Colonial Marines or Duke Nukem 3D and we can't blame them totally for those ones :)
 

TM2

Likes Bikes
Next Gen Consoles will really close the gap to PC's by the looks of it. I'm sure there will be some hardcore PC's out there that will be the fastest, but the specs on the PS5 and Series X look like they'll compete with the majority of PC's.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Never heard it. The standing norm has always been the other way. In fact there is a well established "PC Master Race" trope with it as well.
I'll Ok Boomer myself on that one :)

Problems with PC's is that there is too many hardware, software and driver combinations to optimise it greatly. Not that it matters as much now as faster and higher capacity hardware is blunt and easy way to get loads more performance without having to keep the OS layer as lightweight as console should.

Whatever you play on is fine and shouldn't be a religious kind of war. Each have the own pluses and minuses.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
The specs on the PS5 and Series X look like they'll compete with the majority of PC's.
I guess since the PS4 + Xbone went x86 hardware away from the PPC CPU's in the PS3 and 360 then it had to happen that they will ride the wave of faster generic hardware. The lines are bound to blur more between the Series X and Win10 PC's.

Consoles have little choice but to be locked into hardware that can't change much over the lifecycle of the product.
The console lifecycles do seem to be getting longer though.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Because of those options, you can optimise performance. With the consoles you get what you're given and you have to enjoy it.
Which is dark art by itself. I've tweaked registries too but just can't be bothered with that aspect now. Having games in the past wanting a specific version or build of Direct X then another one wanting OpenGL or a different flavour of Direct X etc then if something more retro pops up than needs DOS box. I've spent enough time fiddling around. Software bloat and obscure settings have always been the PC's weak point.

Sure, consoles aren't perfect but I'm more easily impressed now days too :)
 

ForkinGreat

Knows his Brassica oleracea
Thanks Plank, I might have to give the #2 a crack. I do have the presequel for the xbox360. I know what you mean about the oxygen thing.
I am halfway through Bulletstorm for ps4 now. It a a lot of fun and as sure close to a Gears Of War feel.

Gearbox have done some nice work overall but don't mention Colonial Marines or Duke Nukem 3D and we can't blame them totally for those ones :)
Dude, BL2 is Excellent. I got the Handsome collection for PS4 mid 2019(??) you get BL2, the pre-sequel and I think you get all the dlc. it will keep you busy for a while if you like Borderlands. totally worth it.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Dude, BL2 is Excellent. I got the Handsome collection for PS4 mid 2019(??) you get BL2, the pre-sequel and I think you get all the dlc. it will keep you busy for a while if you like Borderlands. totally worth it.
Will have to get into it. I have a formidable back catalogue to mow through already.
Need another spare day in the week to mess around with it.
 

ForkinGreat

Knows his Brassica oleracea
Will have to get into it. I have a formidable back catalogue to mow through already.
Need another spare day in the week to mess around with it.
Can you give us a list of your back catalogue?

I've been sussing out games that will help ride out the next 6 months or more, always interested to hear what people have stockpiled or haven't got around to playing yet
mostly interested in PS4 as the lappy runs a bit hot when gaming.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Can you give us a list of your back catalogue?

I've been sussing out games that will help ride out the next 6 months or more, always interested to hear what people have stockpiled or haven't got around to playing yet
mostly interested in PS4 as the lappy runs a bit hot when gaming.
Gee, the PSN free monthly games keeps me topped up before I get to touch them.i have still been spending a bit too much time on Battlefront 2 multiplayer.

I have to mow through Metro Redux, last of Us, Darksiders 3, the Redux of COD MW. There is a bunch more..
 

droenn

Fat Man's XC President
Can you give us a list of your back catalogue?

I've been sussing out games that will help ride out the next 6 months or more, always interested to hear what people have stockpiled or haven't got around to playing yet
mostly interested in PS4 as the lappy runs a bit hot when gaming.
Prey has been one of my favourites of last few years
 
So I've got a pc that should play most things these days hopefully. Bought it as a work computer, but couldn't help buying a game spec system just in case
What should a non-gamer look at playing during this lockdown. Love fallout and gran turismo.
Red dead 2? Outer worlds? Witcher? Fallout again?
RDR2 is awesome, great for taking mind off the current shit storm

Witcher 3 - great as well, awesome story telling

Outer worlds - not a fan, will probs will finish coz i paid for it after i finish spongebob, sponge out of water.

EDIT: get Dark Souls. 1,2 or 3, I'm not particular
 
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beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
For those that like car/racing games, but just want a bit of arcade fun - check out Wreckfest.

Cars are fun/easy to control, but with a reasonably realistic handling/traction model and plenty of low consequence smash-'em-up action. You can race, do demolition derby, and novelty races (school bus, sofacar, Reliant Robin ("Supervan") races, etc... Decent mix of tracks, some asphalt race-track style, some offroad/dirt track, and some with wild jumps and loops features that tend to launch cars into each other.

Usual start with a crappy car, then and upgrade or progress to better vehicles as you earn credits. Good console controller game rather than a lot of the more steering-wheel biased racing sims out there nowadays. I've been playing it for a couple of months now and still having fun with it*.

(*The multiplayer mode seems a little basic if that's your thing though)

 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
For those that like car/racing games, but just want a bit of arcade fun - check out Wreckfest.

Cars are fun/easy to control, but with a reasonably realistic handling/traction model and plenty of low consequence smash-'em-up action. You can race, do demolition derby, and novelty races (school bus, sofacar, Reliant Robin ("Supervan") races, etc... Decent mix of tracks, some asphalt race-track style, some offroad/dirt track, and some with wild jumps and loops features that tend to launch cars into each other.
Looks pretty good.

PSN had this freebie Horizon Chase Turbo a few months ago. It is one of the better ones in that is it fun and you don't have think too much or fiddle with loads of obscure car settings. The graphics are retro but it is fun to play.

Problem with many of the car and motorbike racing games I think is that many just aren't fun or take themselves too seriously. The Monster Energy Supercross was another PSN freebie and I've remove it already. Just didn't feel fun to play IMHO.

 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Problem with many of the car and motorbike racing games I think is that many just aren't fun or take themselves too seriously.
This 100%. Unfortunately my favourite console racing game is still Gran Turismo 2. Yep - GT3, GT4, GT Sport all look great, but IMO (very limited experience) all are a PITA to play with a stardard PS controller. Gran Turismo 2 was still fun and the controller vibration was really good at communicating wheelspin, slides, ripple strips, etc...

I'm currently playing in the Xbox universe, so the Forza games are about the best on offer there. Horizon 3 was super arcade but quite fun (ignoring the annoying amount of traffic), Horizon 4 attempted to make the traction and handling more realistic but just makes most of the cars feel like the brakes have failed, and while Motorsport 7 is quite good the controller feedback (or almost total lack thereof) makes it very hard to play well as you can't really feel wheelspin until it's violently spinning up. And everything gives the same feedback - wheelspin, ripplestrips, slides, brake lock-ups, driving through a gravel trap, driving through a sign, hit a wall, jump the car, rolled the car - all just give a basic continuous low buzz. No differing levels of feedback depending on force of impact or mimicking rough terrain or ripple strips, no dual channel feedback (ie: hit a ripple strips with the left wheels and the whole controller just gives a low buzz, rather than strong pulsing feedback just on the LHS of the controller). I can only assume it's intended to save batteries in the wireless controllers. I'd rather have a cord and decent feedback, but I realise car games enthusiasts are in the minority in the gaming world these days.

Next year (assuming a return to normality), I might look at build a car racing sim so the more sim-focused games are more fun (I love tweaking all the car settings, just find the modern games finnicky to play to a high level with the standard controller) - it definitely won't be Xbox based though as the game options are too limited. Probably PC based to allow most flexibility.
 
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