Has console gaming improved PC gaming?

Keirnoth

Keirnoth

CAGiversary!
Hey guys. An article I was reading on the messups that Activision-Blizzard is having with Starcraft 2 had a particular statement that pretty much summed up what I feel modern console gaming has become. Just wondering if anyone else thinks the same, and if yes or no, why or why not. I don't know whether I'm preaching to the choir or not since this is the PC gaming forum, but please keep the flames down, I know sometimes these discussions can get kinda heated. :)

For the record, I do own all three console platforms along with my gaming PC, and I absolutely love gaming on all of them.

The original article is here: http://www.the-ghetto.org/content/battle-net-2-0-the-antithesis-of-consumer-confidence

The particular excerpt I'd like to focus on is this:

"Even without these issues, Starcraft II is a marketing nightmare. It is the sequel to a twelve-year-old computer game, a beacon in the forgotten era of Deus Ex and Baldur’s Gate. Why forgotten? “Computer gaming sucks ass. It’s true, the video game industry told me it! If you aren’t playing Modern Warfare 2 (latest in a series popularized on computers) on your X-Box 360 (manufactured by the producer of Windows) on X-Box Live (Battle.net, Yahoo! Games, The Zone, etc.), you’re a fucking pussy!” Console gamers have spent the last decade hearing just that."

I've had this same impression from the CAGcast crew about this, namely with the way games nowadays (FPSes and whatnot) seems to have had PC-specific features removed or altered to cater to the console market, and I feel that the CAGcast crew has pretty much drawn hook line and sinker into this marketing demographic, despite their years of experience with oldschool gaming. They're part of the same core demographic a lot of us users are, but are part of a subgroup of that core demographic - a REALLY big subgroup, but a subgroup nonetheless, which is much more console oriented.

That recent podcast where they were getting frustrated over not getting their games to run after the Mac Steam release, while valid with the compatibility concerns, further cemented this feeling. "You know what, fuck Steam, it didn't work for me today and the console is so much easier to play on, so fuck PC gaming!" Even modern core gamers seemed to have migrated over to the consoles, for reasons that seem more like a convenience issue at best than anything else. It's now all about the couch and the big screen TV rather than great PC games that take advantage of the fact you ARE on a PC (ala Starcraft, Diablo, etc).

I find the console controller far too limiting for certain types of games (namely: FPSes), and while many, MANY great games have been made on consoles, I still have a huge issue on how the gaming industry has shifted its focus less on the PC side of things and more on the PS3/X360 side of things for AAA releases (obviously because that's where the money is). Whenever a PC version of a game gets released, it's always done as a port, since that's the cheap way to do it, rather than a rebuild from the ground up, and almost always the port is done in an inferior manner as to not take advantage of what the PC has to offer (60 fps gameplay, higher detail graphics, etc).

People buy the PC port, aren't impressed because it's a bad port, and because the PC gaming demographic these days for non-FPSes are smaller, they'll find a small community with no one to play games with, give up, and conclude PC gaming is dead and won't buy another PC version of a game again, and the cycle continues.

I'm just wondering what can be done nowadays to get away from this mantra that PC gaming is dead. We as PC gamers KNOW it's far from dead, but the video gaming industry seems to think otherwise, and are getting even hardcore users to give up their PCs and move to their X360s and PS3s on hardware that the PC has surpassed years ago. Sure, big titles like Team Fortress 2 and Starcraft 2 still live on, IMO those are far and few in between compared to what the video gaming industry has to offer.

Just what needs to be done anyway?
 
Nothing can be done. Just play our Starcraft II and Team Fortress 2 and move on. And maybe buy a console to get the best of both worlds
 
PS3, 360 and previous Wii owner. Console gaming to me is a good idea gone sour. No more hassle, developers only need to program for one set of hardware, it's pretty much the Mac of gaming. By removing the learning curve to game on the PC (Building a decent computer, troubleshooting problems, tweaking settings) you not only open up the audience who will buy and play games but you also remove the 'qualifications' for lack of a better term which comes down to a less relatable community for me and I'm sure tons of other people judging by the usual connotations linked with Xbox Live.

It really just comes down to how much are you looking for in gaming. If it's something that is a serious hobby and you will put your time in to, you're more likely a PC game. If it's more of a passive or social thing to you, you're more likely a console gamer. There are some exceptions to this of course.
 
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']PS3, 360 and previous Wii owner. Console gaming to me is a good idea gone sour. No more hassle, developers only need to program for one set of hardware, it's pretty much the Mac of gaming. By removing the learning curve to game on the PC (Building a decent computer, troubleshooting problems, tweaking settings) you not only open up the audience who will buy and play games but you also remove the 'qualifications' for lack of a better term which comes down to a less relatable community for me and I'm sure tons of other people judging by the usual connotations linked with Xbox Live.

It really just comes down to how much are you looking for in gaming. If it's something that is a serious hobby and you will put your time in to, you're more likely a PC game. If it's more of a passive or social thing to you, you're more likely a console gamer. There are some exceptions to this of course.[/QUOTE]

Good points. I would like to add that I have personally seen a surge of console gamers either getting into PC gaming or leaving consoles for several reasons...

The ease of consoles gaming seems to be gone or leaving. A lot of console owners who were use to purchasing a unit and just playing their games have been turned off by the failures of their units (RROD and YLOD). A lot of them are not OK with purchasing a game today and waiting for an update tomorrow to fix a feature that should have been already working. Not to mention the issues here and there with connectivity to single player games and the inability to play their games that they thought should not have an issue with connectivity.

So I will say that the many of the traditional console gamers are now experimenting or going 'hard core' (silly concept) into PC gaming.

I could go into how consoles games no longer challenge or serve the 'core' players but that's a bit too subjective.

Personally, I think these points will soon be moot as the rise of 'cloud gaming' or something of it's nature will dominate. It will just be video games by any means - mobile unit or non-mobile units.
 
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Most podcasts are console focused. If you want a good podcast that also focuses on PC games try the Gamers With Jobs Podcast. They were (maybe even "are") doing a Friday playdate with the community to play some old school PC multiplayer classics like Tribes 2, CS:Source, Rise of Nations, etc.
 
I think console gaming has hurt pc gaming.

Now with consoles the devs only have to develop for one set of hardware specs instead of worrying about the many variations of pc hardware, they get to price their games more expensive since pc game (aside from starcraft 2 and modern warfare 2 being 60 bucks, thank you very much activision) are always starting out at max of 50, pc games decline in price much faster than console games, consoles have a huge penetration now vs a pc which while alot of people though alot dont have one ready to run newer games.

So what has happened is money has lured alot of developers away from the pc, and secondly ease. Used to the pc had a steady stream of good games coming out on it, something new was always cropping up while the consoles would only occasionally shit out something new and different.

But anymore its rare I buy a pc game at all, and the few I have I could have gotten on the console as well.

There just is no spice or variety to pc games like their used to be, its not dead but its definitely stale. Years ago I would buy a dozen or more pc games brand new and another dozen or more out of bargain bins I missed out on, now if I buy 2 new ones a year thats alot.

Only thing this year I really want is starcraft and cataclysm, thats pretty much it as anyother game I want is on a console.
 
[quote name='gargus']I think console gaming has hurt pc gaming.

Now with consoles the devs only have to develop for one set of hardware specs instead of worrying about the many variations of pc hardware, they get to price their games more expensive since pc game (aside from starcraft 2 and modern warfare 2 being 60 bucks, thank you very much activision) are always starting out at max of 50, pc games decline in price much faster than console games, consoles have a huge penetration now vs a pc which while alot of people though alot dont have one ready to run newer games.

So what has happened is money has lured alot of developers away from the pc, and secondly ease. Used to the pc had a steady stream of good games coming out on it, something new was always cropping up while the consoles would only occasionally shit out something new and different.

But anymore its rare I buy a pc game at all, and the few I have I could have gotten on the console as well.

There just is no spice or variety to pc games like their used to be, its not dead but its definitely stale. Years ago I would buy a dozen or more pc games brand new and another dozen or more out of bargain bins I missed out on, now if I buy 2 new ones a year thats alot.

Only thing this year I really want is starcraft and cataclysm, thats pretty much it as anyother game I want is on a console.[/QUOTE]

Not entirely true, PC games don't require you to pay the service provider (Nintendo, MS, Sony) for publishing rights, updates and DLC. They also offer no self-publishing abilities so no matter what you do on consoles, a large piece of the pie is eaten. Granted they have the larger install base but that's the users choice, not the dev.
 
[quote name='gargus'] There just is no spice or variety to pc games like their used to be, its not dead but its definitely stale. Years ago I would buy a dozen or more pc games brand new and another dozen or more out of bargain bins I missed out on, now if I buy 2 new ones a year thats alot.[/QUOTE]

I don't see how this is even remotely true. Grant it's your opinion but innovated game play starts on the PC.

With new shooters coming out every Friday consoles are stuck in 'PC 90's early 2000s.' Indie developers alone give PC gaming the edge on new gameplay mechanics.

Perhaps you meant 'COMMERCIAL' games with some spice? Because consoles games genre listing alone are limiting.
 
I see things going down hill for the PC when it comes to big name games. In the past new maps, game modes, levels were all free or you bought the expansion on disc also you had dedicated servers. Now the maps, modes, and levels are all no longer free and are 9 times out of 10 download only. Dedicated servers are also going away. I want the old days of gaming back.
 
[quote name='sendme']I see things going down hill for the PC when it comes to big name games. In the past new maps, game modes, levels were all free or you bought the expansion on disc also you had dedicated servers. Now the maps, modes, and levels are all no longer free and are 9 times out of 10 download only. Dedicated servers are also going away. I want the old days of gaming back.[/QUOTE]

You hit the nail on the head with that first line of what you stated. Though it's not as gloomy as the rest of what you wrote.

Now - This is my personal preference - I prefer community servers. I was never too keen on depending on a company for server support. This is probably due to the fact that I game with the same people (friends and family) for the last 15+ years of PC gaming. That's not to say that we don't use dedicated servers but so long as the game allows us to host our own servers...I'm good. If not I probably won't mess with that game much unless it's free ;)

As far as map, models...again I rather just dl the community stuff or make my own (with the editors) than pay a company for skin and maps that mostly likely where suppose to be included in the original launch.
 
I'll toss in a couple of pennies into this discourse.

Owning all the current-gen consoles and a respectable frankenstiened PC gaming machine, I would have to say that the 'consolization' of the PC gaming market is getting to be one irritating pile of shit that I have ever seen.

Look, There are a lot of console-centric ideas that were cute to see and experience on the PC, like Achievements and a level of social network integration. But the Battle.net 2.0 and the IWnet approach is so counter-PC that I'm happy to hear the close-to open revolt on the two systems.

Maybe that's what the mainstream industry has devolved to: a money-making endeavor that would sacrifice EVERYTHING just to guarantee another dollar made.

That being said, console gaming does have a lot to offer to the PC scene, such as the aforementioned achievements and the continuing and increasing 'ease of use' of PC gaming, both mainstream and otherwise. The Steam platform, for instance, allows a one-click purchase, install, and play feature that makes running a newly bought PC game easier than console gaming. That being said, The 'core PC gamers, me included, cannot and will-not tolerate having much needed and advance setting hidden/taken from us just to 'simplify' a game for the mainstream crowd.

I mean, WTF is up with putting PC save game files in obscured hidden folders in my Window's machine? Can't I open and .ini file to pump my save files to a flash drive, so I could always have my progress with me. Cloud-based saving features (like Steamworks) is a fine tool for the job, but how many non-Valve games utilize this feature? Dammit, I just want to be able to play Plants vs. Zombie on both my PC and my laptop without having to have 2 different campaigns.

Also, who's the fucktard that though removing dedicated server support from the PC scene as being a smart idea? How about a choice, like having the ability to find a specific server, but also having the ability to use a p2p-hosting capability for the people with no patience/know-how on understanding ping or latency.

I like the idea of having near-universal gamepad support for PC gaming, but can we open up the standard, for one, and for two allow us to customize the button layouts as well, especially when I plug in my controller?

The list goes on and on.... I'm going to stop ranting now.
 
[quote name='Megazell']You hit the nail on the head with that first line of what you stated. Though it's not as gloomy as the rest of what you wrote.

Now - This is my personal preference - I prefer community servers. I was never too keen on depending on a company for server support. This is probably due to the fact that I game with the same people (friends and family) for the last 15+ years of PC gaming. That's not to say that we don't use dedicated servers but so long as the game allows us to host our own servers...I'm good. If not I probably won't mess with that game much unless it's free ;)

As far as map, models...again I rather just dl the community stuff or make my own (with the editors) than pay a company for skin and maps that mostly likely where suppose to be included in the original launch.[/QUOTE]

Aren't most games starting to not come with the editors now? That was another thing that I forgot about just because I never used them in the past. When they do come with a game I don't use them now. It is just something I have not goten into but want to.

As for it being something that most likely was supposed to be included at launch that is how it seems now. A long time ago it was free in an update or you bought it on disc about a year later and was more than just an hour or so of gameplay.
 
[quote name='sendme']Aren't most games starting to not come with the editors now? That was another thing that I forgot about just because I never used them in the past. When they do come with a game I don't use them now. It is just something I have not goten into but want to.

As for it being something that most likely was supposed to be included at launch that is how it seems now. A long time ago it was free in an update or you bought it on disc about a year later and was more than just an hour or so of gameplay.[/QUOTE]

Games have been coming with level editor since the late 80's for the PC. This growing trend of not providing editors is counter productive to the longevity of the game - Which is is more likely the reason developer stop providing them...that plus they want to strangle hold their properties. If that's what they want...cool but they won't get a lick of my money.

I remember the days of buying expansion packs and things of that nature. Perhaps it's a little of nostalgia and/or retroactive and proactive interference but I can't remember a single player game from the early 90's to late 90's that was released and then a expansion pack soon on it's coat tails like it is today. I am sure there were some exceptions that I can not think of at this time, though.

[quote name='iKilledChewbacca']I am a console gamer, but now I am slowly moving to my PC. I even lately upgraded power supply for my NEW VIDEO CARD !!! :D[/QUOTE]

Hope you enjoy the experience.
 
The big engines like source, id tech & unreal got editors since way back and the new id tech5 will bring tools (said in a interview with g4tv). I think that you might feel that there are no tools released because instead of releasing new engines all the time valve & epic are constantly improving their engines without releasing new tools, though in valves case it might be time to ditch the hammer editor...

There are quite a lot of games based on those engines. Like Cod, mass effect, batman.
I just think its the lack of mod support for the games, its not the lack of tools.
I think the publishers just want to cash in on the dlc that can be made for the game and its because of that there is so little mods for them. And I can understand the publishers in a way but I think that will cause a long term damage.

Releasing tools or making the game mod friendly is imo essential to keep the game alive for a long period of time. Not only will that raise the sales of the game but the dev's can get good ideas from the community and also maybe pick up a few talented persons.

Then again I get the feeling that the publishers want the player to just finish the game and then pick up the next instead of trying to mod the shit out of it...

The only improvement I can think of from the consoles that has come to the pc is the cover system and regenerating health. I dont know if those has been in games on pc before consoles but that are two features I see as coming from consoles.
 
I think this problem lies in two areas. The first is the increasing cost to make games. I think developers need all the sales as possible to be able to keep afloat and well the only way to do this is to make the game as assessable to everyone possible.

Now granted there are genre's like RTS and RPG which are still heavily long time gamer focused, but when I look at games like shooters I feel that the creativity is slowly decreasing only because they want to be able to make sure it's an accessible product.

Now the second part is the general public. Being more focused to everyone means that you get gamers who never played games before. I am guessing they don't know what PC gaming was 10-15 years ago, and they don't know what it was like to get free content. I think they might think the way we do things now with paid DLC is the norm and they are fine spending 8-10 dollars for 2 hrs of extra content. Plus I also believe games have been getting both easier and less featured (for example less abilities, less exploration, some features taken out, etc) so anyone who can pick up the controller can pick up a game and can not be confused.

Also to say about why isn't mods or level editors being used in PC games much anymore. I think they fear if you make your own levels you wont buy our levels for 10-15 dollars a pop.
 
[quote name='freddy_']The big engines like source, id tech & unreal got editors since way back and the new id tech5 will bring tools (said in a interview with g4tv). I think that you might feel that there are no tools released because instead of releasing new engines all the time valve & epic are constantly improving their engines without releasing new tools, though in valves case it might be time to ditch the hammer editor...

There are quite a lot of games based on those engines. Like Cod, mass effect, batman.
I just think its the lack of mod support for the games, its not the lack of tools.
I think the publishers just want to cash in on the dlc that can be made for the game and its because of that there is so little mods for them. And I can understand the publishers in a way but I think that will cause a long term damage.

Releasing tools or making the game mod friendly is imo essential to keep the game alive for a long period of time. Not only will that raise the sales of the game but the dev's can get good ideas from the community and also maybe pick up a few talented persons.

Then again I get the feeling that the publishers want the player to just finish the game and then pick up the next instead of trying to mod the shit out of it...

The only improvement I can think of from the consoles that has come to the pc is the cover system and regenerating health. I dont know if those has been in games on pc before consoles but that are two features I see as coming from consoles.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. Games like Starcraft and HL still sales because of the FAN community that support it - Either through online play, maps, mods or total conversion. Not all companies are blind to this but many of their financial backers are.

Those came from older PC gamess like Marathon, Tribe (mod) and Quake (mod).
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']I think this problem lies in two areas. The first is the increasing cost to make games. I think developers need all the sales as possible to be able to keep afloat and well the only way to do this is to make the game as assessable to everyone possible.

Now granted there are genre's like RTS and RPG which are still heavily long time gamer focused, but when I look at games like shooters I feel that the creativity is slowly decreasing only because they want to be able to make sure it's an accessible product.

Now the second part is the general public. Being more focused to everyone means that you get gamers who never played games before. I am guessing they don't know what PC gaming was 10-15 years ago, and they don't know what it was like to get free content. I think they might think the way we do things now with paid DLC is the norm and they are fine spending 8-10 dollars for 2 hrs of extra content. Plus I also believe games have been getting both easier and less featured (for example less abilities, less exploration, some features taken out, etc) so anyone who can pick up the controller can pick up a game and can not be confused.

Also to say about why isn't mods or level editors being used in PC games much anymore. I think they fear if you make your own levels you wont buy our levels for 10-15 dollars a pop.[/QUOTE]

Exactly.

Personally - This is why I mess with freeware games. They are not afraid to make challenging games even it will alienate gamers.

As for the cost of games...there is a lot of bloat in the current structure of game development. On top of this, I think too many game makers go into areas they really shouldn't be in and end up making sub par games that still get pushed on to the public because so much $ and time were already invested...Take a look at any SP game with MP content that end up become forgettable.

The casual market is the pink dragon that the big companies chase but in the end they neglect their base that allowed them to get as big and as successful as they are and in the end this will slowly erode the industry as a whole - Console or PC.
 
[quote name='Megazell']Games have been coming with level editor since the late 80's for the PC. This growing trend of not providing editors is counter productive to the longevity of the game - Which is is more likely the reason developer stop providing them...that plus they want to strangle hold their properties. If that's what they want...cool but they won't get a lick of my money.

I remember the days of buying expansion packs and things of that nature. Perhaps it's a little of nostalgia and/or retroactive and proactive interference but I can't remember a single player game from the early 90's to late 90's that was released and then a expansion pack soon on it's coat tails like it is today. I am sure there were some exceptions that I can not think of at this time, though.



Hope you enjoy the experience.[/QUOTE]

Thats what I was saying. Back then that stuff came with the games. It was more play our games and do what you want with it to keep you playing attitude. Like I said in the past you got an expansion maybe 6 months after the game came out or it was just in an update that was free. Now you to unlock things that are on the disc you have to pay more money for something you already bought. Older gamers will get sick of it when it gets to out of hand. I think that time will be in the next 5 to 10 years. Atleast I hope it is in the next 5 years. I want things the way they were in the old days when I installed a game all I needed was a CD Key and nothing else. If I even needed that. And to hell with this paying 15 bucks a month to play a game I just paied 30-50 bucks for.
 
[quote name='Actionhank']Most podcasts are console focused. If you want a good podcast that also focuses on PC games try the Gamers With Jobs Podcast. They were (maybe even "are") doing a Friday playdate with the community to play some old school PC multiplayer classics like Tribes 2, CS:Source, Rise of Nations, etc.[/QUOTE]

The thing is, as you pointed out the Podcast focuses on FPSes and RTSes, which is what the PC is pretty much known for. I would prefer to play my console games in other genres that are released for consoles - JRPGs, action games, puzzle games, etc. on my PC. Ideally the game should be built from the ground up to take advantage of the PC, rather than being a straight up minimum-effort outsourced port (which a lot of console-to-PC game conversions are). I'm not a complete fan of the FPS, MMO, or RTS genre (which is what the PC is known for) and would like to see those AAA series titles that are on the consoles make it over to the PC side.

Basically, what I'm looking for at some point is for games to always be released in such a way where the PC version will always be the superior. The game will play at each platform's fullest potential, but it will be the PC defining what should be in those console games. Consoles have already adopted a ton of PC-like features in them, but they still lack the processing power and graphics capability to make games look as good as they can be.

I'm wishing for a pipe dream, really, but a big game company I found that's recently been doing an okay job at making the PC releases fairly even with the console releases is Capcom. Granted, the PC release of RE5 is sorely, SORELY lacking content compared to its console brethren, but from what I'm aware of, Capcom recently adopted a united multiplatforming framework (called the MT Framework) for their game programming that allows them to quickly and accurately create ports of their modern games for all three core platforms and allowing these games to fully utilize the processing power of the PC.

My personal experience with Devil May Cry 4 PC, RE5 and Lost Planet has (SF4 supposedly did not use this framework) convinced me that such a future IS possible. From what I've read, these games are programmed on a PC first, and then PORTED to the other consoles, which obviously as a PC gamer, I think should be the way it should be done in the first place.

Who knows, one can only dream.
 
[quote name='rumarudrathas']I'll toss in a couple of pennies into this discourse.

Owning all the current-gen consoles and a respectable frankenstiened PC gaming machine, I would have to say that the 'consolization' of the PC gaming market is getting to be one irritating pile of shit that I have ever seen.

Look, There are a lot of console-centric ideas that were cute to see and experience on the PC, like Achievements and a level of social network integration. But the Battle.net 2.0 and the IWnet approach is so counter-PC that I'm happy to hear the close-to open revolt on the two systems.

Maybe that's what the mainstream industry has devolved to: a money-making endeavor that would sacrifice EVERYTHING just to guarantee another dollar made.

That being said, console gaming does have a lot to offer to the PC scene, such as the aforementioned achievements and the continuing and increasing 'ease of use' of PC gaming, both mainstream and otherwise. The Steam platform, for instance, allows a one-click purchase, install, and play feature that makes running a newly bought PC game easier than console gaming. That being said, The 'core PC gamers, me included, cannot and will-not tolerate having much needed and advance setting hidden/taken from us just to 'simplify' a game for the mainstream crowd.

I mean, WTF is up with putting PC save game files in obscured hidden folders in my Window's machine? Can't I open and .ini file to pump my save files to a flash drive, so I could always have my progress with me. Cloud-based saving features (like Steamworks) is a fine tool for the job, but how many non-Valve games utilize this feature? Dammit, I just want to be able to play Plants vs. Zombie on both my PC and my laptop without having to have 2 different campaigns.

Also, who's the fucktard that though removing dedicated server support from the PC scene as being a smart idea? How about a choice, like having the ability to find a specific server, but also having the ability to use a p2p-hosting capability for the people with no patience/know-how on understanding ping or latency.

I like the idea of having near-universal gamepad support for PC gaming, but can we open up the standard, for one, and for two allow us to customize the button layouts as well, especially when I plug in my controller?

The list goes on and on.... I'm going to stop ranting now.[/QUOTE]

This, absolutely this.

If a game gets a PC release, there should be a few things that it should have right off the bat to take advantage of what the PC has to offer.

* Windowed mode. The PC is a multitasking platform. It does this far better than consoles because of the underlying OS and hardware that runs it. Gamers IMO should always have the ability to switch into and out of the game. Running the game in the window gives the convenience of being able to switch quickly between processes without waiting for resolution changes, and it allows you to keep track of what's going on in the back while you're gaming.

* Detailed graphics options. I don't want a shoddy PC port that simply lets me select a generic graphics option with 3 options of low, medium, and high. A console to PC port should provide the same types of graphics options as any modern PC-native game. I want to adjust my shadow detail, the LOD, water texture quality, VSync, Resolution, HDR, etc Every minute detail of the game's graphics should be adjustable by the user.

* Menu interface that takes advantage of the PC. Not only should I be able to use my gamepad or keyboard to move around, but if it's a menu-driven interface I should be able to use the damn mouse.

* Optimized performance. Don't just compile the code to make it work. Compile the port and make it work GOOD. If I run your port at 720p and set the graphics options similar to that of your console version, it damn well better run as well or better than the console version if I have a decent (not overly expensive) video card.

* UNIVERSAL GAMEPAD SUPPORT. It annoys the heck out of me that I have to use a third party utility to compensate for the fact that some company felt like being a lazy ass and slapped on the DirectInput libraries ONLY for the XBOX 360 controller. News flash game companies - there are other third party PC pad options out there and they are very popular options. Don't alienate that crew. Not everyone likes to use the X360 controller in Windows.

* Frequent updates. One of the biggest problems I have with PC ports is once the game is released, most game companies forget about these ports and don't release updates to them, even if the port has numerous performance and compatibility issues. Guess what happens when you turn your back on the PC community by doing this? You end up with a fiasco like the GTA4 PC port and millions of console gamers CEMENTING that stupid video game marketing mantra that PC gaming is dead.

I apologize for my rant, but it's just been bugging the heck out of me ever since I switched from Mac to PC a few years ago to play these console to PC games...
 
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