I’m a slacker, I know. I’m also sick, which is awesome. And I’ve been reabsorbed into Company of Heroes since buying a shiny new 8800GT and helping Chuf assemble a new gaming monster (seriously, he’ll be putting up pictures soon, the thing is a beast). After the most hectic console holiday I think I’ve ever had in terms of things to play, it’s kind of a relief to fall into a very well made RTS that’s totally different than everything I’ve been playing over the last 3 months. And it’s good to get to know my PC again.

The thing is, the recent experiences with PC gaming (and facilitating PC gaming for myself and my roommate) has managed to both point out that things that I find great about it and the things that make me thank the gaming overlords that I have consoles to play. And reflecting on a purchase that cost me about as much as a new gaming system (although I was lucky enough to find a card at Frys that was actually going for suggested retail instead of the fucking outrageously marked up prices for 8800GTs on Newegg and everywhere else), I’m having the same kind of, well, not remorse per se. More like buyer’s melancholy maybe?

What I like: I am currently near the edge of PC gaming with my setup. I’m running a Core 2 Duo at 2.6Ghz, have more than a terabyte of HD space, have 2 gigs of PC-6400 RAM, and the aforementioned BFG 8800GT OC 512MB card, which means I crush most games well. And I can finally run Company of Heroes without it crashing.

What I dislike: I’ve been trying to think of amazing games to use to make myself feel better about the money I dropped, and I can’t really think of anything but what I’ve already used. I have no desire to play Crysis. Gears of War is actually inferior gameplay wise compared the the 360, and 60FPS makes the game look more like meat puppets than ever. In fact, I’m feeling the same kind of buyer’s trepidation that I imagine a PS3 owner felt after the newness of the console came out. I’m just wondering what I’m supposed to play.

The good news is, there are games on the horizon this year that I can now comfortably play that I am excited for. Starcraft 2 should be out soon (I hope), and I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by how system intensive Spore will be. Now I just need them to come out.

-Aegies

Posted in PC, bullshit | 4 Comments »

On Friday, Infinity Ward was kind enough to grace us with a singleplayer demo for Call of Duty 4, which is the next (and probably last) big shooter to drop this fall. Since my computer is in pretty good shape , I decided to download her and give it a whirl, as I was already privy to the delights and heartbreak of the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer beta last month.

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Posted in 360, Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, PC, PS3 | 1 Comment »

Gamestop will very likely be sold out almost completely of Bioshock by the time you read this. If you were planning on just picking it up, or you were going to pick it up in a couple of days, I suggest you call ahead prior to making a, er, Gamestop. Or you might try Circuit City, where it’s on sale for 50 dollars for the 360, and 40 dollars for the PC (and if you have a PC that can run it, I’d like to add that you can burn in hell). On that note, I’m off to Rapture. Hold my calls.

-Aegies

Posted in Bioshock, Gamestop, PC, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

You’ll pardon our absentee-ism yesterday; aside from stories that were generally just random unimportant bullshit, everything else was about Bioshock, coverage which stirred massively conflicting emotions within me. However, there are reasons why you’re hearing so much about the game that might not be completely obvious. First, because Madden is more like a yearly gaming tradition (like a hernia or prostate exam), and Lair was delayed (and was not so great according to sites whose word actually means something to me), Bioshock is the kickoff to the “Great Game Flood of 2007″, a time during which gamers will find themselves awash both in an orgiastic tide of awesomeness the heights of which we’ve never seen, as well as misery unlike any year prior as we scrounge, beg, borrow, and sell organs both our own and otherwise in an attempt to keep up.

This is why you’re hearing about it now. Why you’re most likely going to continue to hear about it is because there is a very good chance that Bioshock really is going to be Game of the (Motherfucking) Year in a year where there is no shortage of contenders for the crown. What’s my evidence? Read on, and weep that 2K didn’t push up the release date to this week.

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Posted in Bioshock, PC, Xbox 360, game of the year | 7 Comments »

Gears of War, the blockbuster 360 game that is now heading to PC, will require you to have a Live account in order to play online coop and multiplayer. However, before you go getting your pitchforks out, just know that it doesn’t require a Gold Live account. Players with a Silver account (the free one), can also play the game online.
Also, though currently Games for Windows Live only exists in a format that works with Windows Vista, it will also be releasing for Windows XP. According to CVG, the release for the XP GFW Live service will occur before the launch of Gears.
People will bitch about this and to them I say, you is stupid. No one complained vehemently about having to have a battlenet account to play StarCraft or Diablo online. Having those accounts at least gave the service provider access to stats on how many people were playing, allowing them to determine if future online content would be viable. The point is, while I am sure there are parts of the PC gamer’s anatomy that make him want to buck like a crazy bull at the thought of being forced into a service, this could be a good thing. Besides the possibility for future content, you don’t have to pay for the service.

Chufmoney

[via CVG]

Posted in Games for Windows, Gears of War, PC | No Comments »

I’ll let you marinade on this one for a bit. First, yes, it’s PC. Second, I have a PC that can run it, and I’m still going to be disappointed if it doesn’t appear on the 360. Third, shit, meet fan.

-Aegies

Posted in Gears of War, PC | No Comments »