hi everyone.

I am recently debating if I should buy some console game on my pc. I do own an xbox, but I spend a lot of time on my gaming PC, and I saw that steam sells most of the games I want to play on xbox. I own an xbox controller for my pc, and I like my pc setup better for now considering I have not invested in a good HD TV yet. Do you guys recommend buying games like Arkham City, Assassins Creed revelations on PC rather then xbox? Tell me your reasons why?

I've heard Batman: AC is a clusterfuck of problems on the PC and the Assassins Creed games are quite good if you look past the DRM that Ubisoft cattlebrands on every PC release.

I play most console games on PC if a PC version is available. It depends if it will provide you with a better experience or not. Make sure these games run equal to or better than the console versions would, evaluate your setup (which you have in regards to your TV) and other issues like DRM. How the game performs on your system has to be the main factor in this decision.

My Xbox and my PC are plugged in to the same HDTV so for me its an easy choice, as I can play games at a higher resolution and better framerate with the same display experience.

I played AC2 on PC and Xbox. I preferred it on the PC because the load times was shorter.

@AlisterCat: Yea, I agree. I have to check the review for each console port to PC to make sure that the PC version will give me the same experience that the console game does. I don't want to run into a bad PC port.

@Mastaofminds said:

@AlisterCat: Yea, I agree. I have to check the review for each console port to PC to make sure that the PC version will give me the same experience that the console game does. I don't want to run into a PC port.

Just Cause 2, Deus Ex, Skyrim, Dragon Age 2, Renegade Ops and Space Marine PC ports were great (on top of PC-specialized games like BF3). It usually helps to wait and check reviews/steam forums for a game to see if there are any issues.

The Batman Arkham City fiasco with DX11 is odd, given that Nvidia is shipping the game with most new dx11 cards and Asylum was a really good port.

@Witzig said:

I've heard Batman: AC is a clusterfuck of problems on the PC and the Assassins Creed games are quite good if you look past the DRM that Ubisoft cattlebrands on every PC release.

Not really Batman: AC is great on the PC, having playing both versions PC is the way to go

also:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/11/batman-arkham-city-on-pc-is-the-version-gotham-needs-and-you-deserve.ars

i buy my multiplatform games on the PC as i want 1080p and a 60fps and i've yet to be disappointed by any game i bought yet.

@DonPixel: Awesome review! So Batman AC is good, but what about batman AS? I am also still behind on the last 3 Assassin Creed games.

Do you guys use an xbox 360 controller for the pc to play these games?

Most games i would say yes, get on pc. It'll always look better than the 360 version by far, and most games work perfectly fine. The 360 controller is great to use on games that don't feel right with a kb/m, and most multiplat pc games support it now. Do a little research before buying a game though just to make sure that the pc version isn't a total mess.

@Mastaofminds said:

@DonPixel: Awesome review! So Batman AC is good, but what about batman AS? I am also still behind on the last 3 Assassin Creed games.

Do you guys use an xbox 360 controller for the pc to play these games?

I've played only the Batman AS Demo, seems to work fine as well. The Assassin Creed games are also good with improved visuals thou I strongly suggest you to get a 360 wired control to play those as they have native support for it.

Both Batman games have native 360 support on the PC.

what about batman AS? I am also still behind on the last 3 Assassin Creed games.

Do you guys use an xbox 360 controller for the pc to play these games?

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Mastaofminds said:

Do you guys use an xbox 360 controller for the pc to play these games?

If there's camera movement (moving the camera around as you play), a mouse will always blow an analog stick out of the water. The only games I use a controller with are sidescrollers, some platformers, sports and driving games. Otherwise it's Mouse & Keyboard. 70% of console ports on PC are great, 20% are OK and 10% are completely broken. So don't worry, the 'bad port' is not as frequent an issue as people make it out to be.

Some games work great with mixed mouse/keyb and controller. Just Cause 2 - driving/flying works much better with controller, and walking around with mouse/keyb.

Depends on what game, look on the steam forum at the particular game you are interested in and see if there are any problems with it.

@Dagbiker said:

Depends on what game, look on the steam forum at the particular game you are interested in and see if there are any problems with it.

Mmm I don't know about this, PC crowd is specially sensitive and bitch out of proportion any issue. Personally I'll go with a professional review.

I've generally had no problem, though there are a few issues I sometimes run into, such as Borderlands and Dead Island having no VSync option in the menu (resulting in some config editing) and the occasional input lag like Just Cause 2. It's a trade off, really. Console versions have the fewest problems and are pretty pick up and play, but PC games have the risk of being totally bunk even though you can run the game with higher textures and sometimes more graphical effects. Most of the time, though, it's only textures and framerate.

These days, even "PC games" are often back-burner to the console version and it often truly shows. Other times, they're just flat out bad ports of what are essentially console games. This weighs into my decisions, often.

What weighs in more is the style of game and where I want to enjoy it. The last thing I want to do is sit hunched over my keyboard and mouse at my desk (blah blah PC-HDMI-living room blah blah blah) for more hours on top of the ten or twelve or more hours I spend doing actual work in the same spot and position. So, if it's a PC-specific shooter that I really want to enjoy there (BF3, Red Orchestra 3, Counter-Strike, etc) I go for the PC without reservation. Same for RTS and strategy games like Civilization (obviously). Same, obviously, for MMOs and really deep RPGs like Skyrim.

However, everything else -- COD, Assassin's Creed, GTA, Saints Row, Mass Effect, etc . . . goes on the console. Where I can enjoy it on a massive screen with a massive audio system in the dark from the comfort of a huge sofa.

PC-only people will give you a thousand reasons why PC is the only choice. Console-only people will give you a thousand reasons why console is the only choice. One-console only people will give you a reason why only their specific console is the only choice. The fact is, there are many reasons for every platform and a lot of it depends on what where and how you're looking to enjoy it.

If a game is on PC then might as well get it on PC. Even if you use a controller. The only kind of anoyying thing I have ever expierienced is on some of the cheaper ports it will still show like "Press A to start" but thats on the lowest of the low ports.

I think it's fine, just use a gamepad and it's a pretty similar experience.

@matthias2437: A lot of top-tier games, like Fallout 3 (haven't played New Vegas yet) do this too. The menu system is one of the most annoying things about that game.

@Branthog said:

These days, even "PC games" are often back-burner to the console version and it often truly shows. Other times, they're just flat out bad ports of what are essentially console games. This weighs into my decisions, often.

What weighs in more is the style of game and where I want to enjoy it. The last thing I want to do is sit hunched over my keyboard and mouse at my desk (blah blah PC-HDMI-living room blah blah blah) for more hours on top of the ten or twelve or more hours I spend doing actual work in the same spot and position. So, if it's a PC-specific shooter that I really want to enjoy there (BF3, Red Orchestra 3, Counter-Strike, etc) I go for the PC without reservation. Same for RTS and strategy games like Civilization (obviously). Same, obviously, for MMOs and really deep RPGs like Skyrim.

However, everything else -- COD, Assassin's Creed, GTA, Saints Row, Mass Effect, etc . . . goes on the console. Where I can enjoy it on a massive screen with a massive audio system in the dark from the comfort of a huge sofa.

PC-only people will give you a thousand reasons why PC is the only choice. Console-only people will give you a thousand reasons why console is the only choice. One-console only people will give you a reason why only their specific console is the only choice. The fact is, there are many reasons for every platform and a lot of it depends on what where and how you're looking to enjoy it.

Well put Branthog. I guess you mean Red Orchestra 2? I would have to disagree with you on COD being played on the couch. FPS are PC only IMO. Same goes with RTS, MMO, and deep RPG's.

If you have a good setup (HD TV, Comfortable couch, Sound System Etc..) then playing most open world adventure games that require those long hours. I agree the sofa is a better situation. A lot of those games now a days take advantage of the HD setup to the max.

@Branthog said:

These days, even "PC games" are often back-burner to the console version and it often truly shows. Other times, they're just flat out bad ports of what are essentially console games. This weighs into my decisions, often.

What weighs in more is the style of game and where I want to enjoy it. The last thing I want to do is sit hunched over my keyboard and mouse at my desk (blah blah PC-HDMI-living room blah blah blah) for more hours on top of the ten or twelve or more hours I spend doing actual work in the same spot and position. So, if it's a PC-specific shooter that I really want to enjoy there (BF3, Red Orchestra 3, Counter-Strike, etc) I go for the PC without reservation. Same for RTS and strategy games like Civilization (obviously). Same, obviously, for MMOs and really deep RPGs like Skyrim.

However, everything else -- COD, Assassin's Creed, GTA, Saints Row, Mass Effect, etc . . . goes on the console. Where I can enjoy it on a massive screen with a massive audio system in the dark from the comfort of a huge sofa.

PC-only people will give you a thousand reasons why PC is the only choice. Console-only people will give you a thousand reasons why console is the only choice. One-console only people will give you a reason why only their specific console is the only choice. The fact is, there are many reasons for every platform and a lot of it depends on what where and how you're looking to enjoy it.

Well put Branthog. I guess you mean Red Orchestra 2? I would have to disagree with you on COD being played on the couch. FPS are PC only IMO. Same goes with RTS, MMO, and deep RPG's.

If you have a good setup (HD TV, Comfortable couch, Sound System Etc..) then playing most open world adventure games that require those long hours. I agree the sofa is a better situation. A lot of those games now a days take advantage of the HD setup to the max.

My advice is wait for sales if you are going with digital distributions. EA had Arkham City for sale for $25 during black friday. Steam had some killer sale slike $5 for Dead Space 2. Wait for the upcoming christmas sale to get the most value.

For an added bonus add the free dragon age legends on EA's Origin to your cart to get a $10 coupon off a $30 order.

Amazon is having 19 days of deals and a ton of stuff is on sale for the videogames section for all platforms. Keep an eye out on them.

After getting a good PC and nice monitor I very quickly traded in all my multiplatform games and never looked back. Gaming, for me, on the PC has looked better, loadsfaster, can be costomized and tends to play better.

I also got a wireless thingy for the wireless 360 controller and that has been great.

So, solid PC and quality monitor provided, I would recommend the switch.

@Branthog said:

PC-only people will give you a thousand reasons why PC is the only choice. Console-only people will give you a thousand reasons why console is the only choice. One-console only people will give you a reason why only their specific console is the only choice. The fact is, there are many reasons for every platform and a lot of it depends on what where and how you're looking to enjoy it.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Here in Brazil I pay about US$ 90,00 for a Xbox360 game (without imports), but with Steam and related stores I can pay about US$ 20,00 or 30,00. And almost everything on PC looks really better than the consoles.

You should play Saints Row 3