GETTING INTO PC GAMING

Hello, this is Nukacherry.

Hey guys. I last posted about my recent Mac purchase, and wanted more information on Mac gaming. Now I wanna ask...what is PC gaming? Sorta. I mean I know what PC gaming is, and I know why people love it, and I kinda wanna jump in to it. But I have no idea what games to get, just...PC basics I guess. I know I'm buying CS:GO soon, and of course Minecraft etc. But I mean things like WoW, TF2 etc. I feel like I can't get into those sorts of games. Inspire me. Tell me what the essential purchases are for PC if someone has never really played PC before. If possible, mention games that are also available on Mac. :)

-Nukacherry-

Steam is a good place for you to go, especially now that there's more available for Mac. Lots of great deals on a lot of different games so you can try out different stuff without putting a big dent in your bank account. Also welcome to Giant Bomb :)

pretty much get steam. look at the bottom to see the system requirements to see if your mac can play the games you want.

team fortress 2 is a free to play game. there are different classes for the game, the heavy is a fat bald guy who has a machine gun, spy has a character who can turn into other team classes he back stabs to kill people, medic he heals the team, engineer makes sentries and portals for the team, phyro is a guy who has a flamethrower. there are a few other classes to name. there are different types of games that you can play, like capture the flag, cart race your team has to beat the other team cart to the other side, your team stands near the cart to make it move. valve just released a man vs machine update. this game is where you fight a bunch of machines that are different classes. they try to plant a bomb on your side. might sound easy but sometimes it can be hard. there are unlocks you get when you play the game.

try onlive or some other digital service its pretty much dead retail.

If you can get into Counter Strike, you can get into PC gaming.

On that note, PC gaming is generally just video gaming, only it looks better and runs better in general. You can also mod a good number of PC games, meaning that by downloading mods or by making them yourself you can change some aspect of gameplay or add new things to a game.

PC gaming requires some measure of computer knowledge. I do not mean you need to be anything close to an expert or, hell, even an intermediate PC user - but you've got to learn something. Every PC build is different and at some point you'll probably run into an issue that you'll need to solve, so basic PC knowledge is recommended. And I mean more than just knowing how to check your email - download drivers, navigate to wherever your games are installed, know how to Google search for a solution to an issue, etc.

What about games? Well, there's such a huge number of games you could get into that just ticking off a few recommendations really undercuts how much there could be in PC gaming. As a good place to start, though, I would suggest getting Portal 2. It's got a pretty good mod community, it can easily introduce you to changing resolutions and graphics settings, etc., and has short in-game explanations of what each thing does so you don't wonder what the hell "anisotropic filtering" is, and it's a pretty good introduction to mouse and keyboard aiming because, at least at first, it doesn't require very fast accuracy and movement from you. It slowly introduces a whole lot of PC quirks to you and it's just a great game in general.

If you are at all into strategy games, do yourself a favor and get games like Age of Empires II and Rome Total War on the Mac. They are some of the deepest games you'll ever play if you get into. 

Make yourself a Steam/UPlay/Origin/GoG/etc. account and go over to r/GameDeals or any other site that collects PC sales and just buy tons of games and indie bundles. The main advantage that PC gaming has over consoles is that the games are dirty cheap, so you can just stack up on stuff that looks interesting and then figure out what you like of it. Also visit the Steam forums, PC games sometimes have problems that require manual workarounds, Steam forums most often have a solution ready.

Check out both Witcher games. Fantastic RPG series.

TF2 is free, I recommend waiting for the Steam Sales(TM) to get the more expensive games. Right now, I'm really enjoying Sleeping Dogs.

Get a civilization game and play that into your mid 50s then retire with a disability pension.

Any favorite genres?

I'm going to toss Freespace 2 into the hat. Because it's Freespace 2. There's an active modding community for it and even without mods, looks good today.

Starcraft 2

Have an Xbox 360? Purchase a wireless receiver for the PC. Then you can play most games with a Xbox 360 controller. If you don't have a Xbox 360 buy a wired Xbox 360 controller. The receiver cost 15ish the controller is 30. Even though I have a Xbox 360 already I went with the wired option so I would have a extra controller for the pc. But a receiver provide support for more than one so yea.

PC gaming is just more diversity. Also, no one seems to have mentioned it yet. You can use bootcamp on a mac to load up windows onto your computer(the mac part stays there still). This is useful if there are any games that are windows only.

You can try League of Legends, its a Dota style game.

What is PC gaming?

At the current time it's basically much better looking console gaming, with an added library of Strategy games and just about full backwards compatibility on older games. When you talk PC gaming, you are basically talking steam.

With that comes fairly reliable access to any AAA titles, although as always with PC, reliability varies from game to game - system to system. You definitely want to bring a controller, as the mouse option has about a 50 percent chance of being hopelessly supported or just less suited to a game that was probably originally designed for consoles.

Otherwise there are a slew of great strategy games, generally produced by smaller developers, where you will for the most part find a more technical and in depth experience than anything you will find on a console. Like the FPS, strategy games have been iterated on for so long that coming into the genre fresh can be confusing and difficult. Checkout anything in the total war series, civilisation, supreme commander 2, anno 2070, sins of a solar empire, tropico 4, endless space, company of heroes and dawn of war. There are many more depending on how far back you want to go, but generally the developers behind these games are the ones to checkout.

Indie games made by small developers are abundant on steam also - many exclusive to PC. Though most consoles all have some sort of space for small developers to release indie games at this point in time.

As far as shooters go the PC no longer is the reigning champ though playing on a PC with a mouse is an entirely different type of game, historically a little more intelligent than console - but still super reliant on twitch based skill. Checkout anything by valve - particularly half life 2 which should still hold up pretty well. Battlefield 3 is made to play on a PC and looks fantastic. Otherwise Stalker is an experience that you can really only have on PC.

If you are so inclined older PC classics can be found at GOG.com (good old games) which are fairly priced and come with no DRM. Here you will find a massive library of PC exclusives that really define what PC gaming was in it's hey day (mainly the mid to late 90's). Also demonstrating the games that paved the way and invented the ideas behind most modern games. Beware, certain games - particularly first person shooters tend to not hold up so well no matter how fondly they are talked about.

I'm a little confused if you are asking "what is pc gaming" from the point of view of using a MAC. Because the notion of what gaming is between a MAC or PC are vastly different. Unfortunately steams library on the MAC is a small pool of mostly casual games although the indie stuff is fairly well represented, as far as recommendations i would keep your eyes open for torchlight 2, civilization 5, anything by valve, i heard the walking dead is decent - adventure gaming being another genre well represented in PC gaming and check reviews regarding a bunch of the indie stuff.

PC gaming is at the enthusiast level, taking an amount of care and pride in some expensive hardware to enjoy games at the best possible quality.

In my opinion gamespy.com is one of - if not the best website to follow for specifically PC game news, reviews and introspectives.

PC Gaming isn't a miserable little pile of apples that's for sure. Seriously though, PC gaming isn't restricted to mouse and keyboard. Maybe try out a 360 or PS3 controller.

@Nukacherry: I'll quote myself from another thread:

• Deus Ex is by far the greatest gem to ever grace the platform. Download the texture pack and have one of the best most innovative stealth FPS cyberpunk experiences out there.

>> If it feels too old/dated for you, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an absolutely faithful and true spiritual successor. It's all about the unique stealth gameplay.

• World in Conflict and Company of Heroes are two of the best Real Time Strategy games from this generation.
• Starcraft 2 is the best strategical multiplayer RTS (Real Time Strategy).
• Civilization V for Turn-Based Strategy.
• Some will argue that Skyrim is a sellout and that you should play Morrowind and Oblivion. I haven't played Morrowind, but I think Skyrim is a great Elder Scrolls title. The mods you can download to radically alter the game can blow your mind.
• If you dislike fantasy RPGs, Fallout 3 is Oblivion/Skyrim with guns, and set in a wasteland. Tons of mods as well.
• The Witcher is miles ahead of the 7-8 other RPGs that I've played. Such a bleak, bleak universe that's almost as scary to explore as Stalker's. The character is way too badass for you to handle and the story is very unique. Swordplay is a little stale but the various attack stances and the awesome magic spells that you can upgrade make up for it.

>> If it's too outdated for you, Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is one of the best sequels to anything ever. Nothing short of a PC masterpiece.

• Crysis. If anyone tells you it's a tech demo, they didn't play for more than 30 minutes. That gameplay blew my mind in 2007 and has been doing so on an annual basis. Arguably the greatest PC FPS.
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl. Hands down thee best atmosphere in a game, big dysfunctional world around you with mutants and beasts and bandits and military, and the shooting is extremely unique. Download the Complete 2009 Mod.

• Half-Life 2 is the obvious choice for a more linear and story driven FPS with characters you'll care about.

• Battlefield 3 is the best multiplayer FPS for the PC on the market right now.
• Team Fortress 2 (multiplayer) - Very entertaining, encourages teamwork, has a unique cartoony aesthetic, and it's FREE TO PLAY.
• Mount & Blade: Warband is a fantastic Medieval multiplayer "shooter" that relies heavily on melee battles with bayonets and swords.

• The Portal franchise is a must play.
• If you like your multiplayer co-op games, Left 4 Dead 2 and Magicka are great.
• Serious Sam 3: BFE is a new old-school shooter where all kinds of freaky monsters lunge at you and you get to blow them to bits.
• Hitman: Blood Money, Thief: Deadly Shadows and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory for the best first person/third person stealth adventures on the platform. You need patience, strategy and some trial-and-error, but the end result is extremely satisfying.
• Max Payne 1 and 2, very old, yet the gameplay, aesthetics and story telling haven't aged a single day. Some of the best Third Person Shooters you can find on the platform, and by far the best noire atmospheres in a game.

>> Too outdated for you? Jump onto Max Payne 3, I can't be more amazed by how true of a sequel it is and how well it looks and runs on PC. Though in my book if you haven't played Max Payne 1, you're not a real person.

• Just Cause 2 is the most explosive open world action third person shooter I've ever played. The graphics and aesthetics deserve an award too.
• The Saboteur, Assassin's Creed 2, Saints Row: The Third, Sleeping Dogs and Red Faction Guerrilla are all terrific open world third person shooters/action games.
• Trine and Trine 2 are both really great side-scrolling adventure puzzlers.
• Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is a pretty good adventure game. I'm not good with adventure games, I dunno.
• ArmA II, especially with the newly-released and widely acclaimed zombie mod for it called DayZ, is the best military simulator on the PC. An MMO-like open world with tons of custom game modes. Try ArmA II Free2Play and see if you like it! (Which is done by downloading the demo on Steam).
• Diablo III if you like ARPGs with infinite grinding and loot whoring. Amazing game!

>> If you wanna try the Diablo experience in a smaller, simpler and CHEAPER version, play Torchlight.

• Neverwinter Nights 2 is the go-to party-based RPG on the PC. Go for Dragon Age: Origins, the last real PC game by Bioware, if NWN2 is too outdated for you.

Welcome to the platform, enjoy your goddamn stay!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

@believer258 said:

If you can get into Counter Strike, you can get into PC gaming.

I disagree with that statement. I've been playing games exclusively on Windows PC since I was 5, and I never liked Counter Strike. Don't believe believer!

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Nukacherry: I'll quote myself from another thread:

• Deus Ex is by far the greatest gem to ever grace the platform. Download the texture pack and have one of the best most innovative stealth FPS cyberpunk experiences out there.

>> If it feels too old/dated for you, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an absolutely faithful and true spiritual successor. It's all about the unique stealth gameplay.

• World in Conflict and Company of Heroes are two of the best Real Time Strategy games from this generation.
• Starcraft 2 is the best strategical multiplayer RTS (Real Time Strategy).
• Civilization V for Turn-Based Strategy.
• Some will argue that Skyrim is a sellout and that you should play Morrowind and Oblivion. I haven't played Morrowind, but I think Skyrim is a great Elder Scrolls title. The mods you can download to radically alter the game can blow your mind.
• If you dislike fantasy RPGs, Fallout 3 is Oblivion/Skyrim with guns, and set in a wasteland. Tons of mods as well.
• The Witcher is miles ahead of the 7-8 other RPGs that I've played. Such a bleak, bleak universe that's almost as scary to explore as Stalker's. The character is way too badass for you to handle and the story is very unique. Swordplay is a little stale but the various attack stances and the awesome magic spells that you can upgrade make up for it.

>> If it's too outdated for you, Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is one of the best sequels to anything ever. Nothing short of a PC masterpiece.

• Crysis. If anyone tells you it's a tech demo, they didn't play for more than 30 minutes. That gameplay blew my mind in 2007 and has been doing so on an annual basis. Arguably the greatest PC FPS.
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl. Hands down thee best atmosphere in a game, big dysfunctional world around you with mutants and beasts and bandits and military, and the shooting is extremely unique. Download the Complete 2009 Mod.

• Half-Life 2 is the obvious choice for a more linear and story driven FPS with characters you'll care about.

• Battlefield 3 is the best multiplayer FPS for the PC on the market right now.
• Team Fortress 2 (multiplayer) - Very entertaining, encourages teamwork, has a unique cartoony aesthetic, and it's FREE TO PLAY.
• Mount & Blade: Warband is a fantastic Medieval multiplayer "shooter" that relies heavily on melee battles with bayonets and swords.

• The Portal franchise is a must play.
• If you like your multiplayer co-op games, Left 4 Dead 2 and Magicka are great.
• Serious Sam 3: BFE is a new old-school shooter where all kinds of freaky monsters lunge at you and you get to blow them to bits.
• Hitman: Blood Money, Thief: Deadly Shadows and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory for the best first person/third person stealth adventures on the platform. You need patience, strategy and some trial-and-error, but the end result is extremely satisfying.
• Max Payne 1 and 2, very old, yet the gameplay, aesthetics and story telling haven't aged a single day. Some of the best Third Person Shooters you can find on the platform, and by far the best noire atmospheres in a game.

>> Too outdated for you? Jump onto Max Payne 3, I can't be more amazed by how true of a sequel it is and how well it looks and runs on PC. Though in my book if you haven't played Max Payne 1, you're not a real person.

• Just Cause 2 is the most explosive open world action third person shooter I've ever played. The graphics and aesthetics deserve an award too.
• The Saboteur, Assassin's Creed 2, Saints Row: The Third, Sleeping Dogs and Red Faction Guerrilla are all terrific open world third person shooters/action games.
• Trine and Trine 2 are both really great side-scrolling adventure puzzlers.
• Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is a pretty good adventure game. I'm not good with adventure games, I dunno.
• ArmA II, especially with the newly-released and widely acclaimed zombie mod for it called DayZ, is the best military simulator on the PC. An MMO-like open world with tons of custom game modes. Try ArmA II Free2Play and see if you like it! (Which is done by downloading the demo on Steam).
• Diablo III if you like ARPGs with infinite grinding and loot whoring. Amazing game!

>> If you wanna try the Diablo experience in a smaller, simpler and CHEAPER version, play Torchlight.

• Neverwinter Nights 2 is the go-to party-based RPG on the PC. Go for Dragon Age: Origins, the last real PC game by Bioware, if NWN2 is too outdated for you.

Welcome to the platform, enjoy your goddamn stay!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

@believer258 said:

If you can get into Counter Strike, you can get into PC gaming.

I disagree with that statement. I've been playing games exclusively on Windows PC since I was 5, and I never liked Counter Strike. Don't believe believer!

You missed my point - I meant that if you can play Counter strike well enough to enjoy it, then you can play PC games in general. I was more referring to its (and I don't like this term) "hardcore" fanbase, who are just as punishing as the game itself when it comes to new players. I was referring to getting past that particular obstacle, I did not mean it at all as some sort of exclusivity thing.

Meanwhile, isn't Baldur's Gate 2 generally considered the go-to party based RPG on the PC? And I thought you didn't like The Witcher 2 for some reason?

On topic, Just Cause 2 is on sale on Steam right now, at least here in the US of A. If you can run it, get that.

@believer258 said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

@believer258 said:

If you can get into Counter Strike, you can get into PC gaming.

I disagree with that statement. I've been playing games exclusively on Windows PC since I was 5, and I never liked Counter Strike. Don't believe believer!

You missed my point - I meant that if you can play Counter strike well enough to enjoy it, then you can play PC games in general. I was more referring to its (and I don't like this term) "hardcore" fanbase, who are just as punishing as the game itself when it comes to new players. I was referring to getting past that particular obstacle, I did not mean it at all as some sort of exclusivity thing.

Meanwhile, isn't Baldur's Gate 2 generally considered the go-to party based RPG on the PC? And I thought you didn't like The Witcher 2 for some reason?

Oh, ok I gotcha!

I gave Witcher 2 another real shot and I fell in mad love with it. Also I don't recommend pre-2001 games because I think they're too old for new comers.

I'm just going to list a couple of games I think are easierly some of the best games you are likely to find on the PC platform and you can decide if its something you'll want to get into....

Anno 2070

Anno 1404 : Dawn Of Discovery + Venice Expansion Pack)

Command & Conquer 3 - Tiberium Wars & Kanes Wrath

Command & Conquer Generals

Supreme Commander : Forged Alliance

Supreme Commander 2

Civilization 5

Shogun 2 : Total War

Star Wars : Empire At War

World In Conflict

Star Craft 2

The Settlers 7 : Paths To a Kingdom

The Settlers 2 - 10th Anniversary Edition

Counter Strike Global Offensive

Doom 3 + Expansino

Half-Life 2 + Expansions

Quake 4

Enemy Territory Quake Wars

Planetside 2 (shooter MMP thats free-to-play just google and you'll see how amazing thats going to be)

Serious Sam 2 (great coop)

Serious Sam 3 BFE

Crysis 1 & 2 (should soley sell you on PC gaming alone)

Battlefield 2 Collection (is on steam)

Battlefield 3 (not worth playing on anything else other then a PC)

Team Fortress 2 (amazing for free via steam)

Unreal Tournament 3 (by far one of the best community supported games of all time with 1000s of maps and mods to download to keep this game entertaining for years)

Max Payne 3 (a big 26-30 GB download though via steam)

The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition (another 26GB download)

Neverwinter Nights (wasn't too keen of the 2nd one)

Mass Effect series (common its the mass effect series, gaming doesn't get much better then that)

Diablo III (thought you have to be constantly connected to the net to play is only downside)

Deus Ex : Human Revolution

Endless Space (superb! turn based space strategy)

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Premium (comes with both expansions and regardless of its age, easierly by far the best theme park simulation ever made to day)

Worms Reloaded (very fun turn based game with worms! )

Star Trek Online (if you like star trek, this game is now free-to-play)

EVE-Online (slightly more for the hardcore players of MMOs, you either like it or not)

Sins Of a Solar Empire : Rebellion

Aliens Vs Predator 2010 (easierly one of the best AvsP games you will ever find!!)

Alan Wake (if you lvoe adventure games this is definitely one for you)

Alien Breed : Impact

Alien Breed : Assualt

Alien Swarm (excellent free game that can coop with 4 players)

Dragon Age 1 & 2 (even though available else where, still players better on PC with the best looking graphics on PC in my opinion)

Trine 1 & 2

Vampire The Mascreade : Bloodlines (without a doubt the best real role-playing game of all time still regardless of its age)

Skyrim (not with playing on anything other then a PC)

Syndicate 2012 (even though its not exactly anything like it should have been, or even close to the original series of the 90s, its still a very solid game with good coop gameplay)

Spore (just an insane game in funny and good ways)

Singularity

Dead Space

Operation Flashpoint : Dragon Rising

Operation Flashpoint : Red River

Mirrors Edge (I loved this game, different brilliant graphicly and fun to play)

Nexus : The Jupitor Incident

Hegomonia : Legions Of Iron

Mafia II

Nexuiz

Kingdoms Of Amalur : Reckoning

Dead Island

If not one of those games gets your mouth wet with exciting of the possibilites of what PC gaming is like, has, or why its the better platform in so many ways, then I guess PC gaming is simply not for you! Hope you can find some of the games i've listed here worth a shot, every single game i've listed I personally think are simply put, Awesome Games.................