Topic: PC Gaming

[Lithurge]

I'm a saveaholic too and I LOVE THIS GAME! It's bloomin' amazing. I'm still slogging through the medical facility after dealing with my first "Little One" (go on, what did you do? Kill or cure?)  I was going to go straight back through but found the iced up door to the funeral parlour (dunno how I missed it first time around). The story is very good, it's brilliantly atmospheric and great fun with all the upgrades. Clever little twists, like getting the fire plasmid then finding the iced up doors to melt with it! And not going through doesn't hinder the game; they're just little off-shoots for collecting cool stuff and getting yourself killed lots and lots of times.  Must admit I spent a long time with telekinesis trying to kill the toerag with the grenades on the balcony before realising I should throw them at the collapsed door instead... 

I was a cure. But then I  felt guilty about killing the Big Daddies as they weren't 'evil' if you think about it. They give plenty of warning for you to back off and don't attack straightaway when you approach the Little Sisters, it's only if your persistent or attack them that they come after you. Unlike the other inhabitants of Rapture who ran screaming at you as soon as they spotted you.

Telekineses is great, I loved catching the grenades and throwing them back, but also found it useful later for other purposes, so always kept that one as an equipped plasmid. It is great fun suddenly finding a new way to use a plasmid ability, although I never had much use for a couple of them, I'm sure I missed something obvious.

[kneato]

The only PC Game I play is The Sims/The Sims 2 other than that I'm not really into PC games. I have gotten my sister, roommate, cousin, and my nephew hooked on the game. 

[Najemikon]

I've never understood the appeal of The Sims. I look on it like the PCs answer to Big Brother! I don't like that either.

Actually I'm a bit worried about myself because all the games I like seem to involve shooting people and all the games I don't like, e.g. The Sims, are pretty void of violence. 

[RossRoy]

The Sims, are pretty void of violence. 

Oh The Sims can get violent, in a very cartoonish kind of way

[Lithurge]

I've never understood the appeal of The Sims. I look on it like the PCs answer to Big Brother! I don't like that either.

Actually I'm a bit worried about myself because all the games I like seem to involve shooting people and all the games I don't like, e.g. The Sims, are pretty void of violence. 

I view it as letting of steam.

But then sometimes I like to go off and play an adventure game, which generally don't involve shooting people in the face. Although they can be quite violent (Farenheit or Indigo Prophecy depending on whether your European or American being a case in point).

[Lithurge]

The Sims, are pretty void of violence. 

Oh The Sims can get violent, in a very cartoonish kind of way

I did own the original and got bored very quickly 

But the gaming mags do seem to come up with various ways to 'torture' the sims.

[RossRoy]

(Farenheit or Indigo Prophecy depending on whether your European or American being a case in point).

This was a really nice game, although i hated it on the PC. The DDR-like key things were HELL on the PC, much better on Xbox. 

[Lithurge]

(Farenheit or Indigo Prophecy depending on whether your European or American being a case in point).

This was a really nice game, although i hated it on the PC. The DDR-like key things were HELL on the PC, much better on Xbox. 

Gotta agree on the PC controls. Trying to climb the fence in the flashback sequence was err   

Wonder if it'll work in Vista and with my 360 controller (need to get it back from my brother to find out)?

[Najemikon]

Time to wake up an old thread in honour of Portal. Anyone played this? It's very short and I just completed it, but I think it's marvellous and had to come and recommend it.

It's basically a puzzle game made up of test rooms. You have to simply reach each exit, but you will always have to employ portals created with a special gun. Fire once for an entrance, fire again for an exit. Obviously it gets a lot more complicated.

The environment is a test facility. You're on your own, but for a computer voice offering advice and in a later memorable level, a companion cube. There is a very vague link to the Half Life 2 universe (Valve created both), but it's amusing and gives the game more depth.

What sets this game apart and makes it one of the most original, is the computer voices. She is utterly hilarious and brilliantly written. An absolute joy to play with a vein of dark twisted humour. Examples:

"This next test is impossible. Make no attempt to solve it."

"Please note, we have added a consequence for failure. Any contact with the chamber floor will result in an unsatisfactory mark on your official testing record, followed by death. Good luck."

"Cake, and grief counselling will be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you help us all."

Before one test, she explains that the room wasn't finished and has been replaced by a live fire room for military androids ("Sorry for the inconvenience"!). Inside are gun turrets you have to disable. They are hilarious! They have the cutest voices, saying things like "Hello? Is anybody there? No hard feelings" before blasting the heck out of you.

But it took me ages to buy this game. I thought it was just a puzzle game. I was wrong, even beyond what I've already explained...  If you are avoiding this game because it's just puzzles, get it anyway. 

[Touti]

I'm not much of a gamer, in the last 10 years or so I only played the "Myst" series and "Medal of Honor".  "Portal" sounds like fun, maybe I'll buy it but the one I'm really looking forward to get and start "pcgaming" again is "Assassin's Creed".  I can't wait for this to be release on PC.

[RossRoy]

Alright, that's it. Jon you owe 17.95$. 

I've been on the fence about Portal for a while now. Well, you review just tipped me over. Now I have to go through the whole process of getting registered through Steam and all.

 

[Touti]

Where can you get this game, I only find it as part of something called "Orange Box"

[Najemikon]

Sorry, Sebastien!   

Portal was indeed released as part of The Orange Box, Eric, which also includes Half-Life 2: Episode 2. If you download Steam though, you can get it on its own. I think you need Steam for Portal anyway. You certainly do for Half-Life 2 and it's add-ons.

A lot of people complain about Steam, but I haven't had a single issue with it. Fast, subtle and convenient. I had to reinstall my PC months ago. When I resinstalled Steam and logged in, it automatically set about downloading all my games without me having to do a thing. I copied in my saved games and it was as if I never left.

[Touti]

What is Steam ? 

[Najemikon]

www.steampowered.com/

It's a utility that manages game installations. You install through it and it keeps them updated. There is a built in secure shopping page so you buy through it too. I find it pretty cool. Some games though have to be played through it (mainly ones by Valve), because it's also an anti-piracy method. And a pretty good one from what I've heard. The utility saves your username and password and logs you in when Windows starts, so only 'you' can play games 'you' bought. You can't copy the files and give them to someone else to install because it will ask them for their Steam account.