10 Years away from PC Gaming.....what have I missed?

Well this thread is full of enthusiasm!

For me:

I am quite enjoying Harry Potter. It's pretty, has a big map and will push a new PC.

Diablo 4 is out soon and is the kind of game you'd enjoy more on PC (also very pretty from my play of the beta).

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. It's gorgeous, and if you fancy learning a lot of new stuff, or are already into flying, it offers a lot of depth learning how to fly both modern and old aircraft (getting the damn things started can need some knowledge!) or you can play easy mode and just enjoy the views. Also a good test of a new PC and available on Gamepass so you don't have to shell out cash up front.

If you have a VR headset like a Quest 2, tether it to your PC physically or wirelessly and enjoy some real immersion with the likes of Half Life Alyx, Walking dead saints and sinners, or a number of other top tier VR games.

We are going back a ways here, in a sense, but Elite Dangerous is still a great game IMO, especially in VR, but also flat.

Plenty more good stuff to be had, but will leave it there for now. Witcher 3 goes without saying if you haven't played it btw.
 
for me the single biggest thing in gaming over the last decade has been. the rebirth of VR and this time it may just stick.
games like elite dangerous, PCARS2, Dirt rally 2, Half Life Alyx and so many more are jaw dropping and offers something you just can't get on a monitor.
if you really are only interested in monitor gaming then the last decade has really been mostly about sequels.
4k gaming is now a reality and raytracing looks nice but it's just prettier versions of the same old thing but now with added microtransactions and content which used to be earned by playing a game now sold for extra cash .

it's not all bad. it you like multiplayer coop
borderlands 2 and 3 are good , diablo 2 remastered and diablo 3 , deep rock galactic .

modern retro is a thing now. some great looking games done in 8/16 bit style but with modern flair
 
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bigmike20vt said:
for me the single biggest thing in gaming over the last decade has been. the rebirth of VR and this time it may just stick.
games like elite dangerous, PCARS2, Dirt rally 2, Half Life Alyx and so many more are jaw dropping and offers something you just can't get on a monitor.
if you really are only interested in monitor gaming then the last decade has really been mostly about sequels.
4k gaming is now a reality and raytracing looks nice but it's just prettier versions of the same old thing but now with added microtransactions and content which used to be earned by playing a game now sold for extra cash .

it's not all bad. it you like multiplayer coop
borderlands 2 and 3 are good , diablo 2 remastered and diablo 3 , deep rock galactic .

modern retro is a thing now. some great looking games done in 8/16 bit style but with modern flair
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Don't you need a big empty room for VR, though?

I see one member here who has just that, for VR.
 
wunkley said:
Games getting exponentially worse and graphics cards getting exponentially more expensive pretty much covers it.
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labbby said:
Over the last 10 years you have missed the demise of PC gaming.
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Noxia said:
A lot of **** poor stuttering games that run fine on cheaper consoles.
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SpudMaster said:
Might be an idea to stay away for another 10 years. All we seem to have now is xxxx poor ports and stupidly expensive gpus...
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You guys are hilarious. Meanwhile here I am, enjoying PC gaming every day a ton. Meanwhile my console hasn't been powered on in two years.
 
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Highlights for me in the last approx. 10 years:

The Division 1 - TD2 I felt was a step backwards in many ways, the first game is quite immersive and mostly fun to play.
Hogwarts Legacy - If you are into either the HP universe or casual/lite open world RPGs - a rare case of biting off something ambitious and mostly nailing it.
Dishonored - In some ways a love letter to the classic games in similar genres of the late 90s/2000 like the Thief series - feels familiar yet new.
Subnautica - First half is excellent, second half feels rushed and not as immersive but worth it for the first half.
No Man's Sky - The initial novelty is quite an experience and worth it for that - personally got bored of it quite quickly though.
Doom 2016 - Could be better but reasonably fun.
Battlefield 4 - Probably the peak of this kind of game to be honest, sadly quite a few bugs and issues though.

Personally really haven't gelled with most of the releases of the last 10 years - far too many issues or just plain bad games - there are some others which are great games but simply don't do it for me personally like Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Witcher offerings.

Cyberpunk 2077 is one I really sit on the fence on - personally I enjoyed playing quite a bit of it straight up shooter style and some of the story content is really good IMO - but that isn't really [just] what you want to play a game like that for - and most of the RPG mechanics, character customisation including clothing, skills and perks, etc. are just atrociously woefully bad game design.
 
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For immersion and story there have already been some great suggestions like The Division 1, Subnautica Dishonored 1&2. I'd also add Horizon Zero Dawn, and assuming you've not played on XBox already Mass Effect Legendary Edition. The latter is based on some quite old games but has been updated to run on the latest hardware. Oh and the newest Hitman games.

I haven't played any PvP for years to can't comment on multiplayer.
 
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Divinity 2 is an amazing crpg that is well worth a look, I preferred it to Witcher 3 which is also a great game. If you finish both of them in time for August then you will be in for a very special treat with baldurs gate 3 which you can buy now on early access which is the majority of act1 but your better off waiting for the full release in August.
 
Kelt said:
Don't you need a big empty room for VR, though?

I see one member here who has just that, for VR.
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a big empty room is the dream (and indeed i am pondering replacing my current quest 2 and reverb G2 with a single quest pro mainly because it works outside for garden scale VR.

but depending on the game you dont need a lot of space. i mostly play racing games and flight games (elite dangerous) in VR. these do not benefit at all from a large room.

even games which have motion in are made to have options so those with limited space can still play. i would say a 2m x 2m free space would mean that no game is unavailable to you to play.... many need less - some probably would benefit from more.
 
Paul_cz said:
You guys are hilarious. Meanwhile here I am, enjoying PC gaming every day a ton. Meanwhile my console hasn't been powered on in two years.
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I was being overly cyncial for rhetorical effect :D I still like PC gaming really, despite its current challenges, and like you consoles don't even get turned on any more.

There have been some cracking games in the last 10 years as well. My biggest gripe of recent years though is the **** poor ports and shader cache stutter debacle/ lazy ass devs. I think we may be coming through that now though....
 
wunkley said:
I think we may be coming through that now though
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I think so, the bad PR several studios have gotten in the row over that problem should serve as a wake up call.
And now even the games that launched with that problem are fine, as far as I know (Callisto, Gotham Knights..).
 
Lots of nostalgia - RPGs have finally looked back and given us several Infinity Engine type games, and the aforementioned Divinity Original Sin 1+2 are totally Ultima 7 influenced.

MSFS 2020 is jaw dropping. Elite Dangerous takes the game in an unexpected direction.

And there are still indie greats - Outer Wilds is exactly the game I always wished I could make if I was a professional game dev.

But we're still waiting for the next Elder Scrolls :p
 
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A few things and in no particular order:

You know those free demo things you could get 10 years ago. They're now called 'early access' games that you pay for and they're everywhere.
You know those things called graphics cards. They're now the price of an entire PC.
You know those things called processors. They've now got even more cores and threads and most games still don't use them properly.
You remember that thing called overclocking. It's now mostly called undervolting.
You know that game called Far Cry 3. Somehow, however crazy it may seem, they're still making it in what might as well be its 58th iteration.
You know those things called consoles. They have this thing called auto aim assist where you barely need to do anything. Online multiplayer is full of it.
You know those things called microphones. Everyone now has one and the quality is awful. 'Always on' mode is a highlight.
You know that word 'remake'. It's becoming increasingly popular in gaming as it's cheaper to reskin a game than it is to make something new.
You know the term 'loot box'. It gained a lot of traction across a variety of online games. Instead of addressing issues to do with mechanics and balance, you will often see a new cosmetic skin for money instead.
You know that first point I mentioned about 'early access'. There's a particularly popular one that's a semi realistic fps that has been in that state since roughly 2017. It's top version is 110 euros and the audio still doesn't work. A large percentage of people have no walls in it.
You know those things called ergonomic office chairs that don't look very appealing but are actually quite comfortable - in some cases incredibly so. The exact opposite is now a popular product in gaming in the form of the 'gaming chair'.
You know that event called Blackpool Illuminations - the fancy lightshow one. It's now available inside your PC case.
You remember that game called Quake 3. You know, the really popular one requiring a high level of mechanical skill and timing. They released a new modern version a few years ago and it absolutely bombed. I'm not sure if it contained console auto aim (see above).
You remember that game called Half Life 2. Still isn't a third.
You know how generally speaking the human body requires water, food and sleep. You don't need any now as you can juice yourself out of your mind with 'gaming drinks'.
You know how pre-ordering was a thing and sometimes it didn't work out. Pre-ordering is still a thing.
You know how a good developer and publisher will broadly speaking release a certain standard of good games. This thing called Cyberpunk happened.
You remember Battlefield. Problems...
You remember IGN. It gave a game called Alien Isolation 5.9/10 and somehow it's still operating.
You know how sometimes you found games a bit too dark. You can now burn out your retinas with 'gaming filters'.
 
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PC is the best. Only platform where I can have Planescape Torment, Quantum Break, Uncharted, Jagged Alliance 2 or Last of Us right next to each other, only a double click away..

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Kinda half wishing I hadn't checked back in here now!

In seriousness, thanks for the recommendations and the sattire! Everything bar the PC is here and that should be here Thursday!

Regarding a lot of stuff being on the xbox and pc, agreed, but the xbox became a fifa machine for way too long and now I'm thankfully free of that cursed game, so a few others aside I'm genuinely behind a bit, so thankyou for the help!
 
I can't play single player games anymore.

I keep playing apex then I decided I hate it, I keep playing Fortnite then I decide I hate it, I keep playing warzone then I decide I hate it.

FIFA and football manager are my only constants.
 
Some more notable mentions I'm pulling in no order from my steam library:

Hades - the pinnacle of the rogue lite genre of late
Control - Remedy's best work to date imo
Path of Exile - born out of annoyance from the diablo 3 departure from diablo 2
Batman Arkham Knight / Origins - I think you woulda missed these two from the franchise
Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice - quite a unique style of game
Wolfenstein reboots - there's 2 majors and one DLC. skip the latest one with kids.
Disco Elysium - unique style of point and click rpg
Prey - really great story and gameplay, maybe the closest spiritual gameplay (not story) to deus ex in recent years
Tomb Raider reboots - all of them. All ooze quality.
Superhot - interesting bullet time game
Fallout 4 - nuff said
Mad Max - underrated mix of ass creed and batman combat

Then loads of 2D platformer gems like LIMBO, Inside, Ori 1+2, Hollow Knight, Vampire Survivors, Cuphead
 
think you would need a time machine to catch up on all the games in the last 10 years. If it had been released in the last 10 years I'd have suggested Back to the Future : the game just because of that! (it is a good game), but that was released 12 years ago.
 
a new one you could try is Pinball FX, has lots of DLC, so its a pick and choose thing initially rather than a buy everything one. Williams pack 1 is a great place to start, but it does also have a very good and very fun Back to the Future table. Some are also available in the older pinball FX3.
 
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