I completely agree with the initial poster. PC Gaming is definately going in a different direction and it's by necessity I think. The games continue to become more "console" like and not the deep, compelling gameplay PC gaming used to offer. My examples are Origin's Ultima VII and Darklands by Microprose, two RPG's still unmatched by anything since in my opinion. Also Spectrum Holobytes/Microprose's Falcon series. X-Wing and Tie Fighter by Lucasarts andthe Wing Commander series by Origin. Eye of the Beholder from SSI and Lands of Lore series from Westwood.These titles would really draw you in and it required an investment in time and interest to enjoy these to the fullest, but most gamers aren't willing to do that these days.
The problem is that for these companies to make money, they must appeal to a large sample of gamers, be they casual or "hardcore". No one takes the time to get really involved in a game or series of games, like Ultima used to or Falcon 3.0 / 4.0, where you really needed to read the manual and understand how fighter operations worked. Once you did though, your enjoyment of the games increased greatly. I really miss Origin, Microprose, Interplay and other old school PC game houses.
Now there are exceptions. The Total War series is outstanding, Steel Beasts Pro PE, Falcon 4.0 AF which I still play and I must admit my guilty pleasure that is World of Warcraft. Any civil war games, like Madminutes Battle of Bull Run and 2nd Mannassass are both excellent. I do like the Neverwinter Nights and Elder Scrolls series as well.
In the end though, I always keep a copy of Dosbox installed on my machine, because truth is, I spend more of my time playing the games of old than I do the new ones.
Lancer VI
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