Need PC Gaming Advice Please

[Wombatula]

So I'm just getting back into gaming and found the GOG thread and downloaded The Witcher: Enhanced Edition last night and it is amazing so far. It got to thinking about the PC gaming as well. Except for mmo's, the only games I've played on the PC are Starcraft and a little bit of Myst. I know I've missed a ton of great games over the years and I want to go back and discover them. I had a few questions about PC gaming and was wondering what the more experienced gamers had to say.

Are there any opinions on "must-play" games or franchises? I've looked up some top PC games lists on the net but was curious if there were any hidden gems or games that were great, although not popular in the mainstream. Also, I have two gaming rigs at my house and was wondering what are some great multiplayer games, particularly rpg or action/adventure games like Diablo II?

Will the older games from the 90's or 2000's play on a modern rig?

On games that appear on both PC and consoles, which is it usually better to play them on?

What kind of controllers or joystick should I use? Currently I have a Naga gaming mouse and G510 keyboard.

I know it's a lot of questions, but like I said, I'm a total noob when it comes to gaming on the PC, so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[fastbilly1]

Total noob is alright. PC gaming can be daunting. First off what are you favorite genres. PC gaming has literally been going strong since the 70s so there are tens of thousands of titles. I mean if you like adventure games there are over 3000 text adventure games alone.

The best part about pc gaming is you can either use everything or nothing. Personally I like to have a flight stick, an ambidexterous mouse, and a trackball. I love Logitech peripherals.

[MrPopo]

Are there any opinions on "must-play" games or franchises?

Deus Ex

In general I'd say that if a game is on both PC and console you're better off getting it on the PC, with some notable exceptions. Fighting games are better on the console unless you have a joystick for the PC, and even then I think console would have a larger multiplayer community. Jade Empire, because it's a brawler, is better on the Xbox instead of PC. But otherwise any FPS or RTS is better on the PC. You get to use a mouse, there's usually mod support (either official or by the community), and the online tends to last longer on the PCs.

[Wombatula]

Thanks for the great answers so far.

My favorite genres are rpg, adventure, and platformers. I have a love/hate relationship with RTS and FPS games. I love playing the story modes either with co-op or solo. But honestly I have never played these games online outside of Black Ops with my friends on 360. Only 2 of my friends actually play games, and they only play on consoles. So in order to play RTS or FPS games online with a pc I'm going to have to jump outside my comfort zone and into the online community.

I greatly prefer playing with/against people I know but I'm tired of seeing games like Starcraft 2 or Crysis and think "Damn, if only I had someone to play with". But I do want to play them and I do want to get better at them; of the 3 of us, I am easily the worst at Black Ops on 360.

Also I read that to run some older games like Myst, I'm going to need an older style rig running Windows 2000 or even 98. Is that so? Is there anyway to get the older games to run on Windows 7?

[neilencio]

If you bought the games from GOG or STEAM, you don't really need to worry about OS compatibility. They got you covered.

[Wombatula]

Cool thanks. What about games not from GOG or Steam?

Also, are there any platformers that perform better on the PC? I was thinking of getting Psychonauts and some of the Oddworld games but reviews I've read indicate that platformers ported to the PC usually don't translate well. I would think being able to play those games on a pc would result in better graphics than the PS1 and 2 or the XBox. Controls shouldn't be a problem with a good game pad, am I not right?

[jfrost]

If you get your games at GOG, they'll run anywhere. Outside GOG, you might have to tinker with DOSBox at least to run older stuff, and there are some games that just plain won't won't run if you don't have an older rig.

Psychonauts and Oddworld games (at least the first two) are fine on PC, but you'll want a gamepad, certainly.

Thanks to Games for Windows, the 360 controller became the standard PC controller too. So, if you have it, you don't need much else.

[AmishSamurai]

I've generally found platformers aren't as good on the PC- with a few exceptions like VVVVVV

[Wombatula]

Good to know that about GOG.

I guess my main question is would I be better off just buying the platformer game for the console it initially came out on and stick to pc exclusive platformers to play on the pc, or will the older platformers from the PS or XBox play just as well on pc? Will the pc version usually have better graphics or will they remain close?

I guess this question could be applied to all games like that are available on console and pc, with games like Mass Effect and BioShock. Being that I can use a gamepad for my pc, I feel just as lost when deciding which version to buy of current games. Ugh why can't I be a pc or console fanboy, it would make things much easier

[Ack]

To answer a few of your questions:

1. There are quite a few I'd consider "must-plays," but I'll come back to this one. I'll also lump the multiplayer titles into this question.

2. Some will, some won't. GOG is a great source for fixing up older games, which you already know about. Steam would also be worth checking out. But there are many good games from the old days that may or may not run. It all comes down to the game. Now if you want to check out older DOS games, DOS Box is a great program that will really help you out. I actually finally got to play through Zork last year thanks to that program.

3. This really comes down to your preference. Personally I prefer FPS, RTS, turn-based strategy, point-and-clicks, text adventures, MMOs, and action-RPGs on PC, but things like fighting or third person games I prefer on a console. Just ask yourself what you're more comfortable with.

4. Heh, honestly I couldn't say, as I have a beat-up Alienware optical mouse and that's it. Logitech makes some great PC peripherals, as mentioned above.

Oh, and don't worry about being a noob. You have to start somewhere.

Anyway, on to question 1. This is actually a pretty tough question to answer, as there are so many good games. I'll give you the names of a few titles, but it's going to be tough, and probably quite FPS-heavy, as that's what I play the most of on PC. In fact, I think I'll focus mainly on FPS in this list, and we'll come back and present others.

FPS - While many of these offer multiplayer, some are far more multiplayer-centric than others, which may keep you from playing them.

Wolfenstein 3D
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein
Call of Duty
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Medal of Honor: Airborne
Battlefield 1942 (multiplayer)
Natural Selection (multiplayer)(mod)
Counter-Strike (multiplayer)(mod)
Battlefield 2 (multiplayer)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Doom
Doom 2
Heretic
Quake
Quake 2
Dark Forces
Rise of the Triads
Duke Nukem 3D
Blood
Serious Sam
Painkiller
Deus Ex
Battlefield 2142 (multiplayer)
Unreal
Unreal Tournament (multiplayer)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
System Shock 2
Half-Life
Half-Life 2
Team Fortress Classic (mod)

But there are lots, lots more that are worth checking out. Seriously, this list is actually quite small.