PC Shooters You Should Play Instead of Halo Reach: Part 3

Halo Reach comes out the day after tomorrow, and we can expect a relentless media blitz about the XBox 360 and its new killer app. But what about us PC gamers who’d rather shoot bad guys with our high-precision mice instead of a clumsy analog stick? Each day from now until Tuesday morning when Halo Reach launches, we here at Player Affinity’s PC department are going to suggest a PC exclusive shooter that you can play instead of Halo Reach (Or at least help kill the time while you wait).

[tdogchristy90]

I just find this flawed. I don't even read the articles, i'll admit, but the title itself just seems flawed. The majority of people who own a console aren't going to own a gaming rig able to play fps on anyway. For the majority it's usually one or the other. I just don't understand....comit all time to pc or all time to console.....not both.

[despair]

that's not true, I have two consoles for playing all game types except FPS which I have a proper PC gaming rig for, I just cannot play FPS games with a controller I'm more comfortable with a mouse and keyboard.

[gillri]

its more accurate for sure, but doesnt have meaty triggers, analogie movement or force feedback

I find controllers more engaging for the above reason

[despair]

I know but those things don't matter much to me for FPS games, other genres, especially racing, using a controller is almost mandatory for me but I grew up on Wolfenstein 3d and doom, so its embedded in me to play FPS games with a mouse and keyboard.

[morganfell]

The one thing I do miss on PC titles though is the analog movement. It is simply a better feature for a FPS or TPS title. That doesn't mean games from one platform or the other are better. Each have their strengths. But analog movement, grossly under used by developers on the console, is a great feature to have as a standard part of the control scheme.

There are some ways to assist in compensating for this missing PC feature but it isn't the same. Still, hats off to Bohemia for using macros in the form of double tap keys for Arma, Arma II, and Arrowhead.

[ryuzu]

I think if, these days, you don't have some PC gaming time then you can't call yourself a gamer.... And I don't believe cost is a true barrier to PC gaming anymore but I'm sure that old line will get used again.

Gamers go where the games are, and while the PC has taken a battering, it is still the home of many excellent games - ones which are simply impossible on the current crop of consoles.

The reality is that you can get a PC that can play games from a year or so ago at a fairly low price and get access to more "free" content to boot.

If you consider yourself a gamer now, I'd suggest selling your 360 or Wii and getting a PC instead. PS3 is a bit different since it has a lot of very good exclusives so that has to be kept for the moment.

As a for analog sticks - the PC has more control options than any console platform, including using the console controllers.

Force Feedback - no console has force feedback in its controllers - that is just rumble. PC games on the other hand support proper force feedback for wheels and joysticks.

So, well, yeah its a no brainer - but there is so much ignorance about PC Gaming among supposed Gamers who only have a console that really, I don't know why I'm wasting my time :)

Well, a bit of moral support for despair up there I guess.

r.

[Fadetoblack69]

Can still use your controllers on a PC too. I just picked up a PS3 dualshock 2 controller and set it up on my pc to try and get used to it. Fraggin feels odd to me though and FPS is out of the question without my mouse!

[gcolley]

@ryuzu - are you the gamer police or something. what you are referring to is a PC gamer, not a gamer. besides i was playing video games way before that idiotic word was conceived, i'll never call myself a "gamer". the word is just lame

[iagainsti120]

Did the whole PC gaming for a few years and got tired of it, when i get home from work all i want to do is hit a switch and start gaming. When i was younger i didn't really care as much about that and spent the time see how high i could put the settings before it looked like a slide show.

1st gameing PC Compaq from mid to late 90's with 128mb ram 533mhz AMD K6-2 and Voodoo 2 Graphics
2nd gameing pc was a Gateway with Intel P4 3.06Ghz cpu 1gb RBram Ati 9800pro 128mb

Games I used to play on PC Star Wars X-wing vs Tie fighter, Star Wars Pod racer, Star Wars Rouge Squadron, Doom 1-3, Monkey Island, Half-life, Half-life 2, Deus ex, Thief, Thief 2, Unreal tournament, Unreal Tournament 2004, Star wars Dark Forces(a lot like doom), Starcraft, Diablo 2, Halo:CE, and Tribes. Thats all i can remember.

Edit I also agree with gcolley

[tdrules]

Lol.
PC/PS3/360 owner, I will be buying Reach but I'll also be on TF2, CSS and Quake Live.

Variety rules

[FragMnTagM]

Don't understand why people tell others to own such and such system or play only such and such games. If a game looks cool to me, I usually try to play it regardless of platform.

I could give a rats @$$ about iPhone games and portable gaming, but if it is on Wii, PS3, 360, or PC and I think I might like it, I either buy it, rent it, or play the demo.

What is really ironic is that Bungie are friends with Valve and they are located about two blocks from each other. They even swapped games before release to play each other's game early. No rivalry there, so why does one have to be created? Childish, desperate, foolish, etc.

[BattleAxe]

I game on PC and PS3, but I think that PC gamers need to get over HL2. Its old and Halo Reach is new. I got about half way through HL2, and I didn't like enough to finish it.

[RankFTW]

Blasphemer!

[poopface1]

THIS "ARTICLE" IS SHIT. I love this game but have played it a bunch of times already and am still waiting for episode 3. But IVe played it and its 6 years old now. I play CS all the time tho. Doesnt mean I wont play reach.

Ill play reach, castlevania, GT5 etc before I play HL2 again. Ohhh, too bad those games are not on PC either.

[edoman20]

Minerva had been finished for years, i played all the three episodes the past year and i found it a masterpiece

I heard too that the developer of thgis mod was hired by valve

[VandimionX]

I did that also, such a money-pit. The only thing I miss is the 8/16(q) aa, seriously...the next generation of consoles better have higher anti-aliasing capabilities.

Pretty much no excuse at this point.

[BigKev45]

Not this crappy article again! Don't approve.

[T9X69]

So basically.

Butthurt article: Part 3

[PoorMansGT]

you mad 2007 graphics game is not liked by all.

[CountDracula]

xbox 360 or PS3. Doesn't matter. But you gotta admit:

Fantard article?

I think so.

[XXXCouture]

why not play both? fu*king whiners

[Bellcross]

This article failed epically.

[Shawnzee]

I'd rather play a fps on console over PC anyday.

[JohnApocalypse]

Ditto

[TABSF]

Consoles for exclusives only

Getting Halo Reach Xbox 360
Getting Gran Turismo 5 PlayStation 3
Getting GoldernEye Nintendo Wii

PC for everything else

PC it only does everything

[Matthew94]

Golderneye! sounds amozing!

[FragMnTagM]

+bubs.

[rumplstilts]

You are a wise gamer. *bows head*

[N2G]

controller can be as fun as mouse & keyboard when it comes to playing FPS but everything else like racing,fighting,puzzle..etc controller wins hands down.

add to the above the superior online community on consoles compared to the shallow,dry,empty feeling community on PC. consoles online multiplayer has that special feeling. :)

[Matthew94]

superior online community?

0ver 70,000 people play quality games like Counter Strike every day over 10 years since release.

Who still plays resistance online?

[tdrules]

there is no community on consoles as long as p2p matchmaking is used.
Maybe when consoles get community run servers that are customisable and have "server regulars" then maybe it'll have a community (also most online games last longer in terms of years with community run servers, on console they don't- Halo 2, R:FOM etc)

The only community I know on my 360 and PS3 are my RL friends and those who call me an English Cunt online.

[TABSF]

Play simulators with joysticks and steering wheels

I only use my 360 pad on my PC on 3rd person shooters and action adventure games

Mouse and Keyboard owns all

PC it only does everything

[OpenGL]

Xbox Live and PSN have better communities than Steam?...

[Chnswdchldrn]

even tho half life 2 pretty much shits on reach in terms of singleplayer and graphics and physics wise, halo reach does have its famous multiplayer component

[FragMnTagM]

but Half Life 2 is still amazing considering it's age. Halo 3 actually had some pretty impressive physics. You could deflect grenades that haven't blown up yet with exploding grenades, the fushion coils when they blew up were really similar to valves exploding barrels a la chain reaction.

Graphics, with mods, yes but not just the game on highest settings. I have it and can run it at absolute maximum settins and while it looks great for it's age, it is not as good as some of the stuff I have seen in Reach. Now if you are talking with mods, then hell yeah HL2 would crap all over Reach. I have a few mods for HL2 that make it really gorgeous.

Can't judge single player just yet as you, nor I have not played it.

Also, Valve and Bungie are friendly and are really close to each other as in where their offices are located. I don't think they share your animosity.

[DarkFantasy]

while i do agree with you partly but i have had more fun playing the story of half-life 2 then the multiplayer of ANY game! but thats imo then again half-life 2 is basically my favorite game of all time,half life 2 a 5 year old game better then 99% of all games made today! again imo nothing comes close to it and some of those mods are crazy

[Neko_Mega]

Back when Halo was one PC (Like Halo 2 Vista), PC gamers brought the heck out of it like 360 users did.

The draw back to being a PC gamer is that you almost have to upgrade your computer every year, I mean to get the best out of your games.

[Seferoth75]

You really should stop commenting on PC gaming. You know nothing about it. No you do not have to upgrade every year to get the most out of your PC. You are under some false assumption that developers always use the latest tech when making games.

[Neko_Mega]

Yeah right, it was kind of a joke to.

My point is that PC's never stop getting better, their is a upgade that beats all the others almost about every year, for person like me it feels like almost every year.

An with Microsoft maybe making Windows 8, wouldn't be shock if you have to upgrade your computer to run it.

Plus I can comment anywhere I like, I own a PC as well, forgive me for no one getting the joke about it being like a year.

[rumplstilts]

You could go 4 years easily with all games in that time running smoothly. Also, a gaming PC puchased now will be just as powerful 4 years from now. It is only the games that evolve.

[Zinc]

How anyone could disagree with this statement, I have no idea.

He wrote pretty much what I was going to write.

[CombatEvolving]

Already played the Hell out of all three games this guy listed, but I'm still getting Reach.

[palaeomerus]

Yup. I like HL2, but why not play BOTH? Besides that, the game came out in what 2003? 2004? What's it have to do with not playing Reach? Stupid fanboy article. Sounds whiney as hell.

[theoracleofgame]

Love Half-Life 2, and I love mods, but why not just talk about mods in general? Unreal Tournament mods are crazy.

[edoman20]

People if you want to try a hyper mega awesome mod, take and dust off you old copy of Deus ex for pc, and play the NAMELESS MOD

15+ hours of pure awesomeness