True but for a game to be visually impressive it just needs to have good visuals that aid in the gameplay and help build an atmosphere. Sure there are more graphical effects in other games, but they achieve very little other than giving fanboys something to measure. Honestly, the game that most blew me away on graphics was Journey on PS3. It was unparalleled in beauty, and it ran in both 1080p and at 60fps too, though that's not too important. The important thing is, the game was genuinely beautiful. To go the other way; The Last Of Us was very impressive from an atmosphere point of view and the graphics are some of the better I've seen on the consoles. Like many have said before me, there's no point focusing on realistic smoke, water, or particle physics, if your game is boring and lacks flare. That's the main problem the new Killzone has.

Now when it comes to PC, you're right it will always have the best graphics... theoretically.

I'm an old PC gamer, and honestly, the PC graphics argument is so often bullshit. Rarely are people actually playing game in glorious HD graphics and high framerates, and the issues and expense in PC gaming is ridiculous sometimes. Sure the games are cheaper, and if it wasn't for the pre-owned market that would genuinely change the way I view PC gaming, but getting into PC gaming requires far too much of an investment. Decent graphics cards, hard drives, processors, RAM, it soon builds up and it so bloody fiddly. Every PC game starts the same.

Level 1 - Install the game. This should be easy, but with modern computers it's entirely possible that the thing won't install properly and you'll have to re-install it three or four times to get it to work.

Level 2 - Search the Steam Support page for "Error #3870a3c" and try to figure out why the hell the game keeps crashing to desktop, or freezing up. (There are at least 3 games I have where I've never beat this level, Steam however refuses to refund a game if you've beat level 1 though so I'm stuck with them).

Level 3 - Search the internet tirelessly for the driver you need to update your graphics cards, or whatever else is causing the issues. Finally get the game up and running.

Level 3a - BONUS LEVEL, if you're really lucky the developers will have put in this bonus level called, "repeatedly try to connect to our servers to play a single player game", this level is infamous. One sign you've unlocked this secret level is the phrase "Error 37".

Level 4 - The title screen. This is the level most console games start you on, which is a pity as you're missing out of so much fun....

Level 4a - BONUS LEVEL, if you're playing a game designed with a console in mind, you'll probably want to use a controller. This is the level where you try to get one to work. Some games simply accept the Xbox 360 wired controller, which bypasses this level, but many don't meaning you'll have the fun of starting up and configuring a program like joy2key to force your controller to emulate key-presses. Such fun...

I'd love to embrace PC gaming, I really would. I especially miss my strategy games which are just non-existent on console. The problem is, I don't have over £1000 to drop on a decent gaming rig. Sure I could get a passable gaming PC for about £400-500 but it won't be outperforming the current consoles, not by a long shot. I fell out with PC gaming years ago; I doubt it'll ever win me back. I return occationally to play Tropico 4, Civilization 4, and Dungeons Of Dredmor, but that's about it now. I don't think I could play games like Batman: Arkhan Asylum for example on PC now after playing it on consoles.

Still each to their own. Consoles to me represent convienience and the relaxed freedom to just enjoy my games without having to worry about the technicals. Some people like to micromanage, optimising their games themselves to fit their playstyle, and for them PC is great. For me it's just never going to win me back, especially with digital distribution. Steam is by far the best system for digital distribution, and I own over 30 games on Steam, but I just prefer physical media... it's the collector in me that feels that way. Hell, I've even got the physical media version of Journey for PS3.

You need to manage your PC in bits and pieces

Its like tuning a car over time. You take it as you go along. Besides you spend less on PC's than outright buying the most powerful consoles around every gen.

Nail on head. Great post. Sums up what I was getting at with this thread. It's not all about raw power, it's about what you do with that power. For me, the introduction to Jet Set Radio (particularly when the camera pans around the Noise Tanks and the close up of the Detective) is still one of the most visually impressive things I have ever seen on a video game even 14 years later. Everything just slots together to make something that just looks so right, that no amount of extra polygons, effects or tweaking could improve it for me.

I'll try get Crimson Dragon added to the poll (it's my first attempt at a real discussion thread tbh).

Apart from Crimson Dragon ;D .. here's one to look out for if you like this kind of look in games
RIME PS4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-JunUax8xg

I cant stand how clay like Rime looks.

Thats the beaty of it. So u dnt like this style and u dnt like realistic looking games? what artstyle do u like then?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2MYPmbgrI0

32 bit rpg sprite work and Cell shaded Jet Set Radio type things.

And Spyro.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRpDn5qPp3s

I dislike the first one.

Second one looks very good. I still prefer rime to it though.

For what concerns pure graphics power and what it can achieve visually, nothing can beat PC, and on it I like what I saw up until now about The Witcher 3, but about impressive style I like very much Pikmin 3 too.

What? Take a look at the Steam Survey.
70-75% of users are running a HD resolution or somewhere in between.
3% run higher. (That's roughly 2 million PC gamers running at higher than HD.)

However, you have the choice to run it higher if you are willing to pony up the cash, you are not given a set resolution and told to "deal with it". I.E. Like 900P on the PS4 and 720P on the Xbox One.

If you wan't to game at 720P, there are plenty of people around who are using PC's that are 6+ years old to achieve that.

Who installs games anymore? You don't have to with Steam, you do however have to install Direct X and Visual C runtime, but it does that install when you launch a game for the first time.

So, blatantly false on that one.

I have almost 350 games on Steam, never have I had a game appear with an error upon launch. - http://steamcommunity.com/id/Pemalite/
I have dozens of games on GoG.com, DRM free they all work flawlessly, regardless of the x86 Windows device I run them on.
I have a heap of games on Origin, all work fine.
I have tons of Disc-based PC games that I have accrued over the past few decades, their mileage actually varies, but majority work fine.

Also, Steams TOS cannot override your basic consumer rights, you may not be entitled to a refund, but I sure am and I have used that right in the past.
However, GOG and Origin provide refunds if you don't agree with Steam, good thing you have choice.

Years ago that was true, but back then you had Intel, ATI, nVidia, Matrox, Rendition, 3dfx, SiS, S3 and NEC based GPU's to deal with.
Today, you have Intel, AMD or nVidia and they all have a consolidated driver package, just go to their website, download the latest version and you are set to go, heck I'm still running drivers from the middle of last year and I haven't had any issues with games... It literally "just works".

I'll give you this.
The PC is allot more online-centric than the consoles, this is both a good and a bad thing, however majority of games you can play offline and even Steam has an offline mode, however with that in mind, consoles aren't immune to it either, I've attempted to play EA games in the past and EA's servers have thrown fits.
Basically, if you don't like online-issues, don't buy an online-only game, you again have choice.

Steam is making great strides in this area, it clearly lets you know if a game supports a dumbed down console-like experience by advertising Big-Picture mode and Controller support.
You again have choice.

Here is the kicker.
You don't need to drop $1,000 on a PC for a decent gaming rig.
If you are happy with a fraction of that cost, you can play pretty much play every game at 720P (Even 1080P if you play your cards right) with a second hand machine and a new GPU dropped in, again you have choice.

People always claimed PC was expensive, you have to upgrade every 6 months, the irony of that statement is that so many people are still hanging onto Core 2.

You can easily exceed the next generation consoles, spend thousands, but you don't have to, you are given a choice.
I've spent untold thousands on my main PC to the point it's worth more than allot of peoples cars, but that's for work, I just get the benefit of running games far better than consoles could ever possibly achieve, is that for everyone? Heck no.

Do I have lots of problems? No way and I don't exactly have a "Simple machine". - Running Triple GPU's and Triple Monitors, you would expect I would run into a plethera of issues like some people claim with simpler set-ups, but I just don't.

I've also got a 6-7 Core 2 PC currently that I am playing with, it will surprise you with how well it can handle games like Battlefield 4, I have an almost 4 year old Phenom 2 x6 HTPC and I can run every single game, better than the Playstation 4 can.
I also have an AMD FX 8120 PC running triple monitors and it handles every game perfectly fine.

The other bonus to it all?
You have decades worth of games, heck you don't even have to play PC games, dozens of dedicated platforms can be emulated (Legal in some places, so your mileage may vary.) and make the games look and run better than they were origionally designed for.


But alas, you seem to be rather adverse to the open nature of the PC and decline all manner of choice and would rather be told how to play your games, but that is your personal right as a consumer, but your experiences with the PC certainly isn't the reality of the entire PC gaming industry which is still growing stupidly rapidly.

I also apologise for not replying sooner, I honestly didn't have the time for a long drawn out and thoughtfull post untill now.