PC GameSpace

PC games are insanely easy to get if you know what you're doing. The physical presence of these games in stores has almost completely fallen off. Go into a video game store 10-15 years ago and PC games would get an entire section devoted to them. These days it's a small collection of MMORPGs and the occasional steering wheel, joystick or usb game pad. I can't say this is very surprising considering the methods of distribution have changed and now it is more common for people to buy them online through digital distribution. Steam is a leader in this field, providing all the major PC releases at reasonable prices. Digital distribution makes sense for PC games but for console gaming it is ridiculous. I could go on about this for pages and pages, but in the end I'll lose the argument. The future of all gaming is digital distribution... and piracy.

PC gaming has become a niche market. With the rise of MMORPGs and "casual" Facebook style games, PC gaming has basically died off. There are still some decent games but consoles have finally eclipsed PCs (several years ago really) as the top platform for state of the art gaming. Innovation occurs on the consoles. The PC has its advantages, certainly, but the biggest non-MMO releases are usually cross platform. I will argue that strategy gaming (led by Europa Universalis developers Paradox) and heavy statistical games (Football fucking Manager) are much better suited to the PC.

The point of this article was to take a look at the abundance of PC games I have on my computer. My hard drive is bogged down with dozens of games and has really made a crunch on my available space. Most of these games were trials, really. Try them once and never touch them again. Some were games I played quite a bit for a short period then never deleted after I was finished with it. You can somewhat discern my taste from this list. Here it is!

MOUNT & BLADE
Status - inactive
I bought this game back in 2008 after playing the demo for a mere hour. I fell in love with it quick. I played it everyday for a while then it just dropped off. Then I discovered the huge amount of mods and played it a lot again. Then it dropped off again until...

MOUNT & BLADE: WARBAND
Status - active
This came out in the last two months and is awesome! The graphics aren't any better than the original, but the gameplay has been satisfactorily tweaked to allow multiplayer battles and kingdom building. Playing it less ATM, but once mods get released I expect to get back into it.

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2010
Status - active
The best thing about having this on the computer is it is 100 times more customizable than the console version. Plus with my HD monitor it looks better, and it runs great! Just got it, so still into it.

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2010
Status - active
Oh my god I could do 20 posts filled with the stories of the imaginary managers I've created in the best soccer game of all time. It's pure stats, with a graphical match engine just because. It's the beautiful game! With the editor it makes playing as ANY league in ANY country possible, plus creating your own tournaments. Just brilliant. Brilliant. When I have nothing else to do I play this. Runs slow because of all the data, however, which ticks me off a bit.

SPORE
Status - inactive
Overrated game that I haven't taken off my comp because once in a blue moon Ashes plays it. I haven't touched it in over a year.

THE SIMS 3
Status - deleted
Spent enough time with The Sims in my life. I can always play it on Ashes' laptop, really just to try out the new features for an hour or two then pack it away again.

NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 2
Status - deleted
Shite RPG. The first one had deep customization which I loved, but this one was too complicated and "professional". Plus the game played like crap. D&D rules suck in games. Camera was one of the worst ever.

BALDUR'S GATE 2 + expansions
Status - deleted
Was really into it for the first time ever last year but I fell out of playing it and couldn't get back into it, so I deleted it. It was fun but I didn't need to beat it, I got the gist.

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2009
and
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008
Status - deleted
I have the new one so why keep the older ones? They ran better, sure, but the improvements this year were so big that I can't go back. Kept my saves though, just in case.

CIVILIZATION 4 + expansions
Status - deleted
Played this game to death. Very fun and, while not very deep, provided some great strategic challenges. Amazing music, wonderful visuals, and cool features made this one of the best recent PC games. I had a few long term games and then decided I had put enough time in and wasn't coming back to it.

GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS
Status - inactive
Nostalgia came a calling and I installed this old gem. Played it a bit, remembered a bit, finished for now. Kept it around in case nostalgia comes crawling back.

LEGO UNIVERSE ONLINE
Status - deleted
I got into the beta even though I didn't remember signing up for it. Tried it for a day and got bored with it. Online games aren't for me. Cool that I was one of the first to try it though!

DWARF FORTRESS
Status - inactive
Archaic graphics turned me off at first, but once I found a graphic pack I gave it a shot. Controls are too old for me which has, sadly, prevented me from ever getting into this deep game. Just too old school for me. I can't even use a mouse! I wanted to get into this game, but in the end I just couldn't.

EUROPA UNIVERSALIS 3 + expansions
Status - deleted
WTF DID I DELETE THIS FOR?!?! One of the greatest strategy games I've ever played. Immensely deep and overcomplicated in a good way. Millions of stories of this one, from my Malay Empire that covered Indochina to my German colonization wars in the New World. Must reinstall.

EUROPA UNIVERSALIS ROME
Status - inactive
It's a fun game that uses the same engine as EU3, but the world is too empty. After conquering two or three of your biggest enemies the game is basically over.

HIKKIKOMORI RPG
Status - inactive
Weird flash RPG that I downloaded and tried. Kinda quirky and fun, but never managed to keep me interested long term.

RAILROAD TYCOON 3
Status - inactive
Should delete this one. Not a very good game, at least for me. I don't like business simulators too much.

ROLLER COASTER TYCOON 3
Status - deleted
I loved this whole series, but only played this one a few times before it sat untouched for months. Finally deleted it.

TOTAL EXTREME WARFARE 2007
Status - active
Even though I don't watch wrestling much anymore I still play this game every so often. It's a good stress relief and distracts me if my anxiety gets the best of me. Where else could you put the WWE Championship on KENTA or see CZW become the UKs most popular promotion? I love sports management games like this because it puts me in control. I decide who the faces of my team/company are and create my own stories. Whether it be a legendary feud in this game, or an incredible championship run in FM10 I can't get enough.

PSX EMULATOR
SNES EMULATOR
GENESIS EMULATOR
NES EMULATOR
GBA EMULATOR
Status - inactive
Not playing them now but every so often I want to play something from the far past so I keep these around.

VICTORIA
Status - inactive
Probably the most complicated game I've ever played. Had fun for a bit then never touched it again. Haven't deleted it yet for whatever reason.

MY SIMS
Status - deleted
Bought it for a penny and boy did I get ripped off.

THE GUILD 2
Status - deleted
Played as a family in renaissance Germany, Italy or England and managed the dynasty over the years. It was fun but quite buggy to the point of not being fun.

CRUSADER KINGS
Status - inactive
One of my favorite PC games of all time. It's a mix between Europa Universalis and... well nothing else really. You managed your dynasty, much like the previous game, but managed a kingdom/duchy/county in the middle ages. The game takes place during the crusades and features all sorts of historical characters. As time goes on the world becomes yours as you try and marry off your kids to consolidate your power and ensure your dynasty. After your death your heir comes to the throne and you keep managing for nearly 300 years. Played it tons when it first came out and a bit recently, but for the most part it sits untouched.


Crazy how many games I have or have had on my computer eh? Many of these were "one and done" games. I like to try games that I hear about and that sound interesting, but when they don't meet expectations I sadly don't bother to remove them. Took care of the most glaring issues, but the remaining survivors still take up a lot of space.