Words On Wednesday

I've often heard "there's no free lunch" referring to the idea that free things often come with an unexpected cost elsewhere and I think the same theory applies with video games. Especially with my recent shift to more PC gaming, I'm seeing how "no free games" looks different between consoles and PC. Nearly a decade ago, I wrote a post detailing the advantages and disadvantages of console gaming vs PC gaming. One of my biggest points was the availability of free games from the public library, as well as the ability to share games with friends. Now that I have more experience with PC gaming, and especially with the recent industry trend away from physical games in the form of key cards and consoles without disc drives , I wanted to revisit that idea. Specifically, how "free" games work on both PC and console. My original point on the free availability of library games still stands, but I do want to hedge that a bit for the sake of transparency...

Leaks are starting to come out about the Steam Deck 2, but there are also theories about a potential home console running SteamOS. As much as this was tried in a similar way in 2015 with the Steam Machines , I think now is a perfect time to give it another shot with the widespread adoption of SteamOS and the compatibility that Proton offers. I love my Steam Deck . I maintain that it is probably the best gaming-related purchase that I've ever made. It is the most powerful gaming hardware that I own, and I have played SO many games since I bought it. It's just an incredible device and an EASY recommend for anyone who wants to get into PC gaming. I bought the Steam Deck KNOWING that it was slightly outdated. When I bought my 512 GB Steam Deck LCD, it was already three years old. That's ancient in computing hardware. A lot of people recommended getting another PC handheld, either a Windows machine or another SteamOS device, with better specs and newer hardware. That was an opt...

“Why would you even get a console?” This is a question I hear time and time again from various PC gamers. You want to know why someone would get a video game console instead of building a gaming “rig?” I’ll tell you why. Console > PC There are quite a few areas in which consoles are simply better than computers for video games. Price One of the biggest reasons that gamers recommend PC gaming over console gaming is the price, but I personally think that console gaming can be much cheaper than PC. For one, the cost of a gaming console can be drastically lower than building a gaming computer from the ground up. The PC Master Race subreddit claims that their “Media Elite” build matches console performance for cheaper, and their “Crusher” build offers better specs for the same price, but they quote the price of a current gen console at $450. The PS4 Pro is only $400, and you can easily find a standard PS4 for $300, sometimes even less. Plus, the prices listed on PC Master Ra...

“ Final Fantasy XV ” is an action RPG released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016. The most recent game in the Final Fantasy series, it has also been one of the most commercially successful Final Fantasy games. Due to a number of different circumstances, FFXV was in development for a decade, an eternity for game development time frames. Does the latest Final Fantasy game stand up that well against the rest of the series, or do the massive sales just reflect fan hype for the long-awaited release? Story - 7/10 The story of FFXV was surprisingly good, given how cookie cutter the stories of the JRPG genre tend to be. Most could be summed up as, “an unlikely group of individuals band together to save the world.” In contrast, FFXV is filled with nuance, and more poignant interactions between characters. As much as the game starts off with a sort of “hanging out with my bros” feeling, it genuinely builds to something more significant and touching. Every character in the main...

“ EarthBound ” or “Mother 2” is a Japanese Role Playing Game released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Originally not very popular, the game gradually developed a sort of cult following for its quirky story and interesting combat. Is EarthBound genuinely a great game, or are fans of it seeing through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia? Story - 7/10 The story of EarthBound is undeniably the most distinctive facet. I have described it before as “a representation of how the culture of the United States is seen from the perspective of Japanese video game developers,” but even that doesn’t fully describe what EarthBound is. From one perspective, it is almost boringly typical of a JRPG. A great evil threatens the world, and a young boy is chosen by destiny to join with a group of friends and defeat this evil. The nuance, however, is just strikingly odd. It’s very much like asking someone who has never been to United States to describe Americana culture. They...

Nintendo has finally announced the long rumored SNES Classic Edition . When Nintendo released the NES Classic Edition back in November 2016, people immediately began speculating about a SNES Classic Edition. Despite the good and bad about the NES Classic Edition, it only made sense. So many fans want an official way to play old SNES games, and this seems to be the solution. After just a few months, Nintendo has confirmed that the SNES will be revived in the form of the SNES Classic Edition . The Good In many ways, Nintendo seems to have learned from the mistakes they made with the NES Classic Edition. First and foremost, Nintendo has elected to include a second controller with the SNES Classic Edition. One of the biggest appeals of video games in the NES and SNES eras were the local multiplayer. People didn’t play at their respective homes, connected via the internet. They went to each other’s houses, and they played on the same console and screen. When the NES Classic Editi...