2013: A Year in the Life of a PC Gamer

2013: A Year in the Life of a PC Gamer

 

 

      The beginning of 2013 was an impending explosion trapped in a bottleneck. I had been gaming on a PC I bought in 2009, and everything I put on it was starting to resemble a slide show at an old folks' home. If everyday is New Year's Day in the world of computerdom, then my old E7200 processor equipped Antech 300 was something that emerged from the Jurassic era. I spent about everyday for weeks doing virtual builds of new PCs on DigitalStorm, Cyberpower and IBuyPower sites. I researched like a medical scientist attempting to discover a cure for cancer. And then I stumbled upon a Youtube video that showcased a PC building firm called Ironside Computers. I hit them with a real life game of Twenty Questions on their site, and they were quick and efficient in answering every one of them. They even talked me out of buying extra items that were unnecessary in a build I had been constructing on their site. They sold me. And then they sold me a PC.

 

      I got the PC in March, and the impending explosion burst through the bottleneck. The energy could have soared a Saturn V rocket to the next galaxy. I ended up playing over 40 games in 2013, and I finished a record setting 18 games. Although, I noticed indie games stealing more and more of the forefront in 2013 I managed to play a variety of games.

      I gave my system a little bit of a workout with Battlefield 3 and SimCity (who's debacle launch had to be one of the darkest sour points of the year.) I also (for once) played a game mere months after it had released, Bioshock: Inifinite. This is probably one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. This is a game you call your friends, family and neighbors over to say, "Hey, look at this, look what my computer can do."

 

      Despite what I said earlier about indie games rearing their ugly and not so ugly heads to the forefront, I got my hooks into some of them as well. Zeno Clash was a struggle, but I finally beat it. It will probably go down in history as one of the greatest punching simulators ever made. I tackled Bastion which turned into another struggle, however, the ending made it all worth it. The strange novelty of having a narrator describing your every move in real time makes this a game experience everybody should partake in. And I have to admit, the Xbox controller mechanics and the body English maneuvers to get my character to jump over to the next ledge, tree, mushroom, whatever, all vanished by the wayside as I got enmeshed in the story itself. I played through Amnesia: The Dark Descent, the main attraction being its claim to be one hella scary game, and the fact that none of my friends had finished it because it was too scary. I played it, and I beat it. Boo-yah! It was fun, but there were some puzzles that were extremely difficult and quickly pulled me from the suspension of disbelief. Yes, the game was in fact quite scary, not the monster in the closet jumping out at you kind of scary, but more like a sense of dread kind of creepiness when you see movement in the shadows.

 

     Being many years removed from my callow teen aged years I often find nostalgia in the strangest of things. My own PC was the portal to my own gaming nostalgia in 2013. (Try to get nostalgic with those wonderful old Metal Gear games with your new next generation console. Not going to happen.) I played through 2004's lauded Doom 3 again after all of these years. The game still looks good. I thought it repetitive and clichéd, but it was a fun romp. I can see why it was such da bomb when it came out, though I always thought Far Cry was the much better game at the time. I also reinstalled Tron 2.0 and finished it this time. That should renew my geek cred for at least another whole year. I also reinstalled Mirror's Edge and finished it this time. This game had jaw dropping visuals when I first played it back in 2009. That hasn't changed. When Splinter Cell came out all of the gaming periodicals talked about its wonderful use of lighting. I think Mirror's Edge had it beat in that department. I was greatly frustrated right before the ending when I first played it. I got through it this time, and I'm honored to have completed it. The idea that there will be a Mirror's Edge 2 is music to my ears. I also played through Sid Meier's Rails! a second time. That game was certainly no Railroad Tycoon, but it still exuded a certain charm that made it irresistible. I never could get it to work for very long in Windows Vista, but it seemed to warm right up to my Windows 7 64 bit.

 

     I dabbled in Civilization V throughout the year. It's a game that really does scare me. It frightens me how life suddenly fast forwards when I play Civ 5. I can glance at the clock, and in no time two hours have flown by. No matter what time I start playing it, it's always dawn when I finish it. I don't even boot it up during the work week. It's just way too tempting. "Argh! Just . . one . . more . .turn!"

 

     Simulations is truly what drew me to PC gaming way back in 1989. I got to revisit some of that love in 2013 with a few select sims. I reinstalled Rise of Flight which ran like a choppy 56K slide show on my old Intel E7200. It was amazing to be able to run the game at max settings on my new rig. But it wasn't until I picked up Saitek's outstanding X52 Flight Control System that Rise of Flight really took on a new life for me. The game is still no pushover. You'll be lucky to obtain Ace in a simulated career, but having a powerful gaming rig and a flight stick and throttle stick to match definitely can put the odds in your favor. Speaking of hardware, I also picked up a Logitech G27 Wheel/Paddle set in 2013, and I bought Euro Truck Simulator 2 at a Steam sale to put the peripheral through its paces. Man, oh man, oh man, oh man. This game and wheel\paddle set is a marriage. The game was made for the Logitech system, or is it more like the Logitech system was made for this game. I don't know, I just know when I've got my headphones on listening to that wheeze of the turbo diesel emanating from my truck's twin stacks, and I've got European Trance on the radio, and I see hayfields and quaint pastoral houses in the distance I just feel like I've come home. That, my friends, is the magic of PC gaming.

 

     I don't expect 2014 to be as bold of a year in my gaming indulgences. First, there won't be anything as dramatic as upgrading to another rig. Secondly, I have numerous longer games lined up to play. I don't anticipate getting anywhere near 18 games finished. The Witcher 2 and Dragon Age 2 are both on my plate. I take twice as long as you do playing an RPG, I'm sure of it. But the Steam Winter Sale just ended, and as usual, it was an embarrassment of riches for me. I spent way too much on games that I have no idea when I'll get around to playing. But hey, this is the dawn of a brand new year sprawled out before us. I guess it's time to get cracking.