# Got two weeks with my mum's gaming PC while she's away - what to get....



## stuff_it (Jul 11, 2012)

And do PC gamers really use the keyboard still? I don't really want to stump up for a controller but will if necessary. I normaslly game on xbox but only rarely as I don't have room for one at home.

I would like something that is relatively cheap, and playable without being online due to a shite capped net package.

It's a quadcore gaming comp with a 1 tb HD that was abjust over a year og so should run anything recent. There are no games on it, she doesn't game on it, she barely uses the fucker...

Stuff I quite like: Saints Row III, Assasins Creed Revelations, basically any sort of open world with some fighting but I'd quite like something I've not played before. I generally prefer more sci fi than fantasy.

What should I get and why?


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## TitanSound (Jul 11, 2012)

Battlefield 3 because it looks stunning and is FUCKING AWESOME.


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## renegadechicken (Jul 11, 2012)

I'm currently enjoying Deus Ex Human revolution which is sci fiey and a bit interactive. I just quit playing wow after 6 years and swtor after 7 months but needed something to fill the void from a mmo but not a fps, and currently this is doing it, many modes to play and its a bit rpg but easily  turned into a nuke 'em all game if desired.


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## stuff_it (Jul 11, 2012)

TitanSound said:


> Battlefield 3 because it looks stunning and is FUCKING AWESOME.


Meh, I'd want to play online and the internet is not only capped but well slow round here. 

Have already played it on the xbox as well, is just a COD-a-like. And do people really still use a keyboard?  I haven't had a computer good enough to play games on sine Oregon Trail.


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## revol68 (Jul 11, 2012)

Yep Deus Ex for sure.


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## TitanSound (Jul 11, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> is just a COD-a-like.


 
A terrible slur. Take that back


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## revol68 (Jul 11, 2012)

I've two weeks with your ma, what should I go for?


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## Epona (Jul 11, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> And do PC gamers really use the keyboard still? I don't really want to stump up for a controller but will if necessary.


 
Mostly, yes. Although there are a few games that seem to do a bit better with controllers (usually in the case of games that are ports from an earlier console release where nothing has been done to the game to make it more keyboard/mouse friendly, eg. problems with mouse acceleration, no changes to requirement for analogue input for some modes), generally speaking even the most basic typing keyboard and 2 or 3 button mouse is more reactive, quicker, and more accurate than any 360 type controller. Competitive PC gamers tend to use kb+m for that reason. Some gamers of course may prefer to use a controller if the PC is connected to the TV and want to lounge on the sofa, as it can be a bit difficult to arrange kb+m comfortably whilst lounging. I wouldn't switch away from kb+m - and my desk chair is probably comfier than the sofa and offers more back support anyway.

If your mum has a gaming PC, chances are she's also got games, so check what she's got already before splashing out (although don't save over her saved games, that would make my head explode if someone did that to me!  Make backup copies of any saved games you find just in case)

My recommendations are more on the RPG side of things - Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Skyrim - all open world with plenty of stuff to kill in between doing quests and that.


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## stuff_it (Jul 11, 2012)

TitanSound said:


> A terrible slur. Take that back


It's much prettier, but very similar.


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## stuff_it (Jul 11, 2012)

Epona said:


> Mostly, yes. Although there are a few games that seem to do a bit better with controllers (usually in the case of games that are ports from an earlier console release where nothing has been done to the game to make it more keyboard/mouse friendly, eg. problems with mouse acceleration, no changes to requirement for analogue input for some modes), generally speaking even the most basic typing keyboard and 2 or 3 button mouse is more reactive, quicker, and more accurate than any 360 type controller. Competitive PC gamers tend to use kb+m for that reason. Some gamers of course may prefer to use a controller if the PC is connected to the TV and want to lounge on the sofa, as it can be a bit difficult to arrange kb+m comfortably whilst lounging. I wouldn't switch away from kb+m - and my desk chair is probably comfier than the sofa and offers more back support anyway.
> 
> If your mum has a gaming PC, chances are she's also got games, so check what she's got already before splashing out (although don't save over her saved games, that would make my head explode if someone did that to me! Make backup copies of any saved games you find just in case)
> 
> My recommendations are more on the RPG side of things - Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Skyrim - all open world with plenty of stuff to kill in between doing quests and that.


No she does not have games.* She can barely work wordpress, let alone anything else. It was a bargain as was ex-display and the last one in the shop.

I wish my mum was even bordering on cool enough to play games. 

*bar spider solitaire


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 11, 2012)

TitanSound said:


> Battlefield 3 because it looks stunning and is FUCKING AWESOME.


 
TitanSound wins the thread.


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## Vintage Paw (Jul 11, 2012)

If you're going for saints row, it works better with a controller. And I personally can't imagine playing an Assassin's Creed game with kb&m. Otherwise, kb&m is the way to go.

Deus Ex: HR as others have said. Nice and sci-fi, got some story to it, but open world enough that you can wander around the various maps you're in at the time and get into trouble without necessarily doing a quest right away.

I would, of course, being the resident BioWare fangirl, suggest Mass Effect. The 1st game is quite old now (but still the best, imo - not everyone agrees though) and doesn't have the most fluid of combat styles. The 2nd has way better combat, but doesn't flow in terms of narrative as well (if you at all care about that sort of thing). The 3rd excels at both (but incurred a whole heap of fanrage at the ending, but I suspect you won't really care about that). It's a series heavy on the narrative, so if you're just looking to shoot a bunch of shit, you probably want to give it a miss. It's a brilliant sci-fi universe though. I love it to bits. It's not really open world though. You have quests, you can only really explore and go wandering off if it's on one of those quests, but you're not necessarily limited to doing those quests in a certain order. The first game has the most open world feel to it, since you could fly around and land on random planets and just drive around. But there wasn't that much to do when you got there.

Skyrim is excellent for open world randomness, and you can spend weeks playing it without touching any of the real quests. It is a fantasy setting though, which you say you're not really into. That said, it's a truly stellar game (if you play that, try at least to get to the main quest bit where you follow a woman from her basement in Riverwood to a place where something happens *vague for spoilers* because then you get dragons appear all the time again - they stop until that quest is completed).

If you liked saints row 3, maybe GTAIV? Less chaotic and more scripted than the SR games, but still open world and the same general idea. Not as absurd, obviously. Movement feels like trudging through molasses. Fucking Rockstar.

If only Red Dead Redemption had gone to PC. *sigh*


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## Jackobi (Jul 11, 2012)

TitanSound said:


> Battlefield 3 because it looks stunning and is FUCKING AWESOME.


 
But is plagued by cheaters on the PC version. Punkbuster fails dismally to keep on top and EA's response was to enable unlocks to be bought instead of 'earned'.


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## revol68 (Jul 12, 2012)

Vintage Paw said:


> Deus Ex: HR as others have said. Nice and sci-fi, got some story to it, but open world enough that you can wander around the various maps you're in at the time and get into trouble without necessarily doing a quest right away.
> 
> I would, of course, being the resident BioWare fangirl, suggest Mass Effect. The 1st game is quite old now (but still the best, imo - not everyone agrees though) and doesn't have the most fluid of combat styles. The 2nd has way better combat, but doesn't flow in terms of narrative as well (if you at all care about that sort of thing). The 3rd excels at both (but incurred a whole heap of fanrage at the ending, but I suspect you won't really care about that). It's a series heavy on the narrative, so if you're just looking to shoot a bunch of shit, you probably want to give it a miss. It's a brilliant sci-fi universe though. I love it to bits. It's not really open world though. You have quests, you can only really explore and go wandering off if it's on one of those quests, but you're not necessarily limited to doing those quests in a certain order. The first game has the most open world feel to it, since you could fly around and land on random planets and just drive around. But there wasn't that much to do when you got there.
> 
> ...


 
Yup on all that.

Mass Effect 1 is the best by far, I never even finished ME2 cos of how shitty and linear it was, it felt like you were completing levels rather than being caught up in an unfolding epic story.

have no idea why Rockstar brought LA Noire to the PC and not Red Dead, the PC was perfect for it, with the draw distances and lighting, utter waste.

I'd go for Deus Ex though.


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## Citizen66 (Jul 12, 2012)

Any of Bethesda's recent titles - skyrim, fallout, oblivion etc. Agree that GTA is better than saints row too. All those can be played on a console though so aren't unique to a pc.


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## Monkeygrinder's Organ (Jul 12, 2012)

Epona said:


> My recommendations are more on the RPG side of things - Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Skyrim - all open world with plenty of stuff to kill in between doing quests and that.


 
All of these. Get one of the Fallout ones if you're not into the fantasy stuff.

Deus Ex is an excellent game too but it's open world aspect is relatively limited tbh. You have a little bit of scope to wander round some areas and pick missions in some parts but not to anything like the same degree as the others.


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## ohmyliver (Jul 12, 2012)

What about Just Cause 2... if you can ignore the laughably bad dialogue/cut scenes it's not a bad sandbox where you go around an island fucking shit up, and have a range of vehicles from tuktuks to military attack helicopters...

and if you've not played Bulletstorm (although that probably plays better with a controller) then that's worth a punt.  Hugely entertaining clever game pretending to be dumb as a box of duke nukems.


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## tommers (Jul 12, 2012)

From what you've said then I would recommend Fallout 3.  Available for buttons now too.  Or New Vegas.  I really liked both of them.

I can also see the advantages of Mass Effect for you.  Not something I'm into myself but it fits your requirements.

Skyrim unfortunately falls into the trap of trying to please everybody and ends up as a dull, meaningless gratification engine.


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## Ax^ (Jul 12, 2012)

You play any of portals yet?


Lost a weekend to each of those games


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## tommers (Jul 12, 2012)

oh yeah.  Portal games are amazing.  Like properly, genuinely, amazing.


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## mrs quoad (Jul 12, 2012)

revol68 said:


> Yep Deus Ex for sure.


Can play that on Mac.

fwiw.


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## Vintage Paw (Jul 12, 2012)

I always forget to suggest Portal to people. No idea why, it's such fun. I'd go straight to 2 if you can only choose one of them though. Maybe. idk.


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## Vintage Paw (Jul 12, 2012)

revol68 said:


> Yup on all that.
> 
> Mass Effect 1 is the best by far, I never even finished ME2 cos of how shitty and linear it was, it felt like you were completing levels rather than being caught up in an unfolding epic story.
> 
> ...


 
That's exactly how I feel about ME2. I enjoyed the combat a lot, being able to focus biotic attacks a lot more and so on. But the story? Not only was the story itself nonsensical, but as you say, it chopped it up into game levels, rather than you being able to walk yourself off the Normandy in 1, and seamlessly go from one area to another. You could even end one of those random uncharted world missions and walk out of the bunker and carry on exploring. In 2 you just got magically transported in and then out again of any mission levels, never to return again. *sigh* It was such a disappointment. I doubt I'll ever play it again. Whereas I'm sure I'll play 1 again. I do really like 3 though, even though I probably shouldn't. It's still linear, you still get teleported quite a lot. But it all feels so much more fluid, and not at all fragmented anymore. It's rather slick, I like it.

And yes, that they never brought RDR to pc has got to be some sort of crime.


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## Ax^ (Jul 12, 2012)

Vintage Paw said:


> I always forget to suggest Portal to people. No idea why, it's such fun. I'd go straight to 2 if you can only choose one of them though. Maybe. idk.


 






(((((companion cube)))))


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## stuff_it (Jul 12, 2012)

revol68 said:


> Yup on all that.
> 
> Mass Effect 1 is the best by far, I never even finished ME2 cos of how shitty and linear it was, it felt like you were completing levels rather than being caught up in an unfolding epic story.
> 
> ...


No way am I putting LA noire on my mum's computer - she might like it and then my extended blag for her to give it me for uni will have failed. 

E2A: perhaps I should, it's her computer.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Jul 12, 2012)

i might pick a couple of short things.  no point  in investing in skyrim only to  be unable to  play it after two weeks


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## mrs quoad (Jul 12, 2012)

Vintage Paw said:


> I always forget to suggest Portal to people. No idea why, it's such fun. I'd go straight to 2 if you can only choose one of them though. Maybe. idk.


They are very short, though.

And I tend to prefer them if I've got something else to play with, too - if I get stuck on one room, they can *properly* do my box in


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## stuff_it (Jul 12, 2012)

I'm tending towards LA Noire and Portal. NEver actually played it.


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## Ax^ (Jul 12, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> I'm tending towards LA Noire and Portal. NEver actually played it.


 
portal + weed...

just a small suggestion


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## stuff_it (Jul 12, 2012)

Ax^ said:


> portal + weed...
> 
> just a small suggestion


The weed is a given, pity I can't smoke indoors at my mum's.

I'd love to give something longer a go, but she's already slipping into my clutches thinking about getting a different less good pc for her and letting me have that one for uni. Muahahahah.


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## Ax^ (Jul 12, 2012)

portal is just a stoners paradise of a game...

imo anyways


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## tommers (Jul 12, 2012)

Stop making me jealous.


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## tommers (Jul 12, 2012)

Portal 2 is currently 75% off in the Steam Summer Sale. 

Um... you can get both games for £4.49.

Steal of the fucking century.


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## tommers (Jul 12, 2012)

Deus Ex is also on there for a fiver, but I guess that's about normal.


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## stuff_it (Jul 14, 2012)

tommers said:


> Deus Ex is also on there for a fiver, but I guess that's about normal.


Will this sale still be on next week? I won't have access to the machine till Wednesday. Also download is a little awkward as my mum has very limited broadband - I  guess I could get them all after midnight when downloads are 'free'....


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## Citizen66 (Jul 14, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> Will this sale still be on next week? I won't have access to the machine till Wednesday. Also download is a little awkward as my mum has very limited broadband - I  guess I could get them all after midnight when downloads are 'free'....



Um, you can buy it from any machine and download it to any machine. Just sign into your steam account on the one you want to buy it from and sign into your steam account on the one you want to download it to.


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## stuff_it (Jul 14, 2012)

Citizen66 said:


> Um, you can buy it from any machine and download it to any machine. Just sign into your steam account on the one you want to buy it from and sign into your steam account on the one you want to download it to.


Cool, worst happens I can rinse out the Mr's mum's broadband.


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## Citizen66 (Jul 14, 2012)

So i'd get onto it nowish. Those steam sales don't stick around long (the midweek madness ones usually have an hour left to go whenever I clock them).


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## tommers (Jul 14, 2012)

This is a summer sale. But I think portal was just a daily - so probably over already.

Tbh you can probably get a physical copy off eBay for buttons.


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## Termite Man (Jul 14, 2012)

Borderlands is a good game. Plenty to do and fairly open world from what I remember.


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## stuff_it (Jul 14, 2012)

Citizen66 said:


> So i'd get onto it nowish. Those steam sales don't stick around long (the midweek madness ones usually have an hour left to go whenever I clock them).


Great plan but I think I'll wait till giro day.


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## Citizen66 (Jul 14, 2012)

Termite Man said:


> Borderlands is a good game. Plenty to do and fairly open world from what I remember.



It is a great game although I played it in co-op which it seems to have been aimed at. Not sure it would be as fun in single player mode as it's just really a shoot em up (which for some reason i have libraried off in my head as multiplayer).

The best bit about playing it in co-op is getting to the weapon caches first and then arguing over the best guns.


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## stuff_it (Jul 18, 2012)

I am attempting to purchase:

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

GTA complete package

and LA Noire

Sadly both the net connection here and the steam sign up service seem to be so shakey that it's taken four attempts to even register.


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## grit (Jul 18, 2012)

Citizen66 said:


> It is a great game although I played it in co-op which it seems to have been aimed at. Not sure it would be as fun in single player mode as it's just really a shoot em up (which for some reason i have libraried off in my head as multiplayer).
> 
> The best bit about playing it in co-op is getting to the weapon caches first and then arguing over the best guns.


 
Agreed, playing single player got boring after a while, as it just feels like a pretty, albeit standard FPS.


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## stuff_it (Jul 18, 2012)

I'm guessing that online play isn't an option here before about 10pm as it's all new houses and they've not upgraded the exchange or installed cable yet.


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## Citizen66 (Jul 18, 2012)

grit said:


> Agreed, playing single player got boring after a while, as it just feels like a pretty, albeit standard FPS.



New one is out soon ( september iirc).


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## Citizen66 (Jul 18, 2012)

Dp


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## grit (Jul 18, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> I'm guessing that online play isn't an option here before about 10pm as it's all new houses and they've not upgraded the exchange or installed cable yet.


 
Most games consume very little bandwidth tbh, I've played starcraft 2 smoothly over a phone connected on only Edge


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## stuff_it (Jul 18, 2012)

grit said:


> Most games consume very little bandwidth tbh, I've played starcraft 2 smoothly over a phone connected on only Edge


It's so bad that it cuts out all the time, especially from about 5pm onwards.


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## grit (Jul 18, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> It's so bad that it cuts out all the time, especially from about 5pm onwards.


 
Wifi in the house or wired? The router attached to the primary phone socket in the property?


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## stuff_it (Jul 18, 2012)

grit said:


> Wifi in the house or wired? The router attached to the primary phone socket in the property?


Wifi, but wired makes no real difference. It's definitely the signal to the property. When she first got broadband a few years ago BT sent several technicians out and then told her that the max bandwidth they could give was so low she would be within her rights to cancell the contract. Getting out of a BT contract is nigh on impossible. Since then they have built several hundred more new houses and attached them to the same ageing exchange.

Apparently the exchange (Bradwell Abbey) was originally built to cover central MK and a few of the inner estates. It now serves nearly the whole town. Infinity may come (eventually) to my mum's estate though there's thought of trialling FTTP instead, but it's not here yet.

It's a debacle and make no mistake: http://community.bt.com/t5/BT-Infinity/Milton-Keynes-Bradwell-Abbey-Exchange-FTTP-Trial/td-p/19314

Still no idea if my mum will or will not even have the chance to sign up to cable in the next year or not.


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## grit (Jul 18, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> Getting out of a BT contract is nigh on impossible. Since then they have built several hundred more new houses and attached them to the same ageing exchange.


 
I've helped another urbanite deal with BT previously, I have contact details for a specialist customer care team, that are not cunts and genuinely try to solve problems. I'll try to dig out the contact details and PM you, I know several people have had sane, rational conversations and outcomes after dealing with them.


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## grit (Jul 18, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> Wifi, but wired makes no real difference. It's definitely the signal to the property. When she first got broadband a few years ago BT sent several technicians out and then told her that the max bandwidth they could give was so low she would be within her rights to cancell the contract. Getting out of a BT contract is nigh on impossible. Since then they have built several hundred more new houses and attached them to the same ageing exchange.
> 
> Apparently the exchange (Bradwell Abbey) was originally built to cover central MK and a few of the inner estates. It now serves nearly the whole town. Infinity may come (eventually) to my mum's estate though there's thought of trialling FTTP instead, but it's not here yet.
> 
> ...


 
PM sent with email address, good luck.


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## stuff_it (Jul 18, 2012)

grit said:


> PM sent with email address, good luck.


Ty.

I've got a live one on FB to keep me occupied while I wait for Deus Ex - Thank you politics forum, you trained me well!


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## stuff_it (Jul 18, 2012)

The connection speeded up loads while I was out and now I only have 1gb (and about two on my dongle) left till the 23rd. I've upgraded her package anyway as it's month to month. Probvably should ahve started with something smaller, lol. 

Will have to start sleeping 12-8 every night to take advantage of the free night time allowance.


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## stuff_it (Jul 19, 2012)

Curse you steam, is it always this slow? Thanks throttling.


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## stuff_it (Jul 20, 2012)

Deus Ex has now downloaded. There goes the weekend!


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## Epona (Jul 22, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> Curse you steam, is it always this slow? Thanks throttling.


How slow was it?  I see a lot of people complaining about slow downloads on Steam, but it always seems really quick to me - my last big download was 7.5Gb and took just over an hour.  It would take me longer than that to go out to get a game from a shop.


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## stuff_it (Jul 22, 2012)

Epona said:


> How slow was it? I see a lot of people complaining about slow downloads on Steam, but it always seems really quick to me - my last big download was 7.5Gb and took just over an hour. It would take me longer than that to go out to get a game from a shop.


9gb - 34-36 hours. 

It's more the fact of paying extra for plastic disks I may will  lose or break. I'd rather have everything on the shiny new external HD I just bought myself for uni and stored 'in the cloud'. My mum is on the cheapest plusnet package in a notoriously slow area though.


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## Epona (Jul 22, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> 9gb - 34-36 hours.
> 
> It's more the fact of paying extra for plastic disks I may will lose or break. I'd rather have everything on the shiny new external HD I just bought myself for uni and stored 'in the cloud'. My mum is on the cheapest plusnet package in a notoriously slow area though.


 
Ouch, that is slow!

I'm the same about disks, there are several games I ended up buying another copy over the years because the disk was lost/scratched/deteriorated.  I've been through 5 copies of Morrowind, my current one on Steam and therefore hopefully my last - Bethesda must bloody love me


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