For the remaining few hardcore PC gamers

[BoredBloke]

Simply not true. I game happily on a machine I built 5 years ago (4GB ram and Intel Core2 Quad.) And that PC, of course, went "through the business."

Only a fool keeps "upgrading" a PC these days in order to game; it simply isn't required, especially when the average console is about the same specs. as a several year old PC.

When I was into gaming I did it in phases. I built a PC and then every 2 years I would upgrade either the video card or the motherboard and processor. It meant i spent probably about £200 every 2 years, so not that expensive. But there are games which have stupid specs which are ports from a console where the spec is locked down. There are also games who insist on having the latest tech in their box. I worked with a guy who used to buy the super expensive video cards and stick his old one on ebay. He claimed it didn't cost him that much but I was never convinced. To him it was important to play the game as it should be seen, not play it at what your computer could cope with.

But my main

[northernladuk]

I am up got upwards of 70 days of 1600 hours of game time on my main WOW character

I think I have more but I stopped looking a long time ago. Am a bit of (understantement) an achievment whore so always something to work towards. Whatever it is now will be a lot more in time to come I am sure. Not convinced by the new expansion though.. kung fu pandas? Hardly high end MMPORG stuff.

[northernladuk]

What are the game session times like though? I only usually manage a few hours at the weekend and maybe half an hour of MW before bed, Skyrim looks pretty immersive, the kind of game you could lose yourself for days in...

Quite literally days and months if you add all the hours up. It depends on what you want out of a game. The big MMPORGS are designed to be take months of your time up to see high end content. Again when I say months I mean add all the hours you spend on it, not a few hours a week over months.

I can't stand just dabbling a bit and leaving it hence I stuck to WoW so put the little time i have to play in to one game rather than getting now where on a lot of different ones. Once you start getting to end game stuff it is very clever the way you can't put it down and the like.

Most of them needs hours of grinding daily questions and mobs before you can progress so if you are short of time it is going to get boring pretty quickly

[Durbs]

I've shagged all the whores in the brothels so far, a female Elf and a Sorceress.

They are quite graphic aren't they, was shocked when I first saw what happened when I went into the brothel. Not as shocked as Mrs Durbs when she walked in on one cut scene, she now assumes i'm into bizarre elf-porn.

Have to say that Triss Merigold is quite tasty for a ginger though.

[BoredBloke]

I think part of the problem I have with these games is that I'm not interested on going on a quest to kill other keyboard warriors. I bought a copy of 'something' quest yonks ago. It was pants. My mate was really into it and had played it for ages - he was part of a clan and they would get together regularly and fight. He even gave me loads of weapons to get me started. Even tooled up, 'Cuddles The Mighty' was somewhat tulip and it never really grabbed me.

I'll wait for the Company of heros thing that they are working on. Much better blowing up little soldiers.

[nomadd]

Have to say that Triss Merigold is quite tasty for a ginger though.

Bugger! I forgot her in my list. God knows how, as the damn game opens with you in bed with her. And she gives you another go once you offer her the Rose of Remembrance.

I'd call her more "artificial red-head" than "true ginger", though; and she's much the better for it. Mind you, I found her "American Twang" accent for a European woman in a European game set in the middle-ages a bit strange; got used to it eventually, but CDProjekt shouldn't have pandered to US tastes with that particular selection. A horny British or Euro accent would have sounded much better.

Still, probably best not to sit down and discuss all this with your wife.

[gingerjedi]

Simply not true. I game happily on a machine I built 5 years ago (4GB ram and Intel Core2 Quad.) And that PC, of course, went "through the business."

Only a fool keeps "upgrading" a PC these days in order to game; it simply isn't required, especially when the average console is about the same specs. as a several year old PC.

Especially as the console versions are more often than not the lead titles which are then converted for PC, not many PC exclusives theses days.

I think the hardware has reached a sort of zenith, what more do people want? That's why the console manufacturers are concentrating on new ways to interact rather than simply pushing out more grunt.

[EternalOptimist]

I like playing the big mega turn based strategy games, they need a very low spec, and are truly challenging, but only against another human.
they have no flashy graphics

currenly playing HPS Waterloo campaign against some Dutch bloke, it takes a couple of hours a week