Spore, Sims, WoW, Civ series...
People have been playing Sims/WoW/Civ long before any of those games you mentioned and will probably be doing so long after.
The PS3/360 did everything faster, better, clearer than the previous generation but not necessarily anything 'new'.
Guess it depends what you want in 'Next-Gen' but this generation has so far just been an evolution, not a revolution in gaming. HD gaming has been done before (PC) as has digital downloading and many of the features that distinguish this console generation from the last.
I say 'so far' because I think Natal or the PS3 equivalent could be something 'new...
nVidia 7950 GTX2? I think the 8800 GTX is only a few months older than that.
Can run most games around the mid-high level depending on resolution, excluding anything on the CryEngine.
New cards come out every few months but each 'generation' is really defined by the games that push gamers to get a new video card. Half life, Doom 3, Oblivion, Crysis. All games that pushed the graphical envelope at the time. Until a new game comes out that exceedes those standards ...
Add Empire:Total War to your list... great looking PC game in combat mode ;)
I would have been inclined to add the PC versions of Oblivion and Doom 3 to that list. Despite their flaws, at the time they were graphically ahead of anything else.
Jade Empire is a good deal for those who like Bioware RPGs, but not sure today is as good as yesterday.
That and it was less than the price of a cheeseburger ;)
F1 2009?
Since this is for the Ferrari F1 team then I can only assume it's a racing game with all the F1 tracks and cars on it.
It's really hard to get a definitive top ten when everyone's going to have different opinions.
Personally I would liked to have seen one of the Civilization series on the list or Sims/SimCity game, even one of the Total War series.
Stalker was a great game though...
Damnit! More temptation!
Burnout Paradise: Ultimate box... £5.
If you have only 2GB of DDR3, then yes, you will have problems.
An ati 5750, may need to turn the details down too, but the RAM is the main problem.
I agree with your view that the concept of open world, fully 3D, free choice gameplay was revolutionary.
However it wasn't GTA3 that did it first. First was a game called 'Mafia' that did ok on the PC, not sure it ever made it onto the consoles.
As I see it, there's a full spectrum of customisation available for characters.
1) Pre-made, no customisation. The likes of Master-Chief, Gordan Freeman etc.
2) Limited customisation. The name is set and so is the background, but there's scope for appearance and 'stats' change. Thinking 'CJ' from GTA:SA.
3) Mostly customisable. You can't pick the name and have finite choices as to background, but the rest is up to you. Mostly like Mass Effect or DA:...
Love these games, brings back so many memories.
Wouldn't have put Sims 3 ahead of Diablo 2, but everyone has their own tastes.
I hear that Faraxis are making a facebook version of the great Civilization series of games, Civ Net. Could be good.
Otherwise yeah... ugh.
Trust me, it's a facebook game that has more in common with farmville (made by the same people, same graphics style, same casual 'no lose' gameplay, no thought involved, pay real money to get anything useful).
Does not deserve to be in the same sentance as the greatness that was Rollercoaster Tycoon and Theme Park ;)
I have found (in the UK) that usually Amazon/Play (sometimes Game or HMV) are cheaper than Steam/D2D, especially for new releases.
The best bits for Steam/D2D are the special offers that discount a lot more than stores usually do (the THQ bundle pack you mention of 18 games was a good example). GoG are good on older games but I think 95% of my games (PC) are on hard copy still these days. Cheapest place I found a pre-order of Mass Effect 2 for example was Play (£26). No D...
What? I thought ALL PS3 owners had PCs? Didn't you get the memo?
Indeed, bloody isn't the word to describe the Macs and PCs fans.
Problems as it stands is that Apple opperates utterly opposite to the current console market. Their hardware is expensive and their software (apps, itunes) are cheap (or cheaper than their established rivals previously). They could make a very well designed, sleek looking, well made console, brilliantly marketed... and then go sell it for $1000...
The main advantage Macs supposedly have over PCs is th...
It was designed and made for the PC as the primary platform.
It was a quick and easy process to port it over to the 360 so it can be released at the same time, but the PS3 is a little different and since they (Bioware) do all their PS3 work inhouse for this game (and this is the first game they've done that for), sometimes it takes a little longer to get it right.
Personally I think better to take a little longer to get it right first time than have the debacle that ...