Retro Game SuperHyper

I’ll put it out there now: I’ve never been a huge fan of PC gaming. For some reason, they’ve always fought me – either my computer wasn’t powerful enough, or the game would cause some ridiculous conflict, like if I want to install X-Wing vs TIE Fighter, then my printer wouldn’t work. So I wrote off PC games and mostly stuck with my consoles.

There’s also the fact that so many popular PC games tend to be genres I don’t particularly care for, such as strategy, MMORPGs, or first-person shooters.

But there was Blade Runner.

Blade Runner was a classic King’s Quest-style point-and-click adventure game set in the iconic world created by Philip K. Dick and brought to visual life by Ridley Scott. I shouldn’t have to introduce the book or movie any further, but suffice it to say I’m a huge fan. So I was willing to take the plunge on the PC game, and as it turns out, it’s easily my favorite. I never finished it back in the day, but 2 or 3 PC’s  later, with a hard drive big enough to load all four CD’s onto it, I restarted and finished it. It still holds up and is fun and engrossing, with multiple endings depending on your actions and decisons made throughout the game.

Okay, so Blade Runner is not the only PC game I own. I’ve got some classics collections like Williams Arcade Classics (my first experience with emulation back in 1996, which was MIND-BLOWING), Intellivision Lives!, and a bargain-bin copy of Puzzle Bobble 1 & 2.
I also have EVE Burst Error, a Japanese adventure/digital comic/visual novel, whatever you wanna call it. As a fan of games like Snatcher and Policenauts, I wanted to try one of these semi-adult-themed games, but as interesting as it was, I never finished it. Maybe someday.

And that’s it. That’s all I have for the PC. There have been a few games I’ve been sort of interested in over the years, but not enough to beef up my PC to gaming level (I usually just need enough power to run Photoshop). I do play emulators and a few Steam games – mostly retro-themed stuff like Shovel Knight and Axiom Verge, which have actually made me a bit more enthusiastic about the PC as a gaming platform.

Maybe if the US would have had a PC gaming history more like Japan, with machines like the MSX, PC-88 and 98, and X68000, and their anime-themed adventures and arcade ports, PC’S would have played a bigger part in my gaming life. I have played around with emulators for those systems, and a lot of those games appeal to me. But in the US we had Doom and Warcraft on our PCs, while I stuck with consoles because Super Metroid and ThunderForce III were more my speed.

Is there anything I’m missing out on? What are some games that might make me a bigger PC game fan?