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It's difficult to answer this. My preferred platform would absolutely be the PC, but the people who mostly develop games for PC either can't optimise for shit (as with pretty much every single current gen port, like Dragon Age: Inquisition) or they design games to be played on console, and then really fuck up the porting process for PC when it comes to the control scheme. So I'm forced to play with my controller most of the time anyway.

I'm particularly pissed at BioWare about Dragon Age: Inquisition, as Dragon Age: Origins was really a joy to play on PC with the keyboard and mouse, and yet they couldn't even be bothered to apply that to the PC version of Inquisition.

I really wish other companies would put in the time and effort to fucking get their PC ports straightened out, as Rockstar did with GTA V. Not only does it look amazing on PC with everything at its highest, it performs a lot better and is actually optimised for a PC control scheme.

That being said, while the PC is my preferred platform for the mouse+keyboard combo, no system comes close to having the exclusives that Sony churns out for the PlayStation. Heavy Rain, The Last of Us, Metal Gear Solid (minus the latest multi-platform one) and (while not a PS exclusive) Red Dead Redemption are truly some of my favourite games of all time.

I also really love Genesis, N64 and the PS1. And the Nintendo DS and 3DS, although I literally only have it for Pokemon.

But Mass Effect 1 and 2, Dragon Age: Origins and The Witcher really make up for the general lack of PC exclusives.

Hold on, Diablo 3 doesn't natively support a gamepad on PC? I can't find any settings to let me choose a gamepad and quick Googling seems to confirm this. Having to install third party software is just bullshit..

It doesn't natively support one?  That's rather stupid on their part.  Considering they have it on every console out there aside from Nintendo ones, I would have assumed the PC version would welcome game-pads with open arms.

Then again, the PC version is the one that you also have to always be online to be able to play (unless they fixed that), whereas with the console ones, you don't have to be online at all.  So I wouldn't be surprised.

It's difficult to answer this. My preferred platform would absolutely be the PC, but the people who mostly develop games for PC either can't optimise for shit (as with pretty much every single current gen port, like Dragon Age: Inquisition) or they design games to be played on console, and then really fuck up the porting process for PC when it comes to the control scheme. So I'm forced to play with my controller most of the time anyway.

I'm particularly pissed at BioWare about Dragon Age: Inquisition, as Dragon Age: Origins was really a joy to play on PC with the keyboard and mouse, and yet they couldn't even be bothered to apply that to the PC version of Inquisition.

I imagine it's highly annoying since you start to see when companies favor something more than the other, whether it be Bioware preferring consoles to PC in your case, or whether it be Bioware preferring Microsoft to Sony in the sense of them giving the newest DLC to Xbox One and PC only (and only now has a release date for other consoles because of the volume of complaints they got).

But the whole "timed exclusives" deal in general rubs me the wrong way.  If it's a game that was originally multiplatform (Tomb raider being PS and PC, and then PC/PS/Xbox with the Legends trilogy), then it should remain multiplatform or revert back to its roots.  The fact that some companies are paying developers/publishers to make titles like that "timed" exclusives for their consoles (IE making a game strictly theirs for anywhere between a month to 3+ years) is just a disservice to gamers since they would HAVE to buy the console to play the game that used to be available on practically anything.  And having it linger in exclusivity limbo for over three months is absolutely ridiculous.  Either make it multiplatform right away, or don't.  The whole thing with timed exclusives in general, let alone of popular games just reeks of trying to cash in on making those popular games strictly yours for a given period of time.

But it's the same with Bayonetta: It was a game that was released purely on the PS3 and 360 alone, and then the sequel got a Wii-U only release with them also getting an upgraded port of the first game.  For a game that was recieved pretty decenty on the PS3 and 360, a lot of gamers felt robbed at the Wii-U exclusive release of its sequel, especially since the first game wasn't available on Nintendo, so it reeked of Nintendo saying "Oh, you want to play that sequel? Then you should have bought a Wii-U, losers."  Which is a disservice to other gamers that had played the first game on the other consoles.

That being said, while the PC is my preferred platform for the mouse+keyboard combo, no system comes close to having the exclusives that Sony churns out for the PlayStation. Heavy Rain, The Last of Us, Metal Gear Solid (minus the latest multi-platform one) and (while not a PS exclusive) Red Dead Redemption are truly some of my favourite games of all time.

Don't forget the older ones as well: Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, God of War, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (there was a 3DS one, but it was strictly Japan only), Parasite Eve, and now adding Bloodborne to that list since Sony has no intentions of letting it port to other consoles or even PC any time soon.

I didn't really ever play on the PS2, so although I know of Jak and Daxter, and I've played a bit of Rachet and Clank, I can't really give my opinion on games I don't know well. Although Killzone blew my mind, mostly for the graphics, which was more astonishing considering how under-powered the PS2 was.

PS1 is also a recent thing for me with emulators, but Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII and VIII are also incredible.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is also more than enough reason to call the N64 a favourite platform.

And possibly my favourite JRPGs of all time are on the Genesis, with Phantasy Star IV and Shining Force.

But then I remember things like Deus Ex (the original), StarCraft and Half Life 2, and oh god...

In conclusion, I don't think any system can really claim victory over another. Although I've never really been impressed by Xbox exclusives (with the possible exception of Fable), there are a sizable amount of people who claim the same about PS and PC exclusives.

I think it's also a case of where I simply don't remember all the great games that are out there for each system.

And on the point of exclusives and preferential treatment, well, we have to remember that games aren't only there for our enjoyment and artistic appreciation. It's a business. As such, I can't really fault them for having the business models they do.

And really, I much prefer people to tweak and optimise their ports to other systems anyway, as Rockstar did recently with GTA on PS4, XBox One and most recently the PC, even if that means I have to wait quite a bit longer to finally play the game on the superior system. At that point I really don't mind spending my money, because they show me that they actually care about my experience with their game. They're not just trying to cash in, they're actually pouring their hearts and souls into a product that performs perfectly.
 
And I'm not like my PC brethren who constantly complain about the draconian DRM measures studios and devs resort to, because the average PC gamer himself is mostly to blame for it, pirating every single game that gets released on the system, thereby forcing things like Origin, Steam, and UPlay. God, I hate those things, but I also hate the general lack of ethics present with PC gamers. My approach these days to avoid head-aches is to buy the damn physical copy, and to download the pirated version anyway to avoid the DRM policies. And to be honest, Steam isn't the problem. Origin is a complete clusterfuck, however.

Favorite platform: Definitely the PC.

Genres... that's more complicated.

I love city building games, but my symmetry OCD tends to make a mess of them.  I often try to create pretty, realistic cities, but end up with symmetrical and highly inefficient cities.  That hasn't stopped me from trying all of them.  I'm also playing around with EQ Landmark to do some building.

I still dabble in MMOs, bouncing between a bunch of them, but I find I have less of an interest to just sink a ton of time into them these days.  My current interest is FFXIV.  I played during the original launch and really TRIED to enjoy the game, but it felt like too much of a grind.  I returned during Reborn, but got sidetracked by something else.  I've recently returned again, on a server with a group of RP friends, and I'm trying to get caught up.

I love burning some time on puzzle games, like Bejeweled or Marvel Puzzle Quest, mostly just on my phone when I have time with nothing to really do.

I also enjoy a good ARPG, with Diablo 3 and Path of Exile being my most recent choices.

I play some Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm.

I honestly find a mouse and keyboard so much easier and more intuitive than Analogue sticks, D-pads and controller :s

So much this!!  I've always preferred the PC for gaming and the controls are a big reason why; somehow I just find mouse-and-keyboard much easier.

As for favorite genre...probably RPGs.  Fallout 1 & 2, Dungeon Siege, Arcanum, and Baldur's Gate were some of best.  I kicked around in Guild Wars for a while but honestly I prefer singleplayer, at least with RPGs.  With MMOs, I'm always very aware we're playing a game, trying to exploit the system somehow.  It's very difficult to feel absorbed in the setting or do any actual roleplaying.

Path of Exile is excellence...the rest of Wintreath needs to find out how great it is.

There are some games I like a control pad with, mostly games on my SNES emulator, and for that I have a USB controller. That's the wonderful thing about the PC...it's such a versatile machine you can do almost anything with it.

I love city building games, but my symmetry OCD tends to make a mess of them.  I often try to create pretty, realistic cities, but end up with symmetrical and highly inefficient cities.  That hasn't stopped me from trying all of them.  I'm also playing around with EQ Landmark to do some building.

I love a good City Building game myself, I find there is something very satisfying about being able to sit back after pouring a few hours into one, and just marvelling at all you have created .

I also kind of get what you mean about trying to get them looking perfect over working well(or sometimes at all ) but for me instead of symmetry it is normally that I have to make them grow organically and realistically, I can't right at the start put roads everywhere, or anything like that, no it must be organic!

Can I ask, have you tried Cities: Skylines, I have found it has a much higher tolerance for aesthetics over efficiency? 

So much this!!  I've always preferred the PC for gaming and the controls are a big reason why; somehow I just find mouse-and-keyboard much easier.

As for favorite genre...probably RPGs.  Fallout 1 & 2, Dungeon Siege, Arcanum, and Baldur's Gate were some of best.  I kicked around in Guild Wars for a while but honestly I prefer singleplayer, at least with RPGs.  With MMOs, I'm always very aware we're playing a game, trying to exploit the system somehow.  It's very difficult to feel absorbed in the setting or do any actual roleplaying.

Ah ha, a fellow keyboard junkie

I agree with you about the MMO's, I really like to get completely immersed in a game world while I play it, even if it is something "dumb" like CoD. I did get really into WoW a few years back though, but that was because I managed to get into the "meta" game a bit .

It seems older RPG's which were more text heavy are much better at drawing me in, maybe it's because I read a lot of books, but a game doesn't have to have state of the art graphics to be immersive in my mind

It seems older RPG's which were more text heavy are much better at drawing me in, maybe it's because I read a lot of books, but a game doesn't have to have state of the art graphics to be immersive in my mind

I know what you mean. I found Morrowind to be far more immersive than any of the newer Elder Scrolls games.

But I do disagree with the graphics bit. There has never been a game so good that excellent graphics didn't make it infinitely better.

It seems older RPG's which were more text heavy are much better at drawing me in, maybe it's because I read a lot of books, but a game doesn't have to have state of the art graphics to be immersive in my mind

Absolutely, I'll take good writing (or gameplay) over good graphics every time.

I love city building games, but my symmetry OCD tends to make a mess of them.  I often try to create pretty, realistic cities, but end up with symmetrical and highly inefficient cities.  That hasn't stopped me from trying all of them.  I'm also playing around with EQ Landmark to do some building.

I love a good City Building game myself, I find there is something very satisfying about being able to sit back after pouring a few hours into one, and just marvelling at all you have created .

I also kind of get what you mean about trying to get them looking perfect over working well(or sometimes at all ) but for me instead of symmetry it is normally that I have to make them grow organically and realistically, I can't right at the start put roads everywhere, or anything like that, no it must be organic!

Can I ask, have you tried Cities: Skylines, I have found it has a much higher tolerance for aesthetics over efficiency? 

Cities: Skylines is actually the builder I'm playing right now.  I've been pleasantly surprised to find that it doesn't suffer from the SimCity issue of having to have a clinic every few blocks and other issues like that.

It seems older RPG's which were more text heavy are much better at drawing me in, maybe it's because I read a lot of books, but a game doesn't have to have state of the art graphics to be immersive in my mind

I know what you mean. I found Morrowind to be far more immersive than any of the newer Elder Scrolls games.

But I do disagree with the graphics bit. There has never been a game so good that excellent graphics didn't make it infinitely better.

You should play ESO.  It brings back that feeling of an immense environment, and some of the areas (the starting areas of Stonefalls in Morrowind, Glenumbra in High Rock, and Auridon in Sommerset Isles for example, especially Auridon) are absolutely gorgeous.

It seems older RPG's which were more text heavy are much better at drawing me in, maybe it's because I read a lot of books, but a game doesn't have to have state of the art graphics to be immersive in my mind

I know what you mean. I found Morrowind to be far more immersive than any of the newer Elder Scrolls games.

But I do disagree with the graphics bit. There has never been a game so good that excellent graphics didn't make it infinitely better.

You should play ESO.  It brings back that feeling of an immense environment, and some of the areas (the starting areas of Stonefalls in Morrowind, Glenumbra in High Rock, and Auridon in Sommerset Isles for example, especially Auridon) are absolutely gorgeous.

I'm generally averse to MMOs, but even if I were interested, my internet connection is not up to scratch. I can't wait for the SkyWind mod for Skyrim to come out, though. Playing Morrowind with the Skyrim engine would be bliss.

It seems older RPG's which were more text heavy are much better at drawing me in, maybe it's because I read a lot of books, but a game doesn't have to have state of the art graphics to be immersive in my mind

I know what you mean. I found Morrowind to be far more immersive than any of the newer Elder Scrolls games.

But I do disagree with the graphics bit. There has never been a game so good that excellent graphics didn't make it infinitely better.

You should play ESO.  It brings back that feeling of an immense environment, and some of the areas (the starting areas of Stonefalls in Morrowind, Glenumbra in High Rock, and Auridon in Sommerset Isles for example, especially Auridon) are absolutely gorgeous.

I'm generally averse to MMOs, but even if I were interested, my internet connection is not up to scratch. I can't wait for the SkyWind mod for Skyrim to come out, though. Playing Morrowind with the Skyrim engine would be bliss.

I understand, as many MMO follow a similar repetitive pattern of "kill this many monsters" and "collect this many exotic items" when you break them down.

I will say that while ESO is mildly dumbed down in the sense of a less intricate skill-level-up system and you can't pick up EVERY item...the gameplay is essentially the same as a normal Elder Scrolls: you can still switch between 1st/third person, base traits (ie one handed, dual weapon, etc) level up the same way (by use or reading a book), enemies are just as difficult (it is entirely possible for a level 5 character to be killed by a level 5 boss), if not slightly more difficult (since enemies regain health if they kill you).   You can still learn all the various types of crafting, join the main 4 guilds (fighter's, mage's, thief's, dark brotherhood) as well as player-created ones, and the starting faction goes on for much longer and much more in depth than most MMOs make their starting area for playets (after the beginning tutorial area I mean).

 The Crown store is almost the same as DC's to where it's limited to mounts, pets (which do nothing but walk with you) mount upgrades, game content additions and DLC, health/stamina/mana/durabity restoration items and recipes, costumes (purely for looks) and race-specific clothing/weapon recipe styles (which essenentially only affects how a crafted item will look).

Overall you're talking to someone who hates WoW and is not the biggest into MMOs in general.  However, I'm greatly enjoying ESO because it's essentially still a regular ES game...it just happens to be multiplayer.

And I realized I worded it wrong in the 2nd paragraph, as "dumbed down" isn't the term I meant to apply to it.  Different interface is what I meant, since instead of, for example, Skyrim's intricate astronomical system that they had, the skills are all set to a list, still all separated by their base traits (IE One handed has different active and passive skills, provisioning has different ones, etc...).  Not to mention, it includes the addition of Soul Magic for every class, each class has their own set of three skill sets along with the others, and each race has their own skill set (instead of having 1-2 bonuses).

I would say I only have one specific gripe, and that's the lockpicking system.  Essentially it's similar to how Oblivion did it (with the tumblers, rather than Skyrim's style), but there's some slight alterations.  Rather than having the jumping tumblers (you know, they bounce when your lockpick is focused on them specifically) that you have to time it right, you instead focus on one tumbler at a time and hold the correct button (for PS4, it's R2), which will press the tumbler down.  You have to let go of the button at the right time, or the tumbler won't lock in place, and will break your lockpick normally.  In theory you'll usually know when the tumbler starts shaking...but it's not always 100% accurate.  To add insult to injury, you're also timed.  Most locks give you 30-40 seconds to completely lock every single tumbler into place.  It doesn't sound horrible, but considering each tumbler goes down slowly, and that some go down far lower, and adding the fact that you're 90% unlikely to lock one on the first try, it becomes a problematic system.  I think the going back to the tumbler system was fine (and the way they did it was okay), but I think adding the timer was a pretty bad idea.