PC Building Simulator 2
Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
One of the things I like most about games that are sequels is seeing how a game I enjoyed got improved. This is especially true when it comes to PCBS2. There are new tools and lots of QoL (quality of life) improvements, which I often see in sequels I enjoy. PCBS2 gives you more to work with and unlocks a lot of good stuff quickly without too much leveling up progression needed.
One of the things I love most about this game is itâs amazing soundtrack, which has a beautiful mix of rock, rap, and techno. âHard to Believeâ is often in my head and âNo Fear of Fallingâ really strikes a chord with my heart strings. There are a couple of references to COVID such as in â... Read All One of the things I like most about games that are sequels is seeing how a game I enjoyed got improved. This is especially true when it comes to PCBS2. There are new tools and lots of QoL (quality of life) improvements, which I often see in sequels I enjoy. PCBS2 gives you more to work with and unlocks a lot of good stuff quickly without too much leveling up progression needed.
One of the things I love most about this game is itâs amazing soundtrack, which has a beautiful mix of rock, rap, and techno. âHard to Believeâ is often in my head and âNo Fear of Fallingâ really strikes a chord with my heart strings. There are a couple of references to COVID such as in âAntidotes,â âhard everyone lock down, hard everything lock down.â You can check out the playlist on the official PCBS YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyTsMZIO5Z4&list=PL1qw64qmrhBNK1zw712CLmDO9AKbJrv-l You can also buy the soundtrack and check out the lyrics of each song here: https://pcbuildingsimulator.bandcamp.com/album/pc-building-simulator-2-original-soundtrack
I think PCBS has a good tutorial for learning how to build a PC, teaching you what each component is and what it does. PCBS2 doesnât seem to have that unless I overlooked it. It does have multiple tutorials to show you how to do everything. I think thereâs less guess work when it comes to troubleshooting, too, and youâre given more tools. One of them is a tablet that makes the office PC obsolete and redundant.
The tablet is always with you. You can access it any time by pressing âTâ on your keyboard. Once you unlock it, and you do so quickly, you really donât need your office PC. There are a couple things it can do that your office PC canât. For instance, thereâs an app that uses the tabletâs infrared camera to check the thermals of a running PC. Sometimes faulty components that need to be replaced will be running much hotter than everything else. Thereâs also an app allowing you to customize your work area including pictures, workbenches, walls, floors, and ceilings.
One way in which PCBS2 is different is that it gives you a big workshop and storefront. In PCBS, you have only one workbench until you level up and pay for additional workbenches. Even then, it only gives a total of three, but PCBS2 doubles that and doesnât require much to unlock.
There are now three types of workbenches, each with itâs own specialty and you can change them anytime a PC is not on them. Youâll be mostly working with a âbuildâ bench that lets you do all the PC building and troubleshooting. Another workbench allows for water-cooling customization where youâll take individual components like a GPU, motherboard, or RAM. The last workbench allows you use spray paint and stickers for case modding. You probably only need one of each for the last two, while the rest you may want as âbuildâ benches.
The storefront includes one of these workbenches, itâs mostly there for tinkering with the PCs youâre going to sell. There are multiple spots (four I think) to put a PC for sale, so you can sell many of them at the same time. You can buy a PC from a store app, which contains at least one broken part. You can then replace the part (or completely remove it if itâs an extra) and resell it. If you give the PC a name, overclock, or customization, you can get more money for it, too.
The game play is essentially the same as the first game. As I mentioned in my review of PCBS, you take over a PC repair shop. Potential customers will email you, asking you to fix their computer problems, build them a PC, or request that you give their PC a customization. Email from them also contains plenty of info like what needs to be done such as run virus scan, paint case, or replace a part. Once you click âacceptâ the customerâs PC will arrive in your store the next day for you to work on.
Itâs pretty simple game play, but thereâs plenty to do. Some customers want you to do something simple and the game tells you what to do. Others are more mysterious requiring you to figure it out on your own, which isnât usually too difficult. Some customers want their PC to meet a certain score on a benchmark like 3DMark and Cinebench. Thereâs an app that helps you decide which parts will give you a certain score.
There are resources online about PCBS, including Steam guides that are still relevant. You might get a BSoD (blue screen of death) and not know whatâs wrong (because theyâre not very descriptive), but if you âGoogle it,â youâll be able to find your answer easily. I got one of these recently and realized I forgot to apply thermal paste to the CPU I replaced.
The game has gotten three updates and I wouldnât be surprised to see more, because theyâve added content and features. One of them introduced cable customization, which lets you color each individual cable, so you can have multicolored cables. Usually they add new parts and partners (PC companies like Phanteks).
PCBS2 is an Epic Games Store exclusive. Months ago, I did a Google search to see when or if it is coming to Steam and it seems as though it will not, even though PCBS is there. PCBS had a lot of workshops customized for different PC brands, like Razer, but PCBS2 doesnât seem to have that and thus no additional DLC to pay for.
Thereâs actually a demo for this game, so if this sounds like something youâre interested in, you can check it out before buying. The game is only $25 and I think itâs definitely worth it. Also, check out the PC Building Simulator YouTube channel for game play videos: https://www.youtube.com/@PCBuildingSimulator
I think this is a cool game, especially for someone like me whoâs a PC building enthusiast. Iâve already played this game on two different PCs, because I built a new one this year. I may keep playing so that I can unlock my hardware and build âAzura Azulaâ in the game. If youâre a PC building enthusiast, youâll probably like this game, too. If youâre just starting out, I think I might recommend playing the first game a bit. Just a bit, though, enough to get through the tutorial and maybe a little familiar with the game play.
Let me know if this sounds like something youâre interested in. If youâve played it, let me know what you think about it and if you have anything youâd like to add to this.
I did a more thorough job of explaining the game play in my review of PCBS, you can check that out for more details: https://cheerfulghost.com/games/32203/pc-building-simulator
One of the things I love most about this game is itâs amazing soundtrack, which has a beautiful mix of rock, rap, and techno. âHard to Believeâ is often in my head and âNo Fear of Fallingâ really strikes a chord with my heart strings. There are a couple of references to COVID such as in â... Read All One of the things I like most about games that are sequels is seeing how a game I enjoyed got improved. This is especially true when it comes to PCBS2. There are new tools and lots of QoL (quality of life) improvements, which I often see in sequels I enjoy. PCBS2 gives you more to work with and unlocks a lot of good stuff quickly without too much leveling up progression needed.
One of the things I love most about this game is itâs amazing soundtrack, which has a beautiful mix of rock, rap, and techno. âHard to Believeâ is often in my head and âNo Fear of Fallingâ really strikes a chord with my heart strings. There are a couple of references to COVID such as in âAntidotes,â âhard everyone lock down, hard everything lock down.â You can check out the playlist on the official PCBS YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyTsMZIO5Z4&list=PL1qw64qmrhBNK1zw712CLmDO9AKbJrv-l You can also buy the soundtrack and check out the lyrics of each song here: https://pcbuildingsimulator.bandcamp.com/album/pc-building-simulator-2-original-soundtrack
I think PCBS has a good tutorial for learning how to build a PC, teaching you what each component is and what it does. PCBS2 doesnât seem to have that unless I overlooked it. It does have multiple tutorials to show you how to do everything. I think thereâs less guess work when it comes to troubleshooting, too, and youâre given more tools. One of them is a tablet that makes the office PC obsolete and redundant.
The tablet is always with you. You can access it any time by pressing âTâ on your keyboard. Once you unlock it, and you do so quickly, you really donât need your office PC. There are a couple things it can do that your office PC canât. For instance, thereâs an app that uses the tabletâs infrared camera to check the thermals of a running PC. Sometimes faulty components that need to be replaced will be running much hotter than everything else. Thereâs also an app allowing you to customize your work area including pictures, workbenches, walls, floors, and ceilings.
One way in which PCBS2 is different is that it gives you a big workshop and storefront. In PCBS, you have only one workbench until you level up and pay for additional workbenches. Even then, it only gives a total of three, but PCBS2 doubles that and doesnât require much to unlock.
There are now three types of workbenches, each with itâs own specialty and you can change them anytime a PC is not on them. Youâll be mostly working with a âbuildâ bench that lets you do all the PC building and troubleshooting. Another workbench allows for water-cooling customization where youâll take individual components like a GPU, motherboard, or RAM. The last workbench allows you use spray paint and stickers for case modding. You probably only need one of each for the last two, while the rest you may want as âbuildâ benches.
The storefront includes one of these workbenches, itâs mostly there for tinkering with the PCs youâre going to sell. There are multiple spots (four I think) to put a PC for sale, so you can sell many of them at the same time. You can buy a PC from a store app, which contains at least one broken part. You can then replace the part (or completely remove it if itâs an extra) and resell it. If you give the PC a name, overclock, or customization, you can get more money for it, too.
The game play is essentially the same as the first game. As I mentioned in my review of PCBS, you take over a PC repair shop. Potential customers will email you, asking you to fix their computer problems, build them a PC, or request that you give their PC a customization. Email from them also contains plenty of info like what needs to be done such as run virus scan, paint case, or replace a part. Once you click âacceptâ the customerâs PC will arrive in your store the next day for you to work on.
Itâs pretty simple game play, but thereâs plenty to do. Some customers want you to do something simple and the game tells you what to do. Others are more mysterious requiring you to figure it out on your own, which isnât usually too difficult. Some customers want their PC to meet a certain score on a benchmark like 3DMark and Cinebench. Thereâs an app that helps you decide which parts will give you a certain score.
There are resources online about PCBS, including Steam guides that are still relevant. You might get a BSoD (blue screen of death) and not know whatâs wrong (because theyâre not very descriptive), but if you âGoogle it,â youâll be able to find your answer easily. I got one of these recently and realized I forgot to apply thermal paste to the CPU I replaced.
The game has gotten three updates and I wouldnât be surprised to see more, because theyâve added content and features. One of them introduced cable customization, which lets you color each individual cable, so you can have multicolored cables. Usually they add new parts and partners (PC companies like Phanteks).
PCBS2 is an Epic Games Store exclusive. Months ago, I did a Google search to see when or if it is coming to Steam and it seems as though it will not, even though PCBS is there. PCBS had a lot of workshops customized for different PC brands, like Razer, but PCBS2 doesnât seem to have that and thus no additional DLC to pay for.
Thereâs actually a demo for this game, so if this sounds like something youâre interested in, you can check it out before buying. The game is only $25 and I think itâs definitely worth it. Also, check out the PC Building Simulator YouTube channel for game play videos: https://www.youtube.com/@PCBuildingSimulator
I think this is a cool game, especially for someone like me whoâs a PC building enthusiast. Iâve already played this game on two different PCs, because I built a new one this year. I may keep playing so that I can unlock my hardware and build âAzura Azulaâ in the game. If youâre a PC building enthusiast, youâll probably like this game, too. If youâre just starting out, I think I might recommend playing the first game a bit. Just a bit, though, enough to get through the tutorial and maybe a little familiar with the game play.
Let me know if this sounds like something youâre interested in. If youâve played it, let me know what you think about it and if you have anything youâd like to add to this.
I did a more thorough job of explaining the game play in my review of PCBS, you can check that out for more details: https://cheerfulghost.com/games/32203/pc-building-simulator
