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For today's post I'm going in a different direction. Digital downloads and distribution of new/re-released games and content. It's become a bit overdone in my opinion. I feel that it's become far too money driven. I understand the convenience for some and cost effective for others but nothing beats the feel of a brand new (or used) game in your hands. The smooth texture of the case, the folded manuals still tightly stapled together, the elaborate box art that all encompasses the entire package is being threatened by this method of transferring new games to consumers.
I grew up mostly in the early 90s, so maybe it's partially a nostalgia factor for me, but it truly bothers me when new content is released digitally. I am a proud collector as much as I am a player of games and I enjoy displaying my collection for not only myself, but my guests as well. For example, I loved the new Alan Wake American Nightmare game on Xbox Live. Solid game that adds to the story while delivering several hours of gameplay at a very reasonable price. I know that making a boxed version of said game would likely have retailed for double the price in the same way Undead Nightmare did for Red Dead Redemption. But I am sure I speak for others when I say I would've paid it.
Maybe I'm just bitter. Who knows? But a part of me died when I bought my copy of NHL 12 used and thought I was missing a manual only to find out it never had one...
Am I alone here? Or does the community agree with me, even if just a little bit?
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All you have to do is listen to our podcast archive to know both Bickman and my own views on digital distribution.
A perfect example is the console Street Fighter X Tekken. It's certainly bad enough that a dozen characters that are on the disc are locked out as "DLC", but if I wanted to play as those characters in the future once the "DLC" server is shut down, how do I get them?
For collectors like myself, its looking pretty grim...
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@slackur:
I brought up a DLC argument recently. We know that MS is going to move on and from the experience Live users had with the original Xbox then Live in its current format will go down. Once its gone then all of the 'premium' DLC goes with it. The only way to keep them would be to buy re-release after re-release unless they do a system transfer with the next Xbox.
Sony already allows for cross platform play so they might not have as much of an issue.
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My feelings are mixed. While I have fully embraced digital games and the pros/cons associated with it format, I still hold a special place within myself for physical media. The problem is that for the mainstream gamer the days of fully featured boxed copies of a game are over and arguably have been for a while (remember what came with Final Fantasy IX?). I don't think those times will ever die, just be replaced with choice. For example, I just donated to the Wasteland 2 Kickstarter project not for the minimal $15 or $30 digital amount, but for the $50 full large box treatment.
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It's inevitable. When that generation of consoles hit, I'm out. With so many consoles with physical media, it will just give me time to fill out some other libraries.
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@Duke.Togo:Thats my feelings too. I'll be a bit sad that I wont be picking up new games anymore, but I'm sure I'll have no problem finding more games to play on previously released systems.
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@Crabmaster2000:You will still be able to pick up new games, they will just be homebrew or indie, and they will be very expensive. Hmm. I guess I see what you mean. The good thing is that there are a lot of old games to discover.
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I agree with most points. If nothing else it will force me to revisit a lot of my older games that maybe I picked up to fill out a franchise that I hadn't gotten around to picking up yet. I'd heard that Microsoft might try to go sans a disc tray in their new console...if they do, I'm totally out. At least we know Nintendo isn't doing that with the Wii U.
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I'm not a fan of digital content for video games. I like physical media; I can't collect digital games. If any console shipped without physical media, I would certainly not buy it. I still have hundreds of games I have yet to play, so I don't think I'll be hurting for games to play.
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I dont like the Digital contant stuff, I buy games I like but never will pay the market value, only when they are on sale. I have no way of backing them up, no way of making sure the site/ online service will still have it if I need to re-download it. and the people that dont have a good hsd or internet at all miss out on the games completely.
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