Nexus-X wrote:There’s also a big difference between a day one patch and say a Switch cartridge that’s missing a massive chunk of game content so that the publisher can put the retail release on a cheaper cartridge size.
Happens with disc games, too.
Yeah, my first experience was Street Fighter 6 earlier this year (maybe I don't buy enough modern games). The whole World Tour mode and possibly some other single player content seemingly wasn't on the disc and had to be downloaded.
Own: Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 1, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, PS Vita, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo New 3DS, Nintendo Switch
Yeah, content being cut from the disc is more and more common. I find it fascinating that SquareEnix chose to go with a two-disc set for the next entry in the Final Fantasy 7 remake series. They could have forced a download like Jedi Survivor.
There are different tiers of required downloads or patches. There are releases like Jedi Survivor or the aforementioned Switch LA Noir port, both which won’t even play without a required download. Then there are games like GunGrave GORE which play fine off the disc, but may be missing added content and balancing from later patches. It’s something to consider when collecting contemporary titles. Is one OK with owing a physical copy if it’s missing key content from a later patch? For archival and ownership purposes, I’m alright with that. It’s better to have a functional copy at all than to be required to download data to even make the physical copy function (or for the game to be unavailable as a physical copy at all).
Also check out N-Game Arts. It’s a YouTube channel mostly dedicated to unboxing and discussing on-disc/cart content for modern releases. https://youtube.com/@n-gamearts1731
Orbalology recently put out a fantastic video discussing on-disc/cart content. Their video focuses on finding the most complete versions without the need to download content. https://youtu.be/LuOJnIsFw_0
This could actually make for an interesting Racketboy site article.
Josh Fairhurst of Limited Run Games then indicated that he has heard Wal-Mart is also expected to drop Xbox games next year, speculating that gaming sections will further shrink into 2024. https://twitter.com/LimitedRunJosh/stat ... 6838704169
Wow, that sucks. I like physical media and cling to it like a Dinosaur. It feels special. What the hell are people going to unwrap on their Birthday or under the Christmas tree when everything is digital?
My son loves looking at the cases, looking at the artwork, the act of taking the disc or cartridge out of the box and putting it in the console.
Also, physical media means you get competition and people can shop around to get the best deals. It means when games don't sell, they end up in bargain bins. And yes, some of the digital stores have great sales, but it's controlled in one place. I don't know about America or the other countries people here are from, but where I am the RRP is basically meaningless for new releases. The different retailers compete with each other for your money. Super Mario Wonder is out next week and RRP is £49.99 I believe, but some places are doing it for £44.99. Other places are doing it for £42.85, one place is doing it for £42.65 and then you have one place that is selling it for £37.99.
Or I could pre-order it off the eShop for £49.99...
Own: Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 1, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, PS Vita, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo New 3DS, Nintendo Switch
If Nintendo’s successor to the Switch permits physical media - which I think it will - I suspect major retailers will keep at least some physical video games in their stores for a while. I could see them dropping PlayStation and Xbox, though, especially if the software isn’t selling well, the next versions of those consoles are digital-only.
I also think we’ll continue to see physical releases from companies like LRG, and I think we’ll see physical video games available through online retailers like Amazon. If anything, in recent years, it seems like we see more physical releases of games that would not have received a physical release 5-10 years ago. (As far as I can tell, just about every semi-ok indie game gets a physical release on the Switch now…)
