Midway Games removed from XBLA

[J T]

How many of you buy music from iTunes rather than CD's?

Buy... music?

*raises hand*

(mostly non RIAA stuff)

Nice collection!

[J T]

I don't use PSN, but I do use GoG and Steam.

A few games have gone off the site from GoG: Obscure, Operation Flashpoint, and some Colin McCrea racing game.

These games are no longer available to purchase; however, if you already bought them, you can still re-download them from the site. Since GoG is DRM-free, you can also toss them on a backup drive and you're fine. It's harder to predict what will happen with games that require DRM. I am wondering what will happen when we first see one of the major digital distributors fall. I'm willing to bank on Steam staying in business, and I can backup GoG. If Impulse, D2D, or GamersGate ever go under though, I wonder how things will be handled? A lot of the success of digital distribution could lie in how bad a fallout there is from one of these services going under.

I particular worry about the console based download services because they seem somewhat tied to the generation of console they are on. When there is a new Playstation or new XBox, will they have access to the same X-box Live or PSN network? And as the technology advances beyond that, will your then retro PS3 be able to access a modernized PSN network?

[fastbilly1]

Like JT I support Steam and GOG, but I also support Wiiware/VC. There are simple reasons for each:
Steam - Typically I would just say Half-Life but since I know this wont go away, Ill actually spend money there. It is not the same as having the disc, but when they put things on sale, they put them on sale - exactly what Digital Distribution should do.
GOG - We as pc gamers clamored for a service like this for years, when it finally showed up it start off slow but is now awesome. Everything JT said is spot on. I only own a dozen titles on it but if I get spare money I am always tempted by something.
Wiiware/VC - I only buy games I know will get play time and consider it all as money thrown away. It explains why I only have six titles: Bomberman 93, Mario Kart 64, Dr Mario, Bomberman Blast, Lost Winds, and Tetris. So when Nintendo decides to pull the plug on Wiiware, thats fine, I just wrote off that money as lost anyway ($30ish).

One thing I do REALLY like about digital distribution is that no matter where I am in the world, aslong as I have access to the internet, I can download my titles. This became really obvious to me when I was traveling last summer and I could log into GOG and grab another title when we found a hotspot. That is just awesome, especially on my netbook - the gameboy of pc gaming.

This unfortunate situation for Midway, coupled with the original Xbox live closing down, only makes me worry about the future. But thankfully Im in a position to stock up on the past.

[corn619]

I have to agree with JT on GOG, its a great service and the only one I'll use to DL a game with. I feel that I really own the games that I buy from GOG. The games are priced right and have some cool extras, and the game list gets bigger every week. I don't really know much about Steam, but I think you need to be logged in to play your games. It kinda sucks you need to ask permission to play the games you already bought. Maybe I'm wrong on this but I thought someone said you need to log in to play.

At first, I was totally against downloadable games in any form. I now see downloadable games definitely have a place in todays gaming market. Small niche devs can't survive anymore with the bigboys on the store shelves. Downloads are really the only way a niche or indie game can succeed today sadly.

Also, older games that were great and had small prints or are now out of print. Putting these older or overlooked games for others to enjoy is a great idea. Seeing the value of my gaming collection plummet since all these rereleases and reprints kinda sucks. I collect because I love games and don't consider them a "investment" like some do.

Piracy will happen no matter what. Putting crazy restrictions and punishing your consumer with DRM on legally purchased games will only lead to more piracy and failure of digital distribution. How many people pirate PC games because the DRM on a legal copy sucks ass? I'm sure theres plenty.

Full blown major new releases really belong in disc form though. I just can't justify spending that kind of money on something that has 15 hours or less of playtime and no resale value after I'm done. Not to mention the time a full game takes to DL and the space it takes up on a HDD.

Maybe I'm in the minority on this, but I really enjoy the bonuses you get from physically purchased games. Devil Summoner 2, Persona 3 & 4, Demon Souls, Castlevania POR, Muramasa The Demon Blade and God Of War 3 Ultimate Edition all offered some very cool stuff that a downloadable game just can't offer. While some the extras cost $, most of these bonuses were free with a preorder.

I've seeing a disturbing trend lately in preorder bonuses and game bonuses in general though, they seem to be mostly in DLC form and crappy bonuses at that. Atlus is really the only company that still gives cool stuff with their games these days. Although THQ giving Red Faction away for free to early Darksiders buyers was really cool too. I'm sure there is more companies offering cool preorder bonuses, but these are just the ones I remember. Sorry, if I got a little off subject.

[RadarScope1]

I usually prefer to buy CDs to digital music, but I have bought hundreds of songs from iTunes as well. Anything really important to me - a band I truly love or a game I know I'll play for years - I'd prefer to own a physical copy.

That said, I really enjoy the games that are available on XBLA and PSN, many of which we simply would not be getting to play otherwise. Shadow Complex, Pac-Man CE, etc. However I've also bought several games that I could have had a physical copy of, but they were both cheap and pick-up-and-play style games like Rez HD, Alien Hominid and Outrun Online Arcade.

It's just a judgement call for me. I trust that these games will be available in SOME form as the XBL and PSN platforms evolve, but we'll see.

Couldn't this be because they're doing the retro arcade thing on live?
They're going to re release them in that new "homeish" setup?

It's been confirmed that it's due to licensing issues, not Game Room.

[CRTGAMER]

Older games that were great and had small prints or are now out of print.

My thoughts exactly. Download support eventually goes away as the next new console takes over. Your older console goes dead, bye bye all those invested downloads.

[lost_within]

...everything is going to break its just a matter of when. Play, enjoy, keep going. Is this fucked up...sure is. Is it anything to waste time pondering what if on...no, its bound to happen its just WHEN it happens.

Like someone else said...only download games if you consider the money GONE. I had an account hacked with about 200$ in games on it...guess what...its gone...nothing I can do about it. But I also got those games knowing it was a risk and a chance I was taking that ONE DAY, they would be gone...and they were.

[CRTGAMER]

...everything is going to break its just a matter of when. Play, enjoy, keep going. Is this fucked up...sure is. Is it anything to waste time pondering what if on...no, its bound to happen its just WHEN it happens.

Like someone else said...only download games if you consider the money GONE. I had an account hacked with about 200$ in games on it...guess what...its gone...nothing I can do about it. But I also got those games knowing it was a risk and a chance I was taking that ONE DAY, they would be gone...and they were.

Strange .........
My PC downloads can be backed up locally. More the reason not to buy Digital Vanish-Ware.

[lost_within]

...everything is going to break its just a matter of when. Play, enjoy, keep going. Is this fucked up...sure is. Is it anything to waste time pondering what if on...no, its bound to happen its just WHEN it happens.

Like someone else said...only download games if you consider the money GONE. I had an account hacked with about 200$ in games on it...guess what...its gone...nothing I can do about it. But I also got those games knowing it was a risk and a chance I was taking that ONE DAY, they would be gone...and they were.

Strange .........
My PC downloads can be backed up locally. More the reason not to buy Digital Vanish-Ware.

Yeah they can be backed up...but how about this, how about you give me your steam log on if you have one...let me change all your passwords and contact information...then you contact steam and let them laugh at you.

Ok done yet?...awesome NOW!...

What I even did was go out and BUY the disc when I could, mind you they are still linked with steam...SO...lets reinstall the disc......5%....25%...80%...done ok perfect...now enter cd key...

"This key has already been registered on another steam account"

Ok wait...what? I cant reinstall ANY of my games?...nice.

Steam has ruined games just as much as the virtual consoles on every next gen console.

[CRTGAMER]

Thats why I don't use steam and get steamed up over nonsense ............