By Nelson Schneider - 10/25/14 at 02:29 PM CT
While it is true that I was extremely disappointed with “The Best of PlayStation Network Vol. 1,” my disappointment has little to do with the concept behind the product and everything to do with the execution. Steam and GOG.com have slowly been whittling away my insistence upon possessing a physical product tied to the gaming experience, yet both of those platforms only have a strong presence on PC (making PC much better for it). With digital (mostly Indie) games on consoles, the experience still boils down to paying far too much money for an ephemeral product that will only last as long as the current hardware generation.
What products like “The Best of PlayStation Network” should aim to do is create a more lasting product to stand as a testament to the quality of the Indie and small-budget games from a given time period. Instead of being hideously rare, such compilations should be so numerous as to fill an entire shelf with Internet-independent instances of these games. It’s not like any of the three big console makers are shy about remastering, remaking, and reprinting a huge swath of their “AAA” game libraries, which don’t really need more physical releases. So why not start deluging us with Indie console collections?
Along with Sony, Nintendo has taken some tenuous steps in this direction, with the upcoming physical compilation release of the two ‘NES Remix’ WiiUWare titles. Even Microsoft provides ways to access digital exclusives without an Xbox… by releasing their digital games for PC as well. Despite these small initial actions, more needs to be done.
Not only do physical compilations of digital only games provide a sense of permanence for a transient product, but they allow those who would otherwise be denied to experience these digital games at all. Many gamers like to ignore the problem and live with their heads in The Cloud, but not everyone has access to fantastic Internet connectivity.
Unfortunately, even if the console makers were to create a bureaucratic framework to navigate the licensing issues involved in creating physical copies of other people’s intellectual property, there is still no guarantee that they would get the final product right. As Sony demonstrated with “The Best of PlayStation Network,” their definition of ‘best’ is rather dubious, and they didn’t even bother to include all of the DLC for the games included in the collection, leaving the experience still incomplete without an Internet connection to their console-specific storefront and further outlay of cash. Nintendo has proven just as silly, with their insistence that compilations of extremely old ‘Mario’ and ‘Kirby’ games were worth as much as a brand new Wii title. Yes, it is to be expected that physical products cost a bit more than digital, but compilations are supposed to be bargains, providing the buyer a discount for buying a bunch of stuff in a bundle. And when the digital products are supposed to be so much cheaper than physical products to begin with (not even taking into account the amazing discounts offered on the PC versions of such products), there is still plenty of room to provide good value at a reasonable price.
With backward compatibility going out the window in the 8th Generation and with platform-exclusive digital storefronts that will be shut-down sooner rather than later, the proliferation of physical compilations of formerly digital-only games can’t come too soon. Unfortunately for all of us, it probably won’t come at all.
Comments
Jonzor - wrote on 10/31/14 at 09:38 PM CT
It's interesting seeing people on both sides of this issue. I know and have heard of people that really ONLY download games anymore, even on Nintendo platforms with AWFUL storage limitations. Personally I still find myself drawn to the physical copies of games, at least on consoles. Anymore, PC games are just going to download the whole thing anyway, so I've pretty much stopped buying discs. I swear, when I bought StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm the only code on the disc that came in the box was "Go to Battle.net. Download game."
What's really intriguing is how it makes total sense to people on opposite sides of the same debate. We talk like we're getting screwed by the death of the cartridge and some people think switching games in and out of the drive and going to buy games is the nuts part.
dbarry_22 - wrote on 10/27/14 at 06:14 PM CT
While I would love to have a physical copy of Mega Man 9 & 10, I just know it's not going to happen. We should fee lucky that Telltale games and the Journey/Flow/Flower collection saw a physical release. Unfortunately this is only going to get worse, not better. The gaming industry wants you to download from their store, not buy a physical copy that takes money to make and they have to share profits with the store that sells it. Heck, you rarely see manuals with games anymore.
