Dear gamers,
Videogames are our beloved medum. We all know that they basically are programs that need to be contained somewhere in order to excecute them everytime we have that characteristic itch on our fingers.
Now, here's the thing. Which one of you criticised a game before the current gen consoles about the media the game was in?
The latest rage about L.A. Noire going around the internet for being in multiple disks on 360 and that "it's better played on the PS3" makes my eyes roll over. Seriously people. Haven't you learn that gamers should not care about the containing media but the game itself?
It's like saying, "yeah, Mortal Kombat on SNES was better than Mortal Kombat on Genesis because the SNES cartridges had higher capacity" Overlooking completely each version's merits and weaknesses.
Also, does anybody remember a multiple disk game that sucked because of the.. multiple disks? Lost Odyssey was awesome on 360. I can't remember anybody complaining about disk swapping on Final Fantasy 7 or Final Fantasy 8, Parasite Eve 2 etc.
Besides, multiple game disks use to separate the different chapters of games. For example, Final Fantasies on PSX used to give the player a shock right before the disk's ending, concluding the "chapter", giving the gamers the time they need to think of what they just saw. It was a clear separation of chapters.
What if Final Fantasy 7 had Aeris' death somewhere in the middle of the game without a pause for the gamers to stomach the loss? It would have been a "meh, she died" event right next to other events and wouldn't be that memorable if the gamers wouldn't have the time to think about it. The next events would take over quickly and the gamers would mourn her death as they mourn for an outgoing fart.
So, don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Blu-Ray and its capacity - It's fine by me. The problem is that gamers need to stop thinking about things that don't matter. What if L.A. Noire turns out to be a monstrocity? Will the single-discness it save it?
So, open that lid and throw in the second disc, gamers. Your couch and snacks won't go anywhere for the few seconds you're up, changing the disk...
Wow, last minute thought: I don't remember a game spun in more than one cartridges! Let's go back to the cart era! YAY FUN!
Marioland's blog
Follow
RSS
Contact
MMmmm empty vacuous space. Say it, say, "MMmmm empty vacuous space." like it's a doughnut. Like it's a delicious doughnut that you're eating and is so so good. Go on, try. "MMmmm..." Go on.
It's simply a matter of convinience. If both versions of LA Noire are identical other than the number of discs then why wouldn't people prefer the PS3 version? It's exactly the same game, but you don't need to get up to change the disc. Yeah, it's not a big deal, but I'd still rather just have the one disc. Why would someone go out of their way to get the exact same game, but in multiple discs? I suppose someone might do it out of nostalgia, or perhaps they think that getting up to change the dics might make them fitter. I really don't know.
I don't think anyone really believes that mutltiple discs have any bearing on the actual quality of the game, but it is a bit less hassle if you never have to swap them.
Hit eject.
Take the game disc out of the case.
Swap the game disc.
Close the tray.
Go sit back on the couch.
Hit start.
The end.
Yeah, not that big of a deal to me.
Of course I don't have an issue with the actual act of swapping, it's really not as inconvenient as people are making it out to be.
@Marioland - Dragon Quest IX actually did come out on one card instead of two.
But yeah, I don't know why people flip flop so willingly on the disc matter.
I mean, MG4 gamers poked fun at PSX gamers for it once, saying they could play it all on one cart rather than fiddle with discs. Meanwhile the PSX gamers said they liked it because it felt like a bookmark. Well, Squaresoft did kind of give it that feel when you completed a disc.
I really think any reason the docile gamer has to get up an move has become this "bad" thing. Wiimotes, Kinect, Move, multiple discs - pick one.
And its kinda funny how those motion controls are a go-to argument when they are accused of their hobby making them lazy, not unlike when the violence issue comes up they dart right over to the fluffy wholesome causal, family fare and Nintendo games they'd ritually shit on otherwise.
It's a convenience, yeah. Now it's also a fanboy argument. Also, the future is completely digital, should we obliterate our disks "liek naow"?
@The Silent Prodagonist
I know. I found that pic when the game was still rumoring for having two cartridges. I put it there for sarcasm.
The only real inconvenience is that if one disk of the multi-disc game breaks, the whole game is f*cked.
Otherwise I still think that disk swapping is nothing to complain about.
The fanboys might argue about it in a vain attempt to prove their console of choice is better, good for them, but that doesn't change the fact that having one disc is more convinient than multiple ones. Honestly, I think it's pretty silly to dismiss someones opinion just because some fanboys use it to slag off one console. I have a PC, DS, 360, PS3 a Wii and an android phone, I have no platform loyalty. I'm sure the 360 version of LA Noire will be excellent, but I'll probably get it for my ps3 because it's ever so slightly more convinient. It seems that your argument is based more on you being annoyed by fanboys than it is with you not caring how many discs a game has.
I never implied that we should give up discs because the future is digital. Firstly, that's the future, not the present, on my PC I pretty much exclusively use digital retailers, but for my consoles that's not possible. If it does become the norm then I won't care because it will probably be more convinient for me, personally, but I don't mind either way, just like how I don't mind multiple discs since they are pretty rare these days anyway. I don't see what's so great about having rose tinted glasses about the past.
Thing is, ME2 isn't set up so you can install one disc at a time. It switches back and forth so frequently that you'd spend more time waiting than you would playing. Furthermore, you have to have all the DLC downloaded as well if you want to go back to an earlier save that used them. So by the time you've installed both discs and the DLC, you've maxed out a twenty gig hard drive. Seriously, I have to delete everything else to make this work, even demos and arcade trials.
The way LA Noire is doing it sounds much better. The data is separated by the linear progression so you can delete disc one before you install the second. Then you don't have to slog through your memory to figure out what you need to get rid of, you don't have to redownload anything later, etc.
TLDR - Disc swapping is easy, data management is the real issue.
Sorry, I had no intention to dismiss your opinion for the sake of fanboys' arguing but some people will still be bitter about multiple disks, no matter the platform. The initial trigger for the post was the fanboys rant but, as I was thinking and talking to various gamers, it still annoys people for no reason.
@Sir Legendhead
The data management in ME2 was horrible. That's clearly how well thought is the data structure of the game. Another thing I wonder is, since the game will be inconvenient with disc swapping, why don't they put the extra content in another disk to be installed once before the game, so putting the first disc ONLY in the console would allow to access all the content for both the disk and HDD.
I think that multiple-disc model is more applicable to linear games. Open world games are a completely another story.
MK1 on the Genesis whooped the SNES. I have both, I know.