It seems that you can't have a major PS3 game these days without it forcing data onto your hard drive like some kind of terrible date rapist. It wouldn't be so bad if the PS3 wasn't slow and sluggish about everything it does, but unfortunately it is. Luckily, however, one of the biggest games of the generation is not so big that it feels the need to clutter your HDD. Final Fantasy XIII is install-free!
According to IGN, the Square Enix development team has worked hard to eliminate the need for an installation, and has added that load times are kept to a bare minimum, only occurring in the transition from the world map to a town area. Everything in the game's open world section is said to move "seamlessly."
Forced installations can be annoying, and considering I've seen games do it and still have lengthy loading times, I'm not sure there are any considerable benefits. Fortunately, it seems that with a little effort and actual development, you don't need the installation. We'll have to see just how smooth the loading is when Final Fantasy XIII arrives next year, but if it's as good as they say, then it pretty much exposes the HDD installation as bunk used by lazy developers.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
8:00 AM on 10.22.2009
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Still it's good to have the choice either way.
There's probably going to be an option for install if you want to.
@ Zulu
Sony's not the one that forces installs,lazy developers are.
Think about this one lazy porters - Big mandatory installs MAKE ME TRADE MY GAMES IN! I delete the game data for any game I haven't played for a while, then after not being arsed to re-install i trade in.
Everytime I buy a game with a big install i will sooner or later let someone else buy it cheap with 0% of the sale going to you.
Take a leaf out of Guerilla's book of Squeenix's and I'll likely keep your game and next man will need to buy a copy from you too! No-one minds tha 18mb install file, but the 5gb one is going as soon as possible.
My HDD thanks you.
@ZULU Cmon man it is too early for that kind of crazy oooOOOO Sony is the devil!!!!
BWAHAHA! ONCE AGAIN MS RUINS FUN FOR EVERYBODY!
*sigh* But I really hope I get a PS3 by then.
Oops, everyone switch around what I said in your head so it sounds factually intelligent and overall well.
"I love when people who've never coded, call a dev lazy. Hahaha."
I've actually coded C++, Turing, Java.It's a simple high school course. So I guess I can call Ubisoft lazy for a 5+ gig install for EndWar or Capcom for a 20 minute install for DMC 4
Are there any disadvantages to installs ?
Speed of loading ? Surprisingly only marginal.
Hdd space ? Sure, but its cheap nowadays (excluding 360 :D 60+ quid for 120gb ? nah...).
Wasted time ? Like videogames are not a waste of time already (oh irony, any hobby is exactly that - waste of time, and we love it...)
What i value the most in hdd installs is the peace and quiet it provides. While PS3 is not a bad offender at being loud, xbox certainly is and the only thing prevents me from playing the hell out of crackdown is its inability to install the game onto hdd. It sounds like someone poured half a pound of sand into the drive and then tried to grind knives with that...
Bioshock loads a lot faster and has less texture pop in on the PS3. I've owned both versions FWIW...
Don't blame forced installs on developers. Blame it on Sony for sticking the PS3 with a slow reading Blu Ray drive. The buffer and read speed of that drive are the reason why you have installs.
Mass Effect! Oh God the 360 pop-in!
Speaking as someone actually in software development as my career (chances are most folks with digital cable in the U.S. has used my company's product) it's more likely that the "lazy" projects are dealing with limited resources and a tight/unslippable timeline. If everyone had the luxury of burning company resources on 5 years on developing a title you can do lots of neat things.
I'd love to know how SQEnix got around the abysmal read performance of a Blu-Ray drive to pull it off.
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Um, your argument is invalid - some developers manage to make brilliant games without forcing a HDD install, others don't. They are lazy. If ALL devs required an install then your point would be valid. (and my horse is a motorbike)
Is there an OPTION to install on the PS3? Or just no install whatsoever? Because having choices is cool.
Also, using big words makes you cool and competent. Hooray.
"it's more likely that the "lazy" projects are dealing with limited resources and a tight/unslippable timeline"
Ubisoft, Bethesda and Capcom both are very large companies and even they have both had games that require a 5 Gig install.Hell Devil May Cry 4 took 20 minute to install.
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*reads comments*
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WHOOHOO! FINAL FANTASY XIII!
How is that trolling?
Kotaku also noted there would be trophy support. Again not surprising since there will be achievement points.
im hoping the install option is there, for us smarties
seriously been here for 2 days and all i see from this asswipe is offensive blogs, that have no insight on the actual topic and are mostly just fanboy juiced rants of idiotic preportions.
do you even play any games? you look like a fucking 30 yr old super nerd who should know EVERYTHING about games, yet you come off as a 10 yr old punk who just got into gaming and thinks they know wtf they are talking about.
seriously its confusing, how the fuck are you so clueless?
As for the Jim-haters out there, go sit on your thumbs. This man has the balls to go after anyone or any group of people that gets in the way of good gaming. Keep up the good work Mr. Sterling, the good an decent gamers of this world salute you.
But why is the install even a problem? I'd install the entire Blu-Ray if they let me.
It's Square-Enix.
Even if you don't like their work, you can't deny that they're absolute geniuses on a technological level.
They can make good looking DS games. Say no more.