It appears Bioware is planning to release Mass Effect 2 as a two-disc game.
“Why (two) discs,” Bioware community manager Chris Priestly asks in an official message board thread about the game spanning two discs, “Answer: because you cannot fit this much awesome on one disc.”
Priestly doesn’t reveal the true reason for the need of two discs, but we’re willing to assume that it has to do with the sheer size of the content. Forza 3 developer Turn 10 had to break their game into two discs earlier this year because of the amount of content coupled with the restrictive size of DVDs.
The first Forza 3 disc is the main game disc. The second disc is something of a content dump which can be downloaded onto an HDD or popped in the tray as needed.
But disc swapping will be unavoidable for owners of the Xbox 360 version of ME2.
“The Xbox 360 (version) does not have an install and does require disc swapping during play,” writes Priestly in the same post.
“Even though there is a disc swap, it occurs at a carefully planned place in the game (that does not interefere with gameplay) and is done once. You do not swap back and forth. (One) swap and then done.”
The PC version of ME2 won’t require users to swap discs. Like Forza 3, owners will be able to download the content of the second disc and forget about it.
Mass Effect 2 ships for the PC and Xbox 360 on January 26th, 2010. The three-disc Collectors Edition hits the same day, but don't panic: the third disc is bonus DVD-style (behind-the-scenes, bonus footage) content.
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Contest:
8:00 AM on 12.04.2009
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Because the industry seems to have a thing against disk swapping, but I don't think gamers actually care as long as the game is good...
I'll just play all the other good stuff out and buy it on demand in a year with no disc swapping.
What was it the toid weebol community was saying in response to: "a day will come where games are too big for DVD's"??
Something about "it's not the saze that matters it's what you do with it" - "how many great little download games are there" or "DVD's are more than big enough, they put filling data in there as it is"
All those defence comments quickly change to...
"I don't mind disc swapping"
When that time comes, and it came fucking quickly!!
Sure as a consumer we don't really care about swapping the odd disc, but as a publisher, coupled with MS's disc-based charges, and their flimsy new DVD cases, and the install but a lot of 360's don't have HDD's, all adds up to...
NEEDZ MOAR BLU-RAYS!
Hell I often play PSN games because I can't be bothered to get up and put discs in! - *looks lovingly at his PS3 and Blu-ray collection*
But disc swaping on box... well, i guess it's something people will have to remember from the old days:)
I don't mind a disc-swap if it's as described.
What will be annoying is if my roommate's on disc 1 and I'm on 2, that's MORE swaps! lol
People are stupid, it's not exactly a surprise.
This is a good thing. A disk swap 30-40 hours into the game? Yeah, I can manage that.
WAAAHH NO BLU RAY WAAAHH. Who cares, seriously?
I think I'm going to be getting that sweet collector's edition. Switching discs has never bothered me one bit. It literally takes 10 seconds, and you'll only have to do it once.
The best part is the system most notorious for disc swapping was, surprise, the PS1.
Which reminds me, I didn't have to swap one, two, or even THREE discs when I played FF9; that bastard had FOUR discs. But the game was so damnably fantastic I really didn't care.
The same applies here. I'm actually MORE excited to hear it's spanning two DVDs. This is going to be one hell of a game. I'm more disappointed at the lack of install support, honestly.
I'm more curious about how two disks divides the game world. I'm assuming the game's still pretty open, but will we have the luxury of returning to the worlds of the first disk?
I think stating that the 360 uses the same technology as a system that debuted in 1994 doesn't really help your argument. That said, Who cares if there's a disc swap? The game is going to be awesome.
now release it on one blu-ray to avoid this disc swapping business please.
The only way multiple discs becomes a problem is when is actually makes content inaccessible once you switch discs. That could be a problem from a game design standpoint. Other than that, who cares?
I think the recent increase in multi-disc 360 games would like a word with those people.
Future-proof vs aged technology
It's what, 10 seconds of getting off your arse for another 10+ hours of gameplay? I really don't see why people are moaning about this. Or to put it another way, swapping the disc is the equivelant of the mandatory install on the PS3.
Second, the Unreal engine is bloatware. The idea that this game will have that much more content is very likely a lie overall. Will its performance be better? Yeah, but actual size and length of the game? Maybe 5-10 hours longer. MAYBE. No more than that.
You seem to be preaching to the choir, in a way. You're talking smack about "weebols" and all the shit they were talking a few years ago, but I don't think you'll find many of them around here. The kinds of people that consider themselves soldiers in the console war, people who use the terms like "Gaystation" and "Trey Brotherhood" without a hint of irony won't be found on Destructoid. There's a warm seat available for you over at YouTube, though.
If switching discs isn't a big deal, then DVDs ARE big enough.
..seriously, I don't understand why this is such a problem for some people.
It very well may kill you.