Disc or (legal) Download: How do you like to obtain your games?

Back in December, I bought Rainbow Six Vegas for my PC. It ran, few hiccups here and there, but it ran and I enjoyed it (except for the fact that the online community was pretty much dead from the start). Beat it, went back to WarRock, CS Source, and Rainbow Six 3 Raven Shield (which is much more realistic, tactical, and performs better).

Fast Forward to several months later. I had a burning desire to play Vegas again. One problem: where did I put that DVD. I crawled under my dusty bed everywher. I coundn't find it. So now I'm downloading it from UbiSoft ($20 which is $30 less than what I originally purchased it for, no tax either). I was also told that if I reformatted, I was allowed to redownload as many times as I needed. So no more losing DVDs. Now though, I have the possibility of losing passwords. But those can be retrieved or remade. It's taking over 8 hours to download on a 1.5Mbps ADSL connection (it's a nearly 5GB ZIP), and should finish by the time I wake up. So here's a run down of the positives and negatives of each...

Discs:
Pros:
+Have the game in a tangible form.
+Have complete documentation/manuals and in some cases, extras.
+Ready to play, no download times to wait for.
+Save HDD Space.
+Can be returned for a refund/exchange, depending on the retailer.
+No credit card required for purchase.

Cons:
-Discs can be scratched.
-Discs can be lost.
-Some games are available in DVD form only, meaning CD-ROM users are left out in the dust.
-Many games come in multiple discs, giving you a disc organization nightmare, and sometimes, a not so straight foward installation process.
-If purchased from a local store, sales tax adds to the already high price.
-In many cases, the disc must be in the drive to run.

Purchased Download:
Pros:
+Don't need to waste gas going to your local store.
+Easily retrieve another copy should you have problems with your computer.
+No sales tax.
+Don't need to have a disc in drive, allowing you to switch from one game to another quickly.
+Can't be scratched or lost.
+Useable for CD and DVD drive users

Cons:
-Ridiculous download times (depens connection and game size, several hours usually, not for 56Kers).
-No actual tangible game in your possession (though many allow CDs to be burned, it's just not as nice as having beautiful box/CD art).
-Credit Card required.
-Takes up more HDD space
-All sales final

You have know the drawbacks and advantages. You decide.

NOTE: Illegally downloading will not be an option on the poll. Please do NOT discuss about it in my thread!

 

Well having both, I kind of like both. For example Steam, I like Steam. I think it works well, and on my connection it only takes about a day when I reformat to get all my games back. At the sametime, I like owning boxes and looking at manuals, but as it is my favoriet games, don't require me to have a CD/DVD in the drive anyways, which I also like.

So let's say my Company of Heroes DVD blew up, I would probably buy it again over Steam. The biggest worry, is what happens if Steam, or Fileplanet, or whoever else go out of business. I'm sure there is so sort of measure, and with Steam at least you can backup everything if you so wish.

Or since you own the game you could always get it through other means and technically still be in the right....I guess.

 

I'd definitely go with the discs, especailly DVD ones.

 

"Illegally downloading" is legal when you already have bought the software, as long as you use a legit cd-key.

I usually buy them in store because I have a 20GB download cap by month =/

 

I tend to go with the CD/DVD route. Call me old fashioned, but for some reason I just need a hard copy available. I'm always kind of sad that 10 years in the future we're not going to be able to play a lot of the games we do now, simply because we will not be able to get them to run (usually because of online verification...think Bioshock, or most of the games on Steam). I have PC games in my basement dating back 25 years and they all still work (on the proper computer obviously).

 

Yep, there's definately advantages to both routes. I suppose it really depends on the implementation of the download service.

 

I think a lot about older games too, but then I start to think about how often I actually replay through games. Outside of RPGs, or using some sort of mod, much like books, ive never been able to replay a game really. I've played through some of the CnC games more then once, but literally almost ten years later. Even then, I just complain.

I tend to think nostalgia is better left unexplored. I'd rather remember something fondly than have ruined it by playing it again recently and comparing it to current things. I'm not sure I know what I'm talking about anymore.

 

Buy the disks.

 

I know what you're saying. Like back then it'd have cutting edge graphics and amazing game play innovations. And then you play it again and you're like, "Why did I like this?" And then you never look at the classic game the same way again.

I like replaying my classic games though. Goldeneye 007 is still IMO one of the best FPSes ever.

 

I link to buy my games through steam, as it takes a total of one day to download the whole 40 gigs for me. At the same time, i will have the battlefield games on dvd, along with some onder games that were awesome in their day

 

I always try to download a game, but now a days its not easy to do that. But steam is making it better. I try to get all my games from there. But any games i can not download from Steam, i buy with a disk.

 

I'd say downloading them is better. That way....you can really have both....the game on your hard drive AND you can back it up on a disc....so...

 

Same. I love having a 20 year old collection of games I know is sitting lined up all nice and pretty on a shelf with discs ready to be inserted into the proper media reader.

Same to you as well. Really amazing games give me that, "Oh WOW! This just added meaning to my life," response the first time I go through them. Subsequent play-throughs never ellicit quite the same response. I'll still go back to old games if a sequel is coming out and I want to understand the backstory before I play it.

I played SystemShock 1 and 2 last summer because I heard BioShock was only a year away. SS1 seemed as primitive as Wolfenstein 3D (and it was), but I still REALLY enjoyed it. System Shock 2 was great as well.

So I guess, for me, it's like reading a great book. The first time through (even if it is an OLD book, ala SS1) you get to experience the magic of the story from a fresh, real-time perspective. The second time through you know exactly what will happen, why, and begin to question the actual value of playing everything over again.

Anywho, back on topic.

I'm in the "buy both" category. I really like to have a tangible copy of a game if I can, but I think Steam is a superior way to install/access my games. Plus, I love how it manages all of the DRM for me, I don't have to worry. I'm saddened by the recent redundant DRM in BioShock, even on Steam, but I understand, from a business point of view, why they accepted 2K's activation system. More money for Steam!

Getting a tangible game box and opening it up is an experience in itself. It is really one of the most exciting parts of buying a game. The first time I install a game I'll use the disks. If the game is on Steam, the box is set with all of its contents and put on display, not needed except for ascetic value. I just use Steam to download subsequent reinstallations.

In some cases, if I can't seem to find really old games, or have really old games that don't work anymore (like Wolfenstien 3D), I'll grab them on Steam.
There is a ID SuperPack going for about 60 bucks USD that'll get you every single ID game through about 2005. You wouldn't believe how convenient, impressive, and fun it is to be able to play Wolfenstein 3D on my new 8600m GT equipped laptop with the click of a button inside steam. I don't have to install DosBox myself, tweak settings, mess with compatibility modes... in other words, it provides the ultimate in convenience and usability, but it doesn't provide that single, joyous, Christmas morning feeling when I open up a new game box.

*deep breath*

Geez, that was a long post.

 

I like the way steam works. Once you install the game using the discs, you then activate that game on your account (thus you never need to use the discs to install the game ever again). You can install the steam program on any computer...log in...and then download the games on your account.