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Messages - Warmsignal

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1
I picked it up a while back on the cheap. Digital distribution is garbage, but also, people loose their minds over FOMO. Look how many copies of this game sell PER DAY now. A month prior, nobody would give it a second thought.

2
Off Topic / Re: Music thread
« on: February 09, 2024, 11:59:40 am »
Had a bit of a score yesterday at Goodwill. Typically my luck is rotten, I always check the CDs for anything even slightly tolerable. Often come up empty handed as there are of course, known resellers in my area who scarf up anything that's not holiday/children/gospel/country/soundtrack/oldies. Apparently this time I beat them to a fresh batch. For $1.50, I'll pick up anything that's listenable, doesn't have to be a favorite. I'm a lot more open to the array of different bands now, than I was in my youth where it had to be a super specif sound, or I'd write it off. Think I grabbed about 7 or 8 CDs. Should be a good time.

We haven't had a proper record store in my area for over at least 5 years now. I miss the luxury of dedicated physical media shops already, just a cool nostalgic experience most of us won't ever be getting back. I don't miss paying $18 for a CD, but just browsing physic media was always a treat.

Finally started diving into their stuff and basically everything from their first album to The Art of Drowning is great, short of Very Proud of Ya (Production isn't as good as the album before and after for some reason and it doesn't work as well alongside everything else to me).  Kinda surprised I never tried to delve deeper honestly, especially with how much I was into punk in the late 90's/early 00's as a teen

In my early teen years, I was obsessed with their 90s back catalog. I remember browsing FYE and they had like every 90s LP/EP from them. I think I eventually bought most all of them. Still have those in my collection. Seems a lot of those bands that started out in the 90s would play a very different style at first, and then adapt to a more mainstream sound later on. I'm sure you've heard of 90s alt band Goo Goo Dolls? You know, the band behind radio hits like Iris, Black Baloon, Slide, etc? Check out their self-titled first album from 1987 and see if it sounds like the same band at all. Yeah I was obsessed with their back catalog as well, as a kid.

3
I mean, Gamepass is super popular. Most casuals see no point to buying the games anymore, physical or digital. Congratulations Microsoft, we know it's what they wanted anyhow since they suck at curating talent to make games, and they lack broad appeal as a result. Might as well just make it the easiest platform for accessing slop, as that's all it's really been for a while now.

4
Modern Video Games / Re: State of Play | January 31, 2024 thoughts?
« on: January 31, 2024, 07:33:13 pm »
There's some interesting stuff in there. Stellar Blade is the obvious highlight to me, Dragon's Dogma and Rise of the Ronin are interesting. Not much of a survival horror fan anymore, and not into Final Fantasy either, but hey maybe these games could change that. I like to keep an open mind.

5
I was reminded of the site DoesItPlay?, which I'm sure you'll find interesting. The site is vastly far away from making any noteworthy dent in the grand scheme of things, but it should provide a general overview of how many games actually are fully playable without an internet connection.

This is an invaluable resource for modern game collectors, and one I'd invite anyone skeptical about modern game longevity to look into. Evidently, only 11% of games globally in their database don't install fully off of the disc/cart. That's lower than I honestly expected. Internet requirement to play is only at 4%.

6
Modern Video Games / Re: Palworld.
« on: January 31, 2024, 01:02:30 pm »
Even the name sounds AI generated.

7
I don't really think it's gonna happen, in the sense that there's absolutely zero physical games. So it becomes a niche market, but it's not the end.


The main reason I doubt this is going to happen is looking at the state of physical media right now when we do still have physical alternatives, at least for gaming. I can't remember where I read this, but it said that the majority of games sales are now digital which does not surprise me at all. Streaming has killed physical movies/TV and music, and before that digital distribution (iTunes, Pay-Per View). Best Buy is getting rid of all their physical movies as we speak, and the selection at places like Target and Best Buy is sparse at best. Look at these store's selection of blueray/dvd players too; there is a very small section of about 4 or 5 blueray players to choose from now. With something like a game console, a significant portion of RnD has to go into adding physical media capabilities, and that's not to mention the added costs of making sure distributors and manufacturers can produce the games for your console. I guess what I'm trying to say is, why would Sony or Microsoft even bother with the added hassle of making sure their new consoles can play physical media when there is less of a demand, while still requiring the additional expense of catering to a minority of customers?


I don't think the console makers are going to keep things physical for a niche group of people. And if there's no way of playing physical media, this takes companies like Limited Run out of the picture, unless they are somehow releasing games on older consoles that have the ability to play physical media still. I don't know, I hope you're right, but it just seems like we are going in a very clear direction that other forms of media have already gone over the past 10+ years.

There's a big market for DVD and Bluray collecting still, the casuals might have moved on from owning movies a long time ago but there's still the demand for physical, so every new movie, show, or anime is still getting physical releases to this day. The presence at a retail level goes away or diminishes and gives the impression that "it's dead", but it's products that you can still order online. There's a shocking amount of amateur musicians and bands, which you still buy physical CDs or Vinyl from directly from their merch store, or specialty sites. Anyone who has a real following, has physical media probably dropping right this minute. Relatively speaking, record players aren't exactly abundant at retail, but there's a market for them and they'll always make them.

It's rumored that the next iteration of PS5 / XBOX will not include a built-in disc drive, but have the capability to connect an external one, like modern day laptops or PCs without a disc drive. Really all it does is read and install from a disc, what developmental capabilities are they spending resources on to allow for that? It's a device that's functional through a USB. Isn't a PS5 built off of common, non-propitiatory architecture anyhow? I'm struggling to see how it's difficult for Sony to implement external drive reading compatibility like any other piece of hardware on the market, going forward. Doesn't seem like it would be, particularly if that's the way they do end up going later on with the PS5. With Microsoft, I kinda think Xbox might not even be a thing next generation. They clearly don't want to continue in the traditional sense. Nintendo doesn't know how to manage a online network, I don't see them going digital.

I dunno, every other form of media has survived the onslaught of digital to various degrees and I think games will in a way, as well. Not entirely, but there will be an option. It might even be something that's not even in the picture currently that comes about to pick up the slack. I struggle to see Sony or Nintendo going all digital, with no physical compatibility. I think the best thing to do, is rid the defeatist attitude that it's all over. Keep buying physical games, cake up that market and make it worthwhile for publishers to keep doing what they've always done. Unfortunately we can't rely on physical retail space anymore, but you can still buy online. If I didn't have such a retro fixation, I'd be picking up a lot more modern games.

8


Ubisoft does not deserve most of the hate they get. If you hate Ubisoft for making online focused games, the same franchises over and over, microtransactions, whatever then why not support Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown? First non-mobile Prince of Persia game in 14 years, many 9/10 reviews, $50 launch price, free demo across all platforms.. if this is the direction people want from Ubisoft it's out now ready to be bought and owned physically or digitally.

I do want to get the new Prince of Persia. I'm certainly not a full boycotter, but Ubisoft is one of the biggest offenders for releasing physical single-player games with an Internet requirement, which don't have a sound reason to require it, they're just being buttholes about how their games work, like The Crew Motorfest. You can play it single player, but you've GOT to have Internet connectivity just to do that because of they way the game relies on their in-game sales model, I guess. I'm almost positive that if you'd don't have Internet connectivity, you can't even launch the game. That kind of thing supremely sucks. Every game should be playable without Internet, even multiplayer focused games, if you so wanted. Ubisoft and EA are the leaders in doing this, and also in giving the general public the impression that games nowadays don't work anymore without Internet, but it's largely just their greed driven endeavors of in-game sales and massively bug ridden day one releases. That's where the hate comes in, and I think it is a bit deserved.

9
I don't really think it's gonna happen, in the sense that there's absolutely zero physical games. So it becomes a niche market, but it's not the end. They still print books, they still make CDs, DVDs, there's a vinyl boom still happening in 2024. I can only foresee the biggest of greediest corporations going scorched Earth on physical, and ultimately trying (as Ubisoft and others would clearly prefer) moving to a purely subscription based "you own nothing" model, not even a download. But to Hell with them, I don't really care.

I know there will always be publishers of physical media, even if it's niche and limited. I'll probably continue to buy those sorts of products. I have Steam, so if I absolutely need to experience a release or two per year, I might make a purchase on there. I certainly don't collect downloads, and never will.

Simple as that, really.

I've seen no reason to believe the figure of physical PS5 games which require an Internet connection would be anywhere near 90%. Perhaps when your PS5 is connected to Internet, 90% of your games will download instead of installing, but I'm more inclined to believe 90%of PS5 games don't require it for one reason or another to be playable. I think there's a misconception that all physical games today come with the equivalent of Cyberpunk 2077 quality assurance for the version that's on the disc, but I don't think that's true either (in fact, there's a new and improved edition of Cyberpunk on PS5 that just got a physical release). And again, you can always let your games download and store the latest revisions on an external hard-drive, as another means of preserving them.

An interesting watch on modern game preservation - https://youtu.be/E40lcitQoAs?si=gz1S8jjoE0bTC7Xp&t=246

10
PS5: I struggle to even call myself a PS5 collector since I know full well its physical games are more or less glorified CD keys. I don't think there is any future in collecting for the PS5 since I know these games will have no longevity in a decade or so from now when Sony pulls the plug on its servers. Nearly every PS5 game I've played requires at least half the game be downloaded, if not way, way more than that. And I've never been able to have more than a dozen or so games downloaded onto my PS5 at a time given how much space they take up and also there being no way to update the HDD in them. If not for the games being petty fun, this would be a straight up F Tier console in terms of collecting for me.

Wait a sec. I've actually updated the SSD in my PS5, adding 1TB of storage to the system. I think it supports up to 4TB or more now after firmware updates. So you can upgrade the amount of internal space. Then you can also use external HDDs to hold install data for your games. You can transfer those files from the HDD to the internal SSD for use when you want to play them again, and then transfer the install data back to the HDD for long term storage when you want to free up space to play something else. While not convienent, it's surely do-able if you're wanting to play games on the PS5 20 years from now.

So, say your PS5 blows up into a fire ball. You have to go get another one, can you then move your stored games back to your new PS5's internal SSD?

11

PS5: I struggle to even call myself a PS5 collector since I know full well its physical games are more or less glorified CD keys. I don't think there is any future in collecting for the PS5 since I know these games will have no longevity in a decade or so from now when Sony pulls the plug on its servers. Nearly every PS5 game I've played requires at least half the game be downloaded, if not way, way more than that. And I've never been able to have more than a dozen or so games downloaded onto my PS5 at a time given how much space they take up and also there being no way to update the HDD in them. If not for the games being petty fun, this would be a straight up F Tier console in terms of collecting for me.

I often hear this argument being tossed around. My question to those who espouse this - couldn't the same logic be applied also to PS4 and even PS3 games, since there are quite some games even from that time period that saw updates and patches not included on the game disc? When Sony shuts down the server for those legacy platforms, and you can't get the patches directly from them, is there no point in collecting those either? I think the downloads included with many disc games are just a prioritized method of getting the latest version, when you have an Internet connection. Not that there isn't any version on the disc.

I acknowledge that it can be worse now when developers release a beta on disc and then patch it day one, but that's usually the exception and not the rule. It mostly applies to rushed triple A games, which is far from being every PS5 physical release. Sometimes there are definitive edition physical releases, if the game is a big enough success, but there's also a lot of smaller release and indie titles which are complete on the disc. I think too much is made of the issue. SomeOrdinaryGamers once did a video demonstrating that yes, you can in fact install and play games like Demon Souls remake and others without any Internet connection at all to his PS5. So there certainly is something on the disc with the physical games, more so than the hearsay is leading people to believe. Sometimes EA or Ubisoft will pull some crap in pursuit of their bottom lines, and screw the consumer of a complete or accessible product. But it's not a reason to write of PS5 collecting enitrely, IMO.


You are absolutely right, it does apply to the PS4 and PS3. The key differences is I can update the HDD to accommodate most, if not all my games plus all the patches and content. I did exactly this when Sony was threatening to shut down the PS3's servers a couple years ago or so. Given, this will not be as easy with the PS4 since the download sizes are much larger, but with a few PS4's and cloning the HDDs, I can have some reassurance that I can preserve those games. The PS5 on the other hand has everything tied to the specific console. In other words, you can't repair, replace, or upgrade any of the internal hardware on your own. Only Sony can. Maybe someday, someone will find a way around this, but I found this out the hard way when my PS5's disc drive crapped our after just one year. Luckily Sony did a good faith out of warranty repair on it for free, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth that I'd either have to own a dozen or more PS5's to fit all the game data for a moderately sized collection, or accept the fact that the games will be useless in another decade or so.

Interesting. So when you store a PS5 game on a external, those games are only accessible from the specific console they were first installed on, and not verifiable through your actual PlayStation account? That's odd. They had to consider that people might not have the same console over time. I have to assume you can access the games that were digitally downloaded, but why not the ones you installed while on your account, and then stored?

12
Classic Video Games / Re: Is my copy of Link to the Past a repro?
« on: January 19, 2024, 01:49:04 pm »
This is why you don't buy from sources where you don't get to see the copy they're sending. You're paying collector's price for a sub-par copy.

A quick glance at eBay and there are current listings of ALttP for better prices, with plenty of good pictures.

Sorry to double-post again, but I've had not so good experiences with EBay.

I bought a copy of Mega Man 7 there, and it was the most obvious repro I'd ever seen.

Every seller is a different story, you have to look closely at the listing. Yes repros are sold on eBay, usually listed as "new" condition, but they can't call it a repro as it tends to violate eBay guidelines. Reputable sellers will mention "authentic" in the description, or will good detailed pictures, not generic.

Amazon sellers brutally over-charge for everything and usually don't even factor in condition, or have any pictures.

13
Modern Video Games / Re: Like a Dragon: The Game Without a Disc
« on: January 19, 2024, 11:27:21 am »
The Man Who Erased His disc-based launch?

I wonder why Infinite Wealth is a getting a standard physical release?

14

PS5: I struggle to even call myself a PS5 collector since I know full well its physical games are more or less glorified CD keys. I don't think there is any future in collecting for the PS5 since I know these games will have no longevity in a decade or so from now when Sony pulls the plug on its servers. Nearly every PS5 game I've played requires at least half the game be downloaded, if not way, way more than that. And I've never been able to have more than a dozen or so games downloaded onto my PS5 at a time given how much space they take up and also there being no way to update the HDD in them. If not for the games being petty fun, this would be a straight up F Tier console in terms of collecting for me.

I often hear this argument being tossed around. My question to those who espouse this - couldn't the same logic be applied also to PS4 and even PS3 games, since there are quite some games even from that time period that saw updates and patches not included on the game disc? When Sony shuts down the server for those legacy platforms, and you can't get the patches directly from them, is there no point in collecting those either? I think the downloads included with many disc games are just a prioritized method of getting the latest version, when you have an Internet connection. Not that there isn't any version on the disc.

I acknowledge that it can be worse now when developers release a beta on disc and then patch it day one, but that's usually the exception and not the rule. It mostly applies to rushed triple A games, which is far from being every PS5 physical release. Sometimes there are definitive edition physical releases, if the game is a big enough success, but there's also a lot of smaller release and indie titles which are complete on the disc. I think too much is made of the issue. SomeOrdinaryGamers once did a video demonstrating that yes, you can in fact install and play games like Demon Souls remake and others without any Internet connection at all to his PS5. So there certainly is something on the disc with the physical games, more so than the hearsay is leading people to believe. Sometimes EA or Ubisoft will pull some crap in pursuit of their bottom lines, and screw the consumer of a complete or accessible product. But it's not a reason to write of PS5 collecting enitrely, IMO.

15


I have to base mine on the collecting experience as per the title of the thread, and not a commentary on my views of the library itself. What I think of the system or library, really is a separate tier list all together.

S Tier - During the 7th gen, the games were so damn abundant and cheap, you could literally find them for sale in a drug store. Everybody was selling the games then, and you could get them used for really cheap, sometimes brand new on clearance prices cheaper than used. It was a buyer's market.

A Tier - These were your common video game pickups, often times could get good deals on them, nothing too hard to find at the time. Retro platforms in this tier were prime in my area for the picking and were not valuated high in the least when I first started. A $2 SNES game was not uncommon. I once picked up a SNES console with DKC 2 & 3 included for a whopping $5.

B Tier - These were the consoles that seemed like they should have been easy to collect for, especially in the early days, but they were a little bit tricky to find or if you did find them, the selection was always the same stuff again and again nothing you were specifically looking out for. Occasionally I'd catch a break and find some better sources for these, but not often. Prices weren't terrible, but finding them was the tricky part.

C Tier - These were pretty hard to collect for, but not impossible. I feel like I mostly got lucky when I did come away with any scores on these, some of the stuff you stand very little chance to find. When you'd find a source with lots of other inventory, they'd rarely have anything notable for these. Had to be persistent in poking around or traveling to find stuff, and just go online half the time because you couldn't find it.

D Tier - Basically impossible to find locally, or anywhere within reasonable distance. For the most part, had to go online or to gaming expos to find people selling this stuff, and then pay through the roof to get it. Collecting for these has been a long and painful process. In fact, I gave up some time ago on collecting Game Gear or Master System. Literally everything would have to come from eBay in addition to everything else I'm always hunting for, it just becomes too excessive. For the other consoles in this tier, I tended to get maybe 2 to 5 games for each per year? It was tough.

I do own a few other platform, but I don't consider myself a collector of those, so not shown on the tier list.

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