My current “ultimate” setup would be a system-agnostic super-library from which I could play any game, from any era, at anytime. As many gamers recoil at various changes in the industry towards a fully digital world, I’m the opposite. the fewer barriers to playing my collection – whether its changing game discs or systems to play various games – the better.
It was announced recently that Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath would be released as a PSN download. This is fantastic – the original is only on Xbox1 and is not playable on Xbox 360. Along with ToeJam & Earl 3 and Gunvalkyrie, this is one of the games I want to play most from Xbox. Having it on a PS3 (or future 360 release) HD will make it emminently more playable.
Then last week there was a rumor that Vanillaware’s amazing 2D games Odin Sphere and Muramasa would be undergoing similar HD re-release treatement, presumably as digital downloads as well. Odin Sphere looks amazing even on PS2 and I can’t imagine it being anything less than beautiful in full HD. Muramasa looked decent on the Wii, but with a Wii-like haze on many areas, which would presumably be gone in a modern powered system.
With all three of these games now set for future digital releases, it’s a huge win for fans of these games and gamers everywhere. For the most part, they are not buyable in stores – the most likely options are Ebay or Amazon at this point, or to luck into a used copy (of which quality varies and developers receive no money). By providing these games, with additional features/graphics or not, it’s a great way for developers to get paid for their games and avoid having piracy be the only viable option to play.
What do you think? Is digital a positive for gamers, or a negative? Discuss it today on the IP Forum!
