Downloadable Console Games

[Silver]

I noticed that I seem to now hold an addiction with 58 full games downloaded on the 360 alone, not including demos and the like.

I think what appeals to me, is that less than a third of what I'd pay for a boxed retail game can often get me one to three downloadable games (depending on the individual game's price). And often many of the cheaper games are the classics (arcade and platformers) that I loved as a kid which seem to have superior gameplay than many new games.

And then there's new innovative games such as Castle Crashers and Braid which I'd easily prefer over the vast majority of boxed games. And most consoles seem to offer 3D games from consoles only one or two generations back fairly cheap as well which I love.

I also LOVE that they'll play straight off my hard drive without me needing to insert a disc, but on the downside if my console were to die on me, I'd have to redownload every game which could be a good worry.

What are your thoughts and experiences concerning downloadable console games? (Mainly in terms of the 360, PS3 and Wii).

[Violet]

I think with the whole idea of the game console pooping out on you is a bit of a threat when it comes to such games. I'm very careful with my consoles, however. I still have my PS2 from when I was 13. Anyways, that's besides the point. I can relate with this subject, as I have downloaded games for the PC through the internet. My computer got a ton of trojans, so I had to reinstall Windows and I lost most of those games. This is why you should burn those on a disc so you don't have to worry about that happening. However, I don't know how you'd manage with a console that isn't a PC.. unless you're really careful with your Xbox.

[Sarah]

My experiences are limited to the 360 for now. All the information below pertains to the 360.

You can take the hard drive out. It's very easy. There's a button on the left hand side that allows you to just pop it off. You don't have to lose anything unless your hard drive fails. It's far, far more likely for your 360 to die before that, in my opinion.

I love downloadable games. I find myself wanting to get more and more. Due to financial constraints, I only have an equal amount of downloaded and disc games. Maybe a tiny bit more disc games. I always look forward to what is going to be coming out for me to download. There are so many series that would be completely awesome for that. I'd love to see Seiken Densestu or Final Fantasy on there. Gamer point challenges for those would be awesome. I know it'll never happen, though.

[Korova]

I love 360 XBL Arcade games. I have over 20 of them. Most of them are great for the price and like you say it's very convenient to not have to switch discs. Castle Crashers is wonderful co-op apart from the huge glitch it has. Geometry Wars 2, Braid, Worms, Bomberman Live, are all awesome. Then there's the classic ports like Golden Axe, Gauntlet, and Duke Nukem.

I love digital distribution and I have Wii Ware, VC, and PSN games too, but I am most impressed with the collection on the 360.

I also like Harmonix's constant updates to the Rock Band catalog and the ability to rip Rock Band 1 tracks to your HDD for RB2.

Also, if your xbox HDD dies and you get a new one, you just re-download the games. They're linked to your gamertag.

-K-

edit: i would hate to search through all my email receipts microsoft has sent me from buying points and total them up.

[Rocky]

I think for the most part they (and I mean the 360 by they) were so-so in the beginning (besides Castlevania SotN omg!!!) but now Microsoft has really stepped up their game and released a lot of cool games that are really fun to play just by myself. Now, when they add in the whole online play factor into the equation, that just makes everything skyrocket in terms of desire to play the games. Who ever thought that one would be able to play the TMNT arcade side-scrollers with friends all across the world at once? I always thought I was ok at the old Street Fighter 2 Turbo, but now actually playing the game against old school hardcore players, I now know what its like to get my ass handed to me on a plate, and its awesome! My old roommate had a PS3 and their games were decent as well. One in particular "Everyday Shooter" was really catchy as it was kind of like an asteroid knockoff with an emphasis on the music and certain "tricks" to each levels to get the maximum amount of points. But yeah I play those games occasionally to get a nice break from the boring overtones of the "normal" games, because their usually quirky and fun, and I like quirky fun things.

[sconethief]

The PSP/ps3 just got PSN and DSi will get DSware. The Wii has Wii-ware the Xbox 260 has xbla.