We want it now! (PS3 annoyance #003)
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Nov 18th 2006 at 6:25PM }
Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade has spoiled us. After a downloadable game trial ends we expect to be able to press a button, unlock the full version, and keep on blastin'. Sony has got it all wrong.
If the Blast Factor teaser manages to tempt your wallet, you'll have some work to do before the $7.99 launch title is yours. Don't be fooled by the "Buy Blast Factor" option in the demo's menu; that simply launches a message directing you back to the PlayStation Store, where, once there, you'll have to sit and wait for the game (93 MB) to download and install again. Oy!
PS3 delights vs. PS3 annoyances
Wii delights vs. Wii annoyances
Xbox 360 delights vs. Xbox 360 annoyances
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
azesino @ Nov 18th 2006 8:21PM
sucks
rdj75 @ Nov 18th 2006 6:39PM
Be careful before you feel the rath of all the PS3 fanboys saying that you are on Microsoft's payrol role. Whats so funny is that just a year ago you guys was doing the same thing with the 360 and the 360 fanboys where saying that you guys were PS3 fanboys. Damn I guess you can't everybody happy all the time.
Nick @ Nov 18th 2006 6:42PM
Wat?! that is ridiculus.... Plus, 93 mb is an awful lot. All 360 arcade games have a cap of 50mb.
Cherry May @ Nov 18th 2006 6:48PM
#2 - After seeing Lumines split up into multiple costly 50mb packs, I'm so very glad that there are no size restrictions for the PS3, and wish the 360 followed the same route. Sure, people with memory cards only might not be able to download them, but hey-- I'd rather have larger decent games than 1980s arcade ports just because they easily fit into 50mb.
Ian @ Nov 18th 2006 6:52PM
So last year you mentioned an annoyance for the 360 is that you had to watch your download one at a time, which has been fixed, but it now seems to be on the PS3 but it doesn't bother you?
Erec @ Nov 18th 2006 7:01PM
"Sure, people with memory cards only might not be able to download them, but hey-- I'd rather have larger decent games than 1980s arcade ports just because they easily fit into 50mb."
The reason there's so many retro games on the Live Arcade is because those games take little time to bring to the Arcade. It has nothing to do with the file size. New, original games, not surpisingly, take more time to develop and test. Because not a lot of people were even all that excited about the 360's Arcade, there weren't a whole lot of developers making original games for the Arcade before the system launched.
Now that everyone has seen what a smash success the Live Arcade has been, and how it can actually be a viable distribution channel for many studios, a lot more original games are about to be released or are deeper in development. Just in the next few months Small Arms, Heavy Weapon, Assault Heroes, Roboblitz, Mutant Storm Empire and Novadrome are set to hit the Arcade. I might be wrong, but just that partial list of original Arcade games is longer than the list of games that Sony has announced for their store at all.
Like I said, file size has little to nothing to do with the current Live Arcade/PS3 Store situations. It was almost all about convincing developers as to the viability of the distribution channel, and then getting them to develop new games for it.
Ash @ Nov 18th 2006 7:06PM
I dont own a PS3 but I am just curious...
on the pic it says buy the whole game for all 90 levels...
the review on gamespot says it only has 7 levels? what gives?
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/blastfactor/review.html
C. Grant @ Nov 18th 2006 7:05PM
Uh, Ian, where did we say that didn't bother us? This is annoyance number #003 ... what do you think?
nick @ Nov 18th 2006 7:22PM
I'm glad he mentioned it's closer to Mutant Storm. It's pretty darn close to it.
E.J. @ Nov 18th 2006 7:29PM
Ian, the difference is that once you download the trial version of, say, Geometry Wars, the game is already in your system. All you have to do is unlock it in-game through the 360 guide/blade.
The post speaks about having to REINSTALL the game's full version in order to have it instead of just patching/unlocking the file you already have.
I really hope Sony fix this and I theorize it's a DRM issue: since the PS3 is "a computer," someone could possibly (through Yellow Dog) go to the file and figure out a way to unlock the full game if the full game and demo are in the same downloadable package. Sony seems like they made two versions of the game: demo and full, possibly because of the situation I stated.
Jammie @ Nov 18th 2006 7:47PM
I just want the PS3 never mind about the Playstation store...One of the disadvantages of living in Europe :(
Ian @ Nov 18th 2006 8:09PM
@C. Grant
I thought the annoyance #3 was that you have to redownload something instead of unlock it like on the 360, not that you have to watch the whole download.
Grant @ Nov 18th 2006 9:21PM
i'm sure they'll fix it a la update, Sony won't let microsoft hold anything over them for too long... but considering they had plenty of manufacturing issues to worry about first, it probably won't be fixed for a good 4-6 months.
joe smith @ Nov 20th 2006 3:16AM
you know, if you are going to copy a successful product like arcade, you realy ought to actually study how it works.
EJ -- if Sony was too worried abot drm to implement a proper license model, maybe they shoul dhave called MS. So far the arcade games are all transportable on mu and even CDs but the license hasn't been cracked by anyone.
Wes @ Nov 19th 2006 10:04PM
Yeah, this was kind of lame.
New Annoyance - I've been playing Resistance a lot lately, and was just leaving the tunnels *SPOILER* after dealing with the chimeran Angel creature. Saved for the night, bought Blast factor and let it download.
Come morning, turn on the ps3 and it begins to load Resistance, which is normally fine, but I want to play with Blast Factor, so as it is loading I Center Button it, "Quit Game" and enjoy the new download.
Later that Day: Go to play Resistance and my saved game is gone. I look in my HDD save files and it shows one corrupted file (which i assume to be RFOM). Great.
I know shutting down loading programs on a PC is a no-no, but isn't a console supposed to be more forgiving/idiot proof?
I don't have a problem replaying, in fact, this time I'm playing on hard and enjoying it even more, but if I can easily exit a game - loading or not - with the Sixaxis I'm going to do it. If it is going to break something, it is your job to keep me from doing it Sony.
Andy @ Nov 21st 2006 3:53AM
I actually think the small demos are a good idea. After all, i want to play the demo as fast as possible, and waiting for the download of the whole game could be quite annoying. For now we have games that are 100mb, but in a few months/years, if games go to 500mb or more, it would be annoying to wait it out when a simple 20-50mb demo would quickly let me know that the game sucks.
Furthermore, once background downloads are implemented, i can download the short demo and play it and if i like it, then download the full game in the background as i am playing the demo.
Its called a demo for a reason, and small files for demos are the way to go. Makes it nice and quick. On the 360, all games are small in size, but on the PS3 we already have games that are much larger.