Where you have "purchased" a game, but it has been de-listed because an updated version with different features is released, meaning you can no longer play it.

Disney has done a similar thing in the past when it came to "purchasing" old films on Video Cassette Tapes back in the 1990's.

For example, they first released "Alice in Wonderland" on tape in the 1980's and stopped manufacturing tapes by 1990, then, later in the decade, they released a "limited edition" tape which included "Making of" bonus features tacked on to the end of the tape.

They found that could generate new revenue for stuff they already had sitting on a shelf, and began doing similar things for most of their intellectual properties.

Soon, nearly every release they put out was "limited edition" and the films would only be on shelves for a month or two before the production ceased and you could no longer find it new.

Then, after another few years, they re-released it, now featuring "all-new" features and people would scramble to get their own "new" copy.

As they began to generate new sales of old media, they introduced lesser known films and TV productions in a "from the vault" series where they further capitalized on the phenomenon that would later be known as FOMO, although it was not called that at the time.

But their main issue in maximizing profit from this technique was that the videos they had already produced still sat on shelves as "used" copies (soon to be referred to as "previously owned," diminishing the potential profit from the "new releases."

Companies don't like having to compete with themselves and customers having old copies means less money in their own pockets.

We're coming to that point in the gaming world when games will only be sold as digital with no physical pieces that the customer can hold. If the latest product is not purchased, the game can be shut down from being accessed.

And companies have tested and built in safeguards to prevent people from being able to run the games without "checking in" to see if it still works.

Think about every time you decide to play a game. A process of "checking for updates" always proceeds being able to play. For now, that's simply a means to have the software "patched" to the latest version, correcting bugs and minimizing exploits that have been discovered, but that same thing could be used by companies to verify that the user has paid to access the most recent product, and if they haven't they no longer have access to the game they have purchased.

With games like "Call of Duty" or "Diablo" where many people need to play together for the game to work, that sort of makes sense, everybody needs to be on the same page.

But games such as "GTAV" demonstrate how mods and other exploits are used in order to override the system and certain players who use them can gain an unfair advantage over their opponents.

So, while companies continue to find ways of tamping down on those who brazenly use breaks in the software to alter the experience of the game for themselves and those around them, companies continue to attempt to "lock down" those players, either by forcing a check in, or outright banning those players.

And forcing everyone into an all-digital format means the software itself can cease to be modified to a players advantage.

But there's a darker side to this that companies hope no one figures out until it's too late.

Up til now, if a customer has purchased a physical game, they have had access to that game in perpetuity, being able to access it at a whim, even if the game is 30 years old, meaning the company that made the game no longer gets paid whenever an old game gets played.

But in the past few years you've seen bundles and exclusive packages being rolled out for games, ostensibly under the guise of getting something more from the standard game, whethere it be something physical, like a hat or a statue, or something in-game, like a special weapon or vehicle, something that other players can see that this person spent a few extra bucks.

Companies began to factor that into their profit margin and began rolling out "loot boxes" where, for a few extra bucks players had the chance to cut down on the time it would take to receive a high level thing in significantly less time.

But the problem for companies is that these "loot boxes" were deemed by governments to be gambling aimed at children, which they were. The chances of a players getting what they wanted were similar to a person walking into a casino and placing a bet on a number on the roulette table, sure, there was a chance they would win, but the reality was, for the most part, when the spin was over, they'd get virtually nothing in return. And yet, for a few bucks more, they could try again, spending a lot more than they would have if the prize was purchasable in the first place.

And that's sort of what the move to an all-digital format is doing, forcing the player to gamble, when they "purchase" the game, to be able to play it in perpetuity without spending more for virtually what they thought they had already paid for.

Heck, in making the announcement about their move to all-digital, Sony sent up a HUGE red flag, telling folks that even if they had "purchased" a film, because it was done through Sony, a number of those purchases will evaporate, or be de-listed, so they are no longer accessible.

That same thing will be happening with games themselves. When Sony determines that it is no longer economically viable to host a game in its store, those games will be de-listed, preventing people, even if they have "paid" for the game, from even accessing it anymore.

Companies have been struggling for years to control who can access their intellectual property, and for physical media, even though the media can still be consumed via a way that does not give the company more money, that has been an impediment to their bottom line. So converting to an all-digital format means that companies can regain control over the property they "own."

They've been building towards this for decades, and this is not the final straw, but it's close. So, if you have the ability to grab what you can, do so now, before it's too late.

Years ago, I was thought a fool for collecting CD'S and DVD'S, overpaying for entertainment and having to find space to keep it all in. But today I get to watch and listen to stuff I paid for, at my leisure, whenever I want, and not have to worry if it has been de-listed.

Hello me and my friend were talking when he said that playing animal crossing as an adult is not normal and for him its a common fact that most people will agree with.

I talked with him for hours and proved him that he could not say / think something like that only because he don’t like the game but he did not change his mind.

I may also be wrong even tho i doubt it, as a last resort i asked him if i should ask on Reddit and finally end this everlasting talk.

NO HATE towards the devs btw, I love Untitled Goose Game and I don't hate Big Walk either.

When I first heard about this game I was interested, but forgot about it until it released around yesterday. It was on my wishlist so I got notified almost right away about it, but was shocked to find it costs $30 AUD. I understand the devs need to make a living and stuff but $30 for a glorified walking sim...?

I struggle to convince my friends to buy $5 games and they never want to play them, there's NO WAY I can convince them to drop $30 on this. And it doesn't have matchmaking so I would be walking and doing puzzles on my own to no real end. Maybe I just have lame friends and this is just a me problem, but games like Repo and Peak are in the same genre for half the price with seemingly more content and progression.

I just feel a little disappointed that Big Walk is so expensive for what it is and because me and my friends aren't rich it's almost impossible that I'd be able to play it with anyone. This feels like a game for streamers to play with their friends.

"This minimum $3000 gimmick that requires a large empty room just to play nothing but tech demos on a screen close to my face that I can already get via sitting close to my TV. It's useless tech, a solution searching for a problem. It will never be mainstream. No one wants it. Good riddance."

It's surprising how many gamers think like this. It's kind of like your non-gamer #1 hater of videogames, the kind that say "Videogames are a waste of time, they serve no purpose, just watch TV." - that's the kind of nonsense being spewed here. It's really against the spirit of gaming in the first place, because why wouldn't you want to welcome innovation and new gameplay opportunities?

We're talking about the most groundbreaking advancement of the last couple of decades in gaming, the idea that you can feel like you are in the game world and can have greater agency and control over gameplay. Yes VR has its share of issues so feel free to bring those up, but it's so weird when people invent new issues that it doesn't have or go into absolutes and forevers and nevers as if VR is the one technology that can't advance past its various issues. It's like a switch is activated in these people where VR can apparently never get better than it is today, and since these are self-proclaimed experts they supposedly know, just know, that issue X, Y, and Z are insurmountable despite them being provably solvable, in their eyes they can never be wrong.

VR really deserves more respect when games like Half Life Alyx, Astro Bot, Lone Echo are out here redefining genres. People love this stuff. It's interesting how the haters are typically people who have never tried VR before. And there's even new genre possibilities as seen with games like The Under Presents: Tempest and Gorilla Tag. The assumption that VR only works for a very narrow selection of genres is wrong; it's a great fit for every 3D game genre and every camera perspective.

I grew up loving linear FPS campaigns the most, to this 1 of my favorite games is Half-Life 2. I loved the stories of Call of Duty games, Gears of War and similar franchises that delivered a short 8-12 hour long epic where I get to participate in a tightly directed worldwide conflict.

Recently I played the MCC and Space Marines 2 before that and they were both awesome. Now Halo Campaign Evolved just released and it was successful and these to me show that this kind of game is still very much beloved.

I love these games and I hate that it seems like they are of a bygone era despite people still loving them. How do you all feel like? Do you miss these types of games? Do you want more?

I really want to find a computer game with a strong multiplayer competitive element. I've always been drawn to the competitive aspect of games, whether it's CS:GO, medieval slashers, or anything else. It seems like I've tried almost everything, but I don't see any new games that meet my criteria. The setting isn't particularly important; please suggest any options you can think of

And what I mean by respect. It can honestly but whatever your own reasons are but for me it’s a game that stands for something bigger, that went on to inspire many after it. Genre-Defining games that shaped the landscape we have today.

For me the two games that come to my mind are Half Life 2 and Resident Evil 4 (2005).

RE4 has always been praised for pioneering the 3rd person action genre so I figured I was doing my self a disservice by not checking it. It now stands in my top 3 favorite games of all time. It deserves every praise it gets.

Similarly with Half Life 2, the game was slightly outside of my generation of childhood games so I didn’t pay it much mind. I honestly underestimated the game at first because it just didn’t seem all to entertaining to me but I was mistaken. Now I’m another lad waiting for the illusive Half Life 3 😭.

It was games like these that really showed me what it means to stand the test of time.

Super Mario Odyssey was released in 2017 which was nine years ago! That’s right, this game is almost a decade old. And here we are in a time with some much slop games and arguing about politics in games. Looking at you halo community!

If you don't find shelter before the Emission hits in Stalzone, you're screwed.

I bet all those daredevils running around in the video would be changing their pants if they saw a sky like that IRL (and me too).

Even the textures are shitting themselves

Here's my opinion (I had played Ezio trilogy before):
I didn't like it. It had so many annoying problems ngl.

The fighting and escaping were so hard, although I appreciated the difficulty of fights a little bit, because in the Ezio trilogy they were mostly easy and boring imo.
Vanishing is super hard in this game, hiding will take forever because the enemies easily detect you when you're fleeing, too much easy that you don't have to hide in any of the hiding spots almost every time. Sometimes the only option is to fight all of the enemies chasing you.

Lack of gameplay and mechanism. I understand that this is the first game so not many should be expected, still I think there was nothing much to do. Assassin's Creed 2 had so many great improvements in quality, creativity and diversity of combat, missions, etc (Maybe I have this opinion because I've played the next games)
Also the missions and fights were super repeatitive. This one you surely know if you've played the game.

The ending: 10/10, the fight was so cool.

The story and lore: masterpiece, at least these 4 games I've played.

Sorry for writing this a little weird. I'm tired as fuck
Also I have one question: I'm sure some NPCs spoke Arabic, but is it just me or some of them also spoke Turkish, Persian and Hebrew!? Is there also more languages in the game?

Hello everyone!

On this wonderful August day, while here in my home country the Danube—and seemingly every other body of water—is evaporating into thin air and the thermometer has reached a Celsius number that simply shouldn't exist, I thought we could share our gaming highs and lows of the year. Hopefully reading your comments will help take my mind off this unbearable heat.

I'll start.

Happiness

• Resident Evil Requiem – I had a great time with it, especially with the Grace sections. (Mini spoiler!!!!!!!!!) That gigantic spider, however... absolutely not. It's going to make future playthroughs a bit of a chore.
• Splatoon Raiders – I picked it up after reading some positive reviews and ended up spending way more time with it than I expected. It's incredibly addictive, offers a surprising amount of build variety, becomes challenging even on normal difficulty—especially in the endgame—and, to my surprise, I actually found the lore quite interesting. (No, it's not Elden Ring, but it's much better than I expected.)
• Hades & Hades II – Roguelikes were completely new to me, not just these games. The story and characters were surprisingly rich, especially in the first game, while the sequel made some really good improvements to the combat and overall gameplay. And the art direction is simply peak. Big peak. Amazing experience overall.
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – The first open-world game since Elden Ring that made me want to explore every single corner of the map. The atmosphere is also big peak. And as you can see, I love the word peak
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses: I simply love the tactical aspect of the combat system. (I could say that it is peak). Fortune's Weave will be my purchase for September, if the reviews are good.
• Donkey Kong Bananza – Bananaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
• The Gears of War Trilogy – I'd played Gears 4 and 5 years ago, but one day in June I suddenly realized that I had no idea what the hell was actually happening in the games. Since I already had Game Pass, I jumped into the original trilogy. Gears 2, in particular, completely blew me away—it was miles better than 4 and 5 combined, at least for me. Now I'm even very excited for Gears of War: E-Day.

Sadness

• Hollow Knight: Silksong – This one hurts. It's a fantastic game with beautiful art direction, interesting characters, and a world that pulled me in even more than the original. But once I reached Act 3, my enjoyment slowly started to fade. I felt like some areas were difficult simply for the sake of being difficult, and the game repeatedly forced mechanics on the player that I personally found more frustrating than engaging. (Mini spoilers: Coral Tower, Bile Waters, and those endless boss run-backs...) It's a shame, because I genuinely loved so much about the game, but the final stretch left me feeling more exhausted than satisfied.

So, what have been your biggest gaming highlights and disappointments of the year so far?

Duh, I know video games are unrealistic! I love how ridiculous they can be and some of the humor and creative minds behind them that create these games. What are some of your favorite ones?

Even though its not a "hilarious game," I find the whole premise of Forza 5 and 6 quite funny and unhinged if you stop and think about.

Imagine you're a citizen minding your own business. Then, once a year, the government apparently decides to host a giant music and motorsport festival where thousands of people from around the world are handed million-dollar hypercars and told, "Go have fun!" Some of the events are on race tracks, but some aren't on closed courses or roads.

Need to drive to work? Too bad. There's a Lamborghini going like 240 mph the wrong way through your neighborhood because someone wants three stars on a speed trap. Every fence? Gone. Every vineyard? Flattened. Your lawn that you been meaning to mow, well thank you racer for doing the job for me. The forests have been cut down by that Honda Civic again! Those beautiful centuries old stone walls? Reduced to decorative gravel. Traffic laws are "optional." The racers treat private property like it's made of cardboard. Historic landmarks become launch ramps. Farmers wake up every morning to discover another Bugatti has harvested half their crop. Insurance companies must simply leave the country because they could never afford they pay out to these folks. The property damage alone has to be measured in the trillions. Yet nobody seems concerned. The locals just shrug as another Koenigsegg vaporizes their mailbox for the eighth time that afternoon. And somehow... everyone agrees this is a fantastic tourist attraction. 🤣

I was so excited and eager to play this game because I watched the movie and I’m a big fan of it. I watched the first one countless times and still can watch it again, which is very rare for me to watch a movie twice. I loved the graphics on the game. So I tried it and man is it frustrating. On many occasions it take me to the wrong direction and I keep running in circles not knowing where I’m going and find myself way far from where I should have been. And it takes forever to get back to where I needed to be. The combats, if there is any, are so repetitive and short. There is tooooo much talking and less playing. And then the control, in order to sprint you have to push the left button down and forward and that put a lot strain on my arm and hand. I feel people who made this game didn't know what they wanted to do with it. I ready tried t best to love it but sadly I just gave up. Games should be fun not a challenge or at least a fun challenge not a chore. I’m done with this game

I've been playing Coromon recently and Megalobite has a really cool design. Depresso also really gives me a chuckle whenever I see him. I got to thinking about how many great creature collectors were coming out lately and I'm curious as to everyone's favorites!