DVD Games

Ripstar · Post by **Ripstar** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:19 pm

I just recently installed a DVD on my cpu primarily because some of my recent buys have been 5 or 6 disks as opposed to a single DVD.

Other than the obvious convenience, do you find that DVD vs CD is generally a better purchase? I know the original game content should be the same. but is the extra content worth the extra cash?

Orpheo · Post by **Orpheo** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:23 pm

Most games don't have any extra content on the DVD version. It's just handy to not have multiple discs.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:28 pm

It's worth it to me to make me "Play Disc" binder and my "Install Disc" binder the same.

magic · Post by **magic** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:37 pm

I do, because it justifies the fact that i've had a DVD drive since 1998. Seven years too late.

I mean, PC mags in europe have DVD's on the cover with a ton of demos. Why can't we?

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:56 pm

magic wrote:I do, because it justifies the fact that i've had a DVD drive since 1998. Seven years too late.

I mean, PC mags in europe have DVD's on the cover with a ton of demos. Why can't we?

I've had a DVD drive almost that long as well in each of my last two computers. The only DVD games I've owned are the ones that came with the drive and I never even played them.

I do use it to watch movies at times, so it works out reasonably well.

Kaigen · Post by **Kaigen** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:03 pm

I own three games on DVD, but none of them offer any additional content. Two of them are only available on DVD. It's just really nice not to have to switch discs all the time.

Kobra · Post by **Kobra** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:07 pm

I only buy DVD games if possible.

Multiple CD's is passe.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 1:10 am

Ripstar wrote:I just recently installed a DVD on my cpu primarily because some of my recent buys have been 5 or 6 disks as opposed to a single DVD.

Other than the obvious convenience, do you find that DVD vs CD is generally a better purchase? I know the original game content should be the same. but is the extra content worth the extra cash?

Some games have better video quality (eg, Overseer, TLC, Schizm, etc).
Some games come with extra content like music, videos, etc. (MOH: PA, Sims 2, Zork: GI (which included Zork Nemesis), etc)

Like you suggest, I'm not aware of any games that have difference in terms of gameplay (which wasn't the case with the disk to CD transitions. for example, the cd version of Star Trek: 25th Anniversary game included a longer version of one of the missions).

In some cases, the DVD is included with the CD, or the price for the two versions is the same, so the choice isn't too hard, so long as you have a dvd drive to play from. And we're starting to see games that, AFAIK, are only available on DVD format (eg, Brothers in Arms, Silent Hunter 3, etc).

In general, I'll buy the DVD version, as long as it's not a hassle (I didn't get the European DVD version of Farcry, for example, particularily since there was no new content, and by the time I bought Pirates, the DVD version wasn't available any more), though if it's significantly higher in price, I'll usually wait for it to drop in price (unless it was a must have game for me, or the video quality was significantly better).

Edit to add:
Many people (including me) had problems running the DVD version of Overseer, the first game released on DVD. I can't think of any other games where the DVD version gave people problems.

Also, after checking, Schizm not only had better quality video, but the CD versions actually had some of the video edited or removed for space reasons.

ChaoZ · Post by **ChaoZ** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 1:37 am

Well, I reason it this way. The more discs you have, the greater the chance of damaging/losing one.

Also, no disk swapping is good too.

I honestly cannot contemplate somebody who has a computer fast enough to run Battlefield 2, but does not own a DVD-ROM drive. It just boggles the mind. Can people still buy CD-ROM only drives? Is it actually cheaper than a $30 DVD-ROM drive?

Greggy_D · Post by **Greggy_D** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:37 am

Extra content or not, I'm all over the DVD editions of games. I hate disk swapping. Especially when you go through discs 1 through 5 and then they freaking want disc 1 back in the drive.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:59 am

Greggy_D wrote:Extra content or not, I'm all over the DVD editions of games. I hate disk swapping. Especially when you go through discs 1 through 5 and then they freaking want disc 1 back in the drive.

Yeah. Disc swapping sucks. I remember a number of games where, regardless of where you are in the game, when you load up the game you need to insert disc 1 before swapping to the disc you've reached. What genius came up with that?

godhugh · Post by **godhugh** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:25 am

DVD Editions rule, I hate disk swapping during install so I always buy the DVD version if there's one available.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:30 pm

The best example I know of (and one of the earlier ones) was the original Baldur's Gate. There was a very limited DVD edition of it. The original game was five CDs (the most I'd ever seen at the time for a non-FMV game), and each area was tied to a particular disk. That meant that when you were in Dungeon X, you had to have disk 4 in. If you then went back to the inn to rest and sell, you had to swap to disk 2 to load it, then back to disk 4 when you returned to the dungeon. The DVD version killed that hassle.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 5:04 pm

godhugh wrote:DVD Editions rule, I hate disk swapping during install so I always buy the DVD version if there's one available.

What he said. I don't think I've ever bought a DVD version with extras and if I have, I didn't know it. I also don't think I've ever paid extra for a DVD version. Prices are typically the same in my experience.

Windows95 · Post by **Windows95** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 5:27 pm

DVD all the way.

No disc swapping for starters and most ship in a nice case versus CD games which seem to only come in paper sleeves now.

I'll also praise European mags which wisely go with DVD cover discs. Imho you can't fit any useful gaming content on a CD anymore. You're stretching it to fit three demos on a CD whereas on DVD you have space for tons of demos plus patches, movies, music and utilities. PC Gamer now usually lets you choose between DVD or CD cover discs, but I have a hard time finding the DVD version at most retail stores (cover discs with demos & patches are important to me since I'm on dial-up).

It surprises me when gamers complain about a game shipping on DVD versus CD. DVD drives are so cheap I find it hard to believe someone will have a killer system for gaming yet no DVD drive.

Ripstar · Post by **Ripstar** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:34 pm

Thanx for all the replies.

As a DVD noob wasn't sure what to expect.
I got the DVD version of Ureal Tournament 2004 with an extra content disk and all the great mod like Red Orchestra , Air Pirates etc excellant game, almost 7 gigs with some of the extras installed. DVD much less annoying than disk swapping.

Also had the DVD version of Battle for Middle Earth which came with extra content.

Also found that DVD's can be ten bucks more for new titles, but that sounds like local pricing.

So basically it sounds like DVD is the way to go for larger games, and extra content although not required maybe interesting, as well as some extra features may be included and possibly video and sound tweaks.

Sounds good.

JayG · Post by **JayG** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:25 am

Windows98 wrote:DVD all the way.

No disc swapping for starters and most ship in a nice case versus CD games which seem to only come in paper sleeves now.

I'll also praise European mags which wisely go with DVD cover discs. Imho you can't fit any useful gaming content on a CD anymore. You're stretching it to fit three demos on a CD whereas on DVD you have space for tons of demos plus patches, movies, music and utilities. PC Gamer now usually lets you choose between DVD or CD cover discs, but I have a hard time finding the DVD version at most retail stores (cover discs with demos & patches are important to me since I'm on dial-up).

It surprises me when gamers complain about a game shipping on DVD versus CD. DVD drives are so cheap I find it hard to believe someone will have a killer system for gaming yet no DVD drive.

Germany's mags are great for DVDs. This month's Gamestar came with the full version of Cossacks and Fallout Tactics, and the dvd contains 7.6 gigs of info.

In Europe almost all games are DVD only at this stage, and the only game I picked up in the last year that came on CD was the Fall.

Greggy_D · Post by **Greggy_D** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 9:34 am

I still can't understand the whining and crying that appears when a game or PC mag demo disc ships in DVD format. As a lot of you guys indicated, DVD drives are dirt cheap now. Top of the line dual format/dual layer DVD burners can be had for 50-60 bucks. This is the same crap we heard when the floppy to CD transition was going on in '93 and '94. What year was the last game released on floppy?

IMHO every single game released from here on out should be DVD only.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 8:49 pm

Greggy_D wrote:IMHO every single game released from here on out should be DVD only.

I have yet to see any game I'm buying in DVD format. Since most of the games I buy fit comfortably on a single CD, I fail to see the logic. Unlike the floppy/CD transition, CDs are playable in DVD drives, so I expect publishers will go with the cheaper option.

Kaigen · Post by **Kaigen** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 10:36 pm

I don't see the logic in putting any single-disc game on DVD, but I think publishers are certainly moving towards the DVD format with multi-disc games. Ubi Soft especially. Both Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Myst 4 are only available in DVD format, and neither of those are small titles. Course, Myst 4 would've been like 10 discs if they hadn't. That game is massive.

Hetz · Post by **Hetz** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:07 am

Jeff V wrote:
Greggy_D wrote:IMHO every single game released from here on out should be DVD only.
I have yet to see any game I'm buying in DVD format. Since most of the games I buy fit comfortably on a single CD, I fail to see the logic. Unlike the floppy/CD transition, CDs are playable in DVD drives, so I expect publishers will go with the cheaper option.

Except DVD's are starting to be the cheaper option, when you figure 5-6 Disc or even more for CD installs, compared to 1 DVD.

That is why many games are now coming on DVD only.

baron calamity · Post by **baron calamity** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:27 am

errrr I welcome our new DVD overlords???

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:37 pm

Course, Myst 4 would've been like 10 discs if they hadn't. That game is massive.

doesn't it come on 2 DVDs?

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