Joe – Perishable goods taste the best
I’m become a bit hoity-toity lately when it comes to perishable media. Being the poor student I am (or – more aptly – was) I didn’t feel I could justify the constant juggling of new releases that prompted my so often to make a cheeky download of that new strategy game, or ther latest benchmark FPS. Often each download only saw a couple of hours playtime, more often than that it was a five minute benchmark to see how far I could push the specs of my PC.Recent circumstances have seen me with no internet, and subsequently cut off from all the civilised world. Xbox back home in Sheffield, I’ve been forced to my nearest Cex to find distractions from employment. Mission successful, by the way.
Where now for the shiny disk?
For four quid I picked up Company of Heroes, a genre I would never usually approach as I lack the cognitive skill to multitask. What? I get a sense of satisfaction watching my troops constructing bases. Look at them, hammering away at the foundations…ooh, on goes the steel sheets and the tarp! It’s the miracle of creation, I tell you.
I’m discovering the joy of having no alternative game to play, as well as the satisfaction of owning physical media – another DVD case on the shelf, another manual explaining the intracacies tucked inside.
I’ve become a bit of a nihalist too when it comes to disks: how long will they operate before the scratches render them useless? With digital distribution services like Steam and the prospect of OnLive, do shiny wheels of plastic have a future or a value? Perhaps not, but there’s never been a better time to exploit this. For £1.50 I can grab a copy of Prey, a throughly underrated shooter that performs feats that would make the latest Call of Duty weep.
I’m no Jesus, and when an internet connection next comes to hand I doubt I’ll restrain myself from slipping into the old ways. But in this moment of clarity – while the morphine of torrents runs dry – it’s humbling to remember that a DVD will never let you down. Unless you scratch it a load.
I would dispute the assertion that Prey could make Call of Duty weep. Well, i’m ignoring the existence of both Treyarch releases because I’m arrogant like that. I do rather enjoy the luxury of dipping into world of goo now and then without having to even look at a disc. Same goes for Tetris Party on Wiiware.