@chriss_m: The review is actually quite well-written and explains in great detail why the game got the score it got. It's a review that justifies the score it gave completely - not one of those reviews that gives a score incongruous with the complaints the game gets.
This game would be hard to review for anyone: a remake of a well-loved entry in a massive global franchise that was a watershed moment when it came out over 25 years ago. This reviewer clearly understands this and didn't take his job lightly.
@Peet: The point I was trying to make is that we can actually have our cake and eat it too, and it's frustrating that a lot of the conversation boils down to "physical vs. digital" when there's no need for it. I also buy mostly physical copies of games, but I enjoy having a digital library, too. Just not one tied to a specific platform.
Digital gaming is the future, but the ownership conversation should, quite frankly, not be a conversation but a demand. I don't have any issue with game streaming services existing, but those will never serve my needs. I am around 15 years behind on my gaming, mostly playing through seventh gen games at the moment. By the logic put forward by these companies which want us to give up ownership for convenience for no reason, I'd never be able to have the experience I just had over the last week with the original Dead Space on PS3 outside of pirating.
@Tiwill44: This is a super late reply - sorry - but I mostly play RPGs and visual novels when I walk so that I can easily look up from them without dying. Playing action games and the like while outside is pretty much impossible.
I don't enjoy jogging so I never do that. I think I'd rather cut off my legs than go jogging every day.
And yes, often I do walk without games in order to enjoy the surroundings. But when you've walked around the same general area literally hundreds of times as I have, you kind of run out of things to admire. If I were my dog, maybe I'd have something different to say about it!
But most of all, I walk around my house. I literally do a loop around the bottom floor. That way I still get my exercise and am still physically moving, but don't have to worry about weather conditions or the like. When I do that, I either handheld game or listen to a podcast.
@Tiwill44: The problem is when the online-only ceases to be optional for every game. We know that Microsoft at the very least wanted this all the way back before the Xbox One released, and I'm sure that goal hasn't changed for most corps. Steam already forces you to play some games while connected to its online servers by holding back crucial files.
@wbrabbit: While I understand your larger point, there are still many video games being made that aren't soulless and exploitative. You just have to look a little harder these days to find them.
It's possible to own digital content. This has been true for decades. I have files that I've transferred from device to device for many years, and can access them freely without the need for Internet access.
The idea that it's impossible to own and access digital content, DRM free, anytime I want is ludicrous. It's simply a tactic used by these AAA game companies to make you think you need to choose between digital or physical.
You don't. Just demand that digital storefronts make the games freely available whether they continue to exist or not.
This is what GOG.com does, and it's worked for them.
@Tiwill44: That's definitely an overstatement. As I've gotten older and exercise has become more of a priority, I find handheld gaming to be all I want to do. Sitting down in front of a TV for hours on end is more of a luxury than ever before - but, while I go on my walks or spend time outdoors, I can take along a handheld. It's like 90% of my gaming time, now.
@USDevilDog: You'll be fine. Remember, The Second Story was actually the first Star Ocean game released in the US, back in the PS1 days. You don't need to play the original to get into this.
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