Metal Gear Solid V PC Disc Apparently Contains Only a Steam Installer

[owsf2000]

Now, if this is true then it looks like companies are starting to jump forward in my predicted DLC path, perhaps to the point of jumping over a step or two. Such as the step where they'd have everything on the disc but completely locked out with an unlock code. (But that prediction is more focused on console games - PC games have been like that forever already with their limited-activations DRM)

Normally when a person buys a physical copy of a game, they expect to receive... I dunno, the game. If you buy Metal Gear Solid V on the PC however, you'll instead get a fancy disc containing a 9meg Steam installer. I'm assuming it also includes a game coupon. Apparently inclusion of steam is somewhat common on physical releases these days as it's used as a form of DRM, but this is probably the first time that the disc will not include ANY of the actual game. You'll be expected to download all 28 gigabytes. Apparently you can't even pre-load the game.

Glad I'm not going to be buying anything on Steam soon, as I wouldn't be surprised if the servers are bogged down from all those massive downloads. As it says, supposedly Steam isn't required to actually run the game - you just need it to install it or download patches.

Comments

[owsf2000.livejournal.com]

Yes, although I personally find that to be even worse than on-disc DLC. At least with the DLC route, the main game is there on the disc and you can install/play it.

On the other hand, people buy physical discs for several reasons. One reason is for the added security of the purchase - they can reinstall if need be (This isn't really as applicable to fully PC games I know, with their limited activation BS) but also many people will buy the disc because they either refuse to, or simply can not, download a 12-25 gigabyte game. Those that buy that worthless coaster end up paying full price for something they may not even be able to use.

[kane-magus.livejournal.com]

It's like playing one of those "which would you rather do if you had to pick one" hypothetical games, where the two choices are some godawful terrible thing. Would you rather drink dog piss or would you rather eat dog shit?

Is it better to have a disc with everything on it, even the stuff that really shouldn't be there, like DLC? Or is it better to have a disc with nothing on it, even the stuff that really should be there, like, you know, the actual fucking game itself?

Except in this case, it isn't hypothetical at all. This is simply the stark reality of the video game industry today and how incredibly far it has degenerated.

In this case, yeah, I definitely have to agree that as much as I loathe the first scenario too, I think the second scenario is indeed by far the more idiotic. Like dmjewelle said above, what's the point of even selling a disc at all at that point? You know, aside from the scuzzy, dishonest, borderline criminal reasons you mentioned in your reply to her. Besides that, I truly cannot think of a single good, valid, non-bullshit reason for them to do it this way.

Fuck the video game industry, in general, and fuck Konami, in particular, along with any other companies that decide to jump on this particular bandwagon of inane horseshit.