Comment on Hands-On: Borderlands 4 wants you to forget Borderlands 3 ever happened
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 2 days agoPhysical copies are far from the be-all, end-all of game preservation, especially these days. What you really want is DRM-free. Or, failing that, easily broken DRM, which is where Borderlands lies. BL4 will launch with Denuvo, but like everyone else, it will be phased out after the release period, because Denuvo charges per month, and then it’s as preservable as any other game that can be played offline. What happens if the file gets corrupted? I use a copy that wasn’t. What if the drive it’s on dies? I use another copy. I’m not sure why you think these are gotcha questions or something.
Helldivers II literally withholds the server from you that prevents it from being playable in the future, and we’ve got a graveyard full of games built the same way that are all gone. But if a game is playable offline, it can be copied ad infinitum. If it’s got LAN, its multiplayer can be played forever. I would spend $40 on Helldivers II if I enjoyed the concept of setting my money on fire, because it’s built with an expiration date that doesn’t need to be there. If I was looking for that in the same genre as Borderlands, I’d be playing Destiny 2.
erin@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
At least for me, the idea that a game might someday be unplayable for me doesn't stop me from wanting to enjoy it. I like multiplayer games, and I have neither the means nor interest to host my own servers for them. I've gotten far more than $40 worth of entertainment from Helldivers 2. I think games should stay accessible and not be killed when servers stop hosting, and be available to play offline. However, the lack of those things won't stop me from enjoying something now. I don't consider that money lost, it's spent, as long as I got an equivalent value of entertainment. I didn't set my money on fire, I've gotten hundreds of hours of fun, far more than $40 could buy me elsewhere. I expect to continue enjoying helldivers for years.
You're absolutely right, that games shouldn't be killed when they're no longer supported, and that they should be playable offline and LAN. As things stand though, it's the same as spending money on an amusement park, or movie, or any other form of entertainment. If you're not going to be able to enjoy it without those things, that's your prerogative, but I think you could easily get your money's worth, especially compared to overpriced AAA competitors.
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 2 days ago
You do you, but the person I responded to initially came into a Borderlands thread to shit on Borderlands, and then held up this other game as some bastion of value that I wholly disagree with.