Microsoft’s new Games on Demand service has been both praised and scorned by various members of the media. Regardless of how you look at the service, it’s worth investigating. We recently got a copy of BioShock for Games on Demand to test and were fairly happy with the whole experience. This won’t be a review of the game, as we’ve already done that twice (Xbox 360 and PS3), and as everyone knows it’s amazing. This review will instead focus on the Games on Demand service, how it compares to the disc-based version of the game, and how well it runs.
Downloading the game was as easy as any other other Xbox Live Marketplace transaction. By default, you can use real currency directly from your linked credit card to make the purchase. However, if you prefer to use your stock pile of Microsoft Points, you can do so by pressing Y during the purchase screen. Download times are based on your internet connection, but it didn’t take too long over my 10Mbps cable internet. BioShock weighs in at 4.7GB, exactly the same amount of space needed should you install the game to the hard drive from disc.
We tested the game from disc, playing from a hard drive install, and from the Games on Demand download. In terms of gameplay, they were all identical, as is to be expected. The loading times were equal whether playing from a hard drive install or the Games on Demand download, which again was expected. There was no real benefit, other than not needing the disc in the tray, from using Games on Demand as opposed to just installing the game to the hard drive.
If you have an older 20GB hard drive on your Xbox 360, this service probably isn’t for you. Those with larger 60GB and 120GB drives can take advantage of being able to play a full retail game at any point without finding a game disc. That’s the only real benefit to buying the Games on Demand version as opposed to the disc-based product at a local store. One big downfall is the pricing structure for some of the games. BioShock run in at $29.99, a full $10 more than the price new at GameStop. Most others are on par with their retail counterpart, but you have to question if the convenience of a digital product is worth your money versus paying the same price (and sometimes less) for the disc and packaging. Personally, I’d stick with buying the disc-based game.
Is a man not entitled to streaming games on demand?
No, says the man… oh.
Yeah, I think the term “On Demand” isn’t used very well in this scenario.
Definitely not something I’ll be taking advantage of regularly if there isn’t a consistent savings versus retail.
Yeah, the “On Demand” is a play on words. Very tricky M$.
They try to make it fancy but it’s just like bying Burnout Paradise from their Store and playing it from the hard drive.
But, what if I like to look at all of my game cases all lined up nicely and extended on my shelf? How does Games on Demand help this? There is something to be said for showing off your massive amount of games on a shelf than showing off all of the games downloaded on your hard drive……..
That’s all I gotta say…….
Definitely agree. Personally, for handheld gaming systems (iPhone, PSP, DS, etc), I strongly prefer digital distribution. I don’t want to have to carry a bunch of games around with me. For consoles, though, I like to have an actual copy of my games.
i totally agree