Hollow Knight - Can we convince VGC to download a game?

[Stalvern]

I think quality control is a huge issue with the VGC. It is just much easier to push a game out too early and patch later when no physical media is involved.

The reviews here have made it pretty clear that the medium is irrelevant. It's patches all the way down for triple-A releases no matter what, gigs and gigs that have to be downloaded before playing even with the disk.

[billydeethrilliamsX]

Just wanted to chime in and say Hollow Knight is absolutely worth it. It definitely ranks up there with Castlevania Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid.
It's beautiful, well designed, atmospheric, tough but fair, and has a great soundtrack. I don't know if the VGC would go for some of the design choices (the map system comes to mind, for me a minor nuisance... also the death mechanic might turn him off), but this game is fantastic. And the amount of content for the price is unreal.

[LoganRuckman]

The no-downloads rule is pretty much nonsense in the context of the Critic's overall ideals. The biggest developers crank out endless, soulless franchise installments and make exclusive licensing deals that allow them to be as lazy as they want without worrying about competition, all the while squeezing customers dry with microtransactions... but it's the indie developers who can't even afford to put their games on disk (largely because of arbitrary fees imposed on them by the console manufacturers) that he effectively boycotts while buying yet another year's Madden just to give it a D. Makes sense to me!

Stalvern, I have to say I freaking love your cynicism and I appreciate that you are always blunt and don't sugarcoat things. I know I don't post very much anymore, but I still lurk, and you have become one of my favorite members on this forum.

And I agree completely. A lot of my favorite games of the past decade have been indie downloadable titles. Hell, Shovel Knight is one of my favorite games ever made. I think it's just downright silly and crappy that the Critic chooses not to support passionate, dedicated developers who release great games simply because of the medium they release it on out of NECESSITY. I have a lot of respect for the Critic, and agree with a lot of his views on online and downloadable gaming, installations, day 1 patches, etc. But it's not all doom and gloom, and there are some bright spots in the modern age of gaming. To think otherwise is ridiculous.

[velcrozombie]

I'll jump on the bandwagon as well - I'm a big fan of the Metroidvania genre and this is as good as any I've ever played. Pretty much everything @billydeethrilliamsX said I agree with (except I actually like the map mechanics because of how epic they make the world feel) but one thing I didn't expect was how charming the voice-acting is - it's all gibberish language but the personalities of each character come through loud and clear and you don't get worn down the way you would if it were in English. I also like how the game sets up a compelling world without a ton of obtrusive storytelling. There are lots of great details as well - like the way your character can read the map while walking but you actually pull out the map and slow down when it happens, or how your vial of soul energy cracks after you die and remains so until after you recover your spirit.

[Retro STrife]

While we're talking Hollow Knight... how about Axiom Verge vs. Hollow Knight?? Which is better?

I own Axiom Verge but haven't played it yet. I never considered Hollow Knight, but this thread has me thinking about it.

Personally, I have a feeling that I'm going to find Axiom Verge to be overrated, after how much everyone has hyped it up. I love Metroidvania games, but far more like the Vania side of the equation than the Metroid side. (i.e., SOTN is in my top 10 all-time, whereas Super Metroid isn't anywhere near my top 10). Sounds like Axiom Verge is more Metroid and Hollow Knight is more Castlevania.

[snakeboy]

The no-downloads rule is pretty much nonsense in the context of the Critic's overall ideals. !

Really? I thought one of the Critic's ideals was actually owning the games that he collects. In that context it isn't nonsense at all.

Anyway, as others have pointed out, there is no strict no-downloads policy, though the digital games he does buy usually seem to be either games from his favorite franchises (Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Sonic 4) or ones he finds thematically appealing (Costume Quest).

I dont think there is any reason for the VGC to rush to download it anyway. If he's interested, he might as well wait and see if it gets a physical release through Limited Run Games or a similar service.

[velcrozombie]

I dont think there is any reason for the VGC to rush to download it anyway. If he's interested, he might as well wait and see if it gets a physical release through Limited Run Games or a similar service.

There were plans for a physical release but they have since been canceled: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018 ... -cancelled

Team Cherry (the creators of Hollow Knight) is comprised of only three people and porting the game while continuing to work on it was too much for them. They do mention that a limited physical release in the future may still happen sometime in the future but there are no dates or any deals in place for it yet.

[GTS]

I'm sure the Critic is snickering as he reads these comments, but I believe his distaste for downloads traces back to when Sony got hacked in 2011. Has he reviewed any downloadable games since then?

When the hack happened, 77 million accounts were compromised, and it was feared that credit card information was stolen. I think at the time the Critic voiced concern about having his credit information online, so he unhooked his systems from the Internet.

Per Wikipedia, "there were no verifiable reports of credit card fraud related to the outage." Here's the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Play ... ork_outage

[ptdebate]

I'm sure the Critic is snickering as he reads these comments, but I believe his distaste for downloads traces back to when Sony got hacked in 2011. Has he reviewed any downloadable games since then?

When the hack happened, 77 million accounts were compromised, and it was feared that credit card information was stolen. I think at the time the Critic voiced concern about having his credit information online, so he unhooked his systems from the Internet.

Per Wikipedia, "there were no verifiable reports of credit card fraud related to the outage." Here's the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Play ... ork_outage

Does it even matter that much if CC info is stolen - assuming you monitor your statements? Banks generally void out any transactions that appear fraudulent. Personally Chase and Amex have always had my back in these cases...

[Retro STrife]

I'm sure the Critic is snickering as he reads these comments, but I believe his distaste for downloads traces back to when Sony got hacked in 2011. Has he reviewed any downloadable games since then?

When the hack happened, 77 million accounts were compromised, and it was feared that credit card information was stolen. I think at the time the Critic voiced concern about having his credit information online, so he unhooked his systems from the Internet.

Per Wikipedia, "there were no verifiable reports of credit card fraud related to the outage." Here's the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Play ... ork_outage

Does it even matter that much if CC info is stolen - assuming you monitor your statements? Banks generally void out any transactions that appear fraudulent. Personally Chase and Amex have always had my back in these cases...

I haven't ever entered my credit card info on a single console, and yet I’ve bought dozens of digital games. Instead of using my CC, I buy digital gift cards on Amazon- you get an instant code and add the money onto your console immediately. Problem solved.