Cognition Dissemination: The Good and Bad of Arcade Collections

You might hear quite a bit about how bad the coming age of digital distribution is for consumers; sometimes even here! And for good reason, too. The thing about it is that it's only a bad thing when you're referring to specific topics. When you see something like Xbox 360 Games on Demand and the majority of PSP digital titles - specifically the new ones - you can't help but frown upon the medium as a whole. But the truth is that there's a lot of good to it; it's given us a lot to be thankful for.

Digital distribution has been a viable venue for smaller and independent developers, people who felt their work really wouldn't stand out on a retail shelf. Also, developers don't have to worry about spending the money on packaging and distribution, something the aforementioned companies likely don't have the money to do. For them, it's good to have a venue for simpler distribution like Xbox Live Arcade. A game like, say, Braid definitely wouldn't have received the same kind of attention if it was placed on a retail shelf alongside games like Gears of War 2 or Resistance 2, but some word of mouth and positive press was able to help the game become a nice success.

But there are still plenty of people who would rather have all of their software in physical form; not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. To ease their suffering, some developers and publishers have decided to release some of their games in collections, specifically on 360. Thus far, you have Namco Museum: Virtual Arcade, which includes the usual assortment of Namco classics along with XBLA games Mr. Driller Online, Pac-Man: Championship Edition, and Galaga Legions; these days, it only goes for $14.99-$19.99, meaning that you'd be saving $10-$15 buying the collection for the three Arcade games alone. There's also the recently released Qubed collection, which collects three of Q Games' titles: Lumines Live!, Every Extend Extra Extreme, and Rez HD. Lumines Live! also includes all of the utterly ridiculously priced DLC as well, making the value of the package skyrocket (the game has around $30 worth of DLC). But this one is also only $19.99, making it quite a bargain.

In addition to the ones discussed above, Microsoft has also released their own collections. Not all of them are available as separate retail products, though. Some of them are included with controllers and the Xbox 360 Arcade console, mainly as an added bonus. Some of them don't collect the best games on the service - like the collection with the Arcade - but it's the thought that counts.

It's no surprise, then, that a few other developers would want to experiment with this as well, seeing it as an opportunity to make a little extra money and increase exposure for something that perhaps went under the radar. So enter Konami with two collections of their own, with some of their apparently most well liked Arcade titles. Upon observing the packages, they look...well, seriously, I don't know what the hell Konami's thinking with these. They're missing the point entirely.

Konami Classics Vol. 1, pictured on the left, includes the venerable Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, along with some game called Frogger and Super Contra. The three of them range from good to great, and the package itself retails for $19.99. This means by opting for the collection instead of the digital versions, you're saving...absolutely nothing. What a deal! Consider the fact that two of them are merely upgraded ports of old arcade roms, and it makes the package's overall value a little bit of a rip-off.

(Psst, it's more than a "little bit," actually.)

But that's not the best one! No, there's also Konami Classics Vol. 2, which includes Contra, Rush 'N Attack, and Track & Field, which are all upgraded ports of old roms. The real kicker is that this one is also retailing for $19.99, and given how they're $5 each on XBLA, it's a little difficult to recommend a collection that actually gouges the consumer for an extra $5. Also, keep in mind that by "upgrades," these games only have marginal updates to their original arcade counterparts. It always takes someone to do it wrong entirely with these experiments, and Konami is now that very company.

I like the idea of collecting some games offered digitally and putting them on one disc, potentially at a discount; and I like it even more when companies collect a plethora of their older games and put them on one disc - the latter of which is more uncommon these days, though we still have collections like Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection and the upcoming Data East Arcade Classics. However, I don't think anyone in their right mind that's not a corporate opportunist would be a fan of exploiting the consumer, and that's what Konami's collections represent. It's so easy to distribute them at a bargain price, but who knows why Konami chose the hard way.