So you may or may not have noticed this blog has been inactive for a while, I've been meaning to resuscitate it for a while, and while I originally had other plans for doing that, this seems as good a way as any...
But, yes, Batman: Arkham Origins.
I bought it, at as some people still do, at ye olde brick and mortar retailer, since, unlike some people out there, I don't have unlimited bandwidth, so I prefer having the installer discs (Which also installs faster to boot). I started the 16.2 gig installation from the disc...and it only installed half the game before 'completing' and leaving Steam to download the remaining half.
Now it's pretty normal for the retail disc not to install absolutely everything, usually there will be some files the game has to get off Steam, mostly files updated since the disc was stamped I would suspect...but in my experience, this never comes to more than a gig, two tops.
We're talking about a 7GB patch for a game released scantly a fortnight ago. Even if they did put out a massive content patch in that time, that's huge.
I delete the local content, I try again, same result. First disc
installs 6 gigs, second installed 3 gigs. Third barely installed 1 gig.
And then for extra kicks, when the Steam download takes over, it drops
the total back down to 9.5 gigs. That's three DVDs, THREE. Uno, dos,
tres. And you can't even get a full game off them...so, since I now have
to wait hours for Steam to chew through my bandwidth finishing the
rest, it gives me the time to come here and rant about it...
Lots of people are reporting this too, and it's safe to assume that this is effecting all PC DVDs currently.
The problem is, there doesn't seem to be an answer as to who or what the culprit is...
It seems unlikely that all DVDs currently in circulation would be corrupt, if so...that would be the definition of epic fail.
The most probable theory is that the problem is on Steams end, that their file manifest isn't correct. I've experienced problems with backing up games on Steam, both corrupting the backup, and the existing game files, requiring a re-validation and then a lengthy download.
Especially when one factors in, as I've discovered, that this is apparently not the first game on Steam this has happened with.
Some people have suggested though that this is simply a new industry practice, another insane, ineffectual anti-piracy measure (although I think some of them are getting this confused between this, and normal patching cycles)...the sad part is, while I don't see why that would be the case, it's close enough to the M.O. of the industry to lend it some legitimacy...
But it brings up a good point, if you want to combat piracy so badly, why the hell then do you not ensure the retail versions of your game work adequately?
My own little crazy theory? another attempt to kill off physical retailers, a wet dream of some in the industry...
I paid $20 more than it would have cost to get the digital version on Steam, and all I got for that money was a few bits of useless plastic. Not even a printed game manual. Pretty bare bones.
My personal recommendation to anyone who hasn't got Batman: Arkham Origins already and is looking to? since you'll be downloading half the game anyway, and if your bandwidth can afford it, get the digital version off Steam, or maybe just hold off until they release the inevitable Game of the Year edition later. That is assuming, however, that if the problem is with Steam, they've fixed it by that time...
I could have spent this time downloading No More Room in Hell instead...
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