I do necessarily see it as a negative (Destiny)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, September 10, 2015, 16:27 (3459 days ago) @ General Vagueness
edited by Cody Miller, Thursday, September 10, 2015, 16:34

Also he was given grief not just because of the quality (and really pretty much everything in the special editions was fine IMHO) but because he stopped production of the old versions

This is it right there. He actually went further and actively prevented the preservation of the original trilogy, and exhibitions of it. I'm not opposed to Bungie continually updating their game, and doing things like weapon balances and the like. I'm not even opposed to them casting new actors. I have a problem with the old stuff being lost forever. If you think downloading my archive of Peter Dinklage's lines is the same as playing through the game with them in context, then you're going to be disappointed.

I am all about being forward thinking, moving ahead and thinking about the present and the future rather than the past. But the past is important to color our choices moving forward. I make movies, and to say that I've been influenced by old films - films made long before I was born, is an understatement. Films made when the idea of preserving films was ludicrous; they were seen as mere entertainment. But now we know film is art and preservation is very valuable. More than 90% of all films from the silent era are gone. The film "The Honor System", directed by Raoul Walsh, is by all accounts absolutely fantastic, is gone forever. All of it is dust. How many great works are lost, never to influence those who wish to move the art forward?

That's why what Lucas did was so offensive, but he doesn't have complete control over the copies that exist, and so the original trilogy will always exist despite the fact that he cut the negative to conform to the special edition. So not all is lost.

But it is lost with Destiny. There is absolutely zero way going forward to experience any version of the game other than what Bungie wants you to since you have to validate with the servers. I have the old ghost on a bluray, sitting in my system, but I can't use that. Imagine a world where George could have eliminated any possibility of ever watching the original trilogy again. That's the power Bungie has with Destiny, and they've used it. I'm shocked I'm the only one who is troubled.

Think of all the games that are part of the history of the art. How are you supposed to appreciate that by watching videos or listening to audio? Games are meant to be played. You might think the change of voice actor for the ghost is no big deal, but what if it goes further?

What's next?

Destiny and Bungie are certainly a piece of video game history. But it's a piece that can never be truly preserved for the future. Even if you personally don't want to play the old one, it's still a benefit to keeping art around. This trend in the temporary is troubling for me, given that I've learned a great deal studying art history!