If you’re a fan of Final Fantasy, you’ve probably heard about how American and European physical copies of Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster will include a single-use download code for the second game. It somewhat defeats the purpose of owning a physical copy.
If that wasn’t already insulting enough for fans within these regions, the game’s box art for Europe appears to have been updated. Its new look was spotted on the UK GAME website. As can be seen above and below, it includes a gigantic message, once again driving home the point you’ll have to download the second game:
FINAL FANTASY X HD Remaster available on game card. FINAL FANTASY X-2 HD Remaster game content is download only. Single-use voucher included. Internet connection required. microSD card may be required.
Obviously, this isn't anything out of the ordinary for Switch physical releases requiring sizeable downloads, but it is rather disappointing considering the artistic beauty of Final Fantasy box arts. The PEGI rating isn’t helping, either. If you were already put off by the download-only requirement, this label won't help. It’s likely North American copies of the game will receive the same treatment.
If you want a physical copy, including both games on the one card and no download label, it might be worth considering importing a Japanese or Southeast Asian copy of the game. Both of these include English support as well.
Will you be picking a North American or European copy of this game? Tell us below.
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[source nintendosoup.com]
Comments 227
I will buy the Asian version then.
Easy choice. 😎
It looks like those health warnings they put on cigarettes.
Way to add salt to the wound, guys.
Wouldn't be the first time.
Though, as a friend pointed out, it's actually kinda neat these labels are present. That way, we know which publishers have been slacking on putting the content into the cartridge!
Stuff like this makes physical editions almost seem pointless
I wish they'd put these on the back of the box instead...
Lol that’s hideous! Go team digital!
There's gotta be a better way than single-use vouchers. What if you need to buy a new Switch? Or temporarily delete the game? Why not have it be tied to the Nintendo account instead?
I wasn't angry about this at first; after all, Square couldn't fit both games on one cart when FFX/X-2 came to Vita, so I'd expected it to happen on Switch. But now they have the gall to completely ruin the admittedly mediocre box art with that huge, ugly banner? Even Capcom had the decency to keep that thing off the cover of the Mega Man Legacy collections! When Capcom is doing physical Switch games better than you, you know you've messed up.
@WillTheLion no, this need to be visible on the front of the box. No one should buy this and realize they need access to high speed internet to download half the game.
I’m upset as it is that some games somehow don’t have this warning (Mega Man collections don’t.)
@NotAceAttorney The downloaded portion does get tied to your Nintendo account. Anything you download from the eShop gets immediately tied to your account. Getting a new Switch or temporarily deleting the game won’t change that.
@Tharsman Most stores, if not all, allow you to look at the back before buying the game.
Devs should be legally bound to print reversible cover in such cases.
Jesus... who came up with that idea?
Going with the Japanese version, even if the Europe and US versions had both games on the cart as its quicker reaching me, an upside of the Switch being region free and working in China , I waited 40 days for a Euro Limited edition of Smash and not wanting to wait that long again.
To me its much more worth having both physical did it with Bayo buying the Japanese edition to get both physical and to me it was well worth the extra price.
I dont know why they cant just add a sticker to the wrapping saying this instead of spoiling the box art, if someone trades it in the store they sell it too can just add a sticker saying the other game is not there as it was a download.
@NotAceAttorney Eeeerrrr... You are new to the business, right?
Single usw means, you can redeem it once and tie it to one Nintendo Account of your choice. After this, it is tied to the account, not the switch. You can also sell the code if you did not use it by yourself.
There will be someone making the Asia cover available as a high res picture. Simply print your own cover and you are good.
But I also don't get it, why they don't just put a sticker on the protect foil. Cost, I guess...
@WillTheLion and most people will completely miss the small print. If a publisher decides to do this, it better cost them sales.
BTW, this is common at least in the US, for games that require a download to play (like LA Noir.)
I think it’s a Nintendo policy (and still don’t know how Mega Man got around it)
It looks stupid that a banner to warn people that it requires a download. The artwork looks fantastic. How about making the warning half the size?
Bayonetta 2 had a better cover. They put a small banner in the left corner that said there is a download code for bayo1 banner the banner had the aeshetic of the 1st game.
I don't even care about FFX-2 lol
Maybe they could make it a reversible cover with the original artwork?
I actually like that publishers are forced to put big warning labels on the box when they cheap out and make it partially (or fully in some cases) digital. I think it's important that people know what they're getting themselves into before making the purchase. Best solution is for the publishers to just do the right thing and just use a bigger cartridge.
@sanderev agreed! My copy of Doom, Wolfenstein 2 and Skyrim all feature reversible art. I love when they do that.
@Sanangelo89 Bayonetta could fit on the internal atorage though. These warnings are for when a file exceeds 25gb.
@sanderev that is a great idea.
I was so excited for this having a physical release…
But in the end, it doesn’t even matter. Only Linkin Park Fans Will Get This Reference. (^_-)
How does anyone know that there isn't a reversible cover? I imagine it's likely.
Eh, I can't say that this bothers me as much as it does other people, but that's because I don't really display my game cases anymore. If I get physical, which I rarely do anymore, it's just to save space on my SD card. Still, this does ruin the box art and I'd be mad if I was buying the physical version to collect the box. They could have easily put this warning on the back.
Those white bars are the worst. Not just how they look but what the represent as well
BARF. I don't understand why the can't go on the back.
Wow, German version will be hideous! (bc of USK)
I’m fine with them making it obvious that there is a large download required to access the game and whatnot, but I would prefer if Nintendo found a better conpromise with the publishers to have it be less intrusive of the box art, it being a smaller symbol like the ESRB, PEGI etc or it being transparent a little bit at the very least would be great alternatives.
There is such an easy fix for this, it almost hurts. Have the warning as shown so anyone buying it in a store sees it. But then make the cover reversible with the standard artwork on the flip side.
I hope somebody starts making altered/clean versions of the game covers in the future, so we can print those and get rid of this crap v.v
Still £9.99 on the humble store and I picked up the PS3 version for £6 on Saturday. I gave up waiting for this overpriced port.
Totally agree, it's ugly and annoying, completely ruining the boxart. Makes you not want to buy the physical version, and if it is some hidden plot to make people buy digital versions, then it makes me not want to buy the game even more. Of course there is a solution to this in this case, importing. Importing is only way to go, and I would do it if I didn't already have this game on Ps3 (no downloads and box art is nice and clean based on the original box arts of the 2 games, unlike Switch version...).
Asian option is always the best option. The only minor hurdle is the longer shipping period other than that it's the option I'm going with for this collection.
Pointless, I wil buy it digital
I’ll be skipping this sadly since I prefer physical. I’m simple and old school lol.
Good. No game pulling this crap should be allowed to get away without the fugy box of shame.
@Paulywally
You can consider the Asian version (Both games in one cartridge) from playasia.
@retro_player_22
"Asian option is always the best option. The only minor hurdle is the longer shipping period other than that it's the option I'm going with for this collection."
Ah, i can wait. 😉
While waiting, i can play the PS4 version or play other games.
I've pre-ordered the Asian version for having both games on the card. I hope it sends a signal to western distributers that are simply not doing a good enough job.
Put the kindergarten-level unnecessary disclaimers on the back of the box. Remove the French and Spanish text as well. Nintendo of America regions can have English text, French regions can have French, Spanish regions can have Spanish. "But what about Spanish-speaking Ame-" they've physically made it into the Gamestop or managed to find their computer's power button and reach the end of the Amazon checkout page, they can handle some unintelligible downloadable content disclaimers, and something tells me uncovered, uninhibited artwork is something of a universal language of its own. Reading the back of video game cases now reads like the contents of a Google Translate query.
@mazzel
He might be new but it doesn't make the point any less valid, just we have all become numb to it.
As long as it has ffx on the cart, I'm happy
the superior asia version it is then.
I mean at least this prevents someone from buying the game used and not knowing there's a one time code. I'm almost positive that GameStop isn't going to put up a sign like someone here suggested.
Also people complain if there's no warning; people complain if there is. They literally can't win.
@Anti-Matter Yep same here. I went ahead and cancelled my NA version and will definitely import the Southeast Asia version. Good thing that so far it doesn't seem the same issue for XII.
In Germany, where the age restriction label is unnecessarily big, most covers are made two-sided with the same artwork and everything except those labels that would ruin them. That way, you buy it and just reverse the cover to make it look good in your collection.
I imagine they could easily do the same in the UK.
@JayJ If its not ok in asia and Japan, why is it ok in America and Europe. For shame I tell you fit shame.
This is an offence to collectors everywhere.
I'll see if I can import I guess.
This is a good case for reversible covers. Simply put the full box art on the reverse of the cover and people can flip at their own leisure. Simple
@NotAceAttorney it will be tied to your account
@BenAV # greed wins every time, maybe this is why Starlink is so cheap already. Still refuse to bitr even at £18
@YessMasster great idea, but maybe that extra ink cost will be too much for them
@ICISAZEL Wonder how much money Square Enix make from the Bandai Namco published version from Southeast Asia compared to the game in other regions. Would be nice if they lose out a bit by having a lot of people elect to import rather than buy locally, might make them reconsider going for the cheap option next time.
Why?? But why?? Why to buy that ugly box? What is the point?
Like if it was the first time that happened.
It always ruins the box arts. Always.
@Shane76 I personally don't see the big deal so that's your in your opinion of course.
In fact I prefer digital because the cards themselves are easy to lose especially around kids. I just get a bigger SD card.
As for the whole digital doesn't last forever, well neither does physical in my case. Plus, I've never seen the point of collecting.
@Anti-Matter
Play-Asia suggests it's on two cards and not just one. Still better than a download.
If I have to download one, I will just download both.
The freakshow never ends.
I had this on the Vita, where the sequel was a download voucher too. Didn't need a dirty big banner for that. Upgraded to the ps4 version a while ago though, with a pretty steelbook, so won't be picking this up again. Not the kind of game I'd play on the go anyway, as I learned from owning the Vita version.
Still baffles me how certain people can look down on other gamers for apparently basing their gaming choices on graphics, yet they base their game choices on how a box on a shelf looks.
Pretty soon, physical games are going to be a thing of the past. It's better to start adapting to that now. Stop worrying about archiving games you'll almost certainly never go back and play again anyway. Enjoy the present.
@saintayu
"I've never seen the point of collecting."
For other peoples, collecting things is a Hobby.
@Peach64
"physical games are going to be a thing of the past. "
No
Physical release is still survive and will still keep exist.
That is pretty annoying. Why not stick this on the back of the box? Or even at the bottom of the front would be better I think. I'll be buying digitally anyway but I AM OUTRAGED for those that buy physical
@mrjelly yes, you are completely right that's why I took the time to explain what will happen after redeeming the code, so that he knows that the game is not lost with the switch, but only of he ever looses his login data.
@Level_Up lol! Go team digital! They want boxes well they got boxes. 😂 I mean they like to sit and look at their boxes and read them right? This should be considered bonus reading material.
OMG this is truly terrible.
Why cant you just let me own the physical game cards??
Oh for god sake, as if making it so that you have to download X-2 is bad enough, now ruining the box? face plam
@Peach64 Feel free to buy games and lose them the moment the eshop goes dark for good, you might as well just lease the games. But when i'mpaying full retail price for a game you had better bet I must own it permanently.
Physical software protects the consumer in perpetuity. Digital downloads are fleeting and temporary IP access rights.
Fine, don't listen to me, spend all of YOUR hard earned cash and wait until you lose the lot one day. It will happen and do'nt come running when it does. You've been warned.
@Anti-Matter it will be a thing of the past. If you don’t adapt then you probably won’t be playing games 5-10 years from now. Why physical? Nowadays you aren’t event getting the full game. Any extra content, add-ons, or bug fixes are via digital download. Ya’ll buying an older version of the game before it’s even released.
I remember back on the Vita it was a small warning in the corner, damn this is big and ugly.
@Anti-Matter You truly believe that?
Internet is getting faster around the world.
Gaming is becomming more and more and more subscription based.
On the other hand game stores close down really often now, or add "merchandise" instead of more games. In non-gaming stores shelves are getting smaller for all gaming platforms or disappear completely.
This generation might be the last one we truly have physical games. Even though I still think the XBOX TWO and PS5 will have a disc drive.
Currently on PC, you often just get a box with a Steam code, or a disc that has a Steam bootstrap installer on it. Same will happen for consoles in the next gen.
@Anti-Matter Can you grab one for me while your at it please 😉
Japan gets all the cool stuff. I mean, if you want NA customers, use the same size card the Japan/Southeast Asia version uses. Personally, I've always prefered physical to digital, though I understand that's it easier and more cost-effective to be digital only. If the age of physical games really is coming to an end, then I hope Nintendo uses bigger hard drives for future systems. I'll also be mourning them.
@Tendogamerxxx Can you please calm down? People collect physical copies for a reason. I collect them because I shouldn't always have to rely on my system to keep my games safe 24/7.
@TheAwesomeBowser I don't want hard drives in a console. They are slow and make a lot of noise.
And bigger solid state drives are getting cheaper with each year so, that could be feasible.
I'm amused that the import version is cheaper than the GAME version
@sanderev I guess I should've said on-board memory.
@Tendogamerxxx @sanderev
I believe when there some peoples still need physical things, the business of physical media will keep going.
I will keep going Physical no matter what happened in the future.
If they wanted "artistic beauty" for the box then they would have used the Amano artwork.
Other than that, I couldn't care less if one of the games is a download as personally I don't buy games to re-sell them.
Nintendo life made a big mistake here, Asian FF X/X-2 Collection is on 2 cartridges not 1.
Play Asia confirmed that in a tweet
@Rayquaza2510
Where?
I have checked from playasia but didn't find any words about 2 cartridges in 1 box.
My question is: is the Asian version like the Vita games, both sound and text in English or only the text?
@Peach64
Still baffles me how certain people can look down on other gamers for apparently basing their gaming choices on graphics, yet they base their game choices on how a box on a shelf looks
Daaaang.... that's harsh. But true.
@Anti-Matter https://mobile.twitter.com/playasia/status/1090108711798956033
"Good news! Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster will be releasing with the games on 2 cartridges!
Buy both games together with English options when you import from Asia!"
Btw I never said 2 carts in 1 box, it's probably 2 seperate switch cases + carts in a pack or so.
That hideous informational window looks like something they could have easily slapped on the shrink wrap in the form of a sticker
@sleepinglion nope because there are stores that sell unsealed games because they put the empty box on the shelf and put the game in it when you buy it.
Reversible cover would be better.
@bolt05
Feel free to buy games and lose them the moment the eshop goes dark for good
That's not a fair statement. Your games dont get wiped from your hard drive and SD card when the eShop goes down (which I'm guessing will be a long, long time since that is now their cross generational store front at least 3 different systems have used).
You own the game on your SD just as long as any cartridge. In fact, digital data will eventually degrade on cartridges. SD cards also. But with digital you can backup to other SDs and PC, to keep the data living in perpetuity. You better believe the day will come that cart stops working. Yet digital will still be alive and well backed up on multiple mediums.
Something to think about. I still buy physical (kind of a mix of both digital and physical) and even knowing nothing lasts forever in this world, I enjoy the physical. And I imagine the mindset for many with digital is no different.
I think Nintendo requires publishers to put this note on the box. So it's not just Squenix to blame.
On the otherhand, the box of Bayonetta for Switch shows that you cab also implement it in the games box style.
Still, I doubt many people will have the box on their shelfs with the box art visible. This might be a small minority. And it is not ruining anything for collectors, because this is how the box is published. A collector wants the original, right? So here it is, take it or leave it!
@JaxonH Completely agree!
People tend to forget that you can save the Switch's SD data on the computer and preserve it forever.
I also mainly buy physical, but that's because I'm price sensitive and like to buy on sale. Germany Haß a Lot Buy-3-pay-2 offers from Amazon, Media Markt and Saturn. Or 3-Games-100€/3-Games-70€.
As the eShop almost never has this kind of Sale, I just get physical for the price.
Is there a reason why this big disclaimer can't be put on the back ?
I’m sure like in Wolfenstein 2 will be able to print out other cover ! Jesus Xbox games also need downloads all the time but the warning is in the back !!!
@Rayquaza2510 Hadn't thought of that, good point. Reversible would have been ideal for all
Yeah that ruins the look but guess you needs a heads up. A reversable cover would be ideal
@adh56
Very true but I like them as an alert 'this game you don't actually own and will lose as soon as we decide' aka WiiWare, bye bye all those pounds to points!
@mazzel decent of you, yes
Wow, that's terrible. I understand the need to make the buyer readily know that the entirity of X-2 needs to be downloaded, but that banner is of very poor taste.
I wonder how sales will do on EU and NA compared to SE Asia
If it was Nintendo, they'd go "CLEARLY westerners don't care for this, no more Final Fantasy for you" but how will Squeenix react to this?
Well, yeah, how is this news? Every game requiring a download has this.
@sanderev you took the words right out of my mouth!
Every game should have a reversible cover - a boxart without all the art-destroying ratings and notifications.
Well looking at Play Asia it is only £40.08 not including shipping. No rush to have it straight away on launch as completed both on PS2 years ago. No skin off my nose, just shows the benefits of region free for this generation.
I was much more hacked off that the World of Final fantasy release was digital only then a physical copy was announced after I had already downloaded a 10gb game.
Digital or physical is providing consumer choice so you can play how you want which is great. But please release these things at the same time.
They could solve this with a simple, thin, recyclable card sleeve placed in the same position.
@CTMike You beat me to the punch by 7 mins. Damn.... Well now I'm gonna suggest a sticker on the shrink wrap, but it's not as good I guess.
@Rayquaza2510
Ow, WOW ! 😮
2 separated games with 2 different cases?! 🤓
Why not make 2 carts and put in one box or make it 2 seperate releases? If you buy physical you kinda expect to be able to play from the get go instead of feeling ripped off that you only got half of what you paid for. Not everyone has an Internet connection at home, like myself, so this just comes off as a jerk move.
I really dislike digital. First of all they release a game as download and then suddenly there are issues and it's get deleted. So if you would try to redownload again it will be gone. You can't even have the game permanent on your system. I'm sure once a while you might be have to reset your system. Nintendo should offer a service... if you have bought a game digitially and it's been removed give another a free game download
Surely whichever publisher does this to their games surely has the decency to include a reversible cover without such unsightly additions?
I have X / X-2 on PS Vita and there's just a little badge at the bottom to tell you that X-2 is a download - it certainly seems sufficient. I read that the only reason the Switch import version has both games on card is because some Asian regions don't have access to the eShop.
@Heavyarms55 this sums it up perfectly. No further comment needed.
Might be cheaper to just print out a proper box art than import a copy
@GameOtaku
But the good news from separated cartridges on 2 boxes = you get two different games in both physically. 🤓
@Majora101 educate yourself before posting ignorant stuff. Puerto Rico is a US territory with more population than a large number of states and their official language is Spanish. They buy games too.
@Lizuka if you don't have an appreciation for boxart, why bother coming to an article about boxart?
@JaxonH I don’t think Nintendo offers any way to back up games to SD card, at least not in any way you can use it in a different device if yours was to break down.
Carts are ridiculously resilient, unlike disks, it’s unlikely that they will degrade before your time in this realm is up (aciddents like a dog eating them aside)
Ugly. I'm not interested in the game, but as a collector/boxart enthusiast, it always hurts to see. Makes it look like one of those library/Blockbusters 'not for resale' versions. Though I'm surprised you don't like the PEGI symbol. I've always thought it was OK, certainly compared to the unfeasibly huge and intrusive German and Australian age rating symbols.
@Tharsman I'm not defending digital over physical, as I own 90% of my games physical.
But there are ways to backup your games, so most things written here are nonsense.
Here is a guide from Nintendo how to move data from one SD to another: https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/27595/~/how-to-transfer-data-between-microsd-cards-for-use-on-nintendo-switch
Nothing stops you to save the data on your hard drive in between.
@mazzel
It's still a lot of trouble keeping up with which sd cards have what games downloaded onto them, and no you cannot back up saves to a hard drive only cloud saves unlike their competitors who let you back up data to one.
@Anti-Matter
That's just what I said. A consumer may not even want both. Physical has so many advantages over digital. Just think in 20 years or so you could still buy a used switch (or a clone retro switch system) and if you have carts you can pick up and play, digital only games though are tough luck (unless of course emulation preserving those games).
@mazzel those instructions seem to be about managing stuff for one switch. There does not seem to be a way for me to ever move a digital purchase to a new switch without access to the online store (that’s the same thing going on with the Wii now, once their store does dark, only the one switch you downloaded stuff too can continue to play then, hacking aside.)
Mind you, we may get lucky and Nintendo stops reinventing their store every generation, allowing us to continue downloading forever going forward (yea... like that is going to happen.)
Is it that hard to put it on the BACK of the box?
this will be my first import game I'm buying. Is the English translation in this region the same as it will be in the NA release?
@GameOtaku That's true... Worst is, that not even every game supports cloud save. These save files are lost, I assume...
@Tharsman
Yeah I guess you are right. The instruction state that it's for the same device. Don't know why, the games are account bound, so no piracy possible... You can have one account on several switches, but you are not able to use them at the same time as far as I know.
I also hope, there will be some updates in the future. Would be a shame if not...
That looks horrible. All of it. The box art and the warning. Thank God for printers. If I ever buy a Switch game that requires a download, I will immediately make my own cover and slip it in.
@MysticGengar Probably not allowed, just like the rating stickers/logos.
@Medic_alert
How'd you get it back if you want to change console? (The original issue raised) or just make some space temporarily on the existing one, it's then gone! You'll be hard pushed to stand up for download games over boxed. I just got the original splinter cell, impossible for a download game of that era.
Games like this need a revercable cover without the download warning.
The shutdown of the Wii eshop is a prime example of WHY all games should be FULL physical releases. You can not rely on being able to play what you paid for ten, twenty, and more years from now. It's basically the same thing as a company coming in to your home years from now, and stealing what they sold you. It's not right, and there should be laws to prevent it.
what ruins the box is that X2 will be the download. X was absolute garbage, let THAT game be the optional space waster. I'll find a different region one with English option and import it.
They should at least put the label on the back.
@Medic_alert
And how can you download the title if WiiWare is shutdown. Check over our conversation, it'll make sense, I'm sure!
Who cares about the cover? If cheapskate publishers didn't want to ruin their covers, then they shouldn't have ruined the actual product proper in the first place. Quite frankly, this should be an industry-wide requirement for any "physical" software that isn't usable without server dependence. I almost naively bought DOOM on PC until I read the fine print. What's the point of even including a DVD containing 6GB of data if I have to download the remaining (and whopping) 40GB? I know it hasn't been widely adopted, but I have Blu-ray drives on two of my computers (and an external burner) and it seems to have been (mostly) for nothing (though I occasionally do video work and in the majority of cases, deliver the final product on Blu-ray disc).
The imminent closure of the Wii Shop is a timely reminder of how our hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars of content can go up in smoke once the content provider decides that its preservation is no longer convenient for them.
The box art was already ruined by the Nintendo red. I don't understand why they couldn't go with a more neutral color for the game cases. White, black or grey would have been better. Even the Wii U's blue was better.
Download code on a cart. No thanks.
I’d love to know if on these people’s cars, they’d love a big ass sticker on the side that said, “TAKES GASOLINE. MAY NEED TO BE REFUELED OFTEN. REGULAR MAINTENANCE REQUIRED.” And then a big “16” on the windshield denoting YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 16 TO DRIVE.
Is it just X-2 that needs to be downloaded? If that's the case, it's not a big deal for me. I was disappointed with X-2 when I got it on PS2 years ago. I'm getting this collection solely for X. If that's on the cartridge, that's good enough for me. The label obstructing the box art is a little disappointing, but not a deal breaker.
The label is necessary, so the simple solution is to put an alternative cover on the flip side that players can swap out after they've opened the box. Other games already do this, after all.
While it's hideously ugly, I do believe that it's right to put it prominently on the box so buyers are instantly clear a huge download is required and they're not getting the content in the box. Ugly, but clears confusion as well.
The Vita version Also had a similar warning on the box, but it was tiny, semi-transparent, and in the bottom right corner above the ESRB rating....and isn't clearly visible in web pictures of the box, leading to even me not knowing X2 wasn't on the card until I got the box.
Why not make the insert "reversible" so that once you buy it, you can flip the insert around and have the unmolested artwork?
Then, even the back of the box could be ad/warning free and just have beautiful artwork...
@Medic_alert As someone with probably over $2000+ in digital content invested in XBox and Playstation both.....I do agree with @Silly_G. He's absolutely right about the key problem with digital, and as someone heavily invested in digital, I'm not unaware of the huge risk I've taken with it.
With XBox One you can back up your stuff, same with Steam. PS4 doesn't really let you do that in a meaningful way (you can move games between drives, but the only way to take a backup is download it, move it to an external drive, disconnect the drive, then download it again - you can't just copy from one drive to another.) And Switch, the backups are hardware encrypted via the TPM. But in all cases, your licences are tied to your primary console, and if the servers go down, you can't register a new primary console. XBox One, I believe you can back up that license store, but I haven' t tested it. The other platforms, including Steam, not at all. Servers go down, your content goes with it. Yes, there's hacking etc that might redeem it, but the point is physical doesn't require hacking the firmware under questionable to downright illegal conditions to access the stuff you paid for like digital inevitably will.
Better learn to get used to it, this is what happens when Nintendo decides to not give adequate space on their systems.
On one hand, I think it's appropriate to let the buyer know in advance that there's a sizable download involved. There's probably a better way for the warning to be handled, but I think having it on the front of the case is best.
On the other, we know that there is a way for them to squeeze both games onto one cartridge. So why split these into a physical edition/download hybrid to begin with?
The same download message is also on LA Noire box-art. And in Canada it's even worse since all packaging has to have both English and French. In this country, the download label will probably take up the entire front cover, rendering the box-art useless. Gotta love the forced bilingualism policy all to appease just one province.
great. buying the south east asia one from Nintendo Soup I guess !
@Medic_alert
Oh wow, official legal backup options to transfer my WiiWare that I've bought! If that's available do tell! I'm probably just bring an idiot haha
My thoughts were in 15 years, I'll be able to play ffx on any switch I get. You, in my potentially ignorant mind, won't be able to in ffx-2
I get WHY they have to put this disclaimer/warning on the box, but put it on the back for Christ's sake!!!
@Medic_alert
Yeah haha just a bit tongue in cheek there, the only way to get a competent system, we're partially reliant on homebrewers, God bless 'em!
There is some good stuff out there, here's hoping for a switch solution I guess we're both hoping for is what you're saying
I might actually pick this game up on Switch. I have this game on the PS-Vita but it has Final Fantasy X and not X-2 . So hope its Worth it.
Good way to force collectors to Import...
@Medic_alert
I agree! Here here
@Medic_alert : How do you expect to back up something that's locked to a single console? From tomorrow, nothing can be downloaded from the Wii shop, save data cannot be transferred, and it's only a matter of time before the Wii U eShop meets the same fate.
If the console dies, all of the downloaded Wii content dies with it. This isn't a PC that we're dealing with here. Backing everything up is simply not an option without hacking or having to otherwise compromise the integrity of the console.
So, how about you propose a solution, O Wise One, before disparaging me about spouting "rubbish" when you have said absolutely nothing constructive?
@mikegamer if you don't care about X-2 maybe buy the physical game and throw the code on eBay
To me label on the game box doesn't bother me at all. Am I only one who is bothered by this?
@Medic_alert : There would be a lot less drama if people would stick to the topic at hand rather than slipping in inflammatory remarks that only serve to aggravate what should be a conversation divorced of any emotion whatsoever.
There will soon no longer be official support for the Wii, however, the Wii U is still (in a matter of speaking) still supported for the forseeable future, however, if something does happen to the Wii U, the Wii partition is also at risk.
Jailbreaking is an absolute last resort. I'll reiterate that these aren't PCs, so, compromising the integrity of the unit is not something that I am interested in doing as I doubt that there is any way to reverse it.
@Medic_alert
I agree!
@Juanblue85 People like you are the reason why we will never going to get a port of Final Fantasy VIII on the Switch.
@Silly_G @Medic_alert
You certainly can't go back when you jailbreak so you have to be careful with that side of things.
And I did derail it a bit too, my bad
Maybe more of a forum thread huh?
At least have a reversible cover with this notification absent. Is that too much to ask?
@Tharsman Never assume you know more than someone because you dislike what they say. You are not as smart as you think you are. Puerto Ricans, and any Spanish speakers in the US, are constantly exposed to English, there is no logistical reason to load up the covers with multiple iterations of copy to cover every single alternative language spoken in the region. If Spanish speakers are more than capable of making it to the store, they are able to discern what product they are buying. No one is walking into a Gamestop and accidentally buying Final Fantasy.
To put it into perspective: Spanish and French were not widely added to the box artwork of Nintendo-licensed games until the Wii years, yet you will find Nintendo 64, GameCube, Super Nintendo games and more all over Spanish-speaking regions, games that Spanish speakers were able to purchase and appreciate without explicit Spanish text.
@PharoneTheGnome Once you bought a game on a online store it yours to keep on your system. Your saying a company could delete the game you already bought on your gaming system if the store is gone?
@Majora101 “Never assume you know more than someone because you dislike what they say. You are not as smart as you think you are.”
...
Dude, pause and take your own advice, think before you try to act all smart. I’m Puerto Rican. It’s not common to find English speakers outside of metropolitan areas.
TV is in Spanish. Newspapers are in soanish. Movies in theaters are always subtitled in Spanish.
Mainland school students also are supposed to take either Spanish or French in high school, go about asking how many actually can say more than two words in these language.
"Spanish and French were not widely added to the box artwork of Nintendo-licensed games until the Wii years"
And it has been annoying as #$!@ that French is prominently added to US releases of most products but Spanish always been ignored even given how many Spanish speakers that only speak Spanish are living within the US.
So does anyone know if the Asian version will be voiced in English or only the text?
@Anti-Matter - Go Team Import.
@LaytonPuzzle27 Are you nuts or something. That will eventually come to Switch and if anything it will be digital only unless by some miracle Southeast Asia gets physical versions of VII and IX. VIII still needs work for modern consoles and I have it for Steam and still has issues.
They really need a new way to display that warning. It ruins box art totally. Could they not make it a label on the cellophane sealed covering? With a secondary label on the back cover in the lower half with the small print for when people buy second hand? It’s crap we have to download half the game anyway with developers releasing in undersized carts as a cheap option, but the ugly cover art just makes it worse . Makes it look like a crap classics/platinum/bargain version but still asking full price
Are these game listed together or separately digitally? Because I, personally, do not need another copy of X-2.
I really want this to sell well in America so that Square Enix can see that Switch owners in the West want Final Fantsy on their switch, even then, I believe that I am going to have to import the Japanese version.
@Tharsman
Not on a different device, no, but on the same device, or a device you transfer to down the line.
Sure, the device itself could break, or get lost or stolen, but so could a cart (much more likely to lose something small). At the end of the day there is no surefire method to 100% protect anything on this earth. But digital is pretty safe. Especially given the fact you can redownload for at least the first decade and a half.
@JaxonH and yet none of the eshops you speak of have the same content. Those games on Wii have gone dark. Dsi has gone dark, 3ds and Wii U are next.
My original Atari carts still work, and yes I have backed them up. But Atari can't dictate to me how I own them. Digital only is a scary prospect in comparison.
@LaytonPuzzle27 I suspect that your gaming system and sdcard are more temporary than you think.
@leo13 Or don't use it at all.
@mikegamer what you do with it is up to you, but me personally if I buy a game that comes with a code for a second game that I know I'll never use I'll sell it and cash out (or at least give it away to a friend's) before letting it go to waste
They really need to start doing double sided covers where the backside doesn't have any of the gross trash on it.
@Tharsman It sounds like you are getting a little upset, I'm sorry you have as deep a personal vested interest in being able to read the generic marketing copy on the back cover of an NTSC video game in multiple languages as you have. Maybe one day you will have real problems in your life to become upset over.
@pitchblack Dude, you're a Space Invaders fan too!?
@Majora101 I’m sorry you feel non English inclusion to be so offensive in products sold in a country with Spanish speakers.
@Bermanator, I love Space Invaders anything retro is totally cool with me!
Wow, two gems, FFX and FFX-2 coming to Switch, Remastered, first FF games on Switch, and all you can fathom to do is whine about the cover.
Truly groundbreaking coverage, NintendoLife.
@bolt05
I think fear mongering has exaggerated the downside of digital.
For all the talk of not owning your games, I own every single digital game I’ve ever bought in my entire life. There’s theory, and then there’s real life. And in the real world, I own my digital games just as much as I own my physical. When you sign a EULA, that’s not just for digital. “But I physically own a cart they can’t take from me” you might say. Sure. And I physically own the game on SD and PC they can’t take from me either.
There’s nothing wrong with preferring physical games and I’m not trying to argue to the contrary. I prefer physical games in fact. But it’s silly to try to make it sound like your games are suddenly going to disappear if you buy digital. You’ve got guaranteed back up for 1 to 2 decades- something you don’t get with physical. And while the Wii shop went down, that was their first foray into online stores and it was rented. Whereas the eShop has spanned 3 different platforms for nearly a decade now and isn’t even remotely in jeapardy of being shut down. Oh, it’ll get shut down eventually. One day. 15 or 20 years from now. And at any point in that time that I damage my SD or lose my SD or lose my system, I can recover that game. If I lose a cart in the next 15 to 20 years, it’s gone forever. These are just facts.
And even after it gets shut down, many many many years from now, it doesn’t magically delete the game off my 17 different SD cards and 3 different PCs I have the game backed up to. Owning the game on SD is every bit as physical as owning it on a cart. The end of the day it’s just digital data stored on plastic. They’re the exact same thing. One has the benefit of resell value while the other has the benefit of digital copies and back ups. Tit for tat.
It’s one thing to say you have a preference for something. I have preferences. But the digital fear mongering is not grounded in logic. I’ve never lost a digital game I paid for my entire life and I am pretty sure my digital games will be working every last day my physical games do. Maybe longer.
@CurryPowderKeg79 "If you want a physical copy, including both games on the one card and no download label, it might be worth considering importing a Japanese or Southeast Asian copy of the game. Both of these include English support as well."
So this means Amazon Japan has English support and I don't have to through away good money now......
@Tharsman Stickers were invented for that matter. I guess also Spanish speaking people dont want to have have the cover covered by a warning. Would be the best solution. Plus reversible cover.
And yet it is funny how this comment section always tend to rage about something that doesn't even exist. When the game is finally released, we all will see how actually good or bad it is
@CurryPowderKeg79 That's why the "remastered" business is running so well .all's the people who owned the game previously sold it and now want to play it again
@JaxonH SD cards and all rewritable memory is far more corruptible and will fail much sooner than read only memory.
Nobody is claiming sudden disappearance. Gradual slow death is the claim. And never being able to replace. Simple as that.
Enjoy your digital, I wont. Get ready for subscription gaming future because acceptance of that model at the consumer level is what that means. Get ready to never own anything ever again, it will all be tied to a sub. They even want to make it server side processing now so all you will have rights to is to view an image of the game you're playing.
This is part of the physical tangible argument, they cant take it away or hold it behind a paywall, you can make as many backups as you want. If you cant see that the streaming future is bad for consumers then its to your detriment. This is the physical gaming ownership argument, as opposed to "its ok these companies are trustworthy and wont make me pay to play my digital games in the future...". And you aren't even legally allowed to backup a digital copy of a game so goodluck there. If you think thatsd the end of it youre mistaken, the streaming only model is bursting at thge seams to pop out and deny you access unles you pay and keep paying to access that content.
Paywall is the future unless gamers refuse to participate in that market. Simple as that. I for one will prefer physical at all costs.
@bolt05
SD cards and all rewritable memory is far more corruptible and will fail much sooner than read only memory
And one read only memory cart will fail much sooner than 3 or 4 backups of rewritable memory. That's probabilities times probabilities times probabilities. The whole point of having multiple backups. You'd sooner get stuck by lightning than have every single backup fail simultaneously
And no, I dont do subs. Never have, never will. So take your condolences elsewhere. I said I liked digital, not rentals. That's a WHOLE OTHER thing. And of course I see streaming as bad. I'll quit gaming.
So stop pretending like I'm the enemy when we're on the same side. People who see the value of digital games aren't the enemy and doesnt mean they subscribe to actual nonsense like rentals and streaming.
I absolutely will refuse to participate in that market because that market actually does take away ownership. But not digital. Dont throw the baby out with the bathwater. You wanna fight the actual problem, the first step is acknowledging digital is every bit as advantageous as physical and separate extremist views like digital is evil. Because very few will listen to such an argument. Stick to streaming and rentals as the object of your hatred. You'll turn less people off that way. And that's going to be needed if you actually want to persuade minds. People hear you preach against digital they're gonna tune you out on the spot
Looks hideous. Downloads when you've bought a cart are also the thin end of wedge to single use purchases. Even if subsequent downloads were allowed, anything online with consoles always gets shut down once things move on a generation. What's going to happen to the retro market in years to come if things keep moving in this direction?
@mazzel Nintendo is the one that chose these labels and they are used on many games, I’m sure the punisher would love to hide this fact on small print on the back. I personally appreciate that a game that is not complete will be perpetually marked as such, no store can ever sell you a used copy and hide it’s incomplete, and no publisher can hide the fact you need internet to get the whole game.
The right solution is not the removal of the impossible to miss disclaimer, it’s for publishers to just include the whole game on the cart!
I’m personally going to avoid this version of the game, and eventually just buy the Asian version. No ugly label, and no one-time-use codes.
@Flowerlark if I recall right. The Japanese version is also gonna be a download X-2 situation. If you do want to have both games physically you need the Asian version.
The description on Play-Asia states it comes with 2 carts instead of one.
@Tharsman Hmmmm, I wonder why Bayonetta is different, then... They did it in a quite nice way. Anyway, I would also prefer the all-in-one solution. It's possible, but at a price as it seems.
@bolt05 The inevitable Netflix of Gaming will attract way too many people to fail, that's why it will only have a small impact if hardcore gamers do not participate... But I honestly want to wait how this concept will look like before giving or denying my money. Imagine an option were all past Nintendo games are available with a sibsvri on one system. I guess more people will join than leave.
Instead of being cheap they could just put both games on the cart.
This is the publishers fault, no one else.
@mazzel Bayonetta likely does not have the warning because the box specifically says the product you are bring is Bayonetta 2, the splash on the corner simply stated it also happened to include a bonus download code for the first game.
In theory Square could have done the same, had they been willing to change all marketing material to simply say Final Fantasy X, not X+X2.
Mega man collections are trickier, since they advertise a full collection and have a one time digital code for the second half without a banner, but someone stated earlier that the white label seems to be for anything were the download is bigger than 25gb.
@CurryPowderKeg79 so do you know if Amazon Japan is two cartridge as well other then them telling there is no download? Square enix is being evasive in replying back with no response.
Oh what a shame that the box that sits on a shelf with it's "matches every other game on the shelf" spine facing out has a warning about downloads at the top. All those hours I would be starring at the box, will be wasted.
Here's a pathetic Square Enix reply back. I'll wait for the second reply back.
"[email protected]
To xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Message body
Thank you for contacting SQUARE ENIX support,
We regret to inform you that we do not have any kind of access to any of the information you have requested at this time. Nor do we have any specific information on what other resources where you could obtain that information. However, I would suggest running a simple internet search or discussing this question/issue, as there are many gaming communities which do welcome these types of questions and discussion.
Thank you for contacting the SQUARE ENIX Support Center."
They're Telling me to go looking online when they are publishing it? What kinda joke are they saying!!!!!!!!!!
@pitchblack Same
@CurryPowderKeg79 this smells of goats. Now I have to decide before release date. But I did contact Amazon Japan to see if they have daul cartridges. I'll wait to see if this like Bayonetta Climax then good- only if.
How ghastly! My word!
@CurryPowderKeg79 I think you got me wrong there. I want both carts as well. Just like Bayonetta Climax that was from Japan and had two carts. And if you look at prices for it now it is like close to 300USD and I got it for far less then that. But odd is that the Japan and Asia the covers are so different not sure if one is a inside cover or just the box cover.
@JaxonH that's cool I tuned you out already! I can choose what I like and what I don't, but you replied to my post so you clearly felt like you had to butt in. Tune out whatever bro, this is a comment section it's literally for people's opinions! Nobody said we have to agree.
@mazzel I know it feels inevitable. I don't have to like it though.
I very much doubt that it will ever have an entire catalogue if all games. This is Abigail issue for Retro gaming community because even Nintendo has lost original game data and some third parties lost everything from some amazing games. I really like the work byuu is doing to preserve snes games in tact the way they were published. He's rescued some gems from oblivion.
@bolt05
I replied to you have discussion and reason with you. If your response to reason is anger and shutting down all logical thinking and critical analysis, if you decided to dig a trench and barricade your beliefs in without even considering the possibility of challenging your own beliefs, then it’s best we stop talking immediately, because it’s going to accomplish nothing. If you’ve already made your mind up, and you’re just going to get mad when someone shows you valid logical reasoning that you should challenge your radical beliefs, then the conversation ended before it even began.
I’m telling you facts. People are going to tune you out when you say extremist things like digital is bad. The vast majority of gamers are buying games digitally nowadays and prefer it. Those are facts. Your refusal to acknowledge those facts is precisely why you willfully neglect to see reason
@Level_Up But team digital gets nothing. What advantage do you actually think you have?
@Patters being a casual gamer is all about convenience.
Advantages of digital games are:
1. Pre purchase software from the eShop, ready to play day one.
2. Carry your entire games library on your switch.
3. Swapping games without having to get up and sift through cases.
4. Won’t misplace games. (Ever open a case only to find an entirely different game? Or worse, no game?)
5. No extra space required to store the games on shelves or in boxes.
6. Better for the environment.
7. The thrill of modernizing your gaming hobby, because it’s 2019 and nothing is physical anymore.
@Tharsman valid point for Bayonetta
Looks like as long as we don't know the clear rules from Nintendo and also (probably) government rules for customer protection (which is good!), it's all just speculation
I will decide based on the price which version I will get. I wanted to get the Japanese Bayonetta Version with both cartridges, but the price was too high In my opinion.
@mazzel honestly, I already have the game in too many platforms. I have it on disk for the PS3 and PS4, digitally on Steam, plus the original PS2 releases.
Playing on the go is appealing, but if the game is going to be half digital I may as well just get the digital package on it's own. I dare guess in digital form we can pick to buy them separately, making it cheaper if either of the games is of no interest (I just finished a X play through so I would only pick X2 if that was an option.)
@Shane76 you’re just being Devils Advocate and can’t really disscredit what I’ve laid out to be actual, undeniable advantages for digital game ownership: The idea of swapping game cartridges out of your switch to be considered worthwhile exercise is laughable. I use a 256 gb memory card and haven’t had issues with space, you can always delete and redownload games that you don’t play anymore. And digital games are still better for the environment whether you care about it or not.
@Shane76 I’m saying that you made weak arguments on everything I laid out as an advantage because you felt the need to express your opinion on what I believe are positive aspects of digital games. How about making your own original list, independent of mine, on why you prefer physical games? Because trying to debunk mine isn’t fooling anyone.
You’re right, resale is a big one that I will miss.
@Tharsman probably it will be possible to get them separately digital. Otherwise I'm sure someone will sell the X2 code, as from the comments I read that many just want X
@Level_Up @Shane76
Lol guys, what an argument...
What the one sees as a weak argument is a strong one for the other.
Example: having actual boxes for the games is an advantage for collectors and the digital fan sees it as a waste of actual storage space.
So why discuss as long as we still have both options available? There is no winner in this discussion. Do as you please and do what makes you happy.
Actually for music, I buy vinyl if it's available. This is for the music I obviously listening to. For all day music I have Spotify or Amazon music. And as a plus, many bands include a download code for mp3s.
If I ask my parents about vinyl when CD got popular, they will say that the tenor in press releases and discussions was, that vinyl will die out. And here we are, 2019, and they still exist
@Shane76 I already did, are you even reading my posts or just reacting out of spite?
FFX-2 was not a good game.
@LaytonPuzzle27 No. I am saying that if you need to redownload the game in the future because your system broke or some other reason, you would not be able to do so because the store is gone.
@Shane76 “The idea of swapping game cartridges out of your switch to be considered worthwhile exercise is laughable. I use a 256 gb memory card and haven’t had issues with space, you can always delete and redownload games that you don’t play anymore. And digital games are still better for the environment whether you care about it or not.” From
My previous post ...🙄
@Shane76 no one is paying me doufus, you just proved my original point that you’re being devils advocate and arguing for the sake or arguing.
@Shane76 Are you serious? You literally just implied it. Wow.
“To this end I suspect the big game companies are paying Shills to promote Digital on internet forums youtube etc.If you want physical to say do your part and argue against these shills.”
Im done, not responding after this. Bye.
@PharoneTheGnome I see it does make sense now.
@JaxonH I don't think it's unreasonable to prefer physical carts over digital. It's just a different opinion. You can reason and so can I. But I disagree with you. When games go digital only, or become gated behind a paywall of subscriptions to a plethora of different publishers, I simply won't play as many games anymore.
I'm not actually angry and appreciate your discussion but you're not failing to convince me of your argument because I'm inherently unreasonable, I just have a different point of view to you, and it's not really a big issue, it's simple preference.
There's a guy in my office who primarily buys vinyl and has a record player worth more than my car and motorcycle put together. In the same way, I collect games and the boxes they come in, my digital library is small, not even a 10th of what I own in hard copy and most of them are doubles or were so cheap I couldn't resist getting a pc copy, the final fantasy series for instance. This isn't unreasonable, it's consumer preference.
@Kirby-in-Kirkby agreed. Well said. This is an issue for many of us. As the Wii store goes dark...
No need to go physical this way. If you want both games, you could just as well download them both. I myself will definitely skip this "physical" release.
@Level_Up: gotta say, your “7. The thrill of modernizing your gaming hobby, because it’s 2019 and nothing is physical anymore.” is terribly weak. Nothing is physical anymore? WHAT?! Like game consoles, controllers, cars, guitars, framed photographs, wooden birdhouses, snowboards, surf wax, coins, stamps, road bikes, snow shoes.? Hobbies, in 2019, are physically plentiful...abundant even! We just enjoy one where going digital makes the suppliers richer, which is fine, but wow, what an egregious, blanket statement!
And “3. Swapping games without having to get up and sift through cases” makes it seem like You think it’s a big deal to have to get up and change carts, which is where Shane76’s incidental exercise comment comes from. More often that not, I yearn for the days where we actually had to move to get something.
Unlike my man Shane, though: “6. Better for the environment” is a great argument that he (and everyone) should care about: no environment, no damn anything!
And yes, I personally prefer physical.
@CodyDogg my number 7 is a benefit not an argument, as is everything in my original post. You’re taking my point about nothing being physical anymore out of context, I’m referring to media: movies, music, books, photo albums and so on. I also prefaced It all by stating I was a casual gamer which is why swapping games instantly is a benefit. I promise you that the 0.0000005 calories you burn from physically swapping cartridges (exagerating, obviously I don’t know exact numbers but people are taking things at face value) will NOT benefit anyone in the long term, incidental or not, why not toss out all remotes in your house if you are so concerned? This is what I was challenged on and hopefully you can see why I was annoyed.
@Level_Up: your ‘benefits’ are opiniated arguments. I know casuals (the definition of which is also highly debatable; after all, most casual gamers don’t even go on gaming websites, much less forum on them...) who don’t deal ‘with the whole download thing,’ don’t even ‘know what an ‘eShop is.’ So...for you, these seem like great ‘benefits,’ but far from universally agreed, even with other casual gamers, especially those who are leery of security breaches a la Sony 2011. And thanks for the promise that getting up to change a game once a night WILL NOT benefit anyone in the long term; I challenge you that it WILL NOT hurt anyone in the long run, either. Besides our points, obviously, but generally speaking: movement > sedentary.
@Level_Up Nothing is physical? Uh....
I mean I see your point, I also buy digital, but for indies only. I don't want to carry around a bunch of games and most AAA games are too big to really just play casually and/or require internet. Unless I'm gonna be playing at mcdee's, which I won't, it'd be stupid to play around any food, I have no real reason to buy digital. Physical games are nice to own. it looks good sitting on your shelf, to have a nice looking collection of games. It's good for conversations and looks good for a hobby. Can't really do that with digital. The switch's battery life isn't too great, and even worse when using a high-demand AAA title (hence why I do indies only digital)
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