I wonder if the Classic/Greatest Hits /Essential line of games contain any updates or is the game on the disc exactly the same as on its initial release? I ask this question because the online services for PS3 and Xbox 360 won't be available forever. So for a collector it might be better to collect a re-release of a game, like the Xbox Classics or PS3 Essentials.
It depends, I think they usually do, since it's a whole new pressing. They used to have DLC added, but they they cheaped out on that too
It's a shot in the dark. Some of the essential and gh stuff contain the latest releases, but others make you download the updates before play.
Yeah, it's always a dice roll. GTA IV: Complete even had two patches. 1.02 just came out but stops all other online traffic in the PS3.
I know the differences of some GT5 re-releases. GT5 XL Edition has all patches till 2.01 (or is it 2.02?) and GT5 Academy Edition has all patches till 2.08. I think the Greatest Hits PS3 version of Dead Space 2 actually removes the Dead Space Extraction bonus game. I think all of these re-releases are tied to their previous release. So if it's Greatest Hits of a regular version, it doesn't have any patches or DLC. If it's a Greatest Hits of a "Game of the year" or complete edition, then it has all patches and DLC till the day it was released. The Platinum games i own (Motorstorm and Uncharted 2) made me download all patches and had no free DLC. Wish i could find Motorstorm Complete, it has all patches and DLC included.
At a certain point developers need to move on, in this day and age it's not really feasible to support offline users. Adding additional content to the discs, means they need to be remastered / certified and checked,which costs extra money. This is why usually you will see reprints and GOTY editions etc supplied with DLC-codes in the packaging, with only a different label slapped on the disc.
Of course it's feasible. It's also necessary in a small number of cases, as some people still have slow and/or unreliable broadband, or can't get broadband and have to rely on dial up for the Internet. This applies even to some people in America, in very isolated or rural areas. True, but companies should be willing to spend the extra money and effort to put as much of the data on the disc as possible. It makes it more convenient for the purchaser, plus helps those with bad 'net connections, and (as Mdmx points out) would be invaluable to people using the consoles when that console's online support has been officially ended. Though granted the last point as least won't bother most gaming companies, as they don't want you playing old games on an old console, they want you to be playing their then current games (after you buy those games) on the then current consoles. If you're playing LittleBigPlanet or Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts on your PS3 or XBox 360, then you're not playing FIFA 2018 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 6 on your PS4/XBox One.
