Downloading Smash Launch Night

[KokiriKory]

I've got a number of Wii U games downloaded directly on my console. It's pretty freakin' awesome, having Mario, Wind Waker, Party U, all ready to go whenever.

Then I remembered, Smash is probably going to be downloadable, on BOTH consoles! No worrying about picking up my copy, never having to put the disc in. Always ready to go.

Now my question is, has anyone ever faced any issues downloading a Nintendo game? I heard Donkey Kong took a long time, but that's about it.

Every game I have downloaded has been at least a month after official release. Has anyone experienced high traffic issues like Smash will probably attract?

Do you plan on downloading, or do you you want your precious shiny disc (can't blame ya)

 

[Ryan.]

I haven't downloaded yet, will probably get my precious shiny disc haha. There's just something about a tangible/physical copy. I may download other games, though.

 

[LoboRundas]

I think the console has slight trouble disconnecting from Wi-Fi, but using the LAN Adapter from Nintendo should probably solve that. I think I will buy it digitally, if only because I will use it so much I prefer having it installed (hopefully it reduces load times too!).

 

[Renji64]

I'm getting it digital due to it i will be playing it all the time i haven't rand into any issues but ._. those servers might not be ready for smash lol.

 

[DakotaBonez]

I gotta take the hour long drive to the best buy where they held the smash fest event. They actually suckered me into preordering it to get that gold Smash Coin. I'm an idiot.

But downloading it might be even worse, I mean EVERYBODYS gonna be tryin to download it at once. I expect the eshop servers to crash or at least you'll have to wait 5 hours for the download to finish.

 

[ndayday]

I've downloaded Fire Emblem Awakening and NSMB2 release night and it wasn't really any worse than usual. hard to say how high traffic will be but unless it's something completely unprecedented it should be fine imo.
you live in Oregon so I mean you get it 3 hours before midnight anyway. Wii U game will be larger than 3ds games though most likely so it could be a bit longer just based on that alone

 

[relaxedexcorcist]

When I downloaded Pokemon as a midnight release it multiple tries to get to the actual download screen and then the download still took like an hour or two. Might just want to download it after you wake up on release day. This is the one of the only two times I've ever had issues downloading stuff off the eShop though. The other time was some weird glitch where I had to reset my 3DS location in order to download anything for some reason.

For 3DS I'm planning to download it unless theres a nice preorder bonus or collectors edition. Wii U I'm definitely going retail unless digital version comes out first like Wind Waker did.

 

[KokiriKory]

Might just want to download it after you wake up on release day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRSMshdQ0Pk&feature=kp

 

[Radical Bones]

I'll download the 3DS copy. I have heaps of room on there, and most of my games nowadays are digital. I have about 20 hard copies, seeing as it's a portable console, it makes sense to have everything on there.

The Wii U is a different story. I love stacking up my cases to the sky.

 

[relaxedexcorcist]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRSMshdQ0Pk&feature=kp

Oh right i forgot. No one's gonna go to sleep on release day x)

 

[Hong]

Download for me. Three reasons:

1) Immediacy, convenience. Get the game immediately, at home, after waking up an hour before midnight, no hassle.
2) Smash Bros is something I ALWAYS want in my console, where as a lot of single-player games just come and go.
3) In general I am phasing out media from my physical library. I can't do anything about my hundreds of NES, GB, Atari, etc. games, but at least in the current era I know I don't have to worry about expanding my storage space.

Generally I only get physical games these days if they give me some sort of incentive, like collectibles or a music sampler. Not like it's a 3DS where I can misplace my Wii U, and even if it gets stolen at a tournament, I would still lose the game, anyway.

 

[Radical Bones]

Download for me. Three reasons:

1) Immediacy, convenience. Get the game immediately, at home, after waking up an hour before midnight, no hassle.
2) Smash Bros is something I ALWAYS want in my console, where as a lot of single-player games just come and go.
3) In general I am phasing out media from my physical library. I can't do anything about my hundreds of NES, GB, Atari, etc. games, but at least in the current era I know I don't have to worry about expanding my storage space.

Generally I only get physical games these days if they give me some sort of incentive, like collectibles or a music sampler. Not like it's a 3DS where I can misplace my Wii U, and even if it gets stolen at a tournament, I would still lose the game, anyway.

Do you just use a HDD for storage? The Wii U memory is remarkable small. I've been considering switching to all digital too, and just buying a permanent, Wii U only HDD.

 

[Hong]

Do you just use a HDD for storage? The Wii U memory is remarkable small. I've been considering switching to all digital too, and just buying a permanent, Wii U only HDD.

My Wii U library isn't large enough to take the 32 GB yet, but I do have one on standby. For management-sake, games like Super Mario Bros U will just be tossed on there if not deleted.

 

[Canuckduck]

I miss the days when you could hold movies and games in your hand.

 

[D-idara]

I've got a number of Wii U games downloaded directly on my console. It's pretty freakin' awesome, having Mario, Wind Waker, Party U, all ready to go whenever.

Then I remembered, Smash is probably going to be downloadable, on BOTH consoles! No worrying about picking up my copy, never having to put the disc in. Always ready to go.

Now my question is, has anyone ever faced any issues downloading a Nintendo game? I heard Donkey Kong took a long time, but that's about it.

Every game I have downloaded has been at least a month after official release. Has anyone experienced high traffic issues like Smash will probably attract?

Do you plan on downloading, or do you you want your precious shiny disc (can't blame ya)

DK takes a while because it's a 11GB Retro Studios masterpiece :D
I LOVE downloading games, but I will try to get Smash on disc, the boxart is just too amazing.

I think the console has slight trouble disconnecting from Wi-Fi, but using the LAN Adapter from Nintendo should probably solve that. I think I will buy it digitally, if only because I will use it so much I prefer having it installed (hopefully it reduces load times too!).

A tip, when the thing disconnects, just click the little 'error info' button below the download and it'll start from where it left off.

 

[spader13]

I'm expecting the download to take quite a while, so I'll probably go with a hard copy. Besides, for the 3DS at least, I'll have to be up at 6 the next morning for work, so I wouldn't get to play it any earlier by downloading (without being a zombie at work the next day). I might need to take a half day to pick it up early though!

 

[Kevandre]

Do you just use a HDD for storage? The Wii U memory is remarkable small. I've been considering switching to all digital too, and just buying a permanent, Wii U only HDD.

For a game like Smash I think upgrading to an SSD would be worth it if you're going the e-storage route.

I.. honestly haven't decided yet what I'll do. I already have my preorder for the 3DS version paid off at Gamestop. So I guess I'm getting that one as a physical copy. But that scares me too. Those things are tiny and my apartment is messy. Gotta reevaluate.

It might be worth doing the download instead.. I might move that money to the Wii U version. Then again, my Brawl disc ended up not working later on for no other reason than the amount of man hours. No visible scratches at all.. It killed me to have to buy a new disc.

Also concerned about longevity of Wii U hardware. If the Wii U is anything like the Wii was, it could end up being kinda crashy and freezy as the years pass. Lots to think about.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

While I usually love to have physical copies of everything, the 3DS version of Smash might be the first time I choose to get a digital copy of a video game, if only to have it on me all the time and being able to switch between it and X & Y when I feel like it. My wireless internet is piss poor though as I'm technically using wired, the only option I have for wireless is Connectify, and that's not very stable, so I might end up getting a physical copy in the end. Plus, if anything happens to the system I'll have to buy it again, suddenly the digital copy doesn't sound very appealing.

I'm definitely getting a physical copy of the Wii U version though, no doubt about it, I love having physical copies of my home-console games.

 

[cCluck]

I'm DL'ing both the minute they release, as I've done with A Link Between Worlds, Pokemon XY, and Tropical Freeze. Of these three, Tropical Freeze took the longest, but only because it was a big game. Pokemon XY was the biggest ***** to download, it was a global release so everyone was downloading the game within at lesat a few hours of each other (I think Australia got it the earliest?)

Is Smash 4 a global release as well? If so, expect to get frustrated as Nintendo's servers stress their ****.

Disclaimer: I don't know nintendo's server situation at all, just speculating on why pokemon x/y sucked to DL. a NA only release night might be just as bad, also assuming there's a similar number of people wanting to play smash as pokemon.

tl;dr If your content with chilling out and watching some streams that night while servers struggle, go for the DL. IF you're super impatient, find a small walmart close, it's wayyyy easier to get it there than a game store midnight release.

 

[TheDMonroeShow]

I miss the days when you could hold movies and games in your hand.

No ones really stopping you from picking up the retail copy. Some people just prefer the convince of digital. (Not to mention some people have deluxe digital promotion for wii u)

 

[The Real Gamer]

Recently I've become a big fan of downloading games digitally as opposed to getting physical copies. Like others have said having your game ready right as you turn on your console w/o having to switch disks/cartridges is a major plus (especially on handhelds). Downloading games on release night can be pretty tedious though depending on your internet connection speed + the popularity of the title being downloaded.

Smash is a special case, however... I need dat beautiful box art.

 

[D-idara]

I think the console has slight trouble disconnecting from Wi-Fi, but using the LAN Adapter from Nintendo should probably solve that. I think I will buy it digitally, if only because I will use it so much I prefer having it installed (hopefully it reduces load times too!).

While I usually love to have physical copies of everything, the 3DS version of Smash might be the first time I choose to get a digital copy of a video game, if only to have it on me all the time and being able to switch between it and X & Y when I feel like it. My wireless internet is piss poor though as I'm technically using wired, the only option I have for wireless is Connectify, and that's not very stable, so I might end up getting a physical copy in the end. Plus, if anything happens to the system I'll have to buy it again, suddenly the digital copy doesn't sound very appealing.

I'm definitely getting a physical copy of the Wii U version though, no doubt about it, I love having physical copies of my home-console games.

Actually, the 'lose the system and lose the games' bull**** has been something brought to popular belief by sensationalist anti-Nintendo websites looking to undermine Nintendo's online systems, a friend of mine lost her 3DS and they restored all of her purchases to the new one with a single call.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Is Smash 4 a global release as well? If so, expect to get frustrated as Nintendo's servers stress their ****.

Japan gets the 3DS version a month earlier than US & Europe, but the latter two both get it on the same day.

 

[KCCHIEFS27]

By the time it'd take to download, I'd be back from midnight release with the physical copy

 

[Canuckduck]

No ones really stopping you from picking up the retail copy. Some people just prefer the convince of digital. (Not to mention some people have deluxe digital promotion for wii u)

To me, it feels better to get a physical copy.

 

[Amazing Ampharos]

Yeah, it takes my Wii U several hours to download system updates. It would probably take it days to download a large Wii U game. That being said, I'm interested in how it would affect load times; since I'm definitely going to be putting thousands of hours into this title, that could be a really big deal so really having a digital copy would be better... if I could just pre-download it before release.

 

[Jerm]

I'm really torn with this....I have not downloaded a single game for my 3DS yet, so I may very well download smash on there simply to play pokemon and smash whenever, but for Wii U im not sure. If Wal Mart is doing a midnight release then perhaps, because the EB games by my house is pure trash. I went to pick up MK8 in the morning on the day it came out and was maybe 10th in line; it took over 20 min to pick up my already pre-ordered game because they are so obsessed with trying to sell you stuff- and I just hate waiting in lines in general. My brawl disc also broke due to pure man hours, with no visible scratches at all, but thankfully I purchased that $3 insurance. Soo I may very well DL it, but then I dont want to be sitting there for 5 hours when I could have just sat in line for 1 hour....so torn! :/

 

[Reader]

Just remember what happened with Pokebank. The whole e-shop crashed. I've heard that Nintendo fixed their system and everything should work from now on, but there is always the possibility. I remember this from being unable to update my pokemon X and therefore I couldn't trade pokemons with my friends. So yes, problems might occur.

 

[silvR1995]

I think I'll download the 3DS Smash when it comes, and grab the physical Wii U copy when that comes. Of course, that would require me to get a Wii U...

 

[Canuckduck]

I think I'll download the 3DS Smash when it comes, and grab the physical Wii U copy when that comes. Of course, that would require me to get a Wii U...

HECK NAW FOR ME. I`m buying both copies in their physical forms when they come out. These are FAR too good covers for me to pass them off:

 

[Dracometeor]

Disc. I have had 2 different Wii's burnout and die on me since it came out so I'm not going to trust my Wii U to be around for the next 7 years.

 

[Jiggy37]

In my time zone, it'll be available for download three hours before any store has it, so as long as the download time is less than 3:20 or so (three hours plus driving and checkout time), I win. Even if it's slightly longer, at least there's no tax in the eShop here. Same for 3DS.

For a while I was buying both physical and digital, but then the physical copies just sat around since picking games from a menu is so convenient. Ever since A Link Between Worlds and Bravely Default, I don't care anymore about not having a tangible copy.

 

[Jerm]

HECK NAW FOR ME. I`m buying both copies in their physical forms when they come out. These are FAR too good covers for me to pass them off:

You're right...both of those are extremely sexy and I would not want my collection to miss out on these beautiful cover art...still not sure tho D:

 

[silvR1995]

HECK NAW FOR ME. I`m buying both copies in their physical forms when they come out. These are FAR too good covers for me to pass them off:

Well, those ARE the most badass covers I'm sure we've ever seen for a Smash game...