Unbound Saga – Going Digital (plus free codes!)

Ah, the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. John M Richardson Jr once said “When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” We at Vogster would like to think of ourselves as part of that second camp, The Makers, not to be confused with THE MAKER, the mysterious omniscient entity responsible for the misadventures that plague Rick Ajax and Lori Machete in Unbound Saga for the PSP, available now for download exclusively on the PlayStation Network.

See what I did there? Bridge quotes about the future to a reference to Unbound Saga, which then leads to the topic of digital distribution? Yes, Unbound Saga is available for download only. You can’t walk into Gamezoinks, or wherever else you typically buy your disc-based gaming fix, and walk out with a plastic box full of brawling Unbound goodness. You can, however, buy this game from the comfort of your own home, while still in your bathrobe and bunny slippers. Click-click-clack, simple as that. Super easy, and all you need is an internet connection and a PlayStation Network account. And a PlayStation device to play the game on, of course.

But why would Vogster, or any other publisher for that matter, buck the trend and do something as radical as bypassing brick-and-mortar? What do we have against the good people at Gamezoinks? Nothing at all, I assure you (In fact, we just made that name up.). But the benefits of digital distribution cannot be overlooked. For the consumer, digital download offers unparalleled convenience. If you want it, you can have it NOW, regardless of weather, bus schedules, gas prices, etc. RIGHT NOW. In fact, I just bought the first three seasons of Dexter from the PlayStation Store while writing this. My fingers barely left the keyboard. How convenient is THAT?? It also guarantees availability. It would have stunk to drive all the way to the mall for that set of DVDs only to find they were sold out. Well, the internet is never sold out, and it is open 24-7. How ‘bout them apples?

Digital distribution is good for the developer, too. It is easier to get the product onto the market, cheaper to manufacture and distribute, and it bypasses the growing used- and rental- markets that eat into sales. The traditional model makes it that much harder for smaller companies to compete, even those with amazing new ideas and talent. Wouldn’t you rather have more good games to choose from? Going digital gives developers a viable stage to present their products for the gameplaying market to enjoy.

We certainly haven’t turned our back on the tactile satisfaction of holding something groovy and colorful in your hands. That’s why we’re hard at working producing spiffy Unbound Saga comics and sweet, sweet action statuettes to adorn your desktops and Unbound Saga shrines (Check out our Facebook Fan page some nifty pix.). And as DLC becomes available, you’ll be able to hop into the new content instantly, thanks to the uber-convenience of it all!

So yes, the digital download method is relatively new, and sometimes new can be scary. But you survived the change from 8-bit to HD, from 2D to 3D, from cartridge to CD to DVD to Blu-ray. I think we will not only survive the change from disc to digital, but we’ll all benefit from the process. And if you don’t believe me, here’s a rock-solid offer to try it for yourself: FIVE FREE CODES FOR YOUR OWN COPY OF UNBOUND SAGA! (codes are for North America only — sorry Lost Continent of Atlantis!)

Wait, what? FREE?? You bet, but because downloading digital content to your PSP is so darn easy (signed in from the PlayStation Store, select “Redeem Codes”) , we decided to throw in a little extra challenge just to emphasize how easy the actual process is WITHOUT the silly contest challenge. Here are the codes — all you have to do is guess the missing characters. (And yes, there is a pattern related to this posting…)

Have at it, junior G-men!

2F7I-GRB8-*K64
8H*2-EGBE-6XPT
XACJ-8IBI-M2E*
*F9P-5IB2-HAJ8
JIPD-I*BI-38PA