We shouldn't have to debate any of this. There just shouldn't be ownership restrictions on this stuff. It all started ages ago with the idea of software licensing to combat widespread piracy, and has finally reached gaming via the same industry players. What a surprise. The fears everyone nourished in the wake of M$ joining the console game have come to stunning fruition.

The direction the next generation appears to actually be taking has answered my questions about my current XBLA games that don't work when the system isn't connected. They aren't mine, never were, and they most certainly will be gone when they kill the service someday. There will be no magic unlock patch to allow me to play them without the service. The truth is that we all have already been stiffed - now they're just taking a little more off the top. Once a door is opened, it is very difficult to close. Advantages will always be taken regardless of consequences. It's a process not unlike the way a frog will cook itself to death if the temperature of the water in the pot increases gradually. That said, I think I will miss AfterBurner Climax, Daytona USA and RayStorm HD the most.

The FPS, sports and online multiplayer games that have dominated the market this generation and the people who are addicted to them are the market's only concern - but I understand. The producers are only a small part of the overall equation. We also have to realize the part we play in all of this. The purpose of business is and has always been profit and nothing else. The retro market has proven that it is not profitable; evidenced by the myriad of reboots and remakes that sold poorly this generation. The penny-pinching and low-balling that are a part of all collector cultures also kill many of the games this same niche of gamers clamor for because essentially everyone refuses to pay the MSRP. Just as with the complete commercialization of popular music, popular gaming has now officially lost its soul. C'est la vie.