Which do you rather prefer? An update to a game or a sequel as nowadays as I see updates running rampant moreso to say than actual sequels. Why do you ask? It's a good question to ask yourselves this because if you brought a game that just came out at the time of it's release then find out that theres an update to the game say like 3 months after it's release then it'll be rather disappointing because you would've wasted your money buying the original. Now if the update is available online via XBL(as in X-Box Live) or PSN(Playstation Network), etc. then buying the original wasn't a waste since the update will be free 9/10. But if the update wasn't on XBL, PSN, etc. and on a disc then you'll have to cough up more cash(something the game developers like Capcom and Arc System Works want you to do since you'll almost pay exactly the same amount for the game anyways). I ask this rather interesting question because of the recent updates to BlazBlue and Street Fighter 4 respectively. Both BlazBlue Continumum Shift and Super Street Fighter 4 are the updates to the previously mentioned titles(BlazBlue Continumum Shift is out now in Japanese Arcades with a 360 and PS3 port coming next year in 2010 while SSF4 will be a console exclusive for Spring next year with no arcade release in sight). Now if you're a gamer and love playing videogames then you may have came across this scenario many times that had actual updates rather than true sequels(unless you don't mind cracking out the extra cash or don't care about it).

Here's a good example: Guilty Gear XX Accent Core was released 2 years back in the arcades with a PS2 and Wii port later that year. Not-so-long thereafter Arc System Works released Accent Core+ in 2008 as a console exclusive for Wii and PS2 in Japan which I'm pretty sure pissed off a lot of hardcore GG fans since it would have been better to hold the release date for the original Accent Core and add all of the extras thus not needing to make the same version of the game twice(or thrice for some game developers). All-in-all, people who brought GGXXAC coughed up $30+ more dollars for an update with nothing more than a story mode and other bells and whistles which is good but bad for those who could've waited a while longer if they only knew if an update was a few months down the line.

Throughout videogames updates were prelavent in some of the more popular games(mainly fighters though). Hell, Street Fighter II screams updates all over(and this ain't counting hacks of The World Warrior and Champion Edition) but yet some people complain while others don't so all it leads to is fatter pockets for the developers. Now if Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 had an update on disc(with no online updates available) say like a month from now then a lot of you would be pissed off if the developers did do something like that knowing that they released the game not so long ago thus giving them fatter pockets knowing that fans of the series will buy the updated game at the stores.
Others will have to trade in the just released Modern Warfare 2 for the update at the stores making it obsolete.

"But wait, there's more."

What if developers smartened up and give updates via boot disc INSTEAD of burning the same damn game on there if they're gonna ship out discs anyways. That would be best since gamers wouldn't have to pay full price for the same damn game + updates to boot.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, that's best isn't it? But even in an age where consoles are so advanced as hell the bastard developers(except say, Itagaki BEFORE he quit Team Ninja) still can't think up jack-crap when it comes to updates(ya dumb idiot dicks, if you're gonna put an update onto disc then have the decency to put the damn thing with the updates only so that the fans can keep the original ya fuckin idiots) as in whether to put them on XBLA or PSN, etc. while at the same time the bastards want to put the whole damn game on disc instead of exploring all of the available options that's available.

So all in all, if an update's available for a game, the developers should just either give everyone a boot disc or update online via the consoles and pc(if one purchased the game on pc). Hell, Blizzard of WOW fame do updates all the time with World of Warcraft(as in virtually, if not all updates were boot discs and NOT the same damn game +) so why shouldn't game developers for consoles do it too.

Perhaps they should take a damn clue and follow Blizzard and Itagaki's example and updates should be on boot discs or online on consoles as well as pc. It's as easy as that.

Peace.