If you want to replay cases or do side missions from an earlier desk, you'll need to put those discs back in, but when just following the story, you don't need to put the earlier discs in once you've completed them.
@LedRush: RDR streamlines GTA4's combat while keeping the mission structure almost identical. Unlike GTA, RDR features tons of things to do outside of the main story. If those were your grips with GTA4, then sure, try out RDR.
@starbuck13: Since I separate by platform, I couldn't do that. Forgotten Sands would probably go after 2008's Prince of Persia, while the previous two would be in order of release in their own platform.
@starbuck13: Of course, concessions must sometimes be made. Rock Band 1 and 2 go together, followed by The Beatles Rock Band and Lego Rock Band for 360. For PSP, Final Fantasy I and II are followed by Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. I also ignore the "Tom Clancy's" prefix on the Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six games.
Though Red Dead Redemption actually came with a nice map and a manual with actual information about the game. But yes, that was the game that inspired this.
@MrSnuffles: Because the hard drive isn't considered hardware, it's considered an accessory, and MS marks accessories up to make up for the hardware losses. It's the same reason why the wireless adaptor is $100.
I remember one justification for the points system was that it allowed Microsoft to avoid credit card fees on tiny transactions (think Avatar items now).