Why are you so opposed to this idea? I think it would work well if implemented properly. It's similar to how games like GTA IV work. They don't load a level, they load the immediate area you're looking at. As you drive around, the new maps are streamed from the DVD. Other games have played with loading a small first level, and as you're working through the first level the rest of the game streams into cache behind the scenes.
It would be nice to get a game on a 4GB DVD and have the rest of the data get pulled down as you're playing. Guild Wars did this. While you're in one zone, the next zone is being downloaded in the background. It would only work for geographical regions which don't have caps on Internet traffic (for example, Americans on Comcast, but not Canadians on Rogers), but it'd be a nice option.
It would be nice to get a game on a 4GB DVD and have the rest of the data get pulled down as you're playing. Guild Wars did this. While you're in one zone, the next zone is being downloaded in the background. It would only work for geographical regions which don't have caps on Internet traffic (for example, Americans on Comcast, but not Canadians on Rogers), but it'd be a nice option.