If you love classic games but feel the need to own things in order to bring some sense of stability to your life, GOG.com (that's Good Old Games) could be a good alternative to GameTap for you. The company recently announced that you'll be able to find out for yourself if you sign up for the beta before Sept. 8, at which point the gates will be opened to the masses, or at least the masses that signed up.
We love GOG.com's approach, with $5.99 and $9.99 DRM-free releases that you can download as many times as you want and don't need an internet connection to play, but we wish the selection was a bit better. But who knows? With a beefier roster GOG could be a real Steam contender.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FOXHOUND @ Sep 5th 2008 11:31AM
The games featured on the article picture aren't too bad... The service sounds interesting enough to keep an eye out for.
Ken Seang @ Sep 5th 2008 11:33AM
This thing is gonna not only need better games to beat out steam but a good community features as well. Plus, valve games are only limited to steam and their games are among the most popular games played on pc.
sicsided @ Sep 5th 2008 11:43AM
um... These are older games for sale. Yes, Steam has older games also, but they don't have Fallout, Operation Flashpoint, or Freespace.
Those 3 games alone make me willing to drop Amazon in favor of a $10 price that has no DRM and is compatible with the current OS's of today.
This isn't a one stop shop for everything, just for cheap older awesome games.
SHAZAM! @ Sep 5th 2008 11:37AM
I signed up, mainly for the big fat Fallout box arts in the picture. I haven't played a fallout game, but have been wanting to ever since Fallout 3 was trotted out. I realise they're completely different, but I want to play the old ones to be able to appreciate some of the themes in the new game.
Anyway...I will probably buy them, seen as they're not on Steam.
wootman @ Sep 5th 2008 6:14PM
The fans seem to like it, so there has to be something good.
Needs more homeworld though.
sicsided @ Sep 5th 2008 11:45AM
I believe you forgot to mention that if you sign up for the beta, you get a coupon for a "buy one, get one free" deal justin.
chenry @ Sep 5th 2008 12:14PM
Man, it has Fallout 2 and MDK. It doesn't need to get better!
Phil @ Sep 5th 2008 12:16PM
Operation Flashpoint? Colin McRae 2005? Fallout 2?
I mean seriously, sign me up. I'm not a real superfan of these games but give me a chance to try out some of the other stuff.
I've been wanting to give Operation Flashpoint a go for a while now, as I heard it's a 'not quite so super strict America's Army alternative' in terms of the gameplay. The core stuff for AA is just too... tense and boring for me.
BigD145 @ Sep 5th 2008 12:33PM
$10 for nearly abandonware titles? Heck no. I picked up a set of all the old Fallouts about 7+ years ago and payed maybe $10. I still have my hard copies. Stop ripping people off, GOG
AwesomeTown @ Sep 5th 2008 1:23PM
Today, especially with the ease of digital distribution, developers seem to be avoiding the eventual game demise to abandonware. Hell, they can get money out of it. Sure, it's not free, but it's still cheap, and more importantly, they are all XP and Vista compatable, which means support. (Not to mention DRM free, which is killer) Definately worth it, IMO.
BigD145 @ Sep 5th 2008 6:31PM
What support? Is GOG patching games to make them more functional than they were or just tweaking the exe to run in compatibility mode? I know I've heard plenty of Vista lovers that say they've never had problems running their old games.
The bulk of those games never had DRM in the first place. I would only be impressed if they offered perfect 64bit support and half the price they are now charging. $5 I could understand IF they sold you a CD.
AwesomeTown @ Sep 6th 2008 9:46AM
Some games work well in Vista, no problem, but some are iffy. I haven't tried Fallout in Vista, but at least with Bauldur's Gate II (which I would hope would be on there eventually), there are a few graphical glitches that hinder the experience a bit. Still perfectly playable, but they are still annoying. If stuff like that gets addressed, I'd be willing to pay under $10 for a game that I love, knowing I could play it the way it should be played for a lot longer.
Jakka(Naked Peach Brigade) @ Sep 5th 2008 12:45PM
Does anybody remember Sacrifice? Damn me, that was a great game!
brokenscope @ Sep 5th 2008 1:18PM
If you own a joystick and you love flight combat games, get a copy of freespace2. Then go download all the updates from the Freespace opensource project.
It is god like.
rivaldi22 @ Sep 5th 2008 1:48PM
I've still got my copy of FS2 sitting around for that very reason.
(The only joystick I have right now has a serial(!) jack.)
God @ Sep 5th 2008 1:21PM
"Damn me"
Your wish is granted.
lwelyk @ Sep 5th 2008 1:33PM
Steam is a different type of service, but this is better for one reason: No DRM. DRM does nothing but screw the people who actually pay for stuff, since if you want to pirate it, it's cracked in a week anyway. Plus I love old games so I'm already excited about this.
Jody Anthony (gamertag and psn: JodyAnthony) @ Sep 5th 2008 1:36PM
they need to put system shock 2 on there, and make it work well on vista.
Josh @ Sep 5th 2008 2:28PM
Ugh, I'm getting so tired of that fake shiny plastic look that you see everywhere nowadays...
Lurker28 @ Sep 5th 2008 4:50PM
Sacrifice was one of the most unique games of its time. Absolutely loved the story, art style, and the gameplay.
wootman @ Sep 5th 2008 6:10PM
mmm.
This + normal valve games = awesome.
Courtney @ Sep 5th 2008 6:22PM
I wonder which version of the games they are releasing (retail vs patched) and if they will be able to be patched or modded. I would assume so, but I've learned never to assume when it comes to some classic games. As they say DRM free, it seems to make sense, but they've also patched some of the games themselves to work with Vista, so that could break the ability to apply official or unofficial patches.
I've become rather disenchanted with GameTap over the versions of some games released. Some games get the unpatched, buggy-as-hell, retail version released, and since it's GameTap, you can't do anything about. Twice I've ended up tracking down a copy of a game and buying it because the version on GameTap was unpatched (Uplink and Fallout).
It makes me question why I'm paying for GameTap if I have to go buy the games to enjoy them anyway. Unfortunately, I'm signed up for a full year.
Funkul @ Sep 5th 2008 8:17PM
If they have Majestic, then Im totally in. Jagged Alliance 2 and Disciple 2 would just seal the deal.
Phil @ Sep 6th 2008 3:12AM
You know what would be bitchin'? If they got System Shock 2.
Yeah... I can see it now...
t_m @ Sep 6th 2008 6:32AM
Game companies seem to have finally realised that there is a profit to be made on games for more than 6 months.
its always been daft that I could walk into a shop and buy 30 year old albums, books and movies, but I can't walk into a gamestore and get a game over 3 years old. (or 6 months if its a PC game).
Things like XBLA, the Wii VC and Steam/Gametap seem to have finally shown publishers what 10000s of abandonware sites and emulators should have shown them years ago.
For some games I think $10 is a little high, but if they have a decent range in the $5 pricerange, and they all work without problems then that'll be lots of impulse purchases from me.
Now Playing: Doom2 (Doomsday Engine) and loving it.
Weclock @ Sep 9th 2008 1:01AM
those bastards haven't given me a key, anyone else got one?
John @ Sep 10th 2008 4:21PM
Funkul - they have Jagged Alliance 2!
I was given access to beta, so I can give some answers to the above questions:
1) the games are all fully patched up with the latest official patch
2) Each game has a sub forum where the first post is a sticky with links to mods, unofficial patches and higher resolution patches, etc. These have been tested by G.O.G. with their version and has seen to be okay.
3) G.O.G. showed me they understand the totality of PC gaming by not only including the well known Good Old Games, like Fallout, but also the great games that went under the radar, like Hostile Waters and Original Soldiers of World War II!
4) The forum is already getting lively with a 5 page 'wish list' thread developing over just 2 days!
5) G.O.G have a link on every single page on their site to give feedback, a sign they really want to create a great community site.
6) The whole idea of DRM free games for low prices is a great one, but to me is also a trust thing. Obviously with no DRM, piracy would be easy, but this company is laying it on the line and just trusting it's customers! Something very few companies do in video gaming! If they are willing to put their faith in me, I am willing to return the favour. I intend being a strong supported of G.O.G. Even though I have all the games in their current catalogue and most of the games being asked for in the wish list thread, due to the fact I have been PC gaming for 20+ years and have avidly collected and kept all my games. Some people have a a room with bookshelves full of books on every wall. I have bookshelves full of games. Side-on they look like hardback books! (the big box versions anyway!)
gst @ Oct 27th 2008 1:29PM
Link to a picture of these so-called bookshelves of games so that we may judge you on the size and quality of your collection and, by extension, establish your worth as a human being.