Yes, that's just how it is to be a PC gamer - there will always be problems that needed to be fixed with some or most games. Because GoG is selling old (mostly) games I think we all expect that there can be problems running these games on new software but still I think GoG should be told about these problems because they are selling a defective product. Let me clarify that Gorky is unplayable in the sense that characters vanish, sound bugs out, graphics have colour problems etc. so the game does start.

But there are problems with other distribution sites as welll. I just spend 2 hours trying to get Dragon Age Ultimate Edition to work after DL from Origin and all af the DLCs wouldn't authenticate even if they were on my HD. Then after edit INI files etc. I still couldn't get them to work until I saw on Bioware forum that the 1.05 patch fixed this and I didn't even know there was a 1.05 patch because the game said 1.04 so I assumed that was the latest version. After getting the patch the game worked perfectly.

But I have had problems with disk based game as well. Assassins Creed 1 was a fucking nightmare to install because of disk errors and The Bards Tale (new one) wouldn't install from disk no matter what the hell I did. The funny thing is I purchased the game from Steam during a sale and it installed perfectly from Steam but not from my disk version.

My point with this rambling text is just to say that there will be problems no matter what site or media you use so it seems unfair to single one distributor out and say that Steam is bad but GoG is good or always buy your games on disk or something like that. If people don't like Steam then don't use it. If people can't understand that old games can be tricky to get running on new OS then don't use GoG. Yes, as consumers we have the right to complain when something is not fit for purpose, but once you have complained then just move on with your life. But like I said all of this is just the nature of being a PC gamer and we love PC gaming so we put up with it.

GOG is awesome. Steam is good. Well, not really, but it's alright. Those sales, a nice platform for multiplayer games, the convenience. It's pretty annoying when it craps out on me, but that happens less than a half dozen times a year so I really don't mind. What really gets me is games that I buy on Steam and turn out to have unnecessary shit stacked on top, such as GFWL (dear lord) or GameSpy. Like force-feeding cake to a person who already has some.

I don't use Origin, not because it's cool to do so but because I've found EA's recent games mediocre to pathetically disappointing, so I'm ignoring everything they do for the time being. I've had bad experiences with Ubisoft and their ugly molefaced, five-arsed DRM in the past few years and hence believe they don't deserve my money (mind you, I don't pirate the games; if they're not worth my money, they're not worth my attention either). Everything else is more or less alright in my books.

Steam has worked enough for me to not get up in arms over it yet. DRM-free is nice enough for me to have bought Deus Ex from GOG after having bought it on Steam, but I came to GOG mainly for the old titles I used to resort to abandonware for.

I have a GamersGate account but haven't bought anything from them yet. Last time I checked Origin's catalogue I didn't see any exclusives that motivated me to install another client.

For me, Steam mostly works because it's run by Valve. I mean, imagine what it would be like if Steam was built and run by some huge company like EA or Activision.*


* Or whatever company we're supposed to rage about this week.

The estimated total equity for Valve and EA is pretty much the same (approximately 2.5 billion each). It's funny that some people still mistake Valve for that little friendly team that made Half-Life. It is a huge company which does a lot of the same "bad" stuff the other big players are known for - and if they actually became a publisher who funds dozens or hundreds of game projects a year they'd probably loose their friendly face (if they actually still have one) in a few months.

I don't know if a bump for this thread is necessary or important, but I figured I'd try one here and see what happens. :P Honestly, I'm surprised that (apparently) a thread similar to this one hasn't been made before.

I'll see that bump and raise you a post...

I think I posted earlier just saying I like both Steam and GOG and not much else. I guess I'll give a little more detail now. By the way, it is nice to see this discussion have such a civil tone. :D

I've been using Steam for over nine years. In that time as Steam grew to become what it is today, I replaced my waning disc collection of games with digital versions on Steam. I liked having them all conveniently backed up online and available whenever and wherever I want. As a long time PC gamer, I particularly appreciated that I no longer needed to visit Fileplanet, etc. in search of patches, sometimes finding a multitude of them for just one game and needing to deal with storing them away, applying them all, etc. I consider it a major plus that Steam auto-updates games with patches as they become available. I suspect a fair number of old timers who had to deal with numerous downloadable patches appreciate it too. Of course, back in the day you often didn't even know if there was a patch at any given point in time. It was up to you to go looking and see if maybe there was one or not. With Steam, that hassle went away.

As Steam grew, the client was enhanced with a lot of nice features that added value for many customers including me. I like niceties like time tracking, built in screen shots with storage for them, the social feed to see what your friends are playing, recommending, etc. The community features are a real plus in my book which I especially enjoy since the recent addition of many new friends on Steam from GOG.

In the News section of the Steam client, you can not only read Steam news about updates, sales, etc. but there are sections for PC Gamer and others that are fun to look over. I was reading some PC Gamer articles this morning and come to find out they run a series where they reinstall good old games and write about them, including mentions of getting them at GOG. In fact, I added Tex Murphy Pandora Directive to my wishlist on GOG this morning after reading the PC Gamer article about it on Steam.

Of course, there is the multiplayer functionality built in, chat with friends and other features I am probably forgetting now. So for many gamers Steam is a lot more than just a form of DRM, it is a great digital store with excellent prices and a lot of value added via the client software.

The bad part for some of course is the DRM. Personally, I don't mind it at all because in my experience it has not been problematic. Other than the requirement that the client be running it isn't obtrusive, annoying or worse as some other forms of DRM are. I do find it highly annoying when some publishers insist on stacking their own DRM schemes on top of Steam. There is no need for one thing. But I blame the publisher and sometimes won't buy over it. It's not Steam's fault they choose this.

So in summary, over the years Steam has continued to improve and offer me convenience and value added features while offering excellent deals on PC games during sale times. I forgot to mention, I think the achievements in Steam are also a nice value add. Many find them fun, including me.

For all things new, I prefer Steam almost without exception. I like having the majority of my games under one roof. For Good Old Games of course I turn to GOG. If it isn't on Steam, I look to GOG. If it isn't on Steam or GOG, I resort to Amazon.com but the need to do that is rare. Three accounts to keep track of is enough for me. I can't be bothered shopping at other digital retailers personally. Those are my favorites and they have each consistently done right by me over the years so good enough for me.

To each their own though. I respect that. I can understand the appeal of getting the best deals by diversifying where you buy for example. I can also certainly understand someone choosing different favorites than I choose. But for me, Steam is awesome for some stuff, GOG is awesome for other stuff and Amazon.com is where I can find what they don't have, like ME3 or Kingdoms of Amalur or Age of Empires II, etc.