T w e n t y S i d e d

The other day I briefly mentioned Good Old Games, but now the beta is going and I’ve actually had a peek inside. It’s tremendous.

I have not actually used it (yet) myself, but here are some of the good things I’ve been hearing:

1. Lots and lots of titles. Unlike other game portals, I don’t see any filler. Nearly everything on the site is a AAA title of yesteryear, without padding out their list with shovelware and Bejeweled knockoffs.
2. Nearly every game is $6. A few are $10.
3. A lot of games are actually The Base Game + An Expansion for $6.
4. “No DRM” is listed as a selling point. It’s been so long since anyone treated me like a customer that I’d forgotten what it feels like. I’m welling up right now.
5. Most of it downloaded as zip files for easy archiving, and the game is a single exe installer. Plus you can download it as many times as you want from their site.
6. They aren’t just offering the game. In some cases you can get, “the full manual in PDF, the game’s reference card, an avatar pack, as well as MP3s of the game’s soundtrack! Separate downloads too, so you don’t have to get it all unless you want it.”
7. Most of the games are from The Golden Age. Modern enough to run without tricky emulation, old enough to run on whatever dusty old heap you might have lying around.
8. You can get support, which is something you won’t get if you pick up one of these games at a yard sale.

This is an amazing thing. I’m actually feeling a profound sense of guilt that I haven’t given them any money yet. Not for a game, but just, you know, in general. I know I’m getting Freespace 2, and with these prices it’s actually pretty easy to just toss a couple of extra titles into your shopping cart.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

In an odd coincidence, Sean Sands published an article on the Golden Age of Gaming over at The Escapist, suggesting that the best days of gaming are… right now. This is in stark contrast to the article I put up on the same day, suggesting that the best days are behind us.

To be fair, we’re a bit apples-and-oranges here: He’s talking about gaming in general, and I was talking about the PC Platform, which is undeniably a mess. He cites BioShock, which is a great example of of everything that’s gone wrong with PC Gaming. BioShock is shallower, shorter, and less fun than System Shock 2, and was mired in DRM controversy when it came out. But: It was available, stable, and DRM-free on consoles, while System Shock 2 didn’t even exist in the console world. Is it better to have a watered-down version of the game available to a wider audience? If you’re part of that audience, then yeah.

Is console gaming better these days? I can’t really tell. I missed all of the consoles between the Atari 2600 and the PS2, and I haven’t really gotten into the current-gen consoles just yet. (My kids play Wii, and I have a PS3 on loan from a friend here, but I have yet to immerse myself into the pool of current titles.) Are we in a Golden Age? The PC is in shambles these days, the PS3 is (I’m told) still short on compelling titles, the XBox 360 has (or perhaps had) gremlins. I don’t think the console world is a wasteland of misery, but calling this a Golden Age seems like a stretch. I guess I’ll find out for myself once I dive in.

Still, for those who have taken part in the last couple of console generations, I’m curious how the current crop of devices and games measure up. I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who agree with Sands: What is it about this generation that’s really rewarding?

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.