Calling all steam haters!!

[steamweedlegoblin]

steam works forces exclusivity which pisses me off
I've bought games as CDs that still required me to use steam which is just fucking stupid

Actually, while you may think it's stupid, it's probably the most ingenious DRM scheme ever. The more people that use Steam, even if they're forced to as in your case, the faster that digital distribution will be accepted and eventually overtake or even replace the retail marketplace.

There's really nothing that can be done about it. Valve is a monolithic unstoppable titan. Just be glad Newell is in charge and not someone like Kotick. Then we'd really be screwed...

 

[SimuLord]

Great frontend, great prices and deals, the DRM is an acceptable compromise between preventing piracy and creating a good customer experience for the paying consumer.

I've got 34 Steam games as of right now.

 

[AcacianLeaves]

This is a very strange straw man argument, I've never heard of anyone outright HATING Steam.

I can see hating Steam if you have sub-par internet service, as then Steam becomes a huge pain in the ass to use. However then your man complaint is with your ISP and the fact that you miss out on many of Steam's benefits.

My biggest issue with Steam is the monopoly they are forming, so much so that I can't even get gamers to acknowledge that sometimes Direct2Drive has even better deals and doesn't come attached to DRM bloatware. People won't even look anywhere else for digital distribution, which I think will ultimately hurt the market and allow Steam to abuse their monopoly.

 

[Skorpyo]

I hate Steam so much! I hate the amazing library of games they have! I hate how cheap these games are to purchase! I hate it all!

And the CONVENIENCE!

FUCK THAT! I want to buy my games from an asshole behind a counter who keeps telling me that I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON BECAUSE I NEVER PLAYED FF7!

OT: People who hate Steam on the Escapist are generally pretty hard to find. This is a topic for a different site, friend.

 

[infinity_turtles]

Quoting myself from another thread.

As someone who had a disagreement with Steam over them charging me twice for a game, and subsequently got banned from it after my bank canceled the second charge, I have to say otherwise. The way I see it, everygame I had bought from Steam that was multi-player only was stolen from me because of their DRM.

So everyone acting like anyone who doesn't like Steam has some ulterior motive, get off your high-horse.

 

[Phoenix Arrow]

Because it used to be one of the buggiest pieces of software going. It's not so bad now.

 

[koeniginator]

Would you rather use steam or something like ubisoft's AC2 DRM?

 

[ProfessorLayton]

This is extremely strange... because years ago when I was thinking about buying Counter-Strike: Source I was reading the reviews and everyone who gave it one star was complaining about Steam so I stayed away. But then I ended up buying Team Fortress 2 some time later and found out that Steam was actually amazingly convenient. I guess if you actually know how to use it, you won't hate it.

 

[Knife-28]

While I don't hate steam and I have a few (Well, 2) games I've purchased from it, I just find it a hassle to use with my shoddy internet.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

steam works forces exclusivity which pisses me off
I've bought games as CDs that still required me to use steam which is just fucking stupid
It locks up all your games in one place and by the EULA they can take away access on a whim. They can do what amazon did (pulled all copies of 1984)
Offline mode doesn't work half the time
It forces updates
it's essentially the console of PC gaming, and I don't own current gen consoles for a reason.

u can change the force updates option, and even pick and chose which games u want to auto update and which to just lie there untill u want em.

other than that i see ur point

also ive NEVER had an offline mode problem before, apart from not being able to play online multiplayer games, but....... come on DER

 

[Thurmer]

some reason it took me about 2 weeks to download dragon age origins.... no idea what the problem was and ive never experienced it again. apart from that i love steam, $5-10 games that are some of the best old games ever made (KOTOR!!!!!) its a great change to the way video games are sold and distributed. I havent bought a boxed game in years which makes me happy because i hate the big retailers.

 

[GiantRedButton]

This is extremely strange... because years ago when I was thinking about buying Counter-Strike: Source I was reading the reviews and everyone who gave it one star was complaining about Steam so I stayed away. But then I ended up buying Team Fortress 2 some time later and found out that Steam was actually amazingly convenient. I guess if you actually know how to use it, you won't hate it.

Well steam was still buggy and new when css and half life 2 was released
Btw to the guy who complained that steam updates his games, that is completly optional just turn it off.

 

[RanD00M]

The more people that use Steam, even if they're forced to as in your case, the faster that digital distribution will be accepted and eventually overtake or even replace the retail marketplace.

And that's not really a good thing. While I do love Steam, I also love getting a fresh game disc into my hand, seeing the disc tray open up ever so seductively, and that nice sounds of the disc reader going off is like the screeching howl of the most intense orgasm ever created by man.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

This is extremely strange... because years ago when I was thinking about buying Counter-Strike: Source I was reading the reviews and everyone who gave it one star was complaining about Steam so I stayed away. But then I ended up buying Team Fortress 2 some time later and found out that Steam was actually amazingly convenient. I guess if you actually know how to use it, you won't hate it.

This is because when Steam first came out, and indeed up to 2 or 3 years after it came out it was an extremely buggy, POS software. When I bought Half-Life 2 on release date, after a few months I actually downloaded a pirated version of the game. Simply so I didn't have to deal with the horrors of the program..

These days its brilliant, convenient, and pretty much all bugs have been ironed out. It went from my most hated App to my very favorite.