Steam vs PC?

[oliveira8]

I have only one problem with Steam. If you're from anywhere else than America then you're getting ripped off. The money conversion system if 1€=1$ and that's just not fair.
So if you're not from America you're usually better off with any of the other download services.

But they do have great special deals so it's not all bad.

Not all deals are 1$=1?. Even that they fixing the pricing in some games(None being AAA titles apart from valve catalog) it's still a fail move, still like I always say the best time to buy games from Steam is during midweek/weekend/holiday sales, special pack promotions and indie games.
Big titles like Batman:Arkham Asylum or Modern Warfare 2 you better off buying in a store.

 

[Flames66]

My advice would be, If you can get a game on disk rather than through steam then do it. Only buy a game through steam if you absolutely have to.

 

[jonnopon3000]

I can't seem to a good answer for this question, so I thought I'd open up to you guys (hoping that escapists won't spam the forums with "omg noooooob" everywhere).

I'm a PS3 guy who wants to play some games that have not been released on PS3. I'm primarily interested in 1-player games like Mass Effect and the Orange Box. I'm trying to figure out the difference between buying/playing games on Steam and just buying the PC game in a store. The biggest differences i can figure out thus far are that 1) Steam games are downloaded and therefore instantaneously available and 2) Steam has its own network, similar to XBL and PSN.

Which should I go with? Why do you like Steam or PC?

If you buy a game on disc that is VALVe, such as the orange box or Left 4 Dead 1/2, it installs through steam anyway. It gets the assets from the disc, but it installs into your steam folder, and then requires steam to use.

Buying non-VALVe games on disc for PC, IMO, just gives you these problems:

1) You will have to (most of the time) have the disc in your drive to run it, meaning carrying loads of discs around

2) Finding your own community to mingle with - PC gaming is not really the full experience until you are part of some sort of online community that you take part in as much as possible. Steam provides this. It even has an in-game overlay where you can invite people to games, join games, speak to friends and browse the community and web.

3) You can lose games if you are careless. It is impossible to lose a game once you have it with steam - they even have an account recovery system if it gets stolen.

4) To save HDD space, you can delete a game from your computer and not worry about installation limits DRL might give you on disc games. Once a steam game is authenticated to your account, unlimited re-installs and unlimited use for life is what you get.

Basically, if a game is available on steam, buy it on steam. So many advantages. Can't think of any disadvantages.

 

[jonnopon3000]

I found that Steam overcharges for games you can get for cheap at Good Old Games. And Good Old Games has a manual for every game there, I have yet to actually get a manual for any of the games I've purchased off of Steam.

Good Old Games actually offers a lot of great stuff with what they have to sell, unfortunately it's not a widespread business. It's Good Old Games, after all.

I also said that Steam itself is one huge DRM. If it doesn't want to work, neither will your games.

I only put up with it because of that one sale it had, now I doubt I'll purchase anything else from it. I prefer boxes, not digital.

I can get manuals for all my steam games. Mind that I have forgotten how, because who needs a manual when Controls are easy to work out?

Either go in-game to the menu, then go to options --> Controls or assume it is the standard:

WASD to move
F for flashlight or other incendiary device
SPACE to Jump
LEFT CLICK for primary attack/whatever
RIGHT CLICK for secondary attack/whatever
E for interact/action
123456/MOUSE WHEEL for weapon choice.


This is how it is for all VALVe games, and a hell of a lot of other games on the PC, too.

 

[CMon]

Steam is great on several points, but it certainly has some flaws.

Firstly, it updates itself and it's games. "But that's a good thing" you say? No, it's not. My savegames in Football Manager 2010 keeps getting ruined because Steam keeps installing one blighted patch after the other.

Secondly, you need internet to access the games. Big monkey balls right there, especially since it can be solved by bringing along a disc.

Oh, and then there's the game-collector argument. You don't outright "own" the game. Doesn't count as long as you don't have the cover in your shelf.

 

[Daedalus_UK]

Honestly I think everybody here is such a steam whore it makes me heave. Steam is definetely not gods gift to gaming, its an exciting method for buying and keeping your games and delivers an excellent service for pretty much anyone with two brain cells to rub together.

However it carries the problems inherit to all download services. If you want the box or are on a slow connection with a download limit you are of course screwed. It is anything but instant, and the prices on steam are only good when they have offers, most of the time they are ridiculous, I mean its £40 for Modern Warfare 2 on steam when its only £29.70 on amazon.

Still a great service though for the most part, just don't go humping it like the rest of the guys on here.

 

[Mr. Grey]

I found that Steam overcharges for games you can get for cheap at Good Old Games. And Good Old Games has a manual for every game there, I have yet to actually get a manual for any of the games I've purchased off of Steam.

Good Old Games actually offers a lot of great stuff with what they have to sell, unfortunately it's not a widespread business. It's Good Old Games, after all.

I also said that Steam itself is one huge DRM. If it doesn't want to work, neither will your games.

I only put up with it because of that one sale it had, now I doubt I'll purchase anything else from it. I prefer boxes, not digital.

I can get manuals for all my steam games. Mind that I have forgotten how, because who needs a manual when Controls are easy to work out?

Either go in-game to the menu, then go to options --> Controls or assume it is the standard:

WASD to move
F for flashlight or other incendiary device
SPACE to Jump
LEFT CLICK for primary attack/whatever
RIGHT CLICK for secondary attack/whatever
E for interact/action
123456/MOUSE WHEEL for weapon choice.


This is how it is for all VALVe games, and a hell of a lot of other games on the PC, too.

Yeah, but some things I need to know what they do. Jade Empire for instance had something called Techniques, and that baffled me. I wasn't sure if it was working automatically or was I supposed to press a combination of buttons in a precise sequence and repeat it three times within ten seconds. I later learned - thanks to a guide I found on GameFAQs - that it was indeed automatic.

Call me old fashioned, but I like having an instruction manual when it comes to what a certain thing does in a certain game. Sometimes, it really is a lifesaver.

 

[karmapolizei]

Okay, why are we discussing this? It's not like buying hard copies and buying on Steam were mutually exclusive, you know.
It's really easy: Buy where it's cheaper. If they're the same price, it comes down to personal tastes. My choice would be Steam (for easy accessibility on multiple machines), but I get that there's downsides I can ignore but other people can't.

 

[Elsarild]

The biggest problem with steam, is pretty much that you often have to wait for steam to download the game you want to play, and depending on your connections and the server load, it can take quite some time with the newest games.

 

[Crystal Cuckoo]

Unless you want a hard copy for your games or have a /very/ small cap limit, go with Steam.

If you live in Australia, Steam's games are cheaper than you will ever find in the store (apart from MW2) and there are deals being made every weekend, so there's always something to look forward to.

I should probably that if you have a small cap, then there's a chance to get freezone content. If you're with iinet or Internode, for example, you can download off their servers (3FL and Internode, respectively) without being shaped.

 

[slowpoke999]

I'm looking forward to the day when steam takes over how we play games. Because let's face it, most computer games are 100% digital, unless they need weird peripherals. This isn't like buying food online, games are digital data, the only way to go is to make buying them online the only option. Sure technology isn't perfect, but nothing is an technology soon will get almost close to perfection. "Waaa internet aint fast enough" I bet in ten years the average net speed will quadruple. Maybe soon they'll allow your games to be downloaded to disk but only work for certain accounts, so you babies who are afraid Steam will go out of business or your hard drive will crash or whatever.

Saying steam is bad because it's different for whatever reasons is like saying "I don't like this internet, communicating online is quite risky, what if someone loses their connection"

 

[Flames66]

My advice would be, If you can get a game on disk rather than through steam then do it. Only buy a game through steam if you absolutely have to.

why is that?

Having read your previous post I can see how it works extremely well for you being in New Zealand. I live in the UK and in the city center (not a huge thing like London but a small one) there are several different game retailers competing with each other and doing price matching. This means that the prices are quite low.

Don't get me wrong I love the idea of steam. The software Its self though takes up a lot of system resources and has to be on while I'm playing, meaning that it causes problems with my system (lag, virtual memory shortages, extremely long load times). Therefore if I can get a game without steam having to be used I will.

 

[Insomniactk]

I can't seem to a good answer for this question, so I thought I'd open up to you guys (hoping that escapists won't spam the forums with "omg noooooob" everywhere).

I'm a PS3 guy who wants to play some games that have not been released on PS3. I'm primarily interested in 1-player games like Mass Effect and the Orange Box. I'm trying to figure out the difference between buying/playing games on Steam and just buying the PC game in a store. The biggest differences i can figure out thus far are that 1) Steam games are downloaded and therefore instantaneously available and 2) Steam has its own network, similar to XBL and PSN.

Which should I go with? Why do you like Steam or PC?

good luck, PC games are not sold in stores anymore. your best find would be a diner dash or build a lot game....

PC games are sold in store, what makes you think they aren't?
I picked up UT3 for PC just a couple of days ago.

 

[kommunizt kat]

STEAM. Steam is a lot cheaper since they dont sell the CD or the box it came in.... besides that, the sales are terrific I bought mass effect for 5$ last sale

 

[TelHybrid]

Go with whatever's cheapest. If you have a poor internet connection go with the disc version though, otherwise your download will take way too long.

Don't listen to the steam fanboys...

Edit: Despite popular belief, steam is not always the cheapest.

 

[Firenz]

The one thing that troubles me about Steam is that I'm not sure what happens to the games if it shuts down.

Hypothetically if Steam hits the skids for whatever reason and has to get pulled I think that there is little or no obligation to sort out the games that you've bought on Steam so that they can be played without it. The standalone aspect of other sites (direct2drive, Impulse, Gamersgate etc) being one of their bonuses.

But hell, I've got 81 games on Steam, and counting, so I'm screwed if it goes down!