- Jul 18, 2003
- 12,404
- 1,078
- 126
So I bought the Orange Box a long time ago because it was such a ridiculously great value, and had lots of MP replay value (can you say TF2).
I purchased Episode 2 because I'm a big fan of the HL story and it was only $9.99 when I bought it.
I purchased Left 4 Dead for $24.99 on black friday at Amazon.com, because it has lasting value due to a strong MP component.
I bought Stalker SOC because it was $4.99 awhile back, it has been patched quite a bit since its release, and it was cheap. Although I now feel I wasted $4.99 because it apparently still hasn't been patched enough, as I have experienced several random hard-lock type crashes with this game. Oh well, no major loss of funds here and not worth pursuing a refund...ok back on topic.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Which brings me to FEAR 2. I loved the original FEAR game, but I basically played through the SP campaign of FEAR when it first came out, and then sold it off within a month to recoup some of my expenses since I only wanted to play the SP campaign.
I'd love to do this with FEAR 2 (buy, play SP, sell quickly to recoup cash), but I can't due to it only being released on Steam. So how to handle this?
A) Create a new Steam account, only register FEAR 2 to it, and try to sell it on eBay later? Lots of hassles and questions about the legality of the resell, so no thanks here.
B) Just go get it on the PS3 ($60), buy a FragFX controller for ($60-$80), and hope I can get used to switching over from a KB/Mouse configuration (I'm not likely to like the switch, and it's an expensive proposition for a single game don't you think)?
C) Arrrr matey!!! I like to support developers like Monolith and Valve who consistently make great games and I really don't want to screw them over. Also, I don't want to risk getting locked out of all my legitimately purchased Steam games.
D) Just don't buy or play the game and hope Monolith doesn't go out of business. Sucks for me if they do (I purchased, played, and loved Shogo, FEAR, etc.).
Am I alone here, or is anyone else feeling a bit screwed by Monolith and really the PC gaming industry in general? Even Crysis Wars, Spore, et. al. with Securom can at least be resold easily, provided the activations aren't all used up. However, I don't like how invasive Securom is on my PC either, and Steam at least has the advantage of me not having to keep discs around to play my bought and paid for games, I can reinstall my games as many times as I please, and I can access my games from any computer attached to the Internet via Broadband for the most part.
If console companies would just put proper KB/Mouse support into their games, I think I'd just deal with 1080p or 720p resolution on my 32in LCD (unfortunately without some of the eye candy available to me on my PC), and go console only from here on out. As I see it, basically I get screwed on expensive AAA SP titles due to the lack of resellability, or I risk my PC's stability and security if I go ahead and just deal with the likes of Securom.
Man I wish there was no DRM in FEAR 2, because then I could feel good about buying it. As it stands now, I think I'll stick with option "D" for now and pick it up from the bargain bin a year or so from now (I'm really not cheap, but I do work very hard for my money and I try and stretch my gaming dollars as far as they will go). Due to the Steam only route Monolith has taken with FEAR 2, I feel $49.99 is far to much to pay for a gimped product.
Edit: Option "A" doesn't seem to be an option.
http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/
"You may not sell or charge others for the right to use your Account, or otherwise transfer your Account."
I purchased Episode 2 because I'm a big fan of the HL story and it was only $9.99 when I bought it.
I purchased Left 4 Dead for $24.99 on black friday at Amazon.com, because it has lasting value due to a strong MP component.
I bought Stalker SOC because it was $4.99 awhile back, it has been patched quite a bit since its release, and it was cheap. Although I now feel I wasted $4.99 because it apparently still hasn't been patched enough, as I have experienced several random hard-lock type crashes with this game. Oh well, no major loss of funds here and not worth pursuing a refund...ok back on topic.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Which brings me to FEAR 2. I loved the original FEAR game, but I basically played through the SP campaign of FEAR when it first came out, and then sold it off within a month to recoup some of my expenses since I only wanted to play the SP campaign.
I'd love to do this with FEAR 2 (buy, play SP, sell quickly to recoup cash), but I can't due to it only being released on Steam. So how to handle this?
A) Create a new Steam account, only register FEAR 2 to it, and try to sell it on eBay later? Lots of hassles and questions about the legality of the resell, so no thanks here.
B) Just go get it on the PS3 ($60), buy a FragFX controller for ($60-$80), and hope I can get used to switching over from a KB/Mouse configuration (I'm not likely to like the switch, and it's an expensive proposition for a single game don't you think)?
C) Arrrr matey!!! I like to support developers like Monolith and Valve who consistently make great games and I really don't want to screw them over. Also, I don't want to risk getting locked out of all my legitimately purchased Steam games.
D) Just don't buy or play the game and hope Monolith doesn't go out of business. Sucks for me if they do (I purchased, played, and loved Shogo, FEAR, etc.).
Am I alone here, or is anyone else feeling a bit screwed by Monolith and really the PC gaming industry in general? Even Crysis Wars, Spore, et. al. with Securom can at least be resold easily, provided the activations aren't all used up. However, I don't like how invasive Securom is on my PC either, and Steam at least has the advantage of me not having to keep discs around to play my bought and paid for games, I can reinstall my games as many times as I please, and I can access my games from any computer attached to the Internet via Broadband for the most part.
If console companies would just put proper KB/Mouse support into their games, I think I'd just deal with 1080p or 720p resolution on my 32in LCD (unfortunately without some of the eye candy available to me on my PC), and go console only from here on out. As I see it, basically I get screwed on expensive AAA SP titles due to the lack of resellability, or I risk my PC's stability and security if I go ahead and just deal with the likes of Securom.
Man I wish there was no DRM in FEAR 2, because then I could feel good about buying it. As it stands now, I think I'll stick with option "D" for now and pick it up from the bargain bin a year or so from now (I'm really not cheap, but I do work very hard for my money and I try and stretch my gaming dollars as far as they will go). Due to the Steam only route Monolith has taken with FEAR 2, I feel $49.99 is far to much to pay for a gimped product.
Edit: Option "A" doesn't seem to be an option.
http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/
"You may not sell or charge others for the right to use your Account, or otherwise transfer your Account."
Facebook
Twitter