Easy

So I have decided to skip consoles and build a game PC instead. The Steam site looks good and they seem to have many sales, but I can't quite bring myself to install the software.
I tried it once long ago and deleted it because honestly, it was a mess. Having said that, I understand that things evolve. I seem to recall that you had to be connected to steam to play. That's a big negative for me so I need to know if that is still the case.
The generally good prices and frequent sales have almost swayed me, but I wanted to check in here to see if anyone had anything bad to say about the service.

Dan

Steam does have an "offline" mode where you can play your games without requiring an internet connection. I think it lasts about 30 days before you're forced to log in again, for copy protection reasons. I think that's fair.

I have no major issues with Steam. I use it a lot less than others here, though. I find it a little cumbersome. The "Big Screen" mode is actually pretty sweet if you're planning to use the PC connected to an HDTV.

fumanstan

No major issues here either. Steam is basically the greatest thing for PC gamers; there's plenty of sales, but there's also sales from third party sites that just send you Steam codes anyway.

RichC2

Steam works great, but you can get banned if you install too many Russian CD Keys, so don't do that.

Otherwise, I have nothing against them and prefer all my games be compatible with it. Games automatically update, you can share games with friends, stream your game to a laptop hooked up to a TV, buy an abundance of games super cheap, etc;

DaveyJoe

Steam is amazing, don't hesitate to use it.

Trevor

Steam is great, I just think of every game I buy as a rental though, just in case.

I buy most of my games from GOG though. Better games, great prices, DRM free.... But I'm old so I prefer their selection of games. Although to be fair, Steam has a ton of 'classic' games and GOG gets most of the new games too.

RichC2

GOG doesn't get "most" of the new games, just a handful, but they're usually good titles.

shizawn

I've never had to deal with them, but I do hear Steam's customer service is pretty crappy. It's also near impossible to get a refund on a game, should you ever need to do so.

I know a lot of people who go into offline mode and stay there, only occasionally going online to get updates.

Easy

Thanks. Created acct and bought a few games.

Trevor

I hope you didn't pay full price for anything. They have sales all of the time, and there are lots of websites that track sales and bundles and key reseller site prices.

Metrodub

While there is a game deal thread in this forum, you'd be remiss if you didn't check www.reddit.com/r/gamedeals

They post plenty of the bundle sales as well as sales from major retailers (Amazon, Green Man Gaming, etc) that could net you quite a few of cheap or free games.

Maxflier

I'm curious what your aversion to being connected is? Who has a gaming desktop that isn't always connected?

Easy

My only option is Suddenlink internet and Suddenlink BLOWS. Every time and I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME I use my PS3 I get a message about an error and that I am no longer connected to PSN. No big deal, but imagine I had to be connected to play...
Plus, I mostly do single player games so why should I be connected? To satisfy some anal-retentive DRM requirement?
I don't mind once a month or so, but a continuous connection requirement would be a deal breaker.

Easy

Please... you know I didn't pay full price. I really liked Bioshock on 360 but that was the only one I ever played. They had the whole series for cheap. All the Fallouts (except 3) which evidently doesn't work with Win 7. Witcher 1&2, although why some of these were in the Halloween sale is a mystery.

Easy

Thanks for the tip.

Matthew Chmiel

I believe Steam requires you to login once every two weeks for Offline Mode to work. I know there's a time frame, but I don't know the exact requirement.

And unless it's a AAA title on release date, NEVER pay full price for a game on Steam. Their Winter Sale (not as great as the infamous Summer Sale) should be live sometime in December.

fujishig

The major negative with Steam is all the money I spent on games I have no time to play, because they're dirt cheap.

fumanstan

For those new releases, I highly recommend Green Man Gaming that frequently has 20-25% off coupon codes.

Trevor

Tell me about it. I only discovered Steam within the last year, and have about 500 games. Now maybe 3/4 of those are from bundles and cost me maybe a quarter each, but these big sales can be too tempting for me to resist.

Breakfast with Girls

The UI is terrible and I hate DRM, so I buy from Good Old Games more often.

RichC2

I can understand the DRM complaint, but the UI one is a headscratcher.

Library -> Select Game.

GreenMonkey

I personally detest online-authenticating DRM but if you want to play PC games these days you have to pretty much use Steam.

It's the least objectionable of the bunch.

I buy very little from Steam though and with the same strict $10-$20 limit, tops, that I have with Xbox live. To me if it requires online authentication and might not work in a decade or so I'm not buying it, I'm renting it, and it is valued accordingly.

I buy a lot more from GOG, I love them. I refuse to touch anyone else (EA's Origin, for example). Watch for steam games with extra bogus DRM (Ubisoft is notorious for this).

Original Desmond

I joined and bought my first Steam game only last week, left 4 dead 2. So far i've been impressed with the steam site and setup

I'm never going to be a hardcore gamer, just want to play now and then

I will probably buy Evolve when it comes out through Steam

fumanstan

I thought DRM would bother me way back when these services started coming out, but realized these days that it's practically never a hindrance as far as me actually playing a game. Having games on Steam or even Origin has been far more convenient to me then the old way of dealing with a CD or DVD in a box on the shelf, let alone a CD-Key. I don't care enough to play old games to make GOG that useful for me, other then a handful of different things over the years like some Sierra games or Fallout. Between the two, i'd rather just have them on Steam anyway to keep the majority of my games in one place.

Origin actually isn't that bad these days, and have been giving away free games every month too including some classics like Wing Commander 3 and Crusader.

wlj

Steam is freaking awesome. i have never had any issues. you will save a crap ton of money too with all of the sales they have. Crazy cheap prices. I was a console exclusive gamer for 34 years, but the last 2 years i have switched to 100% PC and it has been a great experience