Steam is pretty underwhelming

[SAWYER]

I finally got around to installing it and logged in expecting to be blown away, wasn't at all. The demo selection was beyond mediocre, I guess I am just used to XBL/PSN but this seemed pathetic. I looked at the first few pages of the cheap games and it was pretty bad as well. So what exactly is so good about it that I am not seeing?

 

[sandorski]

It doesn't turn your PC into awesomeness. :\

Wait for a Sale.

 

[Elcs]

Steam sales
No CD's/DVD's
Ability to purchase and download games outside of store hours
Steam Cloud
Automatic updates

Perhaps you have an incorrect perception of what Steam is all about.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

So what exactly is so good about it that I am not seeing?

The summer & holiday sales.

 

[KaOTiK]

If you installed it a month ago you would have been blown away. As for the demo thing, that is pretty much all of PC gaming now, demos are becoming a rare thing.

 

[Nintendesert]

I can see how someone used to being sworn at by a high pitched 12 year old on XBL wouldn't be blown away by Steam.

 

[Lonyo]

Steam is Xfire + overpriced game store + DRM in one.

 

[Demo24]

Steam is Xfire + overpriced game store + DRM in one.

Overpriced? Uh, no worse than anywhere else cause they don't set the prices. The deals they do are generally quite nice though.

 

[zerocool84]

If you can't know the advantages of Steam already then you fail.

 

[Skurge]

I don't know what you were expecting, but its basically an online store and DRM in one.

 

[shortylickens]

Its the very best online store available for games.
Anything better is illegal.

 

[simonizor]

What did you expect? It's an online video game store, not some sort of magic box.

 

[jlee]

Steam is Xfire + overpriced game store + DRM in one.

Right, because $6.79 for Bad Company 2 was such a terrible deal...

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

OP is pretty underwhelming. I finally got around to reading it expecting to be blown away, wasn't at all. The comparison to XBL, where you have to pay $60/year a lot of times to download the demo the day it comes out is beyond mediocre, I guess I'm just used to not having to pay to play demos. So what exactly is the point of this thread that I'm not seeing?

Also, I guess an almost 9000 post record doesn't automatically guarantee that someone won't troll bait.

 

[SAWYER]

Woah no need for people to get all butthurt, I was just expecting something on the level of XBL since I have used. I am not knocking the pricing, just the lack of demos andd the cheap game selection I browsed through. brief, first impressions, nothing more.

 

[Powermoloch]

i bought 30 games under 40 bucks...i think it was a steal

 

[Lumathix]

Steam is ok, but I'll never buy another game that uses that windows live drm bullshit again.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Considering that I don't have to carry around a wallet of DVDs for every time I feel like installing (or playing - I don't use cracks) a game, and considering that I can send messages to online friends or invite them to a game I'm in without having to alt-tab out, AND considering the fact that they have some pretty amazing deals from time to time...

I love Steam.

 

[Cheesetogo]

I don't think Windows Live is even supposed to be DRM. It's just supposed to be garbage.

Also: For single player games that use it, look on the web for xliveless.dll. It worked great for me in GTA IV and Red Faction Guerrilla.

 

[Powermoloch]

xliveless ????????????

windows live kept me from purchasing guerilla...maybe my dream can come true !

 

[DaveSimmons]

It's a place to buy full games at insanely low prices when they are on sale.

Some of my purchases:
$10 for the King's Bounty trilogy
$10 for Civ IV complete
$5 for X-Com 1-3, Enforcer and Interceptor
. . ."and more!"

Once you buy games, you can install them on as many computers as you want and [unlike your beloved 360 for non-XBLA games) never need to put a disc in the drive again.

Plus you don't need to pay MS $40-60 a year to use it.

 

[videogames101]

Also, the "join game" on the friends list in god mode.

 

[pugh]

Woah no need for people to get all butthurt, I was just expecting something on the level of XBL since I have used. I am not knocking the pricing, just the lack of demos andd the cheap game selection I browsed through. brief, first impressions, nothing more.

Yes I agree. No need to be offended by his post. Keep it civil. On the other hand I have been gaming the pc since somewhere around 1998 summer. Since that time I have seen the consoles come and go and have not really invested heavy into them.

Pc gaming had been fabulous for me ever since I stepped into it fully. Too each his own when it comes to gaming. OP is happy the way he does it and same here.

Have a good one.

 

[marmasatt]

If you can't know the advantages of Steam already then you fail.

Yeah. You're doing it wrong.

 

[thedosbox]

If you installed it a month ago you would have been blown away. As for the demo thing, that is pretty much all of PC gaming now, demos are becoming a rare thing.

This. The ability to pick up "old" games I missed without having to dig through fleabay means there is no need to pay full price anymore.