This thread is a fantastic idea! There are so many dodgy sites out there, it would be a great service to showcase some of the more reliable ones for QT3 folks looking to build a massive backlog. The following are all sites I have personal experience with:
(note - Steam and Origin are the only two services I feel comfortable saying will absolutely be around in 5 years, simply because Valve and EA are not going anywhere. With that in mind I am going to skip the “5 years” rating)
STEAM (Valve): reliability - 10/10, trust - 9/10
[ul]
[li]Good: If it’s a PC game, it’s probably on Steam. Frequent deals and sales. Platform is great for “collecting” and playing games.[/li][li]Bad: Support can be iffy. Platform has no real “download to local” capability, so should Valve ever fold…ouch.[/li][li]Summary : The 5000lb. gorilla in the room is not going anywhere anytime soon. I love Steam, and I use everything on it from the profiles to the reviews to the discussions to the trading cards and the marketplace. It’s revolutionized the way I game, no joke. Sure there is always the chance it could all vanish in a puff of virtual smoke, but that’s why I try to avoid buying full price digital games on the service. 90% of what I own on Steam I bought for a song via a sale, bundle or deal. [/li][/ul]
ORIGIN (EA): reliability - 8/10, trust - 9/10
[ul]
[li]Good: Stable platform (these days) backed by an industry giant. Frequent freebies are nice. [/li][li]Bad: Limited catalog playable only through the service. Sales and specials often aren’t very special.[/li][li]Summary : Origin started out terrible but has fixed most of it’s early issues and is a stable platform for purchasing and playing EA games. It’s strongest positive (the games) is also it’s biggest negative, as it only supports EA games. My Origin collection consists mainly of EA titles purchased via Humble Bundle, retail boxed copy redemptions via the site and games given to me free via the “On the House” promos.[/li][/ul]
GOOD OLD GAMES (CD Projekt): reliability - 9/10, trust - 9/10
[ul]
[li]Good: Old games! Duh! The definitive place to find classic titles from nostalgia that have been made playable for modern machines. Now that newer titles have also been added it’s a great DRM-Free alternative to Steam as a game collection/play platform. Occasional freebies.[/li][li]Bad: Limited selection of newer games. Sales not as steeply discounted as some. [/li][li]Summary: GOG is awesome. The only thing that keeps it from being 10/10 in both categories is the fact that it’s tied directly to CD Projekt and they don’t have the deep deep pockets of Steam or EA. I wouldn’t worry too much though, as GOG seems to be doing just fine. I love that they’ve brought back so many amazing games from my early years of PC gaming. On the other hand, they’ve ruined the value of my original retail box collection of those same games. ;-) I remember when my boxed copy of Forgotten Realms Archive Silver Ed. would have fetched $70 on Ebay…[/li][/ul]
GAMERSGATE: Reliability - 7/10, Trust - 9/10
[ul]
[li]Good: Wide selection of titles. Frequent sales with discounts that match Steam sales.[/li][li]Bad: I’ve had issues in the past with orders not going through (not being charged either, so like a total failure of the order system). Selection and price practically mirrors Steam these days.[/li][li]Summary: GamersGate was a fantastic site a couple of years ago. They had a huge selection, including a lot of Paradox, 1C and other Euro developers that you couldn’t find on sale anywhere else. The recent proliferation of bundle sites and digital distribution stores has really impacted GamersGate though, and now they seem more like an afterthought. Same selection as other sources, with pricing that isn’t always as low as others. The real shame though is that they’ve never modernized their store UI, so finding games you want is an exercise in frustration and browsing is painful at best. My reliability rating was adjusted to reflect this, as I believe GamersGate to be a digital distributor likely to close up shop in the next couple of years. [/li][/ul]
HUMBLE BUNDLE: Reliability - 9/10, Trust - 10/10
[ul]
[li]Good: Amazing bundle deals. Great storefront. Charity connection. Rock solid payment and redemption systems.[/li][li]Bad: Limited selection. New Monthly Bundle seems like money grab.[/li][li]Summary: I really like Humble Bundle, to the point where I purchase on average 2 bundles a month from them. The deals are usually fantastic, the bundles well thought out, and the store is nice with discounts that often match Steam Sale prices and occasionally go even lower. I really can’t say anything bad about Humble Bundle except that the recent round of layoffs had me a little worried about their longevity. I hope it’s something they can rectify easily, as I want Humble Bundle to stick around for a long time to come. [/li][/ul]
BUNDLE STARS: Reliability - 9/10, Trust - 9/10
[ul]
[li]Good: Best bundle deals anywhere, period. Frequently updated. Store is growing nicely. Solid payment and redemption systems. Keys come from publishers & devs, not third parties.[/li][li]Bad: Maybe a couple of the bundles are mostly junk? I’m nitpicking here though.[/li][li]Summary:BundleStars.com is one of my favorite places to find deals. It seems like they always have 8-10 bundles going at one time, many of which have multiple good games included. If you catch a bundle in the first 48-72 hours it’s often less than $2.50, which is absolutely amazing for what you receive. If you create an account (no payment info required) it will even store all your purchases so you can come back months later and redeem keys. The payment and delivery methods are automated and rock solid. I’ve purchased over two dozen bundles and games from BundleStars and never had any issues. [/li][/ul]
INDIE GALA: Reliability - 8/10, Trust - 9/10
[ul]
[li]Good: Frequent new bundles. Store is growing nicely. Solid payment and delivery systems.[/li][li]Bad: Bundles often not as high quality as other bundle sites.[/li][li]Summary: I’ve bought many bundles and keys from IndieGala.com over the past couple of years. They’ve slowly grown from one bundle a week to featuring several, and they now have a store as well. They have proven to be a reliable and responsible digital retailer. Like BundleStars.com, they are a place I have come to trust and look to often for deals. [/li][/ul]
GROUPEES: Reliability - 7/10, Trust - 8/10
[ul]
[li]Good: Mega Cheap. Deals in music and comic bundles in addition to games. Charity connection.[/li][li]Bad: Game bundles are often Steam Greenlight fodder and stuff you can find in the Weeklong Deals for under $1. Quality of the bundles and games has definitely gone downhill in recent months.[/li][li]Summary: Groupees.com is a site run by a handful of people. They put together bundles of games, music and comics mostly to benefit charities. They often feature Steam Greenlight bundles, which means the games are DRM Free but you will get a Steam key should they end up being Greenlit and sold on Steam. I’ve bought several bundles from them over the past couple of years, and I DO get the Steam keys as promised. It’s a fine site, my only caution would be that it is small, and thus prone to go under at the whim of the internet. I would highly recommend redeeming your keys or downloading your DRM Free content within 30 days of purchase to protect against this. [/li][/ul]
DAILY INDIE GAME: Reliability - 8/10, Trust - 8/10
[ul]
[li]Good: Features a $0.99 indie game every 48 hours. Also has half a dozen bundles up at any given time.[/li][li]Bad: Very limited selection. Bundles often include DRM Free games or Greenlight games. [/li][li]Summary: DailyIndieGame.com is a simple little site that offers a single indie game for $0.99, and changes the game offered every 48 hours. The game on offer is always a Steam game. They also feature DIG Bundles, which are usually half a dozen games lumped together for $1.49. These are often shovelware or Greenlight titles, but I’ve seen a couple of really good DIG bundles with games worth far more than what they’re asking. Again, DIG is a small site run by a couple of guys, so purchase via Paypal or another protected payment system, and register any Steam keys ASAP. [/li][/ul]
