Gametap

General discussion about other games, links to reviews, demos, etc - let us know about whats up and coming

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Animalor
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Gametap

Post by Animalor »

I did a search on the board and other than Voronwe mentioning that he worked there, found nothing so here it is..

I signed up for Gametap earlier this week. they ahve a special where it's 0.99$ for the first month and then 9.99 a month after that.

I had been looking for a place where I could have acces and play Psychonauts and since I had given up finding a used copy at EBGames and don't use e-bay, this was a perfect opportunity.

What I did find other than Psychonauts on the service however are great stuff like the Sam and Max episodes(I realise I really miss those adventure games), Wing Commander 4 in all it's FMV, Mark Hamill glory and other stuff like Tomb Raider Legends and Tomb Raider Anniversary(both these recognise that I'm using an xbox 360 controller and setup the controls like the console as a default. Really sweet)

Frankly, if you have a craving for some of these old school titles if only to play for a month or so, I really recommend the service.

Quick note though... Although it works on Vista, there is some issue with some titles. I upgraded to the latest and greatest ATI drivers (released on July 19th) and some of the issues I'd been having have dissapeared. Turning off Aero and using the Vista Basic look helped on some of my other issues as well.

Voronwe , if you still come here and if you still work for Gametap, you guys are doing a great job.
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Re: Gametap

Post by cadalano »

steam has psychonauts and sam and max. i signed up for gametap but i probably am going to cancel it in a week or so. their interface is slow as hell and kinda pisses me off. Steam is a much better tool for instant gratification IMO, they just have less titles overall, but more quality.
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Re: Gametap

Post by Animalor »

But does Steam have a subscription service? I'm looking through their page and all I'm seeing is games for purchase. Nothing like what I can get with Gametap which is essentially a buffet of games for a certain price.
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Re: Gametap

Post by cadalano »

no - i shouldn't have compared them really. they are totally different. I use steam just when i need a different game to play and i want it right away but i dont have that problem often enough to justify a subscription to anything!
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Re: Gametap

Post by Animalor »

Ah.. I was mostly plugging Gametap casue of the 0.99$ deal for the first month anyways. I don't plan on using it much past that =P
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Re: Gametap

Post by Hesten »

Well, you could have bought Psychonauts from the makers :)

http://shop.doublefine.com/index.asp?Pa ... Category=8

Thats where i got mine + the soundtrack + a special bonus DVD with all the cutscenes :)
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Re: Gametap

Post by Voronwë »

Yep still working at GameTap (capital "T" :p)

glad you think it is cool

There are definitely still some kinks we are trying to work out, but i think we're really bringing a compelling product out there. There are a lot of cool games in the pipeline too for the balance of the year.

And if the subscription thing isn't for you, we have a lot of free games you can play online. And they aren't bullshit games either like Tropix or Diner Dash.

They are real games like "Street Fighter Alpha 3" and "Hitman"

Games don't stay "Free To Play" forever, but rotate in and out. We've got about 40 free (ad supported) games at any one time from our site, always with some cool stuff rolling through as well.

I haven't had any issues with GameTap and Vista myself (other than our encryption provider didn't provide a 64-bit driver, so i had to install 32 bit Vista). Most of the issues that have arisen w/ Vista (that i know of...i'm not the tech support guy, haha) have largely been the result of the 3rd party (Video Card Manufacturer) not having their drivers 100% nailed down.

Feel free to PM me w/ any questions or feedback and thanks for checking out the product.
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Re: Gametap

Post by Winnow »

hey Voro,

Isn't Gametap feeling the pressure from the free Asian MMORPG games? Those seem to have a good "free with option to pay" model going.

If you check the Rappelz thread, you can see that it's working well. People can play free all they want but there are compelling reasons to pay for items that enhance gameplay if you choose to. The same is pretty much true for Second Life. I always thought it would be a good idea to make the basics of online games free so the player community could take breaks but not lose touch with their friends playing the game and then jump right back in when they had time. With Rappelz, the key item they sell are Hidden Valley passes and "tents" which affect the pricing of items and how fast you regain stamina which affects how fast or slow you progress in the game. If you don't buy them, you can still play the game but it just takes longer to progress and you still make game money" off mobs but pay 15% more of that game money for in game items (potions equipment etc). With Second Life, while I'm not playing it actively right now, I still get messages from friends in the game, my character can log in at anytime with everything I've acquired. The only thing you'd pay of is in game real estate which I don't own atm. Both Rappelz and Second Life have excellent models IMO.

I brought forth the idea of a MMORPG hub that would connect many games with a central virtual area. I think some companies are getting closer to creating such a model. Keeping players in the loop and involved with their online friends, with easy access to games would be my number one goal as an online game maker.
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Re: Gametap

Post by Animalor »

I finished Psychonauts last night. Man what a fantastic game. I may go ahead and order it from Midway since it's on the Back Compat list for the 360 now. Far and away the best 3d platformer (story-wise and concept-wise) I've ever played.

The level diversity was incredible, the gameplay with about double the time a similar game usually takes to finish a similar game. (took me approx 16 hours to play though it).
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Re: Gametap

Post by Sabek »

Animalor wrote:I finished Psychonauts last night. Man what a fantastic game. I may go ahead and order it from Midway since it's on the Back Compat list for the 360 now. Far and away the best 3d platformer (story-wise and concept-wise) I've ever played.

The level diversity was incredible, the gameplay with about double the time a similar game usually takes to finish a similar game. (took me approx 16 hours to play though it).
I loved pyschonauts on the xbox.
It was one of those really enjoyable games that just dont get the praise and sales numbers it deserves.
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Re: Gametap

Post by Hesten »

Yep, Psychonauts are a great game, loved how they managed to let a "simple" platform game have so much diversion due to brilliant level design.
The pinball style stage, the lungfish, and the milkman conspiracy stages are just brilliant, and the Napoleon idea with having 3 "levels" of play to solve that one puzzle border genius :)
I still hope for a sequel.
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Re: Gametap

Post by Boogahz »

I would like to thank GameTap for adding to the insane amount of previews/ads before 300. I bought the damn DVD, I don't need/want to see ads. ><
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Re: Gametap

Post by Animalor »

Hesten wrote:Yep, Psychonauts are a great game, loved how they managed to let a "simple" platform game have so much diversion due to brilliant level design.
The pinball style stage, the lungfish, and the milkman conspiracy stages are just brilliant, and the Napoleon idea with having 3 "levels" of play to solve that one puzzle border genius :)
I still hope for a sequel.
I still have a hard time deciding that my favorite level is. Every single one of them was great. Nein's Shooting Gallery, Gloria's theater, even the Basic Braining one was great.
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Re: Gametap

Post by Fash »

Purchased Psychonauts through xbox live, the new downloadable xbox originals.

awesome game!!!!!!1 I am very impressed with the story, humor, and level design.
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Re: Gametap

Post by Sabek »

Fash wrote:Purchased Psychonauts through xbox live, the new downloadable xbox originals.

awesome game!!!!!!1 I am very impressed with the story, humor, and level design.
Yes the whole concept of going into the various peoples minds to fix their mental hangups and achieve "real-world" results was a great twist.
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Re: Gametap

Post by cadalano »

i ended up cancelling my gametap account



i had a lot of problems with games not working, and most of the game selection is not really that enthralling. if i had a need for "new game" instant gratification more frequently, it would be better than steam... but as it is i only need to impulse buy a new game on Steam every 3-4 months.. so subscriptions arent really the best model for me
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Re: Gametap

Post by Fash »

I did too... It was fun for a while before I had xbox live arcade, but I want a subscription site to only charge me if I use the service. Before finally cancelling, 3 or 4 months of charges hit while I never logged in. (I know, I'm the perfect lazy customer)
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Re: Gametap

Post by Animalor »

I ended up buying Psychonauts through Originals as well. i've been bargain bin diving since I played it on Gametap looking for a copy.

Originals is the next best thing. =)
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