Widescreen Gaming Forum

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/15/games ... lient-sti/

They are killing the online store on the 22nd.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/PC/Games

I have no idea if there are any exclusive GFWL games that do not have a retail counterpart. I know some would require importing from EU to US or vice versa.

Might want to scroll through the (relatively meager) list to check things out before it is KOed. Especially if you are a digital-only user.

Yea, unless you have an irrational faith in Microsoft and Win 8 you really might want to do some legwork on your current titles and any you might want to get down the road.

http://www.pcgamesn.com/microsoft-set-c ... arketplace

The only exclusive game I can think of off-hand is Tinker, a free puzzle game. There are also a few games that are available elsewhere but are only GfWL-enabled when bought through the Marketplace.

Games for Windows Marketplace installers can be backed up very easily. This works for both games and patches/updates. They can then be installed without the Marketplace client; you'll still be prompted for DRM activation in-game if applicable.

I don't know whether DLC files can be backed up. Some games can have DLC manually added through a configuration file (I think Fallout 3 works like that) so backed up DLC would work in those cases if nothing else.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/vi ... Year-Rumor







<rant don't bother the read
I got Dead Rising 2 and I cannot even update it anymore since it got registered to an account that I can no longer find. But that game was going to be a coaster anyway. I purchased most of the DLC for Fable 3 I wonder where that will go. But I can just buy it again for the new service anyway.

I got Hard Reset retail from Kalypso and their service doesn't even have the patch available.

I got Mass Effect 2 but I don't even know if the service where I bought some of the DLC even exists anymore. Apparently I had an Origin account which has been created for me that was compromised or something. Or maybe that was my Uplay account.

I bought Disciples III Resurrection from GamersGate and all they gave me was a Steam key. Speaking of Steam I am sure all those third-party games will still be playable if they fold up shop. And of course a bankrupt company has plenty of money lying around to update their entire library. But Steam would never die, just like AOL.

I want to play Final Fantasy XII-2 with all the DLC but there is no way in hell I am locking it to a physical device that Sony will stop supporting in a couple years. But maybe I could buy it again from Sony and get it streamed to me if needed. And yet I blindly buy eShop games with faith that Nintendo will introduce an account system at some point.

In the future I think my PC game buying habits will involve waiting to see if a more complete version will be released and then just supplementing my retail purchase with a pirated version for playing.

I am the everygamer. I am stupid.
rant>

It's nice to see batman make a full recovery, and switch to steam. I really hope Fallout 3 will do the same. Having achievements for that game would be awesome.

I heard that Batman made the switch, but what does that actually mean? I bought Batman AA on the GFWL marketplace, so will I now get a Steam Key for it? Or am I forever tied to using the GFWL client should I want to re-install it?

Product keys for both games now activate on Steam regardless of where you bought it. Valve have reported a known issue with some keys not being accepted but I'd expect that to be fixed soon.

Both games unlock as the Game of the Year edition (includes all DLC) even if the key was from a non-GOTY release.

That's good to know. Now if only I could get the GFWL client to connect so I could get my product keys. It says I'm not connected to the internet, even though I successfully log into Live when playing Dark Souls. /boggle And the only support option they have is twitter? /sigh

Well, I got the GFWL Marketplace program working, but the key listed there is the LIVE activation key, and doesn't activate on Steam. So on the plus side, I can download it now. On the downside, it's still tied to the GFWL Marketplace, and not on Steam or upgraded to the GOTY edition.

The product key activation issue is still ongoing (there are sticky topics in the games' Steam Community Discussions about it); the LIVE activation key is the one that will work once they get things sorted. BioShock 2 seemed to have keys working right away without such problems.