How To Get Download Games From Someone Else Library

five best game download services

The gaming services that give Steam a run for its money

Ten years ago, the mere suggestion of downloading a game digitally would have left virtually PC gamers aghast.

"What of my telephone bill!?" "Won't the Boutique of Electronics shut downward as a effect!?" "Who is this Horatio chap, and what does he want with my daughter?"

Fortunately, we presently got out of the early-millennial way of thinking and accepted digital downloads every bit the manner forwards. As with all other shifts in the games manufacture, the PC led where others will surely follow. Digital distribution platforms, such as Steam, basically nabbed the iTunes model and applied it to gaming. Very successfully.

We've actually reached a point where physical media is becoming less and less relevant. Physical copies of recent games such every bit Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Modern Warfare: Black Ops have but been containers for a Steam code and a flake of data, the balance of which is downloaded online.

The opinion seems to be that the bulk of PC gamers don't care about boxed goods, and would rather be able to play their games on the day they're released than have to wait around with a Gregg'due south pasty waiting for their local co-operative of GAME to open up.

In turn, every other platform is getting in on the digital download malarkey. It seems that neither the PlayStation Network or the Xbox Live Arcade were quite ready for simply how massive digital downloads would be, and the tiny file size limit (350MB on Xbox Live, last fourth dimension we checked) has stopped console downloads being every bit big as the PC.

In the meantime, the PC is nonetheless the best platform for digital downloads, and there are a fair few contenders to Valve's crown. The most important is probable to be EA's Origin, which is playing host to the visitor's upcoming uber-blockbuster, Battlefield 3. In fact, the state of war game won't be enjoying a Steam release at all, although it will be available on a few other digital distribution platforms.

We've rounded up five of the biggest and most interesting platforms, and given them a run for their coin in terms of download speeds, design, and content. We've left out more specialist services such as Skilful Old Games and Blizzard'southward Battle.net as the titles on these sites often aren't available anywhere else, which would hardly make for a fair comparing.

i. Steam

The original game download service, launched by Valve in 2004. The decision to release Half-Life 2 on the service in 2005 saw PC gamers downloading Steam en masse, and subsequent releases saw it expand in popularity. Forbes estimates that l-lxx per cent of PC gaming'southward $4billion income comes through Steam.

It'south not without its problems, though. If you lot oasis't gear up Steam to offline mode, and observe yourself without an net connection, you won't be able to access whatsoever of your games. Plus it occupies a shady area of UK altitude selling regulations, which state that yous're allowed seven days to try out products bought online - Steam doesn't offer refunds.

With an apparent 70 percent cut for big publishers who get their games on Steam, it's an attractive choice. DRM for Valve and some third-party titles is supplied via Steamworks, with publishers able to stick other forms of protection on top of their games. The latter tin prove to be a bit of a nightmare, especially if it'southward Fallout 3's Games for Windows Live or GTA IV's Social Club.

Valve has absolutely nailed the user experience. Everyone who plays PC games has Steam, and its chat and social features are second-to-none. However, surprisingly, we found our download speeds lagged a trivial. There's besides no incentive program to continue you coming back, and Steam keys tin now be sold past third-party sites.

Steam has set the high water marking for PC game download services, and it has also sneaked onto the PlayStation iii and Mac. It's also got a humongous catalogue of three,710 games - but it'south going to confront some tough competition equally other publishers cash in on digital revenue.

2. Origin

EA's brand-spanking-new web shop is rather like its old i, but with an original name. It'south aiming to match its "leading competitor [read: Steam] past 2012", and it - somewhat unsurprisingly - but stocks EA titles. Even though it'due south still in its nascent stages, Origin is fairly fully formed.

But Origin has stirred controversy recently - particularly when it comes to its relationship with Steam.

The conclusion to make Battlefield 3 an Origin-exclusive seemingly didn't go down also well with Valve, and Crysis 2 has been pulled from Steam - although EA believes this to be a mere coincidence.

The plot thickens when you realise that Valve and EA accept a mutually benign relationship - the manufacture and distribution of Valve's boxed products is silently handled by EA.

Every bit a client, Origin is nicely laid-out and easy to use. The games seem more often than not cheaper than on Steam, too with Expressionless Space 2 costing £19.99 on Steam and £14.99 on Origin. Download speeds are solidly impressive, and the fact that yous don't have to go through the Origin layer to admission your games is a boon to anyone who likes gaming on the move.

EA has large plans for Origin, such as an iPhone version and potential cross-compatibility beyond upcoming consoles. It's all the same got a long style to go before information technology tin can compete with Steam, but it's slick and smooth enough to be a serious contender.

Battlefield 3 will either define or sink it, and our money'southward firmly on the sometime - at the stop of the day, most gamers aren't going to worry as well much virtually where their game comes from, as long as they can play it.

3. Direct2Drive

Started originally past IGN, Direct2Drive has recently been purchased by United states of america game rental service Gamefly. Gamefly itself is launching an online rental service before long, so Direct2Drive has been slightly neglected, but it'southward nonetheless an interesting online game shop.

Direct2Drive doesn't accept a client every bit such, instead it installs a basic "shop" which redirects to the website, also as GameSpy Comrade for online matchmaking and chats.

It's a slightly hotchpotch system, but it just about works. With over ane,500 titles, its catalogue isn't lacking, although we had problems getting a decent download speed.

Some titles - such every bit Deus Ex: Human Revolution - simply consist of a Steam key to get the game, which is a tad abrasive.

Dissimilar Steam, most games merely require a one-fourth dimension activation to get them working, so there's no fretting about being offline. The downside is that many titles employ the infamously Draconian Securom DRM, but apparently the support squad volition transport out more than admission codes if you run out.

There'south another goodness, too. Direct2Drive promises to price-lucifer any game you've bought if yous observe it on a competitor's site for cheaper. Information technology will also refund your game if yous request your money dorsum inside a reasonable corporeality of fourth dimension, and oasis't activated the title.

Direct2Drive is definitely due an overhaul, though, and hopefully Gamefly's ownership will requite it the lick of paint information technology so desperately needs. If Gamefly tin likewise bring its rental plan - which gives you unlimited games for a monthly fee - to the UK, it could be the unique selling indicate it needs to musculus in on Steam, Gaikai and Onlive.

iv. Greenish Homo Gaming

Probably the well-nigh interesting and innovative service in our round-up, Light-green Man Gaming is a British beginning-upward. On the surface, information technology looks like any other download service, and to some extent information technology pretty much is. Where the Green Man stands out is in its merchandise-in policy.

Although a trade-in system may seem a tad odd on digital products, it does actually piece of work. If a game gets the go-ahead from publishers, it's listed and sold through Green Man Gaming'southward site. You can download and play the game to your centre'south content, just if you go bored, or just don't like it, you can trade it in for a certain value - ordinarily about 25% of the cost yous paid for information technology. Bigger games don't characteristic the trade-in organization, only you can yet put your credits towards them.

Prices on Green Man Gaming fluctuate, and getting skillful prices is virtually a game in itself - one user invested only 4p at the site's beginning, and now has £thirty of credit for the site. Green Man Gaming reckons that, in essence, you're spending less money to get more than games.

Although the range is currently a little thin, it's an interesting prototype for online gaming, particularly in these days of wallet-watching credit crunches. Its Capsule software is a little clunky, and its slightly esoteric shopping system may go over the heads of some users.

The site's success lies on people using it, and more trade-ins brand information technology better for anybody. If it takes off, it could well prove to be an underdog challenger to Steam's throne - unless Steam decides to nab the trade-in arrangement for itself.

5. Games for Windows Market place

Microsoft has beaten effectually the bush with its Games for Windows Live platform for ages now, and seems to have finally decided to integrate it with its Xbox portal. This could exist part of some thou plan for the next Xbox panel, but at the moment it'south in a no-man'southward land of games services.

Like it or non, y'all've probably already got Games for Windows installed if y'all've got Dirt 3 or Dead Rising two - fifty-fifty if you bought them via Steam. It feels a tad sneaky, and the sheer number of hoops you've got to go through to get games running makes for some major ball-aches. DLC is similarly ineffective, and we yet have nightmares about getting the add-ons for Fallout 3 working.

The Games for Windows Marketplace catalogue currently stands at a deplorable 166 titles. Amidst these you'll notice the triple-AAA likes of Dirt 3 and Bioshock two, but contempo releases have been thin on the basis. It plainly works well enough for some publishers: Codemasters has released F1 2011 via Games for Windows Market. It makes sense for Microsoft's own games: Fable 3 and Historic period of Empires are there also.

Microsoft clearly even so has a vested involvement in PC gaming, what with it owning that whole Windows matter. Games for Windows Alive does expect rather spiffing; the MSN-style messenger and wholly-cribbed-from-Xbox achievements organisation piece of work well. However, right now it seems to be more of a promotion for the Xbox equally a gaming platform than a fully-fledged service.

Verdict

Green Man Gaming comes a shut second to Steam. On paper, Steam ticks all the right boxes, with decent download speeds, a huge catalogue of games, and a straightforward user interface. There's as well the fact that just nearly every PC gamer on the planet uses information technology, and it's established itself in the very boulder of gaming.

Simply Steam is only our number one for the moment. In the coming months, especially with the release of Battlefield 3, there could be some rather huge shifts in gaming clients, and the way we utilize them.

Each service we looked at has its ain unique selling point, from Origin's cross-platform mechanics to Games for Windows Live's apparent integration with the upcoming Windows eight.

Steam might never be toppled, but it could see a sizable share of its user base migrate to other platforms.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First published in PC Format Outcome 259

Liked this? Then bank check out OnLive vs Gaikai: cloud gaming explored

Sign up for TechRadar's free Calendar week in Tech newsletter
Get the top stories of the week, plus the well-nigh popular reviews delivered straight to your inbox. Sign upwardly at http://www.techradar.com/register

Follow TechRadar on Twitter * Detect united states of america on Facebook * Add us on Google+