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    A Comparison of Game Sites and Clubs

    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
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    A Comparison of Game Sites and Clubs Empty A Comparison of Game Sites and Clubs

    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:09 pm

    Wiki list of Indie game developers:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indie_game_developers


    Big Fish Games - Big Fish is the general go-to site for casual gamers. Games for non-members are $9.99 or $19.99 for Collector's Editions. Being a member of the Big Fish Game Club simply means buying one game credit for $6.99 a month. The day of the month you sign up on will be your billing date. For instance, if you sign up on the 20th of the month, each month you will be billed for $6.99 and a new credit (good for any $6.99 game) will be added to your account. You can cancel online at any time.

    Benefits of being a Big Fish member:


    • All standard edition games are $6.99 each, and Collector's Edition games are $13.99.
    • Every game you buy will go towards your monthly punch card. 6 punches on your card = 1 free game coupon. Standard games are worth 1 punch each, while the $13.99 Collector's Edition games are worth 3 punches each. Fill as many punch cards per month as you like.
    • Access to the Daily Deal (DD = one game per day which BF chooses to offer for $2.99 that day only) and Tomorrow's Game Today (TGT = games that won't be released to non-members until the following day).
    • Access to Live Chat. Customer Service at Big Fish is not hard to contact, but they will sometimes take several days to get back to you (if they are backed up). Being a member means you that can have "instant gratification" and hop right onto a live chat with them.

    There is a game manager for Big Fish Games. The first time you download a game from them, it will install their Game Manager. All of your games are accessible via this game manager, and you can purchase the game(s) with the click of a button. Doing so will NOT automatically take a game credit, you have the option to pay by other means, and it will take you directly to the purchase page.

    Overall, Big Fish is a reliable site that will not give out your e-mail address and is guaranteed ad-ware and virus-free. The game manager does not "get along" with some people's systems, nor with certain games, but there is a free demo for every game on the site except for some of the Large File games. If you do have a problem, Customer Service is quick to offer solutions, and if the solutions don't work, they will send you a replacement coupon.


    Last edited by genkicoll on Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:17 am; edited 2 times in total
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:10 pm

    (originally posted by b00kworm)

    Amaranth Games

    Amaranth is mostly specialized in RPGs done with the RPG Maker. They
    sell their own games (the Aveyond series, some others like Grim Hatchery
    or A Gypsy's Tale) as well as games made by other studios. In addition,
    they sell some Visual Novels made with the Ren'Py tool and offer the
    tools themselves (RPG Maker XP, RPG Maker VX, Ren'Py, Adventure Game
    Studio ... the latter two are free downloads).

    Amaranth sells games for various prices (depending, I guess, on the
    price the developers of a game set), some are even for free. I have not
    had to deal with their CS so far (I am quite lucky as far as that is
    concerned ... most of the time), but their site offers far more than
    just games. You will also find a big community, patches and updates,
    goodies, guides and other stuff.

    If you have played one of their games from another site (BFG offers the
    Aveyond series and most other games they've made), you might want to
    take a look at them. The same goes if you like RPGs that look, feel and
    play like the classic console RPGs.
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:12 pm

    GameHouse
    - You have three price points to choose from: Non-members pay $9.99
    for standard games, and $19.99 for Premium games. The $6.99 "Fun
    Ticket" gets you one game credit a month while the "Fun Pass" membership
    is $19.99 a month and gives you unlimited play to over 1000 games (PC
    users only). Purchased games drop to $6.99 standard and $19.99 Premium
    for both Fun Ticket and Fun Pass.

    There is a Game Manager, though it is set up differently than the one
    from Big Fish. Still, easy enough to figure out if you pay attention to
    the tabs at the top.

    Some GameHouse exclusives: Mortimer Beckett, Campfire Legends, The Dream Voyager, Delicious - Emily games

    Overall, GameHouse is a trusted site, though be aware of the ad-ware-supported "Free" games. Purchased games do not contain adware.

    Added by govegirl:

    Funpass allows unlimited play of every game on the GameHouse site including premium editions

    You can purchase an annual subscription to funpass for $120.

    You do not need to be a member to buy the supersavers, just have be registered there

    They offer a new free game every day- these free games are sponsored with ads.

    The Game Manager is not compulsory.

    Gamehouse use a download manager for all their games. By default
    additional software is checked to include with your download- Make sure
    you uncheck the google chome browser or google toolbar if you do not
    wish the software installed.

    GameHouse tech support has live chat as well as email and telephone call center support.
    Email support response time is usually within 24 hours.


    Support Hours
    Call Center Hours:
    Monday – Friday: 6 am – 6 pm PT
    Saturday & Sunday: 7:30 am – 5 pm PT

    Chat Hours:
    Monday – Friday: 6 am – 2 am PT
    Saturday & Sunday: 7 am – 2 am PT

    Email:
    24 hours, 7 days a week
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:23 pm

    Posted by govegirl:

    Amanita Design

    Website: http://amanita-design.net/

    Blurb: Makers of the award-winning Machinarium, a fantastic adventure game.
    Games: Machinarium, Samorost, Samorost II.
    Payment accepted: Some credit cards and Paypal.

    Platforms: PC/Mac

    Perks: Price includes both PC/Mac/Linux version + Soundtrack.

    Customer Safety / Satisfaction rating (5 stars highest): ***** (1 vote)
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:24 pm

    Posted by govegirl:

    Cipher Prime

    Website: http://www.cipherprime.com/

    Blurb: Makers of two ‘different’ puzzle
    games Fractal and Auditorium. From time to time, their store also sells
    popular “Indie Love bundles”; a lot of indie games at a ridiculously low
    price. It wins.
    Games: Fractal, Auditorium, Seasonal bundles.
    Payment accepted: Some credit cards and Paypal.

    Platforms: PC/Mac

    Perks: DRM-Free games, price includes both
    PC/Mac version. If you buy a game in a bundle and you already have it,
    you can send it to a friend as a gift.

    Customer Safety / Satisfaction rating (5 stars highest): ***** (1 vote)
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:24 pm

    Posted by govegirl:

    Runic Games

    Website: http://www.runicgames.com

    Blurb: Creators of the fantastic action-rpg, Torchlight. It’s like Diablo, with pets.

    Games: Torchlight, Torchlight II (coming 2011)

    Platforms: PC/Mac

    Payment accepted: Paypal/Google Checkout

    Customer Safety / Satisfaction rating (5 stars highest) ***** (1 vote)

    Perks: None, apart from happy-fuzzy-supporting-the-developer feeling.
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:25 pm

    Posted by govegirl:

    Total Eclipse


    Website: http://www.totaleclipsegames.com

    Blurb: Creators of The Clockwork Man series. Did you know they are from sunny Greece? :-)
    Games: The Clockwork Man, The Clockwork Man: The Hidden World, Fashion Boutique, Bounty:Special Edition, Academy of Magic: Word Spells
    Payment accepted: Through Plimus, including all credit cards, Paypal and many more.

    Platforms: PC/Mac

    Perks: DRM-Free (currently The Clockwork
    Man series and Academy of Magic, developers working on removing DRM on
    the rest), price includes both PC/Mac version where available.
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:25 pm

    Playrix Entertainment - http://www.playrix.com/

    Playrix is the company responsible for the Fishdom games, Gardenscapes, Cradle of Rome/Persia, Royal Envoy and more.

    Games start out at $19.95, though you can save by buying one of their
    bundle packs. They also have a buy-more, save-more policy, allowing you
    to get any game for as low as $4.99.
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:26 pm

    2D Boy


    Website: http://2dboy.com

    Blurb: Creators of the wildly popular game, World of Goo


    Games: World of Goo

    Platforms: PC/Mac/Linux

    Payment accepted: Paypal/Credit Card

    Perks: 100% Region-free and DRM-free
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:26 pm

    Big Finish Games


    Website: http://www.bigfinishgames.com/

    Blurb: Emphasis on story-based games


    Games: 3 Cards to Midnight, 3 Cards to Dead Time

    Platforms: WinXP/Vista


    Payment accepted: Paypal/Credit Card
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:27 pm

    Bit Blot


    Website: http://www.bit-blot.com/

    Blurb: Creator of Award-winning 2-D Platformer, Aquaria


    Games: Aquaria

    Platforms: PC/Mac


    Payment accepted: Credit Cards/wire transfers/money/checks/PayPal


    Customer Safety / Satisfaction rating


    Perks: SSL-protected purchasing, Support the developer
    genkicoll
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:28 pm

    Posted by b00kworm:

    Steam

    Originally founded as Valve's online store (if I remember it correctly),
    Steam is one of the biggest online game stores around. Steam carries
    everything from Oldies for a couple of dollars to the newest mainstream
    games for $ 40 or $ 50 or more. There are also a lot of sales events and
    usually a couple of games sold at a discount (the biggest discount I
    ever found on the site was 75% off a game for one day during the
    LucasArts Week recently).
    The oldest games I have found on Steam were old LucasArts adventures
    (some of them from a time when LucasArts still was Lucasfilm Games).
    Steam also carries a lot of indie-games, so a search through the system
    can bring up interesting and unexpected results.

    Steam accepts all major credit cards and paypal accounts.

    You need an account do buy from Steam (and to play their games, see next
    paragraph), but you do not automatically become a member of a club or
    have to buy regularly.

    All games sold over steam need the Steam software to run. They have to
    be downloaded through Steam (the software), but you can play most of
    them offline (the software can be started in an offline mode).

    The CS seems to be quite up to it (have dealt with them only once so
    far, yesterday, and they solved the problem in less than 24 hours for
    me), but you have to create an additional profile for dealing with them.

    Sponsored content


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