Games for Windows FAIL

[Retardinator]

The worst thing? Some very good games are being ruined with GFWL. And I still can't think of a reason for developers to be insane enough to put it in. It's like you're buying a game and on the box there's a large fleshy tumor sticking out. That tumor is the GFWL logo.

 

[FalloutJack]

This is why there are pirates! Because some companies JUST CAN'T PRODUCE!

 

[Something Amyss]

This is why there are pirates! Because some companies JUST CAN'T PRODUCE!

You don't seriously believe that, do you?

 

[VondeVon]

Message received. GFWL can kiss my shapely buttocks.

 

[FalloutJack]

This is why there are pirates! Because some companies JUST CAN'T PRODUCE!

You don't seriously believe that, do you?

Not really. I'm sure some pirates like that they DO circumvent this crap, but probably not many actually intended it for that purpose. It just sounded like something good to shout. Maybe some dunce at Microsoft will spring to action because we're all afraid of piracy now.

 

[Folio]

Even in combination with Steam it crashes after I ended the game. It's ridiculous how all the crashes and bugs all come in Windows Live, not to mention the strange ways of adding friends to the list.

 

[Tarlane]

I've been really itching to play a new simulation/4x type of game recently and when I saw this sale mentioned I was thinking it would be a great way to try a new one without putting up much cash without knowing whether I would enjoy it or not.

I got as far as three browser restarts(I had it change languages on me and got in the ToS loop too), then finally got to the purchase screen and it hiccuped trying to accept my payment when I gave up.

I had some frustration before with GFWL not liking to log in correctly for arkham asylum, but after my experience here I am done making any purchases through them and if I spot that a game runs it then that game is probably going to have a lot higher of a bar to clear for me to pick it up.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Yeah GFWL is a mess but at some point somebody is going to have to counter Steam for control of the market. It's only out of the goodness of Valve's heart that Steam isn't screwing us all and leaving us to take it due to their dominance of the market and the necessity of their platform.

 

[ArchBlade]

Funny thing, my problem wasn't with the actual client, this time. For once, the client runs smooth... Mostly. Still eats up bandwidth like a *****, but it let me get to the download and back with relatively little trouble.

But then the game... OHHH THE GAME. I've played it very little, on account that there are times when it just refuses to start up. At all. It literally stops responding, no matter how many attempts or restarts I try. And the only way to get it running again is to completely wipe it, reinstall it(Which keep in mind, means having to re-download GFWL after I kicked its buggy ass off my computer) and then wait for the whole damn download to get itself done again.

 

[MadTinkerer]

Microsoft make many good products. They make many more horrifically doomed projects that are usually euthanized quickly, but this is just a side-effect of making such a sheer quantity of products. GFWL is a product that should have been put out of it's misery quickly and ONLY redone from scratch IF the execs really still wanted to wheel and deal with the big publishers. As it is: it's perpetually broken. After three-ish years I think that's pretty much proof that it CAN'T be fixed without scrapping everything currently in place, FINALLY acknowledging the systemic flaws, and leaving those flaws out of GFWL2.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Microsoft are just aweful at this, (I swear they seem to operate on the basis that THEY know what the customers want, (and don't actually ask them!)).

I've used all the digital download services, (barring getgames), and this is how I rate them:

1. Good old Games. (good customer service, no DRM, a lot of titles have plenty of extras)
2. Steam (Lots of offers, and steam program isn't too invasive)
3. Gamersgate (have some good offers, no steam-like software involved, blue coins is a fairly good bonus)

Then the best of the dregs:

4. Direct2drive (not very good deals, only beats impulse due to no steam-like software requirements)
5. Impulse (not very good deals)
6. Green Man Gaming (pretty awful. same games always on "sale". Trade-in incentive is a good idea in concept, but in execution not so important. Not a lot of games on there also)
7. Games for windows live, (Awful. The fact you can pay for some things using Points makes it just barely tolerable)

 

[Motiv_]

I'd rather there not be any DRM at all.

Steam's fine and dandy and all that, but in the end, it's still yet another program that you have to install and sign into just to play your games.

For example, got a new computer, and decided to install a few games on it to see how it ran. Oh, Left 4 Dead sounds good!

Oh wait, I gotta download steam first. That's fine, it's like 50 MBs, right? Download that, sign into my Steam account.

What?

I have to download the goddamn game off of Steam's servers? On a dial up internet connection? You're fucking joking, right? What's the disc for?

Steam's got plenty of good deals, and it's not very invasive at all, but we're getting farther and farther from "Pop and Play" gaming, something I'd really love to see make it's way to PC gaming. And the bigger hassle a game is to play, the less chance I'll have of reinstalling it in the future, especially when gaming is supposed to be an "Escape" in the first place.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

In my personal experience... the only problem out of all that I had was the CD-Key. Certainly thought it absurd that a digital download product was referring me to the Key 'printed on the back of the case' but what really pissed me off was seeing a newly purchased product show up as having NO KEY. This was resolved within 24 hours, but still - WTF. This alone constitutes a major failing of the system if it really intends to compete with Steam. All that other shit you went thru in the article, well... I just consider that part of the rich experience of owning a Windows machine.

 

[ZephrC]

You know, I don't hate Microsoft. Despite what some people claim, they've done a lot of really good things for the computer industry and put out a lot of good product. Don't get me wrong, they've screwed a lot of things up and done things that have hurt the computer industry as well, but overall they really have done more good than harm.

Anyway, the point I got completely sidetracked from there is that it seems to me like since Bill Gates has given up his position as CEO and taken a more hands off approach to running Microsoft, the whole company has gotten a lot stupider and more dysfunctional. I realize that Shamus's experience here is atypically bad, but there is simply no excuse for GFWL to be as broken as it is. It's pure incompetence, and that's really not a problem Microsoft has had until quite recently.

 

[JohnTomorrow]

I feel for you Shamus. I downloaded Dead Rising 2 off Steam, thinking it was just going to be the game. Unfortunately, i also got GFWL with it too. Apparently you cant run one without the other. Every time i try to play, i have to download updates for GFWL. Every. Single. Time.

Not only that, but my version runs fairly well (aside from the whole constantly-needing-to-update thing) - my friends, the one i like to play CO-OP with, doesn't. His version is messed up. And it has ruined many a game because of it.

Assholes.

I'm happy i read your article, however. I didn't realise that it kept running after you quit the game. Now every time i play DR2, i'm going to have to remember to dig through my processes to kill it. Christ, how can Windows mess up this badly?

 

[ultimateownage]

13) One Microsoft rep suggests closing GFWL, and letting the game download "in the background." Wait, so when I close GFWL it's still running? It's not visible in the system tray, or on the taskbar, but it's there in the background eating CPU and bandwidth? Do I need to explain why this is a horrible setup and disrespectful of the end user?

Reminds me of Windows Media Player, except that horrid pile of shit not only runs in the background but CANNOT be ended. If you end the process it just restarts without your permission automatically.

Let's say you got a song playing in WMP and want to close it, using the [X] button. It will only minimize itself and you have to force close it threw the task manager which is bs...

Nope, force closing through task managed doesn't work. Go try it for yourself, it will disappear and then a couple of seconds later it will be climbing up the list back to the highest processing power eater out of every programme. It has crashed my computer many a time with how horrid it is.

 

[thiosk]

ITS TRUE.

GFWL labels on a box will cause me to immediately put down the spur of the moment purchase, and go home to try to download on steam or impulse.

The folks in charge of that seem utterly disconnected with regards to what customers want.

 

[Kouen]

I Love steam <3

also ya this has been alot of what ive gone through with GFWL when dev's tied it into the game, say what you like about steam being mandatory with a game... but at least it works xD

 

[Chess__x]

I had the exact same problems trying to install AoE 3. Although possibly even slightly more annoying as after many tries, it happened twice that the download actually completed and THEN it crashed, even taking the effort to get rid of the files it had previously downloaded (I viewed them in a folder, they were there) and start again. It still isn't installed because I got fed up with it.

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

I'm actually quite surprised to read this after I bought and installed AoE with practically no fuss beyond a very laggy internet connection because I'm in a house of 5. I never thought GFWL was better than Steam but it all went perfectly fine for me on the first attempt.