GameTap and Codemasters Align For Free Games

Joystiq reports that publisher Codemasters has announced an alliance with the GameTap service that raises the profile of the all-you-can-eat gaming buffet considerably. The service will offer titles like DIRT and Overlord for-purchase download, of course, but the real news is that current and future Codemasters titles will be available directly via the service. That is, if you have a subscription these games are free. "Beyond the games mentioned, potential superstar title Clive Barker's Jericho and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty will be part of that future day and date deal. All these titles will also be available to purchase through GameTap's digital store, but seriously, the cost of one game will get you four months of GameTap service. We continue to be impressed with GameTap's expanding services and ridiculously affordable price, not to mention their free ad-driven gaming space."

Comments

Hmmmm.

[SatanicPuppy]

I've always been curious about these services, both for a sort of browsing-without-buying variety, and as a foil against the ever-increasing piles of game crap that infest my storage spaces. Anyone use these services, and have any thoughts? I'm not averse to monthly fees, but if the service is clunky and annoying to use, that would drive me up the wall.

Re:Hmmmm.

[Andruil]

I definately enjoy it. Its pretty neat being able to play games from pretty much all the consoles. They keep adding to the list of games and now that they are getting current day games it just got better. And yeah you just log in, find a game, download and then play. There are alot of games you can't even get / play on their too. Plus with any of the emulated games you get the benefits of an emulator. You can hit escape and save your state right in the middle and come back later. Or use it as an in game save for the fun of it.

Re:Hmmmm.

[KermodeBear]

I love GameTap. It is easy to use and the game selection isn't just old titles. They have some games from 2005/2006, and they're not all no-name games either. I believe the site has an up to date list. It is nice that they have networked multi-player games, so you can play some of the classic arcade games with someone else across the country. Works well if you have a good connection.

There are a few things that I don't like, though:
1. I cannot get any game pad to work correctly; it seems to confuse the buttons for some reason.
2. You cannot modify the game files at all, so forget installing custom mods/maps/skins/etc.
3. The non-game content, especially the video. I see no benefit, at all, to the video content. I don't want to pay for someone to sit around and create content I have no interest in seeing!
4. The interface is pretty intensive. On an older machine the games themselves run fine, but the GameTap program itself crawls.

For the price and the variety of games available, these things are pretty minor. I think it's a great value. I believe they have a $1 first month offer going on, and even if not, you can cancel your account at any time.