I wasn’t even aware of GOG Connect until now. While it seems really interesting, it’s a shame these games are only available temporarily. At the moment there’s only one game in the list.
It’s understandable; I doubt GOG make any money off GOG Connect directly (and potentially lose money, as some people would otherwise buy the games again on GOG or they buy the Steam version and activate it on GOG). It seems to exist to get more people onto the GOG platform who have already built large libraries on Steam and because it was highly requested. But the temporary nature is annoying; I missed out on bunch of games such as Metro 2033 for that reason.
While a nice idea, it’s clear that the temporary nature means that it won’t work. Their efforts are probably better spent elsewhere.
Any recommendations for some hidden gems on GOG? Personally, I can recommend VA-11 Hall-A. It’s not a game for everyone, as it doesn’t hide that it’s geared towards an otaku audience, and the dialogue can be crass (usually intentionally, it depends on who you’re serving drinks). Think of it as a visual novel with an interesting game mechanic (mixing drinks) that replaces the traditional dialogue selection. It’s the drinks you serve that influence the conversation. There’s no real way to fail the game, although there’s a “bad” end if you mess up mixing the drinks too many times. The music stands out, and while I think the story stumbles on delivering the more emotional moments, I really enjoyed the game’s cyberpunk atmosphere.
I haven’t played the following ones in a very long time, so I’m probably looking at them with nostalgia goggles.
The Longest Journey: a classic 2D click&point adventure game with illogical puzzles, a great story and characters, and probably the best protagonist of any video game I’ve played. Back when I played this, I really felt as if you went on a journey through a fascinating world. Unfortunately the sequels, Dreamfall and Dreamfall: Chapters, are very different games which never recaptured the magic of the original.
Septerra Core: An RPG that, while released on PC, has more of a classic console JRPG-feel to it. While it doesn’t do anything that stands out, it ticks all the boxes: interesting world, likeable characters, and a serviceable turn-based combat system. The game is fully voiced, and the quality of the voice acting stood out for its time. Unfortunately, it never got a sequel.
I actually have both The Longest Journey and Septerra Core in my collection. Unfortunately I haven’t made time to play either of them properly. The Longest Journey might be the next game I play through, since it has been so highly recommended by yourself and others. The GOG version appears to be patched better than the Steam version too (I could not get the Steam version to work).
As mentioned in another topic, Revolver 360: RE:ACTOR is definitely worth trying. Also, Astebreed, which you already recommended to me Draikin, is another good shooter on GOG.
I’ve been playing a game called Downwell quite a lot. It is great for short sessions. You play as a child who has fallen down a seemingly endless well. As you fall, you have to avoid and destroy enemies with bullets that fire downwards out of your boots, occasionally entering side caverns to find items and buy supplies. Don’t be put off by the graphics; it’s simple but surprisingly fun.
Undertale is a must play if you like RPGs (or don’t like them), it completely turns many of the cliches of the genre of their head. It’s best played without too much prior explanation I think. It’s not too long by RPG standards either.
GOG has a great selection of RPGs, some old, some relatively new, but you need a considerable amount of time to play most of them. I have fond memories of Knights of the Old Republic, but you’ve probably already played that one.
They also have a decent selection of DRM-free documentaries, many related to gaming such as Us and the Game Industry which explores the development of Journey and other games.
KOTOR was one of the best RPGs I’ve played. I’d rank it among Panzer Dragoon Saga, Mass Effect 2 and Persona 5.
Looking at Downwell and Undertale… I’d likely struggle to complete these games. Undertale looks interesting though, the premise kind of reminds me of The Stanley Parable.
As luck may have it, Septerra Core has been discounted by 80% and costs next to nothing now.
I’m also considering getting The Witcher 3. As far as I can tell, it’s been the biggest title for GOG since its launch, and given how successful it’s been it’s also a strong example of why DRM isn’t necessary.
@legaiaflame and I posted some thoughts about The Witcher 3 in another topic. Don’t let those comments put you off if you have time to experience the story though, it’s more of a warning of what to expect in a world where breadth of content is valued so highly. In terms of graphics it is the most impressive RPG I’ve played and is set in a dark, Game of Thrones-eqese fantasy world, so I may go back and play through it one day.
Interestingly, more players are playing The Witcher 3 on GOG than on Steam, in large part due to the physical edition being activatable on GOG.
Thanks for reminding me about The Stanley Parable, another game I got in a bundle a while back and have been meaning to play. I have heard good things.
Reading those comments, I don’t think The Witcher 3 is a game for me. The fantasy world setting isn’t my favorite one, and I dropped The Witcher 2 early on. I’d probably be better of looking for other games. On the other hand, I’m really interested in Cyberpunk 2077.
The Stanley Parable doesn’t take long to complete the first time you play it, and you don’t have to see all the endings to appreciate it. It’s one of the few games where I don’t need the narrative to make sense. You’ll understand what I mean when you play it.
If you dropped the Witcher 2, you probably won’t like the Witcher 3. I disagree with some of the comments though. The world is huge, with many areas to explore, but the overwhelming number of side quests feel meaningful. The criticism that I can agree with is the regarding fatigue. There is just so much to do in that game that you at times forget what the main narrative had you doing at times. I will say that now that I am getting closer to completing the main story of the game, it is possible to skip some of the side stuff, but there is some ‘buffing’ that would need to be done if you only focused on the main quest. The game definitely requires a time investment. For me though, I have read all the novels (even the ones that only have fan translations, though now there is only one officially untranslated book in the series and it is coming out next year). The games are kind of like an alternate reality or alternate sequel. It is fun getting to participate in more story in what I feel is a rich fantasy world. What was missing for me in Skyrim was a narrative that made traveling the world feel relevant. The Witcher is able to tie in its large world and give meaning to the exploration.
Some other indie games that GOG has that are great and that I would recommend are Hyper Light Drifer. Kind of reminds me of those old Beyond Oasis games on the Genesis/Saturn. Ori and the Blind Forest and Dex are some great Metroid style games. Everspace is a solid space shooter in the vein of Decent.
With The Witcher 3 there was a lot of hype built around it being an open world game, so I went into it expecting something more like Skyrim with less of a requirement to do quests and such. But since it’s quite narrative driven, if I’m going for story I feel that I might as well play the original Witcher games first before moving on to The Witcher 3 (if I decide to invest the time in that universe).
Everspace and The Long Journey Home both look like decent space games that I’d like to try at some point. Hyper Light Drifter looks interesting too; I’ve wishlisted it for now. I picked up Ori and the Blind Forest on GOG a while back and it’s been great.
I’ve just bought some of the recently released Neo Geo games which are fun; I hear that these aren’t the best versions of the games, but they’re a good example of the GOG team improving the games themselves by adding Galaxy features.
Speaking of Bethesda…
All with added cloud save support. I haven’t played the Fallout games earlier than 4, so I will likely purchase these at some point. 
Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen was just released on GOG. Another quite recent big budget RPG, released as late as 2012. Along with SNK, it’s great to see more Japanese publishers joining GOG recently which has been a large hole in their lineup up until now. I would love to see Sega release some of their classics on GOG.
1 Like
Bethesda just released some of their older games also. Not sure why they didn’t go ahead and release Skyrim. I can’t imagine it is still selling so many copies that they would lose out on it being DRM free.
It could be that they’re staggering the releases to give the Oblivion-era games their time in the spotlight.
Skyrim also has built in support for downloading mods, functionality which I imagine would be harder or impossible to duplicate on Galaxy at the moment.
FYI, gog.com is having there summer sale event. Lots of great games for cheap. Picked up two games on my wish list this morning! 
Nice. There’s a huge batch of new games on GOG Connect as well; I just brought across 14 games from Steam.
1 Like
Here’s a free copy of Alan Wake’s American Nightmare on GOG for anyone who wants it (I already have it in my library). First in, first served. The code expires on June 27.
GOG have just added cloud saves to another batch of games. I like the way they continue to add cloud saves to older games, including those which have never had cloud saves before such as Far Cry and Jade Empire (not even on Steam). GOG really is the definitive place to pick up classic PC games.
1 Like
Now that GOG Galaxy has been out for almost two years, what do people think about the service?
Personally, while I’m impressed by what they’ve achieved, I’ve found I still use Steam quite a lot, even for some games available on both platforms. The main reason is cloud saves, a number of GOG games still lack them, and it’s unwieldy manually managing saves when you have a large collection and are also a dabbler. I also like earning achievements, as a record of what I’ve done (for the same reason I take photos when on holiday).
But for older games that never had cloud saves (and in some cases achievements) on Steam, the GOG versions are definitely my preference. The older Bethesda games, Dragon Age: Origins, Far Cry 1 & 2, Metal Slug 1-3, the list is quite extensive now.
I think it’s a really convenient way to download your games and keep them updated without having to deal with the hassle of the website. If I had to choose between Steam and Gog, I’d always go for the Gog version of the game. With steam dropping support for Windows XP, it’s not really a long term solution for playing games on existing hardware. As someone who enjoys keeping and working with older PC builds, having a DRM free solution for game purchases compatible with older hardware is incredibly convenient. I’m not sure how compatible Galaxy itself is with older rigs, but it’s great to use as a download manager for game installers themselves, because downloading them through a browser is a pain.
That’s a good point about Windows XP that I hadn’t considered. In our throw away society, I’m glad that enthusiasts like yourself are making use of older hardware.
That said, I tend not to hold on to older hardware, generally owning one desktop or laptop at a time with a modern OS installed on it. So of more concern to me is that these older games get patched to work on modern operating systems (which GOG has a track record of doing). I am also a little concerned that both PCs and Macs will switch their processors from x86 to ARM with no compatibility layer (which would be a problem for both Steam and GOG); if that happens, I may just have to get a seperate x86 machine to run my Steam and GOG collections on.