GOG have just released the public beta of version 1.2 of their Galaxy client. Lots of nice features - cloud saves, game overlay, FPS counter, etc. Many of the features are already part of Steam, but it’s great to see GOG competing on a more even playing field now when it comes to features. I’ve only tried it briefly so far, but interface feels a lot newer if that makes sense. And cleaner/less cluttered than Steam. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.
I am excited. I almost exclusively use Galaxy and purchase on GOG as often as I can. Notable exceptions being the new Deus Ex, Mirrors Edge, and Dirt Rally. Resource usage improvements, game overlays, fps counters, and Cloud Saves really round out a great tool. I especially love that it is optional so that in the future my games should hopefully work should something happen to CDProjekt. Can’t say the same for Steam/Valve. Steam is such a mess at this point it is almost comical, though I might forgive that if there was a HL3. 
I tried syncing some game saves between macOS and Windows yesterday using Galaxy; it worked flawlessly. Of course many games don’t yet support cloud saves, but I’m confident that the situation will change, given how GOG are comfortable with releasing patches themselves.
I normally purchase games from Humble Store (as my first choice) and manage them using the Steam client, but this Galaxy update is so good I’m going to switch to GOG and Galaxy as my primary store and client for purchases going forward.
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As of three days ago, GOG Galaxy is now out of beta. 
I noticed that more new releases since have included Cloud Saves, including Pinstripe, de Blob, and Scanner Sombre. That’s promising. I’m hopeful that this important feature will be added to more older releases too. I’m not fussed about other Steam features such as achievements, but cloud saves are really useful, especially for those of us who use multiple machines and operating systems. I think supporting more games will be a deciding factor in people choosing GOG as a place to grow their game libraries. But this is great start.
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And I thought Valve was shady before. I had no idea… https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/16/15622366/valve-gabe-newell-sales-origin-destructive
All the more reason to support GOG.
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All the more reason to support diversity in general in the PC gaming space, especially as we have that option (console owners do not have that luxury). This video was posted on Polygon a few weeks back which discusses the general idea:
As a primary store for purchasing games, I think GOG is currently the best choice, given that all of the other big options enforce DRM - Origin, Battle.net, UPlay, and Steam all require their clients to be running to play a game. The Microsoft Store and Mac App Store don’t require this, but still restrict installing and updating with DRM, and do not support competing OSs. Humble Store is good for DRM-free indie games, but if you want to use a client for updating you’re generally tied to Steam or one of the others.
I’d buy from them if I they actually had the games that I want to play. Their focus on old games means that they’re simply not an alternative to Steam, and there’s no way around that other than adding more (and newer) games to their store.
And indie games if you play those. The focus has shifted away from being exclusively about good old games (they rebranded from Good Old Games to GOG.com for that reason) to a more general curated garden of deeper games (not mobile ports and the like). It’s really up to the publishers to allow their games to be sold DRM-free, there’s not much GOG can do about that unless/until there’s a shift in publisher mindset (we won with music, maybe we can with games too). If they give up their DRM-free principle for particular new games the line would blur between them standing up for consumers rights and becoming another Origin or Uplay, so I think that would be detrimental for both GOG and gamers.
So I agree that they cannot be used an alternative to Steam for all games, but for almost 2000 games on GOG they certainly can be an alternative to Steam.
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Solo really hit the nail on the head, but I would like to add that it isn’t GOG not welcoming new AAA games, but entrenched developers falsely believing they must have DRM, wanting to monetize what are trivial bits of game play, and once a game has reached maturity they have no interest in keeping up support for newer systems. One of the great things about GOG is they work to ensure their entire library works on newer systems. A lot of older games that are fantastic have been brought back to life thanks to them. Any game released is a complete package and you are relatively free from micro transactions.
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Also, a lot of the older games on GOG aren’t that old. There are plenty of games from the last generation that have been released on GOG, often patched better than the Steam version. To give a concrete example, I couldn’t even get the Steam version of Crysis working, but the GOG version worked without issue. Unless you only play AAA titles from the current generation, there’s a rich catalog to explore.
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These are certainly valid points. It’s not that I don’t want to support GOG, it’s just that most of the games I buy simply aren’t on the platform. That said, after taking a look, I could have bought a few of the Steam games I own on GOG. And their effort into making the games compatible is certainly admirable. I remember Septerra Core on Steam being largely broken, and people actually used files from GOG’s version to fix it. Eventually the Steam version was updated with the changes already found in the GOG version.
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Would you guys find it useful if I made a GOG Connect topic that we can update whenever Steam games can be brought across to our GOG libraries at no cost? These games are usually only on GOG Connect for a few days so it is easy to miss them.
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.