Here’s another ode to the old original opinion days. I’ll be doing an updated review of Gametap in the next few weeks. Thought I would post my view of this service three years ago, just to make it apparent how much my views have changed. I’ll be posting soon. Hope for the best!
As time goes on, and more and more generations of video game systems are introduced, there sometimes arises the need to go back to the roots. We all get that retro feeling from time to time. Surprisingly enough, as a retro gamer, there are more than a few options. The technically inclined may choose the route of the ‘rom’ and ‘emulator’. This is a free option, but not a legal one. Another option would be to get your hands on the original hardware, but why deal with all those old video gaming systems cluttering up your home. Someone else may cure their retro sweet tooth with those cheap-crappy controller, all-in-ones that you can buy at Wal-Mart. Lastly I say; we finally have a savior, Gametap!
Gametap is a subscription based video gaming service. Over a broadband connection, you have access to a library of over 350+ retro video gaming titles. The requirements for the Gametap service are: a Broadband connection, an 800MHz processor, Windows 2000 or XP, 256MB RAM, and 5GB free storage. The bulk of the Gametap library is comprised of retro games, but there are a few newer titles in their PC Games sections. The games are divided into several categories, such as: Gametap Picks, My Favorites, Game System, and Games Types.
Here are the numbers for games per system as of February 10, 2006:
Arcade (63)
Atari 2600 (82)
Commodore 64 (40)
DOS (14)
Dreamcast (3)
Game Gear (7)
Sega Genesis (55)
Intellivision (8)
Sega 32x (6)
Sega Master System (12)
Windows (88)Enough formalities, what you really want to know about are the games right? What games do they have that I may be interested in? What’s going to keep me paying a whopping $14.95 a month? As far as the classic retro arcade games, they’re all there, Pac-Man, Dig-Dug, Pong, and Pitfall. Almost anything you can possibly think of. Also, all the Sega Genesis and Master System classics are there, Sonic Series, Phantasy Star, and Shinobi. Gametap has a surprising array of Windows gaming titles. These titles include Tomb Raider and the Splinter Cell series, which are definitely titles I did not expect to see.
I know what your saying, where are the classic Nintendo titles? Do you really think Nintendo would license out their classics? With the slated release of the Nintendo Revolution this fall quarter, Nintendo will have the whole Nintendo back library available for download on a pay per game basis. This sucks for Gametap users, because many of the retro games we want to play are Nintendo games.
The Rundown: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
The Good
There are many retro titles to choose from, all of which download almost instantly. Also, there are a few surprising titles in the PC Games section!
The Bad
Who wants to pay $14.95 for something they cant own? Also, PC Games take much longer to download, which is frustrating, but I guess it cant be helped. Lastly, there are no Nintendo games in the library, making the experience much less enjoyable.
Gametap currently has a ‘First Two Weeks Free’ promotion running. If your into retro games, I would definitely deem Gametap worthy of a try!
