Steam: Difference between revisions

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All of Valve's PC games since ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' have required Steam and the retail versions come with it. The service is free to download as well, and allows gamers to integrate their games into the service, as well as download games that support the service natively.
All of Valve's PC games since ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' have required Steam and the retail versions come with it. The service is free to download as well, and allows gamers to integrate their games into the service, as well as download games that support the service natively.


Having the full support of pretty much every major publisher that makes PC titles except Blizzard, Maxis (except for ''[[Spore]]'' and ''[[SimCity]]'') and recently [[Electronic Arts]], the service makes it easier to just download and play PC games, due to having over one thousand titles available for download, many of which are classic games in their own right-and now it boasts more than 30 million unique users. Not bad for a company that made its first game 12 years ago.
Having the full support of pretty much every major publisher that makes PC titles except [[Blizzard]], Maxis (except for ''[[Spore]]'' and ''[[SimCity]]'') and [[Electronic Arts]] (who have their own [[Digital Distribution]] platform, [[Origin (EA)|Origin]]), the service makes it easier to just download and play PC games, due to having over one thousand titles available for download, many of which are classic games in their own right-and now it boasts more than 30 million unique users. Not bad for a company that made its first game 12 years ago.


The program has its own [[Hatedom]], partly thanks to the service's self-imposed [[DRM]], but also due to surprisingly high prices, which Steam circumvents by offering weekly discounts on specific products. Further, as [[Digital Distribution]] has become more popular, [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_245/7285-Steam-A-Monopoly-In-the-Making some of the ways Steam does things have proven unfriendly to competition]. Ironically, the reaction to [[Electronic Arts]]' digital service ''Origin'' was highly negative, with a ''ton'' of people wishing they just stuck to Steam, though this is largely in part due to majority opinion that Origin is not only a vastly inferior service for a variety of reasons (it can be argued that Steam's success is because it provides a variety of useful services nobody else provides), but also due to Orgin's [[Internet Backdraft|highly controversial]] terms of service.
The program has its own [[Hatedom]], partly thanks to the service's self-imposed [[DRM]], but also due to surprisingly high prices, which Steam circumvents by offering weekly discounts on specific products. Further, as [[Digital Distribution]] has become more popular, [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_245/7285-Steam-A-Monopoly-In-the-Making some of the ways Steam does things have proven unfriendly to competition]. Ironically, the reaction to [[Electronic Arts]]' digital service ''Origin'' was highly negative, with a ''ton'' of people wishing they just stuck to Steam, though this is largely in part due to majority opinion that Origin is not only a vastly inferior service for a variety of reasons (it can be argued that Steam's success is because it provides a variety of useful services nobody else provides), but also due to Orgin's [[Internet Backdraft|highly controversial]] terms of service.
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== Games and series for download from Steam include ==
== Games and series for download from Steam include ==
* ''[[Aaaaa a Aaaa AA Aaa AAA Aa AAAAAA Reckless Disregard For Gravity]]''
* ''[[Aaaaa a Aaaa AA Aaa AAA Aa AAAAAA Reckless Disregard For Gravity]]''
⚫
* ''[[The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police]]''
* ''[[Alan Wake]]''
* ''[[Alan Wake]]''
* ''[[Alice: Madness Returns]]''
* ''[[Alice: Madness Returns]]''
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* ''[[Back to the Future: The Game|Back to The Future]]''
* ''[[Back to the Future: The Game|Back to The Future]]''
* ''[[Bastion]]''
* ''[[Bastion]]''
* ''[[Battlefield (series)|Battlefield]]'' series<ref>Except ''[[Battlefield 3]]'' (which EA has made exclusive to their competing Origin service) and a few gimmick titles.</ref>
* ''[[Battlefield (series)|Battlefield]]'' series<ref>Except ''[[Battlefield 3]]'' (which EA has made exclusive to their competing [[Origin (EA)|Origin]] service) and a few gimmick titles.</ref>
** ''[[Battlefield: Bad Company]]''
** ''[[Battlefield: Bad Company]]''
* ''[[Beat Hazard]]''
* ''[[Beat Hazard]]''
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* ''[[Call of Duty]]'' series
* ''[[Call of Duty]]'' series
** ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare|Modern Warfare]]'' series
** ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare|Modern Warfare]]'' series
** ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops|Call of Duty Black Ops]]''
** ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops]]''
** ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops II|Call of Duty Black Ops 2]]''
** ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops II]]''
* ''[[Cave Story]]+''
* ''[[Cave Story]]+''
* ''[[Champions Online]]: Free For All''
* ''[[Champions Online]]: Free For All''
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* ''[[Counter-Strike]]''
* ''[[Counter-Strike]]''
* ''[[Crea Vures]]''
* ''[[Crea Vures]]''
* ''[[Video Game/Crime Craft Bleedout|Crime Craft Bleedout]]''
* ''[[Crime Craft Bleedout]]''
* ''[[Critical Mass 2011 (video game)|Critical Mass 2011]]''
* ''[[Critical Mass 2011 (video game)|Critical Mass 2011]]''
* ''[[Crusader Kings]] II''
* ''[[Crusader Kings]] II''
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* ''[[Dota 2]]''
* ''[[Dota 2]]''
* ''[[Dragon Age]]''
* ''[[Dragon Age]]''
* ''[[Video Game/Drawn The Painted Tower|Drawn The Painted Tower]]''
* ''[[Drawn: The Painted Tower]]''
* ''[[Duke Nukem Forever]]''
* ''[[Duke Nukem Forever]]''
* ''[[Dungeon Defenders]]''
* ''[[Dungeon Defenders]]''
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* ''[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed|The Force Unleashed]]''
* ''[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed|The Force Unleashed]]''
* ''[[Fortune Summoners]]''
* ''[[Fortune Summoners]]''
* ''[[Video Game/Forsaken World|Forsaken World]]''
* ''[[Forsaken World]]''
* ''[[Front Mission]]: Evolved''
* ''[[Front Mission]]: Evolved''
* ''[[Frozen Synapse]]''
* ''[[Frozen Synapse]]''
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* ''[[Nuclear Dawn]]''
* ''[[Nuclear Dawn]]''
* ''[[Oddworld]]'' series
* ''[[Oddworld]]'' series
** ''[[Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath|Oddworld Strangers Wrath]]''
** ''[[Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath]]''
* ''[[Orcs Must Die]]''
* ''[[Orcs Must Die]]''
* ''[[Patrician]]'' series
* ''[[Patrician]]'' series
* ''[[Payday: The Heist|PAYDAY the Heist]]''
* ''[[Payday: The Heist]]''
* ''[[Peggle]]''
* ''[[Peggle]]''
* ''[[Penny Arcade Adventures]]''
* ''[[Penny Arcade Adventures]]''
* ''[[Video Game/Plain Sight|Plain Sight]]''
* ''[[Plain Sight]]''
* ''[[Video Game/Planet Busters|Planet Busters]]''
* ''[[Planet Busters]]''
* ''[[Plants vs. Zombies]]''
* ''[[Plants vs. Zombies]]''
* ''[[Poker Night At the Inventory]]''
* ''[[Poker Night At the Inventory]]''
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* ''[[Rochard]]''
* ''[[Rochard]]''
* ''[[Rollercoaster Tycoon]] 3''
* ''[[Rollercoaster Tycoon]] 3''
* ''[[Video Game/Runaway A Twist Of Fate|Runaway A Twist Of Fate]]''
* ''[[Runaway: A Twist of Fate]]''
* ''[[Rusty Hearts]]''
* ''[[Rusty Hearts]]''
⚫
* ''[[The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police|Sam and Max Freelance Police]]''
* ''[[Scratches (video game)|Scratches]]''
* ''[[Scratches (video game)|Scratches]]''
* ''[[Second Sight (video game)|Second Sight]]''
* ''[[Second Sight (video game)|Second Sight]]''
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* ''[[Star Ruler]]''
* ''[[Star Ruler]]''
* ''[[Starscape]]''
* ''[[Starscape]]''
* ''[[Video Game/Star Trek DAC|Star Trek DAC]]''
* ''[[Star Trek DAC]]''
* ''[[Star Trek Online]]''
* ''[[Star Trek Online]]''
* ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront (series)|Star Wars Battlefront]] II''
* ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront (series)|Star Wars Battlefront]] II''
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* ''[[VVVVVV]]''
* ''[[VVVVVV]]''
* ''[[The Walking Dead (video game)|The Walking Dead]]''
* ''[[The Walking Dead (video game)|The Walking Dead]]''
* ''[[Video Game/War Inc Battlezone|War Inc Battlezone]]''
* ''[[War Inc Battlezone]]''
* ''[[Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine|Warhammer 40000 Space Marine]]''
* ''[[Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine|Warhammer 40000 Space Marine]]''
* ''[[Warhammer Online]]''
* ''[[Warhammer Online]]''
* ''[[Wasteland Angel]]''
* ''[[Wasteland Angel]]''
* ''[[Video Game/Winter Voices|Winter Voices]]''
* ''[[Winter Voices]]''
* ''[[The Witcher]]: Enhanced Edition''
* ''[[The Witcher]]: Enhanced Edition''
** ''[[The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings|The Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings]]''
** ''[[The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings|The Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings]]''

Revision as of 18:12, 13 January 2018
"Oh, yeah, I love Steam! I just hate the pipes..."
—Francis

Steam is the most popular Digital Distribution platform for PC games. Created by Valve Corporation in 2004 to distribute and integrate their own games cheaply, it has grown from its shaky and buggy beginnings into the service that PC gamers can use for their online middleware needs. (Provided you have a decently fast internet connection and a way of buying online.) It also features a messaging system, an online multiplayer platform, Achievements, and an in-game Web browser, making it something like the PC equivalent of Xbox Live, except free, and marketed at an older demographic. And like Live, it has since gone cross-platform, supporting MacOS X in addition to Windows.

All of Valve's PC games since Half-Life 2 have required Steam and the retail versions come with it. The service is free to download as well, and allows gamers to integrate their games into the service, as well as download games that support the service natively.

Having the full support of pretty much every major publisher that makes PC titles except Blizzard, Maxis (except for Spore and SimCity) and Electronic Arts (who have their own Digital Distribution platform, Origin), the service makes it easier to just download and play PC games, due to having over one thousand titles available for download, many of which are classic games in their own right-and now it boasts more than 30 million unique users. Not bad for a company that made its first game 12 years ago.

The program has its own Hatedom, partly thanks to the service's self-imposed DRM, but also due to surprisingly high prices, which Steam circumvents by offering weekly discounts on specific products. Further, as Digital Distribution has become more popular, some of the ways Steam does things have proven unfriendly to competition. Ironically, the reaction to Electronic Arts' digital service Origin was highly negative, with a ton of people wishing they just stuck to Steam, though this is largely in part due to majority opinion that Origin is not only a vastly inferior service for a variety of reasons (it can be argued that Steam's success is because it provides a variety of useful services nobody else provides), but also due to Orgin's highly controversial terms of service.

In 2010, the interface underwent a major overhaul, designed to coincide with the release of Steam for the Mac. Opinions are mixed.

Not related to water vapor. That will never happen.

Games and series for download from Steam include

  1. ↑ Except Battlefield 3 (which EA has made exclusive to their competing Origin service) and a few gimmick titles.
  2. ↑ as part of the Classics bundle only
  3. ↑ as part of the Classics bundle only
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Steam?oldid=1567080"