Is Steam becoming a Rip-Off?

[SgtRock]

It seems Steam is selling more and more so called early releases, some of which aren't even at the Beta stage, with some selling for new full release prices.

I also find it odd, games like Panzer Corp can't get greenlighted but, Rip-off crap like Day One: Garry's Incident can. It seems if some one gives away enough Steam keys anything can get greenlighted. Is the greenlight open to manipulation or is the process fixed?

Steam is still a great way to get and manage games and there is nothing easier than getting your steam games installed on a new rig. Yet the whole Early Release and Greenlight process is starting to smell and it's not good!

[HistoricalGamer]

The only game I've purchased as early access was Kerbel Space Program and that thing was ridiculously well done. IT's still considered early release and the game is very very polished, original, and addicting as hell. If you want to look at a early release done right KSP is it. imho of course.

[Toonces]

I don't see any issues with the offering of Alpha and Beta games.  It does seem to be more of a trend, paying for "early access" to incomplete games.  However, this is clearly advertised and I don't have any problem in principle of offering folks the opportunity to pay to play early, eg. ARMA 3.  As a consumer, it pays to do your due diligence before you buy to determine if a game is worth an early pay-to-play and there is so much information out there that there's no reason to feel misled into buying a clunker.  For example, there is almost no game on Steam's forums that doesn't have a "Is this game worth it?" thread on the first page, and since the Steam forums almost always attract folks with an axe to grind, getting access to negative opinions has never been easier.

I don't have any opinion as to Greenlight or how it works. 

[-budd-]

I don't think it's a rip-off, nobody is making us buy early and there is usually enough info to sorta make an informed choice. I've only bought one early access[doorkickers] and i feel is was in good enough shape to buy and play and it turned out it was. I generally have enough of a backlog of games where i don't feel like i have to buy something early, I do look though.

[Gusington]

Buyer beware.

[SgtRock]

I don't see any issues with the offering of Alpha and Beta games.  It does seem to be more of a trend, paying for "early access" to incomplete games.  However, this is clearly advertised and I don't have any problem in principle of offering folks the opportunity to pay to play early, eg. ARMA 3.  As a consumer, it pays to do your due diligence before you buy to determine if a game is worth an early pay-to-play and there is so much information out there that there's no reason to feel misled into buying a clunker.  For example, there is almost no game on Steam's forums that doesn't have a "Is this game worth it?" thread on the first page, and since the Steam forums almost always attract folks with an axe to grind, getting access to negative opinions has never been easier.

I don't have any opinion as to Greenlight or how it works.

Try reading the Steam Forums for some of these early releases, some thought they were buying a playable game and not some unfinished unplayable mess of a failed kickstarter. There is also no guarantee that the per-released (unfinished) game you just bought will ever be released, finished, or even become playable. There are even some developer comments like "Wow we got more money on Steam, then we got from our kickstarter". I would hate to think Steam is becoming the place to fund developer's failed kickstarter!

Steam needs to offer something if a so called early release is never finished or not released in a playable state!

[CptHowdy]

not a rip off but I click on a lot of games that look interesting and I find out that it was an android or ipad app first and they are porting it over. i wish it would state that on the info page somewhere. i have to read the forums to find that out most of the time.

[Gusington]

Steam doesn't need to offer anything, they are a distributor. If anyone needs to offer anything it's the developers, and even then it's the consumer's responsibility to educate himself on what he's buying.

[Toonces]

I'm not trying to be argumentative here.  I get what you're saying.  However, as a consumer you really need to do your own homework before you buy a game.  It's not Steam's job to ensure you know what you're buying.  You have to read, research, figure it out. 

For example, there was some zombie shooter game I saw on there a few months back that looked really good.  I can't remember the name, but the store page looked pretty awesome.  I'm ready to buy, but I want to browse for a few previews/reviews before I commit so I go to the forums and it is just plastered with folks bitching about how unfinished the game is, etc.  Yes, somebody had to be that first guy that bought and got burned.  But after he got burned and pasted all over the forum about it, what excuse is there for the next 100?  Or 500?  After seeing 20 threads of "this game is shit" I had no problem NOT  buying the game. 

There's an argument to be made that the first buyer really had no appropriate intel to not buy the game.  But, then there are review sites, etc.

For the vast majority of us, there's just no excuse to be surprised by a game purchase anymore.

[SgtRock]

not a rip off but I click on a lot of games that look interesting and I find out that it was an android or ipad app first and they are porting it over. i wish it would state that on the info page somewhere. i have to read the forums to find that out most of the time.

There is a filter for platforms (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, etc.) on Steam!

[Nefaro]

not a rip off but I click on a lot of games that look interesting and I find out that it was an android or ipad app first and they are porting it over. i wish it would state that on the info page somewhere. i have to read the forums to find that out most of the time.

There is a filter for platforms (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, etc.) on Steam!

That doesn't filter out the Tablet-to-PC ports since those are technically Windows-based since they'd been ported to it.

I can understand his frustration, as most of the tablet games are just too thin for my enjoyment.  However, I can usually tell if it's tablet port after looking at some screenshots.  I'm also now in the habit of checking the Steam forum to see if it's a port of some kind - either from tablet or console.

[SgtRock]

I'm not trying to be argumentative here.  I get what you're saying.  However, as a consumer you really need to do your own homework before you buy a game.  It's not Steam's job to ensure you know what you're buying.  You have to read, research, figure it out. 

For example, there was some zombie shooter game I saw on there a few months back that looked really good.  I can't remember the name, but the store page looked pretty awesome.  I'm ready to buy, but I want to browse for a few previews/reviews before I commit so I go to the forums and it is just plastered with folks bitching about how unfinished the game is, etc.  Yes, somebody had to be that first guy that bought and got burned.  But after he got burned and pasted all over the forum about it, what excuse is there for the next 100?  Or 500?  After seeing 20 threads of "this game is shit" I had no problem NOT  buying the game. 

There's an argument to be made that the first buyer really had no appropriate intel to not buy the game.  But, then there are review sites, etc.

For the vast majority of us, there's just no excuse to be surprised by a game purchase anymore.

Steam never used to be like this, you always got a finished/released game, it may have bugs and/or total crap but it was a released title.
Early release can mean anything from a real almost complete title to some half baked idea that's no where near completion. Most gamers don't know the difference between a Alpha and Beta release, hell some developers don't even have clear difference on what's an Alpha or Beta release.

[CptHowdy]

I'm not trying to be argumentative here.  I get what you're saying.  However, as a consumer you really need to do your own homework before you buy a game.  It's not Steam's job to ensure you know what you're buying.  You have to read, research, figure it out. 

For example, there was some zombie shooter game I saw on there a few months back that looked really good.  I can't remember the name, but the store page looked pretty awesome.  I'm ready to buy, but I want to browse for a few previews/reviews before I commit so I go to the forums and it is just plastered with folks bitching about how unfinished the game is, etc.  Yes, somebody had to be that first guy that bought and got burned.  But after he got burned and pasted all over the forum about it, what excuse is there for the next 100?  Or 500?  After seeing 20 threads of "this game is shit" I had no problem NOT  buying the game. 

There's an argument to be made that the first buyer really had no appropriate intel to not buy the game.  But, then there are review sites, etc.

For the vast majority of us, there's just no excuse to be surprised by a game purchase anymore.

Steam never used to be like this, you always got a finished/released game, it may have bugs and/or total crap but it was a released title.
Early release can mean anything from a real almost complete title to some half baked idea that's no where near completion. Most gamers don't know the difference between a Alpha and Beta release, hell some developers don't even have clear difference on what's an Alpha or Beta release.

i agree. i wish they would be a little more discerning and not offer everything under the sun. a lot of crap to filter through.

[SgtRock]

Steam Rip Off - Here's an example:

On Steam Now
Day One: Garry's Incident Review - $19.95

the game as a metric score of 0.5
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/day-one-garrys-incident

How does something like that even get Greenlighted and released by Steam, huh?

[jomni]

It will only be a rip off if you allow yourself to be ripped off