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General discussionRelease: Quake II + III, Wolfenstein 3D, Return to Castle Wolfenstein(806 posts)(806 posts)
(806 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted October 01, 2015
FPS Immortals are here.

Quake II: Quad Damage, Quake III: Gold, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny - are available now, DRM-free on GOG.com. You can pick them up at 33% off in two bundles:
<span class="bold">Quake Damage</span> & <span class="bold">Return to Wolfenstein</span>.





Wolfenstein 3D (with Spear of Destiny) is widely considered to be the first true 3D FPS ever. It single handedly kickstarted a generation of id Software greats, and thus influenced just about every FPS we've played ever since. Its mazes, shades of gray, and blue hues are burned into the collective gaming memory - plus you get to kill a mechanized Hitler. Classic.
In the early days of FPS gaming, Quake II: Quad Damage was the milestone. In a spot-on review from 1997, GameSpot calls it "the only first-person shooter to render the original Quake entirely obsolete." It was bigger, better, prettier, and smoother than any clone or predecessor - it also offered one of the most playable, and by far most popular multiplayer experiences of its day.
Quake III: Gold, aka. multiplayer revolution. Despite a controversial removal of the lauded single-player experience the series was known for, Quake III: Arena became a smash-hit and (together with Unreal Tournament) essentially defined arena-style, movement-based competitive gaming for years. The shooter spawned a community that's been living and breathing to this day.
In B.J. Blazkowicz's Return to Castle Wolfenstein, another legend is born. A unique, objective-based multiplayer mode saw immense popularity back in the day - and it was actually pretty okay if you're into that sort of thing. The single-player campaign is a dark, somewhat ridiculous freak show of morbid, scientific fantasy. An ever present sense of dread emanates from the disturbing experiments and cult-like universe, just waiting to be set afire - by you.


As with any Bethesda purchase, you'll also get The Elder Scrolls: Arena & Daggerfall for free!


Prepare to fight in Quake II: Quad Damage, Quake III: Gold, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny - now DRM-free on GOG.com. Return to the FPS immortals at 33% off in two bundles: <span class="bold">Quake Damage</span> & <span class="bold">Return to Wolfenstein</span>. The promo will last for one week, until October 8, 12:59 PM GMT.



The four titles released today are not available for purchase in Germany. These are legal restrictions that are beyond our control, and we're very sorry for the inconvenience.
Posted October 05, 2015
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AngryAlien: Of course I am supposed to buy everything Fallout 4 or Elder Scrolls. But in case Bethesde decides to see me as a second class customer, I am nothing more than a piece of shit for them. Boy, am I pissed.
Bethesda's always been a bit weird when it comes to Germany. On the Bluray consoles (there are good reasons for this on the Xbox 360, but not on the PS3, PS4 or Xbox One), Bethesda is still insistent on antagonising German customers with its German releases. Even when the game is not censored, German releases of Bethesda games very rarely have the original English version, usually forcing upon us a very sloppy German dub, replete with translation errors.

Even Activision has moved away from this ridiculous practice since the start of the PS4/XO generation, recognising that many European gamers prefer to play games in the original language.
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Shieru-sensei: But no, movies are considered art, even shit like Uwe Boll Nazi flicks, but Swastikas in games and comics are considered a big no-no.
Actually, the Kulturrat, which basically has the final say on whether something is recognised as art, has already long declared games to be art. It's just that the political establishment - who as you rightly say seem to be more obsessed with obscuring the fact that the Nazis were evil - choose to ignore this. It's completely at odds with the concept of a Rechtsstaat and shows how they really only pay lip service to this concept.

When you suppress an understanding of the problem as the government has done over the past 60-odd years, this gives rise to neo-fascist movements like PEGIDA.
Post edited October 05, 2015 by jamyskis
Posted October 05, 2015
At least it seems there is now some move at the BPjM.

Much more games are not indexed and just labeled USK 18 and the new MortalKombat and the previous GTA titles were removed from the index a few days ago.
Posted October 05, 2015
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JKHSawyer: I can't find anything on Medieval having DRM besides it using Galaxy, and Victor Vran's DRM is related to multiplayer too. These are not the first games to do that on GOG...

Multiplayer having or needing an account is hardly shocking. The single-player is still playable with no connection required.
The need of Galaxy is pure DRM. Especially when there is no LAN. Doesn't GOG say Galaxy is fully optional? You are right, needing an account isn't something new. But it's new that you need your GOG account instead of an seperate account. And this doesn't make it better. DRM is DRM.
The Bonus items in Victor Vran originally only can be used in online mode. But the developer changed that.
Post edited October 05, 2015 by classic-gamer
Posted October 05, 2015
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JKHSawyer: I can't find anything on Medieval having DRM besides it using Galaxy, and Victor Vran's DRM is related to multiplayer too. These are not the first games to do that on GOG...

Multiplayer having or needing an account is hardly shocking. The single-player is still playable with no connection required.
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classic-gamer: The need of Galaxy is pure DRM. Especially when there is no LAN. Doesn't GOG say Galaxy is fully optional? You are right, needing an account isn't something new. But it's new that you need your GOG account instead of an seperate account. And this doesn't make it better. DRM is DRM.
The Bonus items in Victor Vran originally only can be used in online mode. But the developer changed that.
I can remind me when most games required a GameSpy account to play multiplayer. What if the same happens sometime in the future with GOG. Nothing exists forever.
Post edited October 05, 2015 by DanielRuf
Posted October 05, 2015
Funny, in the wishlist the Wolfenstein and Quake games are free for German users. You can even put one in the cart, but unfortunately you can't check out.
Attachments:
free.jpg (151 Kb)
Posted October 05, 2015
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PaterAlf: Funny, in the wishlist the Wolfenstein and Quake games are free for German users. You can even put one in the cart, but unfortunately you can't check out.
You found a bug ;-) :D
Posted October 05, 2015
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AngryAlien: .
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blotunga: Instead of being pissed, you can simply work around the issue. Ask someone to gift you the games ;)
Yes, I thought about this option. But first, right now I am not sure if there is actually something like a geolock active and if I could actually activate those games. And second, why should I watch Bethesda treating me like a second class customer and still reward them with my money? :)
Posted October 05, 2015
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blotunga: Instead of being pissed, you can simply work around the issue. Ask someone to gift you the games ;)
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AngryAlien: Yes, I thought about this option. But first, right now I am not sure if there is actually something like a geolock active and if I could actually activate those games. And second, why should I watch Bethesda treating me like a second class customer and still reward them with my money? :)
You can activate the games, i can confirm this at least for Quake 2. So i guess there is just the prohibition to buy not to own/download/install these games.

edith reminds me: i've been using the installers, not the galaxy client. I do not know if it works with galaxy.
Post edited October 05, 2015 by bombe_zwanzig
Posted October 05, 2015
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AngryAlien: Yes, I thought about this option. But first, right now I am not sure if there is actually something like a geolock active and if I could actually activate those games. And second, why should I watch Bethesda treating me like a second class customer and still reward them with my money? :)
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bombe_zwanzig: You can activate the games, i can confirm this at least for Quake 2. So i guess there is just the prohibition to buy not to own/download/install these games.

edith reminds me: i've been using the installers, not the galaxy client. I do not know if it works with galaxy.
Thanks for the reply! Although I think I will still pass on those games. Hell, right now I am actually thinking about cancelling my pre-order for Fallout 4 and believe me... THAT would feel like selling my first born, since I am a die hard Fallout fan.
Posted October 05, 2015
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AngryAlien: Thanks for the reply! Although I think I will still pass on those games. Hell, right now I am actually thinking about cancelling my pre-order for Fallout 4 and believe me... THAT would feel like selling my first born, since I am a die hard Fallout fan.
I don't think the issue is entirely Bethesda's fault. For Quake I don't know, but for the other games, the blue guys said that it's illegal to sell them in Germany and anyone doing so would be liable to prosecution. Owning them isn't, also you can for example buy a physical copy abroad and bring back home with you. Weird laws...
Posted October 05, 2015
In the times of the C64 there had been games programmed by fascists which spread via copying. They were not sold, but they might be the reasonh for this kind of censoring. Or there is something I missed about the mystical capabillities of a swastika, for if you look at one, it turns you into bloody nazi that instant. Or doesn't it? Well, as long as games are considered toys not art, i doubt the situation will get any better soon.
Posted October 05, 2015
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AngryAlien: Thanks for the reply! Although I think I will still pass on those games. Hell, right now I am actually thinking about cancelling my pre-order for Fallout 4 and believe me... THAT would feel like selling my first born, since I am a die hard Fallout fan.
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blotunga: I don't think the issue is entirely Bethesda's fault. For Quake I don't know, but for the other games, the blue guys said that it's illegal to sell them in Germany and anyone doing so would be liable to prosecution. Owning them isn't, also you can for example buy a physical copy abroad and bring back home with you. Weird laws...
Right. This is what is also written in the law. But the customs (Zoll) might seize some physical things and you have to tell them why you have bought it (for private use) when you import them. But we are old enough and this is just for protecting minors (and because of the liability of the sellers / distributors).
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bombe_zwanzig: In the times of the C64 there had been games programmed by fascists which spread via copying. They were not sold, but they might be the reasonh for this kind of censoring. Or there is something I missed about the mystical capabillities of a swastika, for if you look at one, it turns you into bloody nazi that instant. Or doesn't it? Well, as long as games are considered toys not art, i doubt the situation will get any better soon.
Well, the swastika itself generally is good (a religious symbol for luck and so on) and was abused by the Nazis. Just like all other symbols they used.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

I see these things regularly in TV (documentations, cartoons, movies). But let's see how the BPjM will decide as they have removed some games from the list a few days ago.
Post edited October 05, 2015 by DanielRuf
Posted October 05, 2015
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AngryAlien: Thanks for the reply! Although I think I will still pass on those games. Hell, right now I am actually thinking about cancelling my pre-order for Fallout 4 and believe me... THAT would feel like selling my first born, since I am a die hard Fallout fan.
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blotunga: I don't think the issue is entirely Bethesda's fault. For Quake I don't know, but for the other games, the blue guys said that it's illegal to sell them in Germany and anyone doing so would be liable to prosecution. Owning them isn't, also you can for example buy a physical copy abroad and bring back home with you. Weird laws...
Quake I was removed from the "Index" making it fully legal to buy here. The other titles, like Quake II and III, unfortunately are still on the "Index". That means they may not be advertised or sold freely. Adults over 18 years old may still buy them - if they can find them. No shop will have these in their stores and online there is the problem to prove, that one is old enough.

No solution there, until the law has changed. :'(

EDIT: Typo
Post edited October 05, 2015 by ralfkorrek
Posted October 05, 2015
I'll be honest: I did start to buy from GOG almost immediately after I found the site. Hell, I didn't even have a Steam account until some time AFTER I had a GOG Account, and did only start to use Steam roughly a year ago.

All because I hated Steams Geolock policy.

When GOG Germany launched earlier this year my first thought was: Crap, this will be Steam all over again. In the past, whennever I bought something here I had the thought that I was supporting a great site. But now that feeling has gone. Whenever I'd spent money now it would feel as if I was throwing money into the maw of the site which sold out my interests as a customer. This may sound melodramatic, but censorship really is that big an issue for me
Posted October 05, 2015
In the times of the C64 there had been games programmed by fascists which spread via copying. They were not sold, but they might be the reasonh for this kind of censoring. Or there is something I missed about the mystical capabillities of a swastika, for if you look at one, it turns you into bloody nazi that instant.
The problem here is basically a sloppily worded law combined with the fact the case law remains until rescinded. These laws are from the 1950s where you still had large groups of "loyalists". The point was to prevent the Nazis to march down the main street brandishing swastikas using the bullshit "we are just celebrating our heritage" that the US regularly has. And by and large it worked quite well in pushing these preople to the margins.

To get there and remove the "no intent to promote" defence the law outlaws all use and makes an exception for historical education, defence against extremism, art and science etc.. Of these exceptions only "art" applies. Unfortunately the only high court cases for this are from the early 90s and basically rule out computer games as art (which given the content and limitations of the time made some sense). Since then publishers have worked around the issue since spending 5+ years to get a ruling is a financial death sentence for any game. So we are unlikely to get updated rulings any time soon. Business is just naturally risk-averse.

And in all honesty I don't get this "if I can't have it nobody can have it" feeling a lot of people spout here. Are you people really accusing GoG to be the bad guy because they did not tell a publisher for whose games thousands of people have lobbied for years to fuck off because they insisted that GoG follows the (possibly stupid but still valid) laws of Germany?
Post edited October 05, 2015 by E_A
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionRelease: Quake II + III, Wolfenstein 3D, Return to Castle Wolfenstein(806 posts)(806 posts)
(806 posts)