I do not intend to start a war. I hate bans, flamming, trolling, fanboyism (even though some people might see my discussion as an expression of such viewpoing) and stuff. I simply wish to compare and contrast, without having something in mind, wanting to prove anything, find or fight the good and evil, or promoting/advertizing. I like facts, arguements and civilized conversations. Let's indulge in it, then!

Steam.
1) Is actually a means of DRM protection.
2) Forces you to be always on. (Well, there is an offline mode, but nowhere near being either perfect, or entirely without faults and flaws).
3) Forces you to always have the latest update. In certain games, this is bad, because older versions were more stabilized, or simply preffered for content's sake.
4) Without having internet, you own NOTHING!
5) Games' data is not yours, not stored in your pc (permanently, or with the ability to burn and use as suited).
6) When a newer version of a game is released, like an enhanced edition or game of the year, you have to REBUY it, it does not get updated for free. Or gift your copy, ONLY if it had been purchased as a gift, and then purchase the newest package.
7) DLCs are sold separately, expensively, never released in one solid package, NEVER gifted to you. In the case of Darksiders 2, with an endless list of DLCs and their sitty price, which also never saw a compilation release containing everything in the same package, it is beyond funny, stupid or just greedy; it is, with one word, sit!
8) No refunds, no beneficial policies for the consumers' side.
9) Extras are not a given (soundtracks, wallpapers, etc.) in all titles.
10) Poses as progress, friendly and useful (linking people, accounts, helping form teams...), but this is only a frontal facade, which is unable to outweight all other negative effects...

GoG:
1) Advocates abolishing of DRM, proves actively that games as long as they are of high quality, do not need to and are not pirated.
2) The only time you really need to be connected, is only to download your games and buy them. You will NEVER again require inernet, which is a wonderful thing!
3) You are not forced to update your games fully! You patch them at your own leisure, wants and needs!
4) You own EVERYTHING you buy, without having to use the internet only to use your purchased stuff 24/7.
5) Games' data is yours to keep, in your pc, everything is used from and stored to, there! You own EVERYTHING you buy, are FULLY entitled to your rights as a consumer, and the good old law which allowed you (in bygone eras) to burn your games with one (or more) legal copies for backup and personal future use, is still in effect!
6) When a newer version is released of the same game, gog updates your copy for free, by either offering the update, or changing the games' contents themselves. They never force you to purchase same, newer title twice or more. In certain cases, they even offer the original game for free download at the extras section of the updated title!
7) With rare exceptions (the only i can think of is Omerta), dlcs are not sold separately. Always, they are in one package, either as all DLCs in one bundle, or the titles offered for sale are complete compilations, offering complete packages in one go, and most importantly, ONE, SINGLE charging! And in some cases, DLCs are even added in as a GIFT!
8) They even offer refunds, when a game cannot run with proof on your system! And they entitle you FULLY to your rights as a customer, even the ones that were abolished by the years (legal, exclusively personal copies of your stuff)!
9) All titles contain extras and goodies, making them effectively and actually digital collector's editions!
10) Does not pose, does not pretend! It IS the best deal, the best bet on the long run, but unfortunately, fewer advertizing, disbelief and immitation running rumpant on new generation gamers, and lack of extra online social touch (involving games themselves), does not do it the scale of justice it really deserves... This is the only drawback. Which is outweighted by its contradiction; they keep it real, they are who they are, they do not compromise, which is actually a pro, and the single greatest! Plus, what good is an extra online game-connection, if it is going to turn said platform and service into a cheap DRM hound, always online junk?

Agree? Disagree? On what? Your thoughts and opinions, please!

Steam:

3) Not entirely correct. After purchase can disable the "keep game always updated"
6) Again not entirely correct. SOTS 2 was updated to enhanced edition at no cost for earlier buyers. But this is probably an exception due to the statte that game came out.
8) Again not true from what i read, steam does offer at least a one time refund.

A comparison between Gog and Steam on the Gog forums. I don't know why I was expecting something unbiased and based on actual facts...

In the last couple of months Steam has improved dramatically. Updates aren't forced anymore.

BTW,he's stating that he don't want to start a flame war,but the "arguments" that he uses are,as you said,biased and based on his opinions and let's not forget about several GOG users that uses Steam(I'm one of them).

also, can we please stop the "own" thingy? you "own" your games just as much on steam as on gog i.e. you have a game license to play the game. the matter here is access, not ownership.

DLC's are also a moot point, as steam release new games (and then DLC's as and when they come) while gog just do not release those games,. if they did, they would do the same.

and point 10 is purely subjective.

Steam.
3) False for most games you can set do not update automatically and it wont update , there is no global option yet
4) Its already been proven many games bought on steam dont even need steam you can start the game directly
5) False check out the backup function in the client , if offers you two ways to backup your data cd format or dvd so you can burn can keep em
6) Not always true , the first instance of this happening is deus ex and its not only on steam
7) Not true again it depends from game to game, many pack in the dlc as soon as the last one is released , or bundle them into goty edition , gold edition
8) False again if the game is truly broken you do get refunds it has happened with that cricket that was released recently in a broken mess.
9)False again some games do pack in soundtracks free , others you have to buy
10) ? what can you provide some examples , i can quote over 100 indie developer tweets/articles/posts thanking steam over for the sales it has provided them , go check the sales charts yourself compared with other drm solutions, how is better sales for the developer not progress.
how is gamers enjoying their games on steam no progress, go to steam , check the stats , yes those are all pc gamers on steam , that is progress

on gog , yes its good but they wont be able retain everything you said for all modern games, for example where is the soundtrack for this http://www.gog.com/game/shadowrun_returns , its purchasble on steam, where is the deluxe edition thats on steam ?
will they release the dlc that comes out later in jan for free ?

This 'comparison' by someone who supposedly simply wants to compare and contrast with nothing in mind seems surprisingly biased. The facts also seems muddled here and there.

yeah, i guesses I was not the only one who found it amusing that the 'comparison' started from that statement. 'Without having something in mind' or 'wanting to prove anything' indeed.

Well, about the own thingy and licence. Let me rephrase and elaborate, please. If you want to talk game licence, game licence it is. So, the question now becomes: "Who offers the most beneficial, versatile and consumer friendly game licence/type of game licence?". Something tells me i do not even need to ask this.

Also: "quote"False again some games do pack in soundtracks free , others you have to ***buy*** "/quote" With keyword here being, BUY! GoG offers soundtracks and all other stuff, COMPLETELY FREE! Also, this fact, was the entire point in that arguement. Which also results to the most beneficial for the consumer, type of game licence... -_-

About the other comments, i am interested in all opinions. I do my best to not be biased (but i cannot help being impartial, that much is true...), and i am a steam user myself. But only out of need (games i liked and were steam exclusives, like Shogun 2 Gold), or vendors' ignorance (they do not know for which patform games are released), or simply vendors' forgetting to mention the retail games i bought were meant for steam only. I have used steam myself, did not like it AFTER using, found the service not to be consumer friendly and player friendly (mostly because of all the restrictions, especially the charging system and compilations or intentional lack of them thereoff). But still, i like presentation of proper arguements, especially of those who prove that steam has changed/corrected/bettered its model (because, with slow changing it might become better after time, indeed). I like being updated. And of course, corrected, if and when i have an error.

The certain thing though i agree steam is superior, and for me it is considered its only plus (at least up to the moment), is the social networking, profile linking, friends and trades (like collectible images from game unlockings).

What's wrong with Dark Forces II? It worked nicely last time I tried?

And yes, this is the one point where I think gog beats steam, as on steam it is up to the publishers to make sure the games are running ok, but gog do help making sure that the classic games run well.

edit: I downloaded it again and gave it a quick try. I am on a 64 bit W7, and while the menus and cuctscenese are forced in a small window, the game itself runs smoothly on my system in fullscreen. I see from the forum that there are some issues with 3D acceleration on W8, but can't test this now - my W8 machine is at work.

- Steam has many more games than GOG:
I guess it's easier for a developer to get in Steam than in GOG, the lack of DRM can be a big rejection factor.
Also, Steam is in a dominant position, it has amassed a user base of many tens of millions, it is a synonym for PC gaming, developers usually want to be in Steam, they know it makes a huge difference on sales to be or not be in Steam. GOG is fighting for it.

Well, since you "do not intend to start a war" I'll state quite simply that I disagree with you on most of your points, and leave it at that.

I was just taking StringingVelvet's word that Dark Forces 2 was badly incompatible with modern systems.